Vegas report (Day 1)
Preface: Equity results are generated by the latest version of Quackle. If I got away with a phony that was better than my best real play, I subtract the gain from my equity loss. Penalty challenges by either player are also factored in -- this tournament was 10 points/word penalty. Words are represented like this -- cH(A)NDLER -- where the C is the blank, and the A is the tile already on the board through which the bingo was played. For ratings, N: indicates the NASPA Collins rating, and W: indicates the WESPA rating. Normally the WESPA rating is about 100 points higher. Mine going into the tournament, owing to low sample size, were 1686 and 1951 respectively. Quizzes are indicated by ^.
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Las Vegas was my first tournament in nine months. I don't have a lot of money nor a local club, so I try to make every tournament I choose worthwhile. Although the bottom fell out of the Vegas field a bit, it still promised a good lineup of top local and international players, many of which I hadn't played. The late discovery that Craig Beevers would be playing -- a name I knew not just from Scrabble, but from apterous leaderboards (I've watched some of his Countdown performances) -- only added to my excitement. I tried to prepare by scoring and tracking a few timed games against Quackle by hand, but nothing really compares to tournament games as practice. So, I wasn't surprised that I had a slow start, getting into a lot of nervous time trouble before I found my pace.
My trip started on Friday 2/17 with a rather stranglely plotted Southwest Airlines journey, which took me from Charleston SC to Baltimore MD to Pittsburgh PA (where I didn't deplane) to Las Vegas. Once I arrived at the McCarran Airport in Vegas it was obvious what I was in for -- the airport itself has slot machines all over the place. Bypassing the placard-holding valets and the taxi stand, I paid $7 for a shuttle, where I was the last person on -- it seemed that the driver traveled on rank order of when people arrived rather than according to any geographic plan, so I was shuttled all around Vegas, seeing some of the excesses of the Strip, as well as what appeared a subdued suburban area if not for the loud billboards. Much argument took place on the radio during the shuttle trip, and indeed a driver (fortunately not mine) resigned mid-ride.
Unfortunately I discovered when I arrived at the Palms Hotel and Casino, site of the tournament. that they required a $400 "security deposit" on top of the room rate. This was refundable, but I only carried a debit card. After much fuss and argument, I was able to get my dad to accept the temporary charge, but the hotel staff were not very helpful in making this work -- at one point simply shredding a faxed document that they had decided was not necessary, only to discover that they did, in fact, need what was on it. During a break in this fiasco I, along with Bob Linn and Steve Polatnick, attempted to drop by the playing room to pre-register, as director Sam Kantimathi had requested. Unfortunately, he was not even there. Ultimately the whole pre-registration plan had to be abandoned, which contributed to a late start the next day. And no, my grand plans to sleep well didn't work out.
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Day 1, Morning
I paid $8 for a muffin and a Coke at the hotel snack bar. Sadly, this wasn't my biggest mistake of the morning.
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Game 1 vs Zbigniew Wieckowski (N: 1389 W: 1641)
Quackle hates my first play of BAUE(R)A#; BA(T)EAU for a few more points is better, as is the more defensive VA(T)U, which I disdained against a lower-rated player. Unfortunately I was not on my game yet, after a nine-month break from live games, and messed up the next turn too. I played a good middle game, following up cH(A)NDLER with the correct six-point fish of A(N)O(N) out of EILNNNS, which yielded ALIENIS(T) the next turn. I then missed an overlapping DE(I)SM/ (ZOUAVE)S for 46, while Zbigniew kept scoring. I was low on time when I faced GLOOOS?. Not surprised I missed the sevens but surprised I saw the possibility of the 8 through E, and just missed the (slightly overlappy) spot. I was still an 80% chance to win after missing the bingo, but, well, I didn't. He blocked LOGGiAS in the pre-endgame and then blocked a bunch of other things while scoring. Negative spread inflated because I tried a desperation mAWGERS* with the game clearly lost (just MAWGER# is good, as I thought.)
