tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63518271952758964052024-03-08T17:02:45.567-05:00Skill Gaming 101Tips,strategies and commentary on some of the most popular skill gaming topics on the web!Possibly Crockedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08271090623495649690noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6351827195275896405.post-41075055857814813362010-11-19T13:12:00.003-05:002011-01-09T23:00:30.670-05:00Got the Gift Of Game?<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><b></b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><strong>Turn it into Cash!</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;">Having the gift of game isn’t much different from having the gift of gab, except maybe gabbers are much more annoying.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I’m certain that you’ve probably heard the stories by now; people actually do win money “skill gaming”! We wouldn’t report it if it weren’t true! Skill Gaming sites such as WorldWinner, King.com, and SkillAddiction all offer a variety of competitive skill gaming competitions.</span></div><a name='more'></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">WorldWinner is known for the fruitfulness of its competitions, and frequently boasts of paying out over $250,000 in winnings per day. Games such as Solitaire, Free Cell, Bejeweled2, Diner Dash, and Bookworm are all being played for cash at this very moment. </span><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">If you’ve always thought you were good, you can test your skills against some of the best skill gamers in the world. Now that your excitement is brewing, check out some of our other articles on tips, strategies, and how the fair matching system is employed at WorldWinner. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Do you think you have what it takes? Which site do you prefer, and which has been the most profitable for your? We would love to hear about your gaming experiences and what you do with your winnings! Happy gaming!</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></div>Possibly Crockedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08271090623495649690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6351827195275896405.post-27217083963399656052010-11-19T13:11:00.002-05:002011-01-09T22:45:27.204-05:00WorldWinner Skill Gaming - 8 Things That Make Us Grimace<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">We do enjoy skill gaming, but we love “lists” even better. We’ve compiled our list of 8 things that might happen to you as you play on the popular skill gaming site. Of course the list isn’t all inclusive, but some of these things tend to get a rise out of most of us.</span><span style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: 13px;"><b>Fair Matching</b></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 10px;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"> – we hate that fair matching is primarily based on dollar amounts rather than your true skill level. One could argue that winning/skill level is directly proportional, but just because I can win a reasonable amount of games in division II, doesn’t mean I can compete in division I. </span></span></span><b><span style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13px;"><b>Hitting the “make deposit” button</b> – </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">I can’t imagine anyone who doesn’t grimace at having to hit the deposit button on WW. If only all of us could be like the few of us whom haven’t hit the deposit button in 3 years! </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><b> </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10px;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><b>Seeing your first score</b></span><span style="font-size: 13px;"> in the daily not even come close to the top 10 – WW has true skill gamers, and some actually do it as their day job. It is however, very discouraging to see an unbelievable score at the top of the daily tournaments by an elite player—probably one of those non-depositor type people!</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><b> </b></span></span> <div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 10px;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><b>Knowing that one of the elite players</b> </span><span style="font-size: 13px;">has decided to play at the same time as you have – At one time, the elites would come on and play several games in a row in an attempt to pick up some quick wins and quick cash. For those of you that are unfamiliar, an elite would start 5 games of 5 player diner dash, so that when you came along, your next 5 games would be against that player. It’s not as much as a problem as it use to be, but it’s still very annoying. Tip: add the elites to you buddy list so you can see the last time they played a game. If it’s been within the last hour or so…stay clear.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><b>Player Services Reps</b> - who copy and paste preformed replies into the live help chat box. Can they take care of issues without using a useless scripted response? Sometimes I wonder about this...are the customer service folks at WW robots? </span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><b>Thinking about the geek</b> that came up with the current FMS – </span></span><span style="font-size: 13px;">Supposedly a group of MIT folks developed the system, but I’m sure they aren’t skill gaming on a daily basis. If you’re an elite gamer, then I’m sure the FM system doesn’t affect you as much as the other 90% of us.