grenv: "wreck the game": No. It's one of the factors to be taken into account. Same as, for example, if you are in a 2-day pond, checking people's profiles to see if they've been online the last 2 days to place their bets.
By the way, it can backfire: I remember a pond where I placed a "surefire" bet and found myself swimming along with others when the so and so renewed his membership an hour before deadline