G1 vs ZW L 337-395: cH(A)NDLER ALIENIS(T) / none
Equity lost: 80 (25 on desperation play)
Record: 0-1 -58
Game 2 vs James Curley (N: 1663 W: 2075)
I respond to his opening VIGA with PUY# leaving IISU, which sims a bit better than an exchange, and seemed to frustrate something on his rack. The next turn I do exchange (-IIOSY keeping AS), which is the right idea but I should have kept ASS. I played almost perfectly from behind, eventually taking the lead on PATINES and bingoing again two turns later with DELIRIA. Having only lost 6 points of equity in nine turns, I got low on time again and started hemorrhaging spread. ANEW was a 12-point mistake, as I missed the DOUR(A) hook; I then failed even to look for a bingo out of AEHIILM?, which would have locked up the game.^ Fortunately, my MIHI# still kept me a 90% favorite; I played the endgame well and walked away with a win.
G2 W 419-409 vs James Curley: PATINES DELIRIA / RESELEC(T) FrIANDE# OESTRUM
Equity lost: 52
Record: 1-1 -48
^(L)ItHEMIA; also HEMIO(L)iA which would not have been worth playing.
Game 3 vs Becky Dyer (N: 1653 W: 1612)
I muff AEOPYZ? to open by playing POZ# instead of OYEZ. More seriously I miss a bunch of bingos out of EEHRY??, including cREEsHY# which I didn't know, but also (A)nYwHERE. I play HEY for 31, which isn't awful, and Becky drops down (W)INTERED for 89 to take the lead. I unsuccessfully search for a higher scoring play than (D)ERACiNE and don't find it, but my choice is still inferior to (D)EtAChER -- as I realize the next turn when my opponent slams down the X for 50. Only a one-point equity error, but as things transpired it swung this game. I have to fish, which Quackle doesn't hate; I just don't pick quite the correct fishes, but I do end up with OLEINES. I play V(E)ST to set up my S, and get away with SMOIL* for 38 -- both of us knew SMOILED# and neither were sure of the proper form (it's SMOILE#.) After picking up five extra points of equity, I blow many more with TRIAD keeping IR -- I knew it was bad, but I was running out of time and wanted to play tiles off. I find the best-equity play in the pre-endgame with CI(T)AL, giving me a chance to win, but, sadly, my tracking was wrong, I had no time to recheck it, and I played the endgame in the wrong order, condemning me to a narrow loss.
G3 L 422-424 vs Becky Dyer: (D)ERACinE# OLEINES / (W)INTERED
Equity lost: 37
Record: 1-2 -50
Game 4 vs Femi Awowade (N: 1771 W: 1822)
From here on out I was more comfortable playing, and rarely in danger of running out of time. I correctly open with FOLIA leaving AM, but spend the X a bit too eagerly, leaving me without much the next two turns. Fortunately, Femi opens and I play TAJINEs for 116. Even more fortunate, he manages to miss or chicken out of CLARIES and ECLAIRS on the TWS hook I'd just created, playing SCALIER 77 elsewhere. Two turns later I take THINNE(R)S 83 through his bingo to take a big lead. Up 50, I play QI in an incorrect spot -- thinking just to block the easiest lane, but leaving EEORST I could have kept two open just to be sure. The minor error worked out, as I got ROSETTE in the other spot to seal the victory.
G4 W 495-413 vs Femi Awowade: TAJINEs# THINNE(R)S ROSETTE / SCALIER
Equity lost: 11
Record: 2-2 +33
Equity loss in session: 180 (45/game)
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Day 1, Afternoon
Seeking to save money, I disdained caffeine at lunch and had a glass of water with my Panda Express from the Palms food court. This seemed like a good move for a while, but I crashed hard around game 7. Still, after eating a (s#)lightish lunch in my hotel room and watching an episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender on my laptop, I felt pretty good...
