real lad scores (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} cesarsalad) wrote,@ 2009-01-03 22:31:00 |
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The Most Disappointing Tournament of My Short Career
Or: how I learned to stop trying and love Scrabble:
Or: how I learned to stop trying and love Scrabble:
1) vs Maddy, ANISEED LEARIEST sTANDER / RUTILES NIHILISm / W 446-431
i don't know where i pulled TeRMINER* out of, but it was a horrible phony and i almost lost because of it
2) vs Kevin Colosa, VENTURIS OVENBIrD / tRIGONAL CURLIEST / W 418-392
3) vs Jason Idalski, (EN)SLAVING DIGERATI / UnErOTIC SATIRIST / L 367-436
a very well-played game by Idalski
4) vs Sam Kantimathi, PENSiVE / ASOCIAl / L 342-346
a very disappointing game in which I probably lost about 300 equity points by repeatedly missing the fact that ASOCIAL takes an S. could have easily won at the end with NIGHEST/ASOCIALS. but i didn't even see nighest.
5) vs Karl Higby, TINTERS / UNSWeAR LEOTARDS / L 349-431
this game was over quickly. i think i played it ok...
dinner at the buffet, which kind of made me a little sick. the mushrooms tasted funny. new years party. etc.
6) vs Lloyd Mills, SlUGGED MISSENT MINARET / ABrIDGE ENFOLDER / W 446-432
i went from 352-185 to 388-414 within 3 turns. Lloyd is terrifying. luckily he was low on time and missed his winning endgame play, which i pointed out to him (i don't know what's the etiquette about pointing out winning plays to a much better player than me) but he was understandably upset
7) vs John Morse, AGITATE pLASTERY / ROTARIES EPINAOS / W 394-353
8) vs Joe Dackman, sHOOTER PINITOL / CAULDRON MEGABUCK SNORTERS EASIEST bYRNIES / L 407-555
i posted this absurd game vs dackman earlier. it was fun though. i was up 327-299 after just 6 turns.
9) vs Mason Shambach, NEEDIER ACOrNED / NOSIEST GLARIEST LEeRIER / W 444-414, had to bingo out to win (overlapping on top of his bango)
10) vs Randy Greenspan, NERDIER / BONnETED / L 326-389,
i played this mostly perfectly, but still lost. i lost very little equity for most of my first half games, but i'll stop talking about that because it doesn't matter. the most important thing about equity is how misleading it can be. first of all, losing equity near the beginning of a game tends to matter more, because that's where the board really starts taking shape. Randy opened with TUFA, and I had AEELORY, and i was debating between OY and YE(A). it should be very obvious that OY was a much better move, but i really don't know why i would pick YEA. it just doesn't make sense. i came to an epiphany while half asleep during the third day which should hopefully make me play better from now on. it has to do with how impatient i am. basically, i'm never again making a move unless i can make sure it's better than the other candidate move. (how obvious, huh?). anyway, he did ZAX for 52, so that set the mood for the entire game, a huge error, but according to quackle, it's like a 6 point equity error or something of the sort, and i lost like 6 more for the rest of the game. yet, any good player would say that YEA was a terrible move.
11) vs Jason Ubeika, ENTERONS GOmERALS / SERIATE / W 385-377
this was my horrible attempt at playing a defensive game, by trying to protect a TEN-POINT lead late in the game with a blank, S, and X unseen. it kind of worked, i was proud of a play that simultaneously killed a big X spot and the most likely bingo lane, but quackle doesn't like it. before that though i was playing really scared and bad, i just got lucky that he didn't draw his bingo.
12) vs John Luebkemann, none / WOMANED GArIGUES BAPTISE RADICATe / L 374-530
Looby opens with WOMANED, i try PIROGEN through his O keeping a G, he makes GUISE/PIROGENS*, i challenge it off, and then make a horrible play, because i don't know how to break up a clunky rack (CGIILRY). ICILY is fine, or RIGIDLY or something of the sort, but i really don't know how to see plays like that, i literally can't find them!
we ate at cheesecake factory and we had several hilarious conversations and moments going on at the same time. i woke up feeling horrible on the 3rd day, literally horrible (i don't think people believed me, i didn't not go to hibachi because i was upset or anything, i was literally very sick). i also had only slept 3 hours (couldn't sleep much at all). so i bundled myself up, went to rite aid and bought contac cold pills and halls.
