Pixel42
Schrödinger's cat
As has been pointed out, it's possible that the marked bucket had some other distinguishing feature that you were picking up on subconsciously. This protocol would consequently not be acceptable in a formal test, eg for the JREF million dollar challenge. It should not be adequate evidence to you either.All that mattered to me was that neither myself or my wife knew which bucket was marked
Please do not let your rods start dictating to you what you are or are not "allowed" to do with them. That way lies madness.