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Game 5 vs Robert Linn (N: 1768 W: 1839)
...which is why this game was so tough on me. Especially given my 5-0 record against Bob coming into the tournament. It's true, I played my first seven turns perfectly, converting some awkward but correct semi-fishes into (F)ENESTRA and STRID(E)Rs to go up by two bingos. But then, tragically, I allow him to hook CIAOS* with AMIDAS(E)s (It's JIAOS# that's good.) That 82-point mistake wiped out all my good play and got Bob back in the game. He overlapped his bingo with OUGuIYA fresh out of the bag; two turns later I play DONK(O)# to it but he pulls out (A)NTIQUER for 131! Which he misscores as 104, and I am too shocked to notice; therefore the game appears close after I semi-intentionally phony with (FRITZ)ING* 63. (Jesse Day was shocked that word wasn't good when I told him the story.) We both believe Bob will lose if he challenges and it's good, so it stays on, and I go out with (D)OOLE# to lose (we think) by 16. So, I actually gained 19 equity over perfect play on my own turns (only erring once, with WAIVE instead of WAVE), but letting his phony hook go cost enough to lose. Painful.
G5 L 430-446 vs Robert Linn: (F)ENESTRA STRID(E)Rs / AMIDAS(E)S** OUGuIYA (A)NTIQUER
Equity lost: 63
Record: 2-3 +17
Game 6 vs Steve Polatnick (N: 1825 W: 1750)
I made my first mistake on the fourth turn, being unsure of TRIFF# and playing INTR(O)LD elsewhere. I manage BARONNE(S) and OPINA(B)LE +10, but Steve is scoring with CARrYON (missing a 95-point starting from a B!)^ and HIGGLE for 51. Quackle wants me to start gratituously opening lines before I do, but I sort my strategy quickly, and it doesn't make a difference anyhow. Especially after I open one last lane and he drops AUTOPEn into it. At least a two-point pre-endgame fish makes him think (even though it's technically wrong.)
^(B)ARyONIC
G6 L 330-528 vs Steve Polatnick: BARONNE(S) OPINA(B)LE# / CARrYON AUTOPEn
Equity lost: 43
Record: 2-4 -181
Game 7 vs Evan Berovsky (N: 1960 W: 1926)
I opened by chickening out on JEELIE# because I thought it was only JEELY#. My bad. Our first three plays were all for 22 which led to some jokes until he hit VIRgINAL for 90, then GROOVERS, then blocked my 3x3 LASAGNES. He really seemed to be having a dream game, whereas -- after a few acceptable turns -- the poor caffeine schedule got to me. I fell behind by 110 and accidentally emptied the bag, which at that point didn't matter, as he was sitting on a 50-point X play and bingo opportunities were meagre.
G7 L 401-506 vs Evan Berovsky: ANLAGEs / VIRgINA(L) GROO(V)ERS LADRONE RE(E)NTERS
Equity lost: 89
Record: 2-5 -286
Game 8 vs Craig Beevers (N: none W: 2003)
I made a substantial mistake with ADEIINV after Craig's opener of BARM, playing MA(V)IE when VI(M) would have been far stronger -- I am overly cautious of leaving 3v2c. Then I got away with DOO(L)EY*, and inexplicably kept AN instead of EN on an exchange I shouldn't have made in the first place. I would have bingoed a turn earlier otherwise. I get 88 for HERNIAs, but Quackle would prefer to keep the Q with a bad rack the turn after my bingo, to score and turn over more. Craig goes up by 90 with DAIKONS and then up by 120 with COTI(N)GAS. I exchange again, keeping E -- but this time Quackle wants me to keep an I on the exchange, perhaps to hook Q and bingo the a C with an -IC word. He scores elsewhere, and my only chance to win is to bingo out with CONGESTED and hope to draw something unblockable, if it's even in the pool. Unfortunately, it's Craig who bingos out, catching me with a full rack including the Z. Oh well.
G8 L 318-508 vs Craig Beevers HERNIAs cONGEST(ED) / DAIKONS COTI(N)GAS URINATE
Equity lost: 62
Record: 2-6
Equity loss in session: 257 (64/game)
Cumulative: 437 (55/game)
---
I needed to get out of the Palms that evening, as the place was really getting on my nerves (especially after the involuntary two hours I had spent on the casino floor, with my bags, trying to check in the previous night.) And, honestly, Scrabble was getting on my nerves, too. Fortunately, Thai Spice was both easier to find and closer by than I had expected. It may have been difficult to find out what sodas they served, but the moderately spicy pad thai I enjoyed there cleared both my sinuses and my head. I returned to my room, too a quick look at my games, decided I hadn't been playing *that* awfully, and resolved to start over the next day.