13) vs Jesse Day, RETAINED EARTHIER / TINNITUS CaRoLLED / L 410-429
i played this well except for three moves where i lost like 15 equity total. i was trying pretty hard, but it didn't work out cuz i tried to fast play him. the endgame play i chose technically wins the most endgames, but i had to infer that he didn't have the Q from his last play, and when i drew it from the bag that was the game ender right there. i should have taken my last 12 minutes to figure it out.
14) vs Chris Lipe, PLUtONS / IRENICaL SAPROBE BERIMES / L 333-450
the entire tournament fell apart three moves into this game. here is the worst move i've ever made:
this was literally my train of thought, as far as i can reconstruct it: "hmm, FOND is probably a pretty strong play, maybe 5D FED, i don't see any bingos, hmmmm.. (keeps looking), ok i think i'll play FO.. OH LOOK I HAVE FLINT 12H FOR 24 POINTS (slaps down FLINT). he then played FUZE, bingoed twice in a row, i missed STEADIED, challenged BERIMES, and he blocked HEADIEST after my challenge.
the next few games are a blur of horrible tiles, getting repeatedly bingoed on and coughing and hacking and trying not to fall asleep in the middle of games. i probably played them all terribly.
15) vs Paul Avrin, ANSERINE / LAUNChER OVErLAPS / L 349-429
made a bad play early, and also drew terribly.
16) vs Roy Kamen, OUTSEEK* DRAPINGS* SECTION / QUILLiNG FRILLERS AFfIANT / L 452-469
i was down like 140 and almost pulled out a win but roy played a great endgame
ate at a delicious dominican restaurant that winter, kenji, and i had tried to go to last year, but it was closed. it was well worth the one year wait and it also woke me up!
17) vs Joel Horn, STEELING / ANcESTRY HERNiAL / L 298-470
this is that stupid AUGITE game that made me quit scrabble forever
18) vs Paul Avrin, LIoNIZE PEDESTAL FAUTEuIL / AIRIEST / W 566-296
OMG I DREW BOTH BLANKS
19) vs Mason Shambach, AERATES VICIOuS / none / W 453-346
20) vs Debbie Stegman, STREAMy / FILTHIER DESTAINS ANNOYERS EnTITLES / L 372-480
debbie bingoed 3 times in a row on me after i had the board all nice and under control. this sucks.
i stayed in the hotel room while everyone had fun and fell asleep for like 2 hours while simming some play. i felt much better when i woke up. then we stayed up late chatting about random funny things but i slept easier. in the morning i was wideawake (it takes an s).
21) vs kevin colosa, FLOUTED VESICLES PANDOUR / CoURAGE VISTAED / W 546-345
Kevin translated the katakana on my homer simpson Mr Sparkle shirt that I like wearing to tourneys. Homer is saying "how clean!" except one of the characters is a little screwed up, everyone else had told me that he said some variation of "ha-wa wa-ri" or something nonsensical. kevin also let me record him playing a theremin he brought, i really want to learn to play one now. it's ridiculously awesome. as far as this game goes, i just drew well.
22) vs jason ubeika, RAINLESs REbURIAL / ETESIAN ENTREATY / L 392-446
i didn't play this well. i forgot EXTERN took an E and wasn't even positive of the S hook, chickened out on BOLLInG (told you it was good, jesse!) and made a dumb fish in the pre-endgame that had like a 1 in 5 chance of succeeding (and he blocked the right lane anyway). oh, and before i made the fish i missed AACEIQSU thru a C. to be frank i didn't even look, but i thought i was really good at the five vowel 8s. it just didn't occur to me to put it in alphagram order.
23) vs karl higby, LIERNES INErTIA / SOOTIER / W 433-376
luckily for me he tried HALTERER*, i blocked latherer and pulled ahead. karl was tired, i was wide awake though. from now on when i go to tourneys i'm gonna try to sleep the normal amount of time i sleep in a day, because <6 hrs for 3 consecutive days does weird things.
24) vs sam kantimathi, SORDINI AROINtED / OUTHEArS / W 386-353
sam luckily for me had some sowpods trouble. he's been steeped in collins, as he put it, for the last few months, and then thought DURANCES was CSW only and tried DES*! (which was deleted a while ago i think...) i totally made a play that almost cost me the game when very comfortably ahead. long story short, EX for 27 keeping DGRSVZ is always wrong, he set up a triple i couldnt block and scored huge, and i had to exchange..
but honestly, i had a lot of fun at albany. i just need to figure out how to sleep more. i will be a good player from now on.
i don't know where i pulled TeRMINER* out of, but it was a horrible phony and i almost lost because of it
2) vs Kevin Colosa, VENTURIS OVENBIrD / tRIGONAL CURLIEST / W 418-392
3) vs Jason Idalski, (EN)SLAVING DIGERATI / UnErOTIC SATIRIST / L 367-436
a very well-played game by Idalski
4) vs Sam Kantimathi, PENSiVE / ASOCIAl / L 342-346
a very disappointing game in which I probably lost about 300 equity points by repeatedly missing the fact that ASOCIAL takes an S. could have easily won at the end with NIGHEST/ASOCIALS. but i didn't even see nighest.