</span><span style="font-size: 10px;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 10px;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><b>Not seeing your name</b> on the Happy Hour Winner Leaderboard</span><span style="font-size: 13px;"> – For crying out loud….some players have won 25,000 rewards points two or three times, and others, none at all. Win it once, and at the very least, you should be taken out of the “possible win pool” for a month.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 10px;"><span style="font-size: 11px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"> <span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13px;"><b>The ridiculous tax statement</b> at the end of the year -Ok, ok, cant necessarily put this one on WW, after all, they are just following IRS rules. It's beyond me how a player could have a tangible net loss of 1000 dollars, but have to claim 1800 dollars as miscellaneous income. In the words of Hurley (from Lost)--"WTF dude!" Leave your comments </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://blog.realsucu.com/2009/07/23/worldwinner-skill-gaming--8-things-that-make-us-grimace.aspx"><span style="font-size: 13px;">here!</span></a><span style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></div>Possibly Crockedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08271090623495649690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6351827195275896405.post-24976578363169224192010-11-19T13:10:00.003-05:002011-01-09T23:09:42.451-05:00WorldWinner Ladder Tips, Cheats and Strategies<span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #5e020b;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9px;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">So ya wanna try you luck at a skill gaming ladder? Ladders can be fun, and particularly rewarding, if you know how to play them. Using our tips, you can make the most of your skill gaming experiences in ladder tournaments.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #5e020b;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: x-small;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">You didn’t really think we had “actual” cheats or cheat codes for you did you? We will certainly not help you “cheat” your way to the top of a ladder, (or any tournament for that matter), but you can improve you chances of earning daily rewards points, and winning some money as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Never underestimate your ladder opponent. Ladder tournament games are one attempt and one attempt only! Make sure you aren’t distracted, and that your internet connection is good. Trying risky moves in ladder games could be the difference between winning and losing. Play it straight up. In games like Diner Dash, choose your power ups wisely. The podium power up in Diner Dash would probably be the last option I would choose.</span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #5e020b;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">When ladder seeding opens, you should try and gain a good initial placement position. After the initial seeding is over, you won’t have to work as hard to get to the better spots on the ladder.<span style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">It’s better to initiate the challenge, rather than be challenged. Keep in mind, if you initiate the </span></span><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">challenge, you can only move up if you win. If you are not initiating</span> </span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">challenges, that means you are being challenged by lower seeds! A loss would then mean you move down on the ladder. The logic behind initiating the challenge is; if you’re in a rewards point’s position, you could conceivably hold that position for 48 hours.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Let’s say</span> you’re at position 30 on the ladder and you initiate a challenge to the 20<sup>th</sup> position. If the gamer in position 20 waits 24 hours to play the tournament, you’ve still maintained your position at 30 (a rewards points position) and you can’t be challenged by a lower seed. If you happen to lose your initiated challenge, and are subsequently challenged by a lower seed, you would also have 24 hours to complete your tournament. It’s an effective strategy for holding your position as long as you can.</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #5e020b;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 9px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Always be prepared to rematch your opponent…win or lose. In other words, upon completion of your game, either initiate a new challenge to move up, or be prepared for a more than likely rematch with your previous opponent. Try and avoid forfeits as well. They will get you moved down the ladder in a hurry if you’re not careful. Check your challenges daily! If at all possible, get your rewards points for the day, and then play your challenges. Rewards points are credited at 11:59 eastern time, daily. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">These are a few general tips to help you in your skill gaming ladder tournaments. Each individual game (Diner Dash, Bejeweled2, Luxor, etc.) undoubtedly has specific strategies that you might want to employ to help your chances. Enjoy your ladders, and most importantly…..make some cash!