actually not completely true fifty is consistently profitable and is all on the right but you'd be surprised how close to 50/50 it is. you can't buy a 1y 50 and get the desired results so although the decay is not pathlength like a normal (where you would not except to win as 50) it still costs you to carry. note: 50 is currently short 'vol' (which we will define analaguously here as the pathlength of the vix) which he would not have been if it was a normal insurance contract.