5) vs Karl Higby, TINTERS / UNSWeAR LEOTARDS / L 349-431
this game was over quickly. i think i played it ok...
dinner at the buffet, which kind of made me a little sick. the mushrooms tasted funny. new years party. etc.
6) vs Lloyd Mills, SlUGGED MISSENT MINARET / ABrIDGE ENFOLDER / W 446-432
i went from 352-185 to 388-414 within 3 turns. Lloyd is terrifying. luckily he was low on time and missed his winning endgame play, which i pointed out to him (i don't know what's the etiquette about pointing out winning plays to a much better player than me) but he was understandably upset
7) vs John Morse, AGITATE pLASTERY / ROTARIES EPINAOS / W 394-353
8) vs Joe Dackman, sHOOTER PINITOL / CAULDRON MEGABUCK SNORTERS EASIEST bYRNIES / L 407-555
i posted this absurd game vs dackman earlier. it was fun though. i was up 327-299 after just 6 turns.
9) vs Mason Shambach, NEEDIER ACOrNED / NOSIEST GLARIEST LEeRIER / W 444-414, had to bingo out to win (overlapping on top of his bango)
10) vs Randy Greenspan, NERDIER / BONnETED / L 326-389,
i played this mostly perfectly, but still lost. i lost very little equity for most of my first half games, but i'll stop talking about that because it doesn't matter. the most important thing about equity is how misleading it can be. first of all, losing equity near the beginning of a game tends to matter more, because that's where the board really starts taking shape. Randy opened with TUFA, and I had AEELORY, and i was debating between OY and YE(A). it should be very obvious that OY was a much better move, but i really don't know why i would pick YEA. it just doesn't make sense. i came to an epiphany while half asleep during the third day which should hopefully make me play better from now on. it has to do with how impatient i am. basically, i'm never again making a move unless i can make sure it's better than the other candidate move. (how obvious, huh?). anyway, he did ZAX for 52, so that set the mood for the entire game, a huge error, but according to quackle, it's like a 6 point equity error or something of the sort, and i lost like 6 more for the rest of the game. yet, any good player would say that YEA was a terrible move.
11) vs Jason Ubeika, ENTERONS GOmERALS / SERIATE / W 385-377
this was my horrible attempt at playing a defensive game, by trying to protect a TEN-POINT lead late in the game with a blank, S, and X unseen. it kind of worked, i was proud of a play that simultaneously killed a big X spot and the most likely bingo lane, but quackle doesn't like it. before that though i was playing really scared and bad, i just got lucky that he didn't draw his bingo.
12) vs John Luebkemann, none / WOMANED GArIGUES BAPTISE RADICATe / L 374-530
Looby opens with WOMANED, i try PIROGEN through his O keeping a G, he makes GUISE/PIROGENS*, i challenge it off, and then make a horrible play, because i don't know how to break up a clunky rack (CGIILRY). ICILY is fine, or RIGIDLY or something of the sort, but i really don't know how to see plays like that, i literally can't find them!
we ate at cheesecake factory and we had several hilarious conversations and moments going on at the same time. i woke up feeling horrible on the 3rd day, literally horrible (i don't think people believed me, i didn't not go to hibachi because i was upset or anything, i was literally very sick). i also had only slept 3 hours (couldn't sleep much at all). so i bundled myself up, went to rite aid and bought contac cold pills and halls.
13) vs Jesse Day, RETAINED EARTHIER / TINNITUS CaRoLLED / L 410-429
i played this well except for three moves where i lost like 15 equity total. i was trying pretty hard, but it didn't work out cuz i tried to fast play him. the endgame play i chose technically wins the most endgames, but i had to infer that he didn't have the Q from his last play, and when i drew it from the bag that was the game ender right there. i should have taken my last 12 minutes to figure it out.