</span></span></span> </span></div>Possibly Crockedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08271090623495649690noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6351827195275896405.post-14373370989414420752010-11-19T13:09:00.003-05:002011-01-09T22:52:55.533-05:00WorldWinner Foul, Not Fair Matching System<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Before we bash WorldWinner’s competitive fair matching system, we must give "some" credit to the powers that be; WW has made an attempt (and we use the term loosely) at striking a competitive balance on the popular skill gaming site, but there are several factors that still undermine the credibility of the system.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">According to unofficial reports from Worldwinner, the current competitive matching system was developed by some of the best of the best at MIT. The MIT credentials (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) are much more impressive than the product thats currently being applied to competitive skill gaming.</span> <br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Cheaters </span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">exist on the site, and the "cheating attribute" undermines the credibility of fair play. Keeping the site void of cheats is surely a challenge, but WW generally fails at removing them in a timely manner. Cheats, although scarce, are stealing from honest players and their actions undermine the credibility of the site, as well as fair matching! </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The Win-One, Lose Ten Scenario</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 13px;">is difficult to digest, and is another strike against Fair Matching Credibility. Average skill gamers can sometimes win one decent prize amount, and are subsequently moved up in "skill gaming rank". Ten to twenty game losing streaks are quite common on the site if you aren’t careful. In other words, win $20 bucks; lose $40 before you are moved back to a more competitive/fair skill division.</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"> </span></span> </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Multiple entry tournaments (excluding daily delights)</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> can be both good and bad! If you can afford 5 or 6 entry fees for a particular tournament, then the odds of winning a prize increase significantly. We call foul on this for two reasons! First, a players bankroll shouldn’t have an affect on the overall outcome of a game. While some might disagree; skill gaming shouldn't necessarily be about "out-spending" your competition. The “fair” element of a competition is removed when one player can play until they get a certain board layout to win. Secondly, we are not under the <b>clear</b> impression that everyone receives the same game board upon the first entry of a tournament. Ask the big spenders, and they will tell you they love the system as is; ask a budget player, and he would probably tell you that he is being tired of being <b>out-spent</b> by a player who has entered a tournament 5 times.</span><b> </b></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Scoring potential boards and game memorization elements</span></span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> weigh heavily on ones ability to compete fairly on the site. Once again, this is another black eye for the “Fair Matching System”! With enough of a bankroll, you can play some of the games to the point of repetition. For example; if a player were to gain enough experience playing Wheel of Fortune, the player could begin to see some of the puzzles repeat. That is CLEARLY advantageous when you're playing against a player who has not memorized all the puzzles. While memorization can be considered a skill, WW should not “teach the test” so to speak! The FMS uses win amounts as a key metric in determining skill divisions. A newbie who wins a few games in a lower division will eventually be matched with someone who has memorized all of the boards. At that point, the fair matching system becomes compromised. Players that compete in the higher skill divisions (elite divisions) have a competitive advantage over lesser experienced players.</span> <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We aren’t really big fans of “same scoring potential” boards either. Two game boards may have the same “overall” scoring potential, but it is certainly possible that one board is more difficult for me, than it is for you. Except in cases where the same boards cannot be offered for integrity reasons, players should receive the exact same board in a given tournament.</span></span></span> </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">Multiple divisions at the same time?</span></span></b><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">It IS possible to be matched in different skill divisions while playing limited entry games versus unlimited entry games. I'm not a fan of this particular set up because it tends to suggest that WHAT you WIN is more important than your actual skill level. While it's understandable that unlimited entry games can accommodate wider skill ranges; gamers should be afforded the chance of winning the overall top prize.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">As an example, we use a scenario of skill Division I players versus skill Division II players. In unlimited entry tournaments, it is not uncommon for Division I and Division II players to be co-mingled, but the Division II players are unlikely to win the overall tournament. While the number of players that compete in certain games may be limited, we don't necessarily feel like those players should be unfairly matched because of limited participation..