| Player 1 |
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#player1 Jim_Burlant Jim Burlant
#player2 Max_Panitch Max Panitch
>Jim_Burlant: BCDDEIY 8D BIDDY +30 30
#note Scores 32 at 8H, but I prefer this placement so as to avoid vowel placement problems.
>Max_Panitch: ALWY D8 .YLAW +26 26
>Jim_Burlant: ACEHIOQ F6 QA.I +34 64
#note So far, so good. The first two plays were very straightfoward. The next turn, however, gets a bit trickier.
>Max_Panitch: IT G5 TI +13 39
>Jim_Burlant: CDEHOPR H1 OCHRE +35 99
#note Maybe I made a mountain out of a molehill, but I thought this position was really complicated for only the third turn of the game. Since I couldn't find an 8 (there is no 8 in PORCHED), where to play? HOP E11 gives back way too many hooks and HOD leves me a potentially awkward CEPR. I admittedly didn't look too hard for C10/C11 plays like PORCH or EPOCH. But what if his fishing play doesn't yield a bingo and he hits big with a Z at H1? All sorts of thoughts going on. Ulitimately I shrugged my shoulders, figured I should score 35 points and move on. A sim says HOP and HOD E11 are my two standouts, and C10 EPOCH/PORCH are next best. This scores as well as any of my other options but fares mid-pack in a sim. Maybe HOP if I had it to do again because even if he hits on row 14 it gives me row 15 counterplay? I dunno, I found this awfully tough to figure out.
>Max_Panitch: ?AEIKST 13B mISTAKE +94 133
#note Ouch! He also has SHITAKES/SHIITAKE on row 3 for 82 or 10F SHITAKE for 81. This, however, scores 94 and is clearly his best bingo.
>Jim_Burlant: DNNOOPR H12 P.ON +27 126
#note Ugh. I didn't think NONDROP* was going to fly, so it was this. PORNO 12H scores identically and is also a good choice.
>Max_Panitch: EX 14E EX +52 185
>Jim_Burlant: DDMNORT I11 MORN +25 151
#note Right idea, wrong execution. It took a while for me to find this spot and I gave up looking for the best play once I found this. I needed to take more time to find DORM. To the lower division players reading this game, the problem with MORN is not just the 3 scoreboard points I'm missing: MORN keeps DDT instead of DNT with DORM. You always want to unload your duplicates unless you absolutely cannot. This is absolutely a rack management error on my part, no bones about it. I pay for this on the next turn.
>Max_Panitch: GJ 11C J.G +22 207
>Jim_Burlant: DDEORST 15A STRODE +38 189
#note If I had played DORM on the previous turn as I should have, I'd now be playing SNORTED J6 for 73 and would be back in the game. Instead, I have to figure out what to do with this since this rack doesn't make a 7 and the only letter with which it makes an 8 is an L (TODDLERS). I felt I had to (a) maximize points and (b) maximize turnover. I pulled the plug on the S because I felt (MISTAKER)S wasn't going to be the easiest thing to hit, and two S's were still unseen. A sim gives slight prefeernce to J10 DOT, but this is the highest equity play I have. I'm still 32% to win.
>Max_Panitch: CEEILNO J5 CINEOLE +67 274
#note If I manange my racks correctly 2 turns ago and play SNORTED last turn, what's he doing with this? This is his only bingo and he's 86% to win.
>Jim_Burlant: ?AADINR K9 RADIANt +80 269
#note Fortunately for me, I draw AAINR? to my D and can stay in the game. It's either this , NADIRA(L), or RADIANs in the same location. Still 34% to win.
>Max_Panitch: EGIU 15K .IGUE +18 292
#note I held TIGUE* for about a minute and got too scared to challenge. I didn't like it one bit, but I wasn't 100% sure it was bad. He's only scoring 18, I've got 34 coming back with the Z, and my thought process was that a lost challenge here could lose the game for me, while 34 for the Z would still give me a slight lead after I played it, so I let it go. Obviously, if I'm more sure of myself I swat TIGUE* off the board.
>Jim_Burlant: FLOOSTZ 2H .OZ +34 303
#note Hardly a bingo prone rack but this was still a great post-bingo draw. For the first time since QADI went down, I'm in the driver's seat: 54% to win.
>Max_Panitch: BEMU 12K .MBUE +20 312
>Jim_Burlant: EFLOSTV O8 VOLT. +24 327
#note With nowhere for LOVEFEST, the play is clear: take out the O column and unload the V in the process. This is best.
>Max_Panitch: AETW 3G W.EAT +30 342
>Jim_Burlant: EFGILPS L3 SELF +26 353
#note I knew Quackle would hate this play but I didn't care. I wanted first and foremost to make sure he couldn't bingo down the L column, and this not only does that, but it also makes it very difficult for him to hit anything down the M column. The duck thinks I should just fish with JAGG for 13 - pffft. I'm fine with this.
>Max_Panitch: RU M12 .UR. +14 356
>Jim_Burlant: GIOPSUV 5L .UV +6 359
#note Now we start a game of cat-and-mouse. My intent here was simple: force him to defend against my impending O1 play - if he can. He spent a LOT of time evaluating this before he turned the tables:
>Max_Panitch: A B12 A. +1 357
#note I think this is an inspired play on his end:
>Jim_Burlant: EEGIOPS 12A P. +7 366
#note Double checking the tracking, I realized I just couldn't go ahead and play OGIVE N2 or OGEES O1. Max has turned the tables on me because the unseen pool threatens FARINHA, so I now have two tasks: block FARINHA while I also make sure I don't take away my ability to play at O1 for 28 points. I initially put down OP A11, but realized I just took away OGIVE and OGEES, so I had to think about it. Then, I realized that less was more, so PA it was. If I sim against FARINHA (whch he did have), this or 9B GEY are best. GEY (which I admittedly never saw) is stupid IMO because he can still bingo with FARTHING given this pool. I'd make this play again.
>Max_Panitch: AAFHINR N3 IN.AR +10 367
>Jim_Burlant: EEGIOST O1 GITE +23 389
#note I should also play the S with GITES; I mistakenly thought I'd do better by outrunning and saving it for a 10F play. GITES wins by 8 more.
>Max_Panitch: AFHN L8 FAH +22 389
>Jim_Burlant: EOS 10F SO +21 410
>Max_Panitch: N N12 .N +4 393
>Max_Panitch: (E) +2 395
#note It shows you how small the margin for error is when you realize that playing MORN instead of DORM came thisclose to totally derailling the game for me.
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