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#player1 John_Acker John Acker
#player2 Jason Jason
>John_Acker: ?DENRST 8D TENDeRS +66 66
#note Well, if he didn't have my full attention before the game, he certainly had it now. "Good start," he said. "For you, maybe," I joked.
>Jason: ADEOTVY J6 VA.TY +27 27
#note A little nervous of 1) Throwing a V in an open quadrant so early and 2) drawing into DEO after playing off eight consonants and two vowels. But it's Q's pick.
>John_Acker: EO 9F OE +9 75
>Jason: DEINOOU D6 OU.DONE +16 43
#note Not quite following the "open, open, open" mandate, but following the "turn over, turn over, turn over" mandate. Speedy's pick, but sim likes (V)ODOU or OUD at 10B. (-3.0)
>John_Acker: ?AEIPRT 11A PRI.T +14 89
#note John took a while, commented "this is a weird board" (to which I agreed) and when he played this, said something like "I'm going to regret this play" ... I figured he was needlessly worried about a trip-trip. Turns out he was brain-farting on bingos like PAI(N)TERs. But given the configuration of the board, there aren't as many bingos to be had with this rack as there usually are.
>Jason: ACIJLST A8 CLI.T +30 73
#note I considered the newly learned PLICA to see if he'd hold or not; plus it opens the board more than this. This wins sim, but PICAL and PLICA are in the discussion (each sim about two points behind); given the vowel-heaviness of the pool and the other assets to PLICA given circumstances, I think I should've played that.
>John_Acker: AADEG K10 ADAGE +19 108
#note John said something like "I gotta open this board" (music to my ears) and "let's see what you can do with this".
>Jason: AEJMQSS 15H JAMS +47 120
#note "Well, I wanted to open the board..." John said. "And you succeeded!" I commented. Insta-played this and missed J(E)SSE (sorry, Messrs. Day and Matthews). (-2.7)
>John_Acker: OTW L10 WOT +28 136
>Jason: EEHMQRS 10F HEM +34 154
#note (slaps wrist) S-hog, S-hog, S-hog! I knew the extra 17 points for H(E)MES made it better, but I couldn't help thinking that with the ERS combo, even with the Q, I was two, three turns max from bingoing and hopefully landing the knockout punch. Thanks to this mistake, I was nearly the one knocked out. (-7.2)
>John_Acker: INP M8 NIP +18 154
#note "Just because it's cool," John said. A nickel's worth of free advice: Beware of any unrated playing YAWP on you.
>Jason: BENQRRS -BQR +0 154
#note "OK," I think. 24 vowels, 23 consonants in the pool; it'll take me two turns, max, to bingo, even on this board. If I'd seen BRENS at N6, I might have played it. (-12.8)
>John_Acker: IIII -IIII +0 154
#note "On this board, that's not a bad idea," John said and exchanged himself.
>Jason: ELNNRSX E4 REX +29 183
#note L(I)NN at C10 is an interesting play, too; sims a couple points behind LEX and REX, which are in a dead heat. Too scared of the I- hook?
>John_Acker: ?CIZ C3 ZInC +40 194
#note A little relieved to see the blank go; only three power tiles left (one of which I have) and I like my chances if luck's taken out a little bit.
>Jason: LNNOSVW C10 W.NO +21 204
#note OK, now this is getting silly. This is as vowel-heavy as you'll see a pool: 22 vowels and 19 consonants?! Prolly why this wins sim easily.
>John_Acker: AGO D1 GOA +17 211
>Jason: BILNSVY 8L I.BY +30 234
#note I knew SYLVINE, not SYLVIN. This whole "bingo plan" isn't working out; plan B is to make a five starting with S at N10 and land the knockout blow that way. (-7.7)
>John_Acker: DEILOR 1D .LORIED +27 238
>Jason: AFLNSTV F5 FA +27 261
#note OK, now this is really getting ridiculous. 15 vowels and 11 consonants unseen? Vowels, show yourselves! I just need a five starting in S! Oh, and I missed (O)AF, a 1.7-point error, which would've stopped ...
>John_Acker: EF 2F FE +28 266
#note This.
>Jason: EKLNSTV 3G VENT +22 283
#note Six racks in a row with one vowel! (OK, OK, I was a luckbox in Albany, I drew nine of 10 blanks after this game, I'll shut up now.) Maybe see if he'll accept SKELT* or SKENT*? Or better still, find SKLENT. Given the vowel-heavy pool, VET, tied with SKLENT, leads this. (-1.1)
>John_Acker: BEHORSU 14J H.RBS +51 317
#note Ruh-roh. Passing on H(E)MES bites me in the butt. I really, really hoped he was sacrificing his leave to do this. He made a comment about phonying me if I hadn't played VENT; after the game he said he had HERBOUS*. So HEBES is probably better.
>Jason: AIKLLQS 14B ASK +22 305
#note Great, great, just as I get SKILL to go there, too. It was here I had to remember what TMQ says about panic: "Don't panic now, there will plenty of time for that later." Off Speedy's radar, but right up there in sim. I know the most he can score blocking my QI setup is 12 (AG), and I still have QI at B4 for 23 (Q's clear pick for this play, BTW), putting me within one going into the endgame. Problem with that scenario is that I'm emptying the bag on the number after QI. And yes, the S that I saved playing HEM instead of HEMES is now being used on a 22-point QI setup. The irony sickens. (-7.1, behind SILL(S))
>John_Acker: EGOU 6J .OGUE +11 328
#note When I drew EEI, I thought: *Now* EEI? Why not drawing into ENRS, which started this whole mess; could've bingoed with ESERINE and put him out of his misery half-an-hour ago! When I saw he was emptying on the number and scoring 11, though, I calmed substantially.
>Jason: EEIILLQ 15A QI +35 340
#note Ooh, this is only supposed to tie! Anybody who finds John's one tying play gets major props.
>John_Acker: AAINRUU N2 AURA. +10 338
#note (VENT)URI ties. Wow. Talk about a tough find. After (VENT)URI, I play LI at 2M for six (I probably would have played something inferior) to be down two. John plays UN(JAMS) to go up 17 and I go out with EEL at 4L for 13, get four from his AA. Whoa. Fascinating endgame.
>Jason: EEILL 4H LEI +11 351
#note Missing ILLE(R) and the front L- hook to AURAE; could play ILL or ELL at 1M. (-3.0)
>John_Acker: INU 15D IN +10 348
#note Missing (M)UNI and UN(A)I, also UN(JAMS). We were both short on time, him in worse shape than I.
>Jason: EL O1 EL +8 359
#note Whew. John's strategy of "get close and hope they make a mistake" wasn't gonna work against me! Ha! I don't know if the Aune game affected this game, but this game I stayed calm and rational under pressure and didn't let the opponent's skill level affect my play. In the words of Herm Edwards, oft quoted by Bill Simmons: "We can build on this!"
>Jason: (U) +2 361
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