Hah, this is why Tolkien is such a genius. When he edits his story he actually makes that fact a part of his stories. Originally it seems that Gollum riddled against Bilbo with the "one ring" as the clearly presented prize. The LotR Gollum on the other hand would have never allowed that, so Tolkien explained the earlier version of the story as a lie Bilbo invented to ease his conscience over stealing the ring.
