For those players that have played this pond game before at other places:

In those games, what is usually around the lowest number that usually gets booted in the first round of games?

I'm just very surprised on how low the bids are in these games in the first few rounds.

I'm very surprised too, how low the most starting bids in several games are...

It's probably a reflex of the very first run. Having so many players, low bids were almost mandatory to make it to the end.
As more and more pond games are played I'm sure the initial bids will start to go higher and higher. At least for a 20000 point start

It was obvious from the begining that the first game was not going to represent a 'typical' game.

7 players left in that pond now, someone lost with a bet of 850

http://brainking.com/game/Pond?g=26

.... it is getting very interesting now!

Just fell into my second pond in first round.
Is this a record

stop betting "1" then..... LOL

LOL sounds like a plan

Looks like this game already has a sure winner.
If Pedro knows how to play it right that is...

more: if diogenes had played all his points, then he'd be the sure winner... these pond endings look very interesting :)

so is it true that as soon as the player with the highest points has fewer than 501 points, the game is over? (assuming the bonus is 500)

grenv - yes, exactly. I'm betting 92 now.

I know we are all learning...
But do we really need to tell everyone how we can win a game? I feel its best to let things happen, and those that dont win...learn by what they done wrong

I would never dream of revealing clever strategies etc, but when the game can be won by simple application of basic mathematics then the it should end immediately. In fact it should be an additional win condition:

Player wins if his score is the highest and it is equal to or lower than the bonus.

For the same reason you resign if you are down to a king against a king and Queen! At least I hope you do.

I think these game discussion boards are in part for sharing tips and strategies. I dont think it is a bad thing, its better than playing against people who dont move correctly when they should... Not sure if I would share any of my really good strategies though (if I had any)

eek only 6 players left in one of the ponds, who will win? BBW has most points at this stage. Anyone good at sneak robbery?

http://brainking.com/game/Pond?g=26

I don't get it. How did ya'll know that Cerise was gonna bid 1?

http://brainking.com/game/Pond?g=8

Erissa : Im playnig many pond - and i see in MANY before she bet only 1 , so i suspect she gonna spend 1 points here too :]

Actually I guessed Cerisa was going to bet one for the reason Maxxina said, and then I also expected furbster to bet 2 because I seen him notice the trend before I did in another pond. Having Maxxina also bid low was a surprise to me! :-)

BBW :

I was actually thinking of betting 2 also but then I saw a pond where Cerise did not bet 1 so I placed a "regular" bet of 778...LOL

I seen that too Pedro - which is why I bet 3, and in case Cerisa did not bet 1, I would hope furbster would be 2 and I would still be safe with 3! :-)

Maxxina: Cerise is male ;o)

hello

Stevie : uppss :] Thanks for info . Cerise , if you reading this , sorry

He bid one in one of my games too.
ha is he trying to get out of every game?

Thats why am for some way to resign without commiting suicide, it takes away from the game when people play based on something like he is doing. At least a notice to everyone that you are planning on doing that would be nice :)

He just did it again!!!!!
In a game that he created!

Thats a really lame move, IMHO.
BBW seems to have caught on (some inside info maybe?)

At least what a person should do if they want a fair way to get out of a game, is to bid their whole amount, that would keep people who know you are going out on purpose from taking advantage of this unfairly from those who dont know, by betting 2 or 3. Then after they bet their whole stack and end up with only the 500 point bonus, and EVERYONE would know this and bet over 500 next turn and you would be out of the game without having to move again.

All I know is something should be corrected as it is hardly fair that only a couple of people know when a person is going to bet zero, and it is not in the spirit of the game.

its a trick, after doing this for a while and suckering people into all betting 2, he will change his bid to 4 and win a tournement in one turn

Is there any reason he could not atleast announce his intention on this board so that everyone would have the same advantage, instead of just a couple of people who happen to be in a lot of games with them and notice something... Lame!

He wont do it in any of my tournaments!

Since when, is studying someone's strategy lame???
If you don't choose to take the time to do it, that is your own problem. I don't understand the anger about it.

rod03801: The word 'strategy' is hardly relevant in this discussion.

I happen to disagree. It may be BAD strategy, but it is obviously his strategy. Quite relevant.

There is no strategy in purposly losing, and you shouldnt have to scan every running game every day to see if someone is moving 0 in everygame jus to quit. I a sure this wont become a big problem, as most people who do not want to play will not enter and create as many games as he has done.

I see it more like unfair inside information when only one or two people in a game know of someones intention to bid 0.

What would be so hard to just come on here and say, I am out on all my games... no unfair advantage for anyone.

At least a resign button would allow everyone else to play normal and still have another player fall in etc.

But is it unfair "inside information" when people take the time to study opponent's boat set ups in battleboats? I don't see any difference..
I also wouldn't waste my time SEARCHING out what other people tend to bid in other ponds.. but if I am in a lot of ponds, and notice a trend, it would be stupid of me NOT to consider that information in my own strategy.

rod03801: The difference is that he is trying to resign, it is not a strategy. If I am the only player in a game to know you are kicked off the site, for example, this is "inside information" and is totally different than if I was the only one to study your trends and knew that you always bet 12 in the first round.

I dont really blame BBW or anyone esle who took advantage of this situation, but it is an unfair advantage and not in the spirit of the game or in the spirit of studying ones trends or strategy.


How is soomeone resigning all his games part of a strategic trend?

I think also that there is always a chance of people in this game colaberating with others or for someone with multi niks to ruin the game as well.

Czuch Chuckers: That's the chance we take with this game or any other possible future multi player game.
Is it any different in theory than playing programmers who take away any chance of ratings meaning anything?

Multi nicks in this game would be extremely rare, since pawns can't play.

Czuch Chuckers: Not sure what you were told, but I did not know for sure that the person in question would be low. I noticed in some other games they did bid 1, but I also noticed that in another - they bid high. So it was a chance that I took if a few of my games to also bid low, and I'm sure your attitute would be completely opposet if it did not work and I ended up falling in the pond.

This is a game where sometimes you need to take a chance, and I did. Learning how other players play is just like any other game on this site. In battleboats, I know some people who will never place their boats next to each other, another player I know will never place their boats near the edge of the board. In Espionage, I know a player who will always place his castle in one of the 2 corners. In this pond game, I'm also learning trends of users. The person in question was a short-term trend that I noticed, but I'm also learning long-term trends of users. This is a game, and I'm playing the game.

Czuch Chuckers: ... and I see you went and accuse me of having inside information in the game discussion also. nice to see your old rude self back chuck.

What nobody wants to admit is this is not a case of game strategy here. The guy is trying to resign.

I already said dont blame you BWW. It is just frustrating that a player who doesnt want to play can mess up the game for everybody else, unless you are lucky enough to be playing other games with them and know they are bidding 0 in every game.

no...to resign you choose 0, just like Mach Machovic did in one earlier

Actually I don't think you can resign. A bet of 0 is when it is the first round and there is no bid. (So it is really NO BID, not a bid of zero)

BIG BAD WOLF: was in round 6 of chucks 19000 minimum start game

I dont know why we cant just have a resign option, where a person who uses it is out of the game without any bid, plus anyone else who has the lowest bid for that round.