A really interesting first rack! PAYED is standard and I think I still should have played it. I didn't realize the S hook it set up when I considered it, which would have pushed it over the edge for me. Also, as I took a little while on it, there is some challenge upside. I could also do PAY or PYA to set up S hooks, they do well in the sim. I was worried about the overlaps after PAYED, and some of them do give back good plays to me, but he can probably find one that doesn't. I think PAYED is definitely better though, I average 6 more after PAYED! #tacticssmall it is a bit odd that I forwent the standard payed due to overlaps then I went with the PEATY that gives easier overlaps, but I felt that Y on the star was too bingo defensive for my leave. not a great play
oh no! this is an uncharacteristic error ..
J: my brain stopped working. I have always felt MEWN* resembled a valid word, so since I was like an infant I've learned to remind myself of HEWN and MEWL, but for some damn reason I decide to not think about that and focus so intently on keeping this board open that I play a frickin phony 4 at nationals. even if this is valid it's not a good play. E2 TWIN and K8 WEND were my other main considerations, I didn't want to play TWINED or anything cause that starts exhausting the board. I wanted humerals to stay open but expected a row 8 play next turn that blocks it. E2 TWIN is honestly fine, keepsthe 7 row with the DMR leave, marginal 2 row, and possibly leaves the K column open if Cesar doesn't have a good overlapping rack. I could even do M(E)W for more variance if I want to go that route, it's not bad. #knowledgelarge
when I originally challenged THREATER*, the clock reset. We both had around 12 minutes left and we agreed upon that, but I had used a ton of time in the last few moves to which I only had around 2 minutes and change. It really bothered me not knowing how much time I had left exactly, but it shouldn't have. I should have been calm and collected. Instead, I played this because it seemed to accomplish a lot of goals, as well as setting my X up, and I didn't want there to be a dispute.
All of this to excuse the fact that I still cannot see the word VIAND immediately when I see DIVAN. VIAND is just a much better version of this, especially when you consider what happened in the game. #tacticslarge
Missed the sweet (F)O(D)GEL. I am not in a good position, but any board opening play I can make will just get outrun too easily. FODGEL is a better version of this plsy. #visionmedium
It's none of Jay's BEESWAX what I have on my rack (except if he tracked correctly which he did). Sadly there is no spot for this cool bingo and I would go on to miss F1 WAXE(r)S saving multiple out plays with BE. #endgamelarge
wow this is actually horrible! I only really win with the A and L draws. with the other draws he has a lot of 1 and 2 point wins, often stuff like R(I)VAL or V(I)TAL saving TU(R)F and TUF(A), and some other stuff. I realized that the O setup here was kinda weak, but still just assumed I was in a great position. That's totally not true. I missed F2 JIAO, which is far better. #endgamelarge JIAO only loses with a V draw to 14G TURF setting up LAT. Although JO will win a lot in reality cause most of the endgames are somewhat difficult, it's still horrible and a massive oversight
missed the nice B(EWE)PT. Very equity-focused mindset. PET was also a leave I wanted, but I felt like Jackson would more often than not dampen the P by playing on the D column. Thought better to go for an S or R or blank. #findingsmall
i think i actually have to exchange all of them. there's a lot of Es unseen already and Ss and blanks and other good tiles to go for. -0.5 #tacticssmall
i told a few people this is the worst mistake i've ever made in a tournament game. i think this is correct. what hurts most is that this was day 4, and i'd been playing in the top 5 tables all tournament long pretty much. i had just beaten will and was still hanging around 6th place, just needed a run to get me to the finals. and then i play this. it doesn't make sense. of course i saw caressed, and in my infinite wisdom i decided to keep looking for bingos. i didn't remember studying addresser* but surely it's a word since adressee* is a word. when he challenged it i was kind of shocked and was like "that seems like a common enough word to me" but felt ok because i still had two playable bingos. #knowledgelarge