</span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"> </span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Regardless if you believe the current system works or not, overall, it is unfair to the majority. Arguably, you would want a system that’s seemingly fair to the majority, not the minority! More specifically, the current system should be labeled Foul Matching System! Credit WorldWinner for attempting to develop an adequate system, but the system isn’t working. It’s great to have tournaments that end in a timely manner, but tournaments shouldn’t end, just for the sake of ending. In other words, gamers should never be out-matched in order to fill spots and close tournaments. While no system is going to be completely fair for everyone, the current system seems to only be fair for players that are in the top 10 percent (a generous assessment) of the site.</span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div></div></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Fair Matching assigns gamers to divisions and or subdivisions to ensure competitive balance amongst players. The system incorporates factors such as; experience, scoring potential, win percentage, and various other secret, undeclared metrics. WorldWinner guards the Fair Matching Formula as if it is the secret recipe for the Colonels Fried Chicken, but it would be hard to argue against why they do it. In defense of WW, skill gamers would exploit the system if they knew all of the inter workings. As it currently stands though; WW could try a bit harder to explain why gamers are often over matched in competitions. For this, and many other reasons, we must call “Foul” on WW’s FMS.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">**</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our content is reflective of our opinions and experiences with the site. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 9pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">WorldWinner, is</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Media Corporation, and hosts daily online skill gaming competitions!</span></span></span> </span></span> </div>Possibly Crockedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08271090623495649690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6351827195275896405.post-53798518231137774492010-11-19T13:08:00.001-05:002011-01-09T22:30:17.180-05:00Anatomy of the Yahoo Spades 3 Minute Staller<div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #5e020b;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13px;"><br />
<span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><b><span style="font-size: 13px;">Anatomy of the Yahoo Spades 3 Minute Staller</span></b></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 10px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">If you’re here reading this, then there’s a good chance you’re stuck in a 3 minute game with a staller. Well, good luck to you in your game, but maybe we can provide some interesting reading for you while you wait. The question of the day as it pertains to stallers is; why do they do it? Let’s examine</span>!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 13px;">Stalling is a tactic that’s been around for quite a while, and it is certainly going to remain a part of the game. Stalling is done for a number of reasons, but the staller generally has some issues with <b>control</b>. For the staller, I would guess there is some euphoric feeling about keeping players under their thumbs for 2 hours. I think I could find something better to do with those 2 hours, but some people don’t have anything better to do.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: xx-small;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 7.5pt;"><br />
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><div align="left" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">Some 3 min players use the stall tactic as a means to gain a <b>competitive advantage</b>; they want you to quit. While it’s not a lot of fun to sit through a 3 min game, if you quit, you are only enabling the staller to continue the stalling behavior in the future.</span><br />
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Retaliation<br />
</span></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">is another reason that 3 minute players slow down the game. Maybe they don’t like anyone at the table, or maybe they don’t like their partner. While neither is an excuse for playing the stall game; retaliation is another big reason why people stall.<br />
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<b>M</b></span></span><span style="font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><b>isery</b></span> <span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-size: 13px;">loves company, and if the staller is going to lose the game, they want the entire table to be miserable with them. Again, most of us have better things to do with our time, but if you’re going to win the game, sometimes you might have to go through a little misery. Just think of how you’re going to feel after you take the stallers points! Vindicated, and tired…at the same time! Check back with us often, as we will be publishing our rules that counter attack stalling techniques!</span></span></span></span> </span> </span></div></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>Possibly Crockedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08271090623495649690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6351827195275896405.post-31348900667189610642010-11-19T13:07:00.001-05:002011-01-09T22:31:53.979-05:00Increase Your Yahoo Spades Ratings<div id="RadEditorStyleKeeper1" style="display: none;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;">The online version of the popular table game has somewhat of a "luck" factor applied, that can be difficult to overcome. In an effort to keep games competitive, card distribution tends to favor the team that's losing. Good players still have great success and average players can improve their rating by following these 7 easy tips! (If you’re reading this list, it is assumed that you know the basics of the game, and the list is provided to increase your chances of winning online!)</span></span> <br />