---
Las Vegas was my first tournament in nine months. I don't have a lot of money nor a local club, so I try to make every tournament I choose worthwhile. Although the bottom fell out of the Vegas field a bit, it still promised a good lineup of top local and international players, many of which I hadn't played. The late discovery that Craig Beevers would be playing -- a name I knew not just from Scrabble, but from apterous leaderboards (I've watched some of his Countdown performances) -- only added to my excitement. I tried to prepare by scoring and tracking a few timed games against Quackle by hand, but nothing really compares to tournament games as practice. So, I wasn't surprised that I had a slow start, getting into a lot of nervous time trouble before I found my pace.
My trip started on Friday 2/17 with a rather stranglely plotted Southwest Airlines journey, which took me from Charleston SC to Baltimore MD to Pittsburgh PA (where I didn't deplane) to Las Vegas. Once I arrived at the McCarran Airport in Vegas it was obvious what I was in for -- the airport itself has slot machines all over the place. Bypassing the placard-holding valets and the taxi stand, I paid $7 for a shuttle, where I was the last person on -- it seemed that the driver traveled on rank order of when people arrived rather than according to any geographic plan, so I was shuttled all around Vegas, seeing some of the excesses of the Strip, as well as what appeared a subdued suburban area if not for the loud billboards. Much argument took place on the radio during the shuttle trip, and indeed a driver (fortunately not mine) resigned mid-ride.
Unfortunately I discovered when I arrived at the Palms Hotel and Casino, site of the tournament. that they required a $400 "security deposit" on top of the room rate. This was refundable, but I only carried a debit card. After much fuss and argument, I was able to get my dad to accept the temporary charge, but the hotel staff were not very helpful in making this work -- at one point simply shredding a faxed document that they had decided was not necessary, only to discover that they did, in fact, need what was on it. During a break in this fiasco I, along with Bob Linn and Steve Polatnick, attempted to drop by the playing room to pre-register, as director Sam Kantimathi had requested. Unfortunately, he was not even there. Ultimately the whole pre-registration plan had to be abandoned, which contributed to a late start the next day. And no, my grand plans to sleep well didn't work out.
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Day 1, Morning
I paid $8 for a muffin and a Coke at the hotel snack bar. Sadly, this wasn't my biggest mistake of the morning.
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Game 1 vs Zbigniew Wieckowski (N: 1389 W: 1641)
Quackle hates my first play of BAUE(R)A#; BA(T)EAU for a few more points is better, as is the more defensive VA(T)U, which I disdained against a lower-rated player. Unfortunately I was not on my game yet, after a nine-month break from live games, and messed up the next turn too. I played a good middle game, following up cH(A)NDLER with the correct six-point fish of A(N)O(N) out of EILNNNS, which yielded ALIENIS(T) the next turn. I then missed an overlapping DE(I)SM/ (ZOUAVE)S for 46, while Zbigniew kept scoring. I was low on time when I faced GLOOOS?. Not surprised I missed the sevens but surprised I saw the possibility of the 8 through E, and just missed the (slightly overlappy) spot. I was still an 80% chance to win after missing the bingo, but, well, I didn't. He blocked LOGGiAS in the pre-endgame and then blocked a bunch of other things while scoring. Negative spread inflated because I tried a desperation mAWGERS* with the game clearly lost (just MAWGER# is good, as I thought.)