Getting a decent S hook on the board while the equity hit to do so is minimal - I say decent because it takes too many other hooks. Of course, the AANOS leave is pretty gross. It looks like H1 NADA is actually a fair bit better to create an S-specific hook and undouble the A's. #tacticsmedium
AVISO has the best equity, but the sim winners are exchanges, keeping AS, S, or IS. The board is very good for the S with (ADVECT)S, (BALANCER)S, and (QUOTA)S available. #tacticssmall
Just flat out missed CORTEGE, which doesn't take the zillion hooks CONGREE does - I actually forgot about the D hook and hoped perhaps I would be likelier to remember the T hook than Benjy. #findingsmall #knowledgesmall
-14 ! bad bad move here. i liked it thematically; blocking a few vertical bingo lanes. quackle prefers three moves at 12K - PAW, MAW, WAP. ordinarily, with a nice lead, it would be foolish to open the board like that. however, her bingo chances are very low - there's only 1 E, lots of I's and other ugly letters left. so PAW is good! #strategylarge #focus #bag
totally missed O13 SEZ. i think, i can't remember. i don't think i would pass up that many pts for no reason, the S isn't worth anything on this board. -17.5 #visionlarge
I didn't like (W)OOD instead because she had first dibs on extensions that she certainly knows better than me, but (W)OAD is totally fine here. This is too aggressive with the Z. #findingsmall
Damn, I could have played a whole ass valid word and wont the game. Even 6B V(u)LN at 14 or 5B T(R)ONS at 10 lets me go out in two. I didn't even need to bingo. #STRATEGYSADDEST and also #knowledgesaddest for the phony
Missed two bingos here after he surprisingly blocked ANALYSTS K5. SATYRALS# and STAYSA(I)L. I have no excuse for the latter other than of course I would miss a Y bingo. This turn was also fascinating because I wondered how much the A improved my leave. If I play K9 SAY, I score 1 less, and don't block the triple. However, I understcored SAY by 2 in my head. Still, as somewhat expected, SAY is a much better play than SA(T)AY. I should have gathered that conclusion over the board. #findingsaddest #strategysad
This wins 26/36, often losing to bingos on row 2, to wit: 2E MATELO(T)S or ROYALE(T)S#; 2G RETO(T)ALS or SLAT(T)ERY#; 2H MAR(T)LETS, MAS(T)ERLY or MOT(T)LERS. It is best to block row 2 with 3K (e)RR. (e)RR wins 29/36, losing to O7 ELYTRO(U)S, N1 MASTERY or OESTRAL, H2 RA(N)SOM(AB)LE#(!!!), or drawing two of LRT. #endgamemedium
I considered sim-winners OE/AEON 7K, but it seemed like Will would be able to control the board after that, whereas OXO ensured that I would have a place for my bingo if I drew one. Quackle says this gives up too much. (-7) #strategymedium
In a do-over, I might do N7 UN(AXED). While UNTAXED does accomplish my objective of opening up another 2 bingo lines while behind, UNAXED is worth the 3 point sacrifice since it bingoes 20% more often. I like that a little better. UNTAXED drew a hold but was correctly accepted. #strategysmall
Definitely questionable. I didn't like 5I MOTLIEr or MOTILEs, but I did not see 11G T(O)ILsOME, which is definitely safer knowing there's 3 Ss left, and Robin didn't seem to hesitate burning an S with DUNTS. #findinglarge
jeez, sigh, totally missed the anagram of OPES -- PESO. even 6H OP is pretty decent. OPES is just like "here be my guest and score some points / bingo". -7 #knowledgemedium
i'm pretty sure i passed up eNJOINS here, i remember seeing it and immediately ignoring it without counting it. i may have been wrong. also, J10 JO is better than my JO as it sets up an S-ending lane! -4 #strategymedium
Saw the cheap ANOLYTE for 64 , but didn't see bAYONET for what would have been 89 points. gEO(BO(TANY scores a ton of style points. #knowledge #blankbingos
any shot i had of winning disappeared by missing MEALLESS, which is kind of a hard find, granted, especially with my state of mind at this point. -24 #knowledgelarge
i wanted to open even a crappy lane so this board doesn't fully shut down on me. -8, 12D WHAT sims better, maybe i'll get lucky. idk, hard to know how bad my move is really. #strategymedium