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Card counters, stalling, and cheat methods won’t work for long. Cheating may help your short term rating, but at some point, you will be exposed. The spades community is well aware of who can play, and who can’t. Card counters are not really necessary if the game keeps a nice pace. Don't waste your money or time by downloading them. <br />
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<b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;">(1)Bid Good Nils!</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> Rely on your nil being true, rather than true if your partner covers you "right". Nil bidders love to blame their partners for a bad cover, but <b>TRUE NILS NEED NO COVER!</b> Just as you shouldn’t rely on your partner to make your bid tricks for you, you shouldn't rely on them to cover your Nil. Rely on the nil being <b><i>true</i></b>, rather than true if someone covers it the right way. Eliminate b ad Nils from your arsenal and you’ll increase your chances of winning. Exception; if you need to make a play to get back in the game, you may have to attempt a risky nil. If the game is close, stay safe and bid 1. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;">(2)Force Forfeits!</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> It sounds simple, but taking a forfeit will cost you dearly. Forfeits are ratings killers, and they are often followed by days and days of bad cards. <b><i>Tip;</i></b> allow a minimum of 2 hours from the time you press start for your game to finish. Inevitably, the one time you start a game 25 minutes before you have to leave for work, someone will stall you. Never advertise that you only have 15 or 20 minutes to play a game, because someone will take advantage of that! While two hours might seem like a lot of time to allot for a game, the alternative is ending up in a 3 minute game that you have to leave! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><b>(5)</b></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Excessive</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> <b>Sandbagging!</b> The key here is proper bidding! Sandbagging your opponent is not really a good strategy to winning. Deliberate sandbagging will lose you more games than you will win. You wont consistently beat <b>good players</b> by applying this strategy. When you deliberately or unintentionally underbid your hand, you are giving away bid points unnecessarily. If your team has an actual han<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><b> </b></span>d value of 7, or (70 pts), and you bid 4 total, you’re giving away 30 pts on that hand. Given normal card distributions, you’re going to need those 30 points at some point during the game, or at the very least, wish you had those 30 pts. Good players will at the very least split bags with you, and you are giving away your points!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;">(7)Play Smart!</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> Keep an eye on the score, and always play to win. Bidding the 4 spade Nil is a sucker bid that should rarely be tried. In a normal card distribution, simple math suggest that the "4 spade niller" has the most trump. The odds are stacked against you making, although it seems to work about 25% of the time. If the game is out of hand, or you find yourself running out of time to catch up, you may not have a choice but to attempt a 4 spade nil. Use discretion! Use the same discretion in keeping a "cool head".</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> Upset your partner and you’re almost assuring yourself a loss. While it is sometimes appropriate to mention a bad play to your p, you should use a bit of tact when doing so. Excessive abuse will almost certainly lead to stalling or 13 bids. The result will be easy rating points for your opponents, and they will love you for it. Your opponent might even instigate a disruption between you and your partner. Be careful! </span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Check back with us for more in-depth strategies to take advantage of the “chance” element of the game. Who you play, is just as important as how you play. Keep that in mind and Happy Spading! </span></span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;">(6)Don’t hide cards! </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;">The practice of hiding or tucking cards is never really a good idea. In other words, hiding aces, kings and queens won't win you any brownie points with your partner. Hiding cards usually comes into play when someone is hiding trump cards! Look for signs that your partner is asking you to show a card. Low or intermediate spade leads are typically a sign that someone wants you to expose an Ace, King or Queen of Spades. Nothing is more frustrating than to set yourself because you and your partner bumped high trump cards at the end of a hand! </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span></b></span></span><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;">(3)When in doubt, Lead Spades!</span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> Regardless of how or where you learned the game of spades, leading trump is usually a good thing! Leading trump helps with bag control, and can help set your opponent! Leading trump usually helps the bags fall where they should. Leading a spade forces your opponent to make decisions about the hand! One wrong play and they could set themselves! If your opponents planned on trumping suits, you could take their trump and set them. </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