G1 vs ZW L 337-395: cH(A)NDLER ALIENIS(T) / none
Equity lost: 80 (25 on desperation play)
Record: 0-1 -58
Game 2 vs James Curley (N: 1663 W: 2075)
I respond to his opening VIGA with PUY# leaving IISU, which sims a bit better than an exchange, and seemed to frustrate something on his rack. The next turn I do exchange (-IIOSY keeping AS), which is the right idea but I should have kept ASS. I played almost perfectly from behind, eventually taking the lead on PATINES and bingoing again two turns later with DELIRIA. Having only lost 6 points of equity in nine turns, I got low on time again and started hemorrhaging spread. ANEW was a 12-point mistake, as I missed the DOUR(A) hook; I then failed even to look for a bingo out of AEHIILM?, which would have locked up the game.^ Fortunately, my MIHI# still kept me a 90% favorite; I played the endgame well and walked away with a win.
G2 W 419-409 vs James Curley: PATINES DELIRIA / RESELEC(T) FrIANDE# OESTRUM
Equity lost: 52
Record: 1-1 -48
^(L)ItHEMIA; also HEMIO(L)iA which would not have been worth playing.
Game 3 vs Becky Dyer (N: 1653 W: 1612)
I muff AEOPYZ? to open by playing POZ# instead of OYEZ. More seriously I miss a bunch of bingos out of EEHRY??, including cREEsHY# which I didn't know, but also (A)nYwHERE. I play HEY for 31, which isn't awful, and Becky drops down (W)INTERED for 89 to take the lead. I unsuccessfully search for a higher scoring play than (D)ERACiNE and don't find it, but my choice is still inferior to (D)EtAChER -- as I realize the next turn when my opponent slams down the X for 50. Only a one-point equity error, but as things transpired it swung this game. I have to fish, which Quackle doesn't hate; I just don't pick quite the correct fishes, but I do end up with OLEINES. I play V(E)ST to set up my S, and get away with SMOIL* for 38 -- both of us knew SMOILED# and neither were sure of the proper form (it's SMOILE#.) After picking up five extra points of equity, I blow many more with TRIAD keeping IR -- I knew it was bad, but I was running out of time and wanted to play tiles off. I find the best-equity play in the pre-endgame with CI(T)AL, giving me a chance to win, but, sadly, my tracking was wrong, I had no time to recheck it, and I played the endgame in the wrong order, condemning me to a narrow loss.
G3 L 422-424 vs Becky Dyer: (D)ERACinE# OLEINES / (W)INTERED
Equity lost: 37
Record: 1-2 -50
Game 4 vs Femi Awowade (N: 1771 W: 1822)
From here on out I was more comfortable playing, and rarely in danger of running out of time. I correctly open with FOLIA leaving AM, but spend the X a bit too eagerly, leaving me without much the next two turns. Fortunately, Femi opens and I play TAJINEs for 116. Even more fortunate, he manages to miss or chicken out of CLARIES and ECLAIRS on the TWS hook I'd just created, playing SCALIER 77 elsewhere. Two turns later I take THINNE(R)S 83 through his bingo to take a big lead. Up 50, I play QI in an incorrect spot -- thinking just to block the easiest lane, but leaving EEORST I could have kept two open just to be sure. The minor error worked out, as I got ROSETTE in the other spot to seal the victory.
G4 W 495-413 vs Femi Awowade: TAJINEs# THINNE(R)S ROSETTE / SCALIER
Equity lost: 11
Record: 2-2 +33
Equity loss in session: 180 (45/game)
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Day 1, Afternoon
Seeking to save money, I disdained caffeine at lunch and had a glass of water with my Panda Express from the Palms food court. This seemed like a good move for a while, but I crashed hard around game 7. Still, after eating a (s#)lightish lunch in my hotel room and watching an episode of Avatar: The Last Airbender on my laptop, I felt pretty good...
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Game 5 vs Robert Linn (N: 1768 W: 1839)
...which is why this game was so tough on me. Especially given my 5-0 record against Bob coming into the tournament. It's true, I played my first seven turns perfectly, converting some awkward but correct semi-fishes into (F)ENESTRA and STRID(E)Rs to go up by two bingos. But then, tragically, I allow him to hook CIAOS* with AMIDAS(E)s (It's JIAOS# that's good.) That 82-point mistake wiped out all my good play and got Bob back in the game. He overlapped his bingo with OUGuIYA fresh out of the bag; two turns later I play DONK(O)# to it but he pulls out (A)NTIQUER for 131! Which he misscores as 104, and I am too shocked to notice; therefore the game appears close after I semi-intentionally phony with (FRITZ)ING* 63. (Jesse Day was shocked that word wasn't good when I told him the story.) We both believe Bob will lose if he challenges and it's good, so it stays on, and I go out with (D)OOLE# to lose (we think) by 16. So, I actually gained 19 equity over perfect play on my own turns (only erring once, with WAIVE instead of WAVE), but letting his phony hook go cost enough to lose. Painful.