14) vs Chris Lipe, PLUtONS / IRENICaL SAPROBE BERIMES / L 333-450
the entire tournament fell apart three moves into this game. here is the worst move i've ever made:
Me: Turn 3 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O -> Me DFINOST 94 ------------------------------ Lipe ------- 91 1|= ' = ' =| --Tracking----------------------------------- 2| - " " - | AAAAAAABBCDEEEEEEEEFGIIKLLNNOOPQRRRRRSSTTTTT 3| - ' ' - | UUWWYAEJNODMOUYZEGMVAGHHIIN 71 4|' O V O I D - '| 5| E I - | 6| " X " R " " | 7| ' I ' E ' | 8|= P L U t O N S ' =| 9| ' ' I ' | 10| " " C " " | 11| - a - | 12|' - ' L - '| 13| - ' ' - | 14| - " " - | 15|= ' = ' =| ------------------------------ opp's last move is IRENICaL
this was literally my train of thought, as far as i can reconstruct it: "hmm, FOND is probably a pretty strong play, maybe 5D FED, i don't see any bingos, hmmmm.. (keeps looking), ok i think i'll play FO.. OH LOOK I HAVE FLINT 12H FOR 24 POINTS (slaps down FLINT). he then played FUZE, bingoed twice in a row, i missed STEADIED, challenged BERIMES, and he blocked HEADIEST after my challenge.
the next few games are a blur of horrible tiles, getting repeatedly bingoed on and coughing and hacking and trying not to fall asleep in the middle of games. i probably played them all terribly.
15) vs Paul Avrin, ANSERINE / LAUNChER OVErLAPS / L 349-429
made a bad play early, and also drew terribly.
16) vs Roy Kamen, OUTSEEK* DRAPINGS* SECTION / QUILLiNG FRILLERS AFfIANT / L 452-469
i was down like 140 and almost pulled out a win but roy played a great endgame
ate at a delicious dominican restaurant that winter, kenji, and i had tried to go to last year, but it was closed. it was well worth the one year wait and it also woke me up!
17) vs Joel Horn, STEELING / ANcESTRY HERNiAL / L 298-470
this is that stupid AUGITE game that made me quit scrabble forever
18) vs Paul Avrin, LIoNIZE PEDESTAL FAUTEuIL / AIRIEST / W 566-296
OMG I DREW BOTH BLANKS
19) vs Mason Shambach, AERATES VICIOuS / none / W 453-346
20) vs Debbie Stegman, STREAMy / FILTHIER DESTAINS ANNOYERS EnTITLES / L 372-480
debbie bingoed 3 times in a row on me after i had the board all nice and under control. this sucks.
i stayed in the hotel room while everyone had fun and fell asleep for like 2 hours while simming some play. i felt much better when i woke up. then we stayed up late chatting about random funny things but i slept easier. in the morning i was wideawake (it takes an s).
21) vs kevin colosa, FLOUTED VESICLES PANDOUR / CoURAGE VISTAED / W 546-345
Kevin translated the katakana on my homer simpson Mr Sparkle shirt that I like wearing to tourneys. Homer is saying "how clean!" except one of the characters is a little screwed up, everyone else had told me that he said some variation of "ha-wa wa-ri" or something nonsensical. kevin also let me record him playing a theremin he brought, i really want to learn to play one now. it's ridiculously awesome. as far as this game goes, i just drew well.
22) vs jason ubeika, RAINLESs REbURIAL / ETESIAN ENTREATY / L 392-446
i didn't play this well. i forgot EXTERN took an E and wasn't even positive of the S hook, chickened out on BOLLInG (told you it was good, jesse!) and made a dumb fish in the pre-endgame that had like a 1 in 5 chance of succeeding (and he blocked the right lane anyway). oh, and before i made the fish i missed AACEIQSU thru a C. to be frank i didn't even look, but i thought i was really good at the five vowel 8s. it just didn't occur to me to put it in alphagram order.
23) vs karl higby, LIERNES INErTIA / SOOTIER / W 433-376
luckily for me he tried HALTERER*, i blocked latherer and pulled ahead. karl was tired, i was wide awake though. from now on when i go to tourneys i'm gonna try to sleep the normal amount of time i sleep in a day, because <6 hrs for 3 consecutive days does weird things.
24) vs sam kantimathi, SORDINI AROINtED / OUTHEArS / W 386-353
sam luckily for me had some sowpods trouble. he's been steeped in collins, as he put it, for the last few months, and then thought DURANCES was CSW only and tried DES*! (which was deleted a while ago i think...) i totally made a play that almost cost me the game when very comfortably ahead. long story short, EX for 27 keeping DGRSVZ is always wrong, he set up a triple i couldnt block and scored huge, and i had to exchange..
but honestly, i had a lot of fun at albany. i just need to figure out how to sleep more. i will be a good player from now on.