(4)Lead What You Want To See! </span></b><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 10pt;">If you’re nil, and short in the diamond suit, then lead dimes to your partner. If you’re on a bid hand, lead the suit you’re short in so you can trump the next time that suit shows on the board. </span></span>Possibly Crockedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08271090623495649690noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6351827195275896405.post-40835431404155820162009-02-15T13:00:00.001-05:002011-01-09T22:42:11.788-05:00What Happened to Yahoo Spades!<div id="RadEditorStyleKeeper4" style="display: none;"></div><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Let’s forget about the actual business side of Yahoo for a second! One of the true staples of Yahoo was Yahoo Games when it was launched some time ago. Spades, dominoes, and literati were all popular favorites at one time or another. At present, it seems as though the “true spades players” have migrated to other gaming sites, or they aren’t playing as much as did before. What happened? Maybe all of the changes that Yahoo made to increase the gaming experience did not work out as well as they thought. We examine!</span><br />
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Yahoo found a way to control player booting. Booting was a way of removing a player from a rated game in order to gain a win by forfeit. Software programs were created (and sold) for the purpose of instant message (IM) bombing of another player. This would cause the player to lose connection and thus, forfeit the game within a 3 minute time period. Without rampant booting, Yahoo effectively took away a cheaters advantage…which is a good thing! Yahoo also went soft! No longer are players allowed to be “mean” or nasty. Curse your opponent out in today’s games, and you’re likely to end up with a 3 day suspension. While some might consider the “niceness” aspect of the game an improvement, it’s clearly a turnoff for traditional trash talkers.<br />
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Consequently, there is generally no form of due process in the execution of the 3 day suspension.<br />
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In an effort to improve the game, Yahoo worked on removing the cheat methods, eliminated chat, and removed the skill element of the game. No longer are you allowed to taunt your opponents and Yahoo Spades is no longer a place where everybody knows your name. While the overall gaming experience might have improved, I’m not sure this is what the players really wanted!</span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
Understandably, there is a fine line between keeping old players and adding new ones. Yahoo has a tough challenge in trying to balance the competitive aspects of the game, and keeping the lesser skilled players happy! The dynamic is such that; with even card distributions, better players will always win. Would you continue to play at a site that you rarely win at? Probably not; especially if your rating is your status symbol. Yahoo realizes this as well, and chooses to make the gaming experience more about luck than skill. Going set once in a game typically puts an end to your chance of winning a game of spades! At Yahoo, you can be set 2, 3, or 4 times, and still have a chance to win the game. Now that is ridiculous! </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
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Finally, if you aren’t able to protect your shield (your rating) you don’t have much of a choice, but to start over. Usually, this means starting a new id or nic, in an effort to gain a good rating! This isn’t necessarily a bad idea, but you sort of lose your spades identity the more nics you create. In the past, you could bounce into spades, and recognize ¾’s of the people in the room. With the new Yahoo, you would be lucky to recognize 5 people. </span><br />
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Years ago, you could play Spades, and chat via the game room messenger. This feature is no longer available because its use supported a multitude of cheats! While some of elements of cheating have been controlled by eliminating chat, some players actually liked the ability to taunt their opponents. Yahoo also placed a high limit on player ratings! Players are no longer allowed to obtain a rating past 3500. I’m not sure what purpose a cap serves, but in absence of the cap, it was easy to identify cheats and boosters.<br />
</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10pt;">Yahoo Spades use to be the place where the best of the best online spades gamers played. If you were a good player, you could obtain a decent rating at Yahoo! That spades rating served as sort of an online gaming status symbol. Good ratings increased your popularity, and you felt like the “big man on campus”! If your rating was not so good, you might be relegated to playing in beginner or social rooms. For the most part, the fun reasons to play Yahoo Spades have mostly been taken away.</span>Possibly Crockedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08271090623495649690noreply@blogger.com6