Top equity C13 KEX gives up extremely simple VOX in response. I played AX over C12 XI because I wanted to cut off DUSTINGS now while it was still so dangerous; sadly, I missed C11 AKIN, which looks wonderful to score, give nothing back, stop DUSTINGS, and set up the stealth AKING hook for later. #findingsmall 16:31
yeah really bad decision here. I usually don't like phonying with stuff where you know what the definition would be, but the doubt is on whether it is included. I feel like people are usually more likely to challenge cause they don't give you as much blind trust as if you plop down some crazy shit. If I didn't have (A)RF available then this decision would be more okay, but I had already talked myself into playing FLARERS and playing it quickly, so when TOO came down I still just went with my decision, but it's so much better to just play ARF. #strategylarge
maybe I should do COUNTERS here, I think that is fine. I don't want the top left to get opened, and right now it's gonna be pretty hard to open it. I didn't 'know HOROLOGER, and I think with my huge lead I'm taking I should take COUNTERS and be more defensive. #tacticssmall
And yet, the nagging voice in my head telling me FUDS is no good (mixing it up with WUDS*, of course) tells me to throw it right back. I was 95% sure FUDS was bad but OF COURSE I should still try it instead of accepting a loss. A 5% chance at a win is worth a lot more than 25 spread. Idiotic and missed mate in one (4th of the tourney?) #knowledgesaddest
I considered RESMELT, but wasn't sure on it. spend a few minutes trying to find a double double here. #knowledgeSAD
Also missed some good overlapping 7s. #visionSAD
I did see the bingo LEONINE on this rack, but missed my spot for it. M1 it is. Also, THIS IS PHONY! Only ENNOBLE is good with all the hooks. Maybe if I'm gonna miss my spot for the bingo, probably N9 ONE is decent. That's part of why I didn't win this game. #visionsad
I saw 15L PI(N)T. I hated the leave with this pool and was nervous about potentially picking the Q. That would have absolutely screwed me over if Scott bingoes with either the FUDGES hook, the TOUCHE hook, or throught the E in KERF. And even if Scott doesn't have a bingo, I then have to potentially waste my blank to dispose of the Q. Championship player does not put this too far behind A1 TaWPI(E) and O8 VIeW. Lookng back, maybe I should do 5D W(A)P if I'll score something and minimize turnover if the V is also very clunky on this board, except if I draw -TIVE bingoes on Row 2, namely 2A OpTATIV(E). #strategymedium
6A UNA(L)I(v)E and B1 U(N)AI tie the game. I thought of B1 UNAI before it was blocked but didn't realize it was still available. With more time I think I would have been able to find at least B1 U(N)AI. #TIMESADDEST
I might genuinely be a dumbass. I considered 11E UMU and then decided to take the Z instead because I was worried about leaving it hanging. #STRATEGYSMALL the dumb bitch disease is alive and kicking, folks
this is just not a word. It doesn't make sense as a word, but I wrote out the alphagram and it looked decent. I also trust Seth, perhaps to a fault. #knowledgeSADDEST
This normally plays good bingo defense, but after I once again can't shut everything down, O1 CHAYS for 15 more is worth it this time because I can't even draw any more Ts. #findingmedium
This turn, I completely failed to see TRISTE(Z)A through the Z, which was yet another case of complete blindness to a bingo I looked for. I realized I had TRISTEZA right after I made my play.
I also looked for 5-way overlaps, but failed to see the only one, STARETS at I2. That's the play. I really didn't want to make an X spot, so failing to see STARETS and TRISTEZA, I could still make an effort to see RHEOSTAT, which doesn't create the X spot. #findinglarge
And here I am. Again. For the third fucking time, shitting my pants trying to block shit when I should be playing equity. This is total ASS and I chickened out of L2 COBIAS. #STRATEGYSADDEST #KNOWLEDGESADDEST
So, yes, I have the blank and im closer to a bingo and it's better to set myself up with 15H AJI and i DID think about it and i did put AJI on the board but then i switched it to JAI at the last second because i was afraid #strategysad