Well it looks like there is going to be some disagreement.

Het pied markers are not a myth. Peter Kahl himself will tell you they are not a myth and has not produced any poss het pieds in the past 5 years.

What they are not is 100% accurate. There are plenty of het pieds without the marker. But honestly, probably 80% of them have it, way higher percentage than if you grabbed a bunch of CH.

I personally know several breeders who sell poss het pied females without markers as normals, because sure they could be hets but the percentage chance is significantly lower than the others animals in the clutch.

I don't feel I'd feel right selling them as poss hets when I know they are probably not hets based on the marker.

There are normals balls with a striped belly. The marker isn't the same as say a yellow belly... And absolutely, your best bet is to buy from a quality breeder, so your not gambling.

Justin