Beth and Carly are selling candy bars to raise money for new cheerleading uniforms. Beth has sold one less than twice the number of candy bars that Carley has sold. If they have sold 188 candy bars in all, how many has beth sold?
Let x be the number of candy bars sold by Carly.
Beth has sold 2*x - 1 candy bars.
The total number of candy bars sold is x + 2*x - 1 =188
Combining like terms, we get 3*x - 1= 188
Adding 1 to both sides, we get 3*x = 189
Dividing both sides by 3, we get x = 63
Twice the number of candy bars sold by Carly is 63 * 2 = <<63*2=126>>126
Beth has sold 126 - 1 = <<126-1=125>>125 candy bars. Answer: \boxed{125}.