G5 L 430-446 vs Robert Linn: (F)ENESTRA STRID(E)Rs / AMIDAS(E)S** OUGuIYA (A)NTIQUER
Equity lost: 63
Record: 2-3 +17
Game 6 vs Steve Polatnick (N: 1825 W: 1750)
I made my first mistake on the fourth turn, being unsure of TRIFF# and playing INTR(O)LD elsewhere. I manage BARONNE(S) and OPINA(B)LE +10, but Steve is scoring with CARrYON (missing a 95-point starting from a B!)^ and HIGGLE for 51. Quackle wants me to start gratituously opening lines before I do, but I sort my strategy quickly, and it doesn't make a difference anyhow. Especially after I open one last lane and he drops AUTOPEn into it. At least a two-point pre-endgame fish makes him think (even though it's technically wrong.)
^(B)ARyONIC
G6 L 330-528 vs Steve Polatnick: BARONNE(S) OPINA(B)LE# / CARrYON AUTOPEn
Equity lost: 43
Record: 2-4 -181
Game 7 vs Evan Berovsky (N: 1960 W: 1926)
I opened by chickening out on JEELIE# because I thought it was only JEELY#. My bad. Our first three plays were all for 22 which led to some jokes until he hit VIRgINAL for 90, then GROOVERS, then blocked my 3x3 LASAGNES. He really seemed to be having a dream game, whereas -- after a few acceptable turns -- the poor caffeine schedule got to me. I fell behind by 110 and accidentally emptied the bag, which at that point didn't matter, as he was sitting on a 50-point X play and bingo opportunities were meagre.
G7 L 401-506 vs Evan Berovsky: ANLAGEs / VIRgINA(L) GROO(V)ERS LADRONE RE(E)NTERS
Equity lost: 89
Record: 2-5 -286
Game 8 vs Craig Beevers (N: none W: 2003)
I made a substantial mistake with ADEIINV after Craig's opener of BARM, playing MA(V)IE when VI(M) would have been far stronger -- I am overly cautious of leaving 3v2c. Then I got away with DOO(L)EY*, and inexplicably kept AN instead of EN on an exchange I shouldn't have made in the first place. I would have bingoed a turn earlier otherwise. I get 88 for HERNIAs, but Quackle would prefer to keep the Q with a bad rack the turn after my bingo, to score and turn over more. Craig goes up by 90 with DAIKONS and then up by 120 with COTI(N)GAS. I exchange again, keeping E -- but this time Quackle wants me to keep an I on the exchange, perhaps to hook Q and bingo the a C with an -IC word. He scores elsewhere, and my only chance to win is to bingo out with CONGESTED and hope to draw something unblockable, if it's even in the pool. Unfortunately, it's Craig who bingos out, catching me with a full rack including the Z. Oh well.
G8 L 318-508 vs Craig Beevers HERNIAs cONGEST(ED) / DAIKONS COTI(N)GAS URINATE
Equity lost: 62
Record: 2-6
Equity loss in session: 257 (64/game)
Cumulative: 437 (55/game)
---
I needed to get out of the Palms that evening, as the place was really getting on my nerves (especially after the involuntary two hours I had spent on the casino floor, with my bags, trying to check in the previous night.) And, honestly, Scrabble was getting on my nerves, too. Fortunately, Thai Spice was both easier to find and closer by than I had expected. It may have been difficult to find out what sodas they served, but the moderately spicy pad thai I enjoyed there cleared both my sinuses and my head. I returned to my room, too a quick look at my games, decided I hadn't been playing *that* awfully, and resolved to start over the next day.