Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Discussion [SPOILERS]

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heelsrule1988
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by heelsrule1988 »

Totally a ZergCam moment... where the heck was it?! :(

Oh well... congratulations again, Joon! One more for the TOC lock (if you're not in already).
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by econgator »

heelsrule1988 wrote:One more for the TOC lock (if you're not in already).
The only way he isn't in is if he's still playing.
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by dhkendall »

econgator wrote:
heelsrule1988 wrote:One more for the TOC lock (if you're not in already).
The only way he isn't in is if he's still playing.
When did they tape? (I'd ask when they sent out the invites, but that's probably Classified Information at this stage)

I have the same situation as NoName84 (having only one real guess), but if I had a lock game and a small-to-none wager (and, seeing the category, I probably would bet small if I could), I would have answered "Waterworld" just for the lolz.

And Joon, I've never seen the J! gods smile on someone that much lately!
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jpahk
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by jpahk »

it's flattering but kind of ridiculous to me that people are even discussing the possibility of me winning (having won) ... what, 15 games in a row? 20? to get bumped into the next ToC cycle. the amount of luck i needed just for the last two games wasn't enough?

the FJ wager was a really complicated decision, and some of the things i was considering were variables that you viewers would have no way of knowing. first and foremost was that i was not in any way expecting to get FJ right. i knew my only hope was franny getting it wrong, but i figured she was much better than me in this category. movies are a real weak point for me; i'd memorized best picture winners by year, but not nominees and certainly not any of the other category winners. so my main hope was a triple stumper. i thought that represented about 90% of my chances of winning the game.

complicating this decision was the fact that i happened to know that ted is a huge oscar buff. in the green room that morning, we were rehearsing anecdotes with robert, and one of ted's tidbits was that he's seen every movie ever to win best picture or best director, and he's working his way through the acting category winners. so i thought for sure he'd go all in, and likely he'd get it right and double up... which is obviously a dent in my triple stumper hopes, since i didn't have him locked out. but at least i had a read on what he'd do.

i also thought i had a good read on franny. she'd watched my three wins from the audience, so she might have known that i wasn't great at guest actor emmys (or ... human body? sports venues? i think those were the only other categories where i'd been shut out, although they're hardly bad categories for me), but she didn't know about my movie weakness. she seemed to be quite a pop culture maven herself (comic books and graphic novels, went straight for sci-fi, cleaned us out in broadway). she's obviously incredibly bright, confident, and well-prepared to play jeopardy (DD hunting, good guessing). so i had her pretty close to 100% pegged to make the shutout wager. i wasn't quite as sure of it as i was that ted would bet it all, but i was quite sure.

when it came down to wager, i was much more sure of what ted and franny would do than i was of coming up with the right answer (and having it be relevant). so, with my main hope still the triple stumper, i did bet just enough to stay ahead of ted in case we both got it right but not franny. i didn't see much reason to go ahead with the extra $1000 to keep out franny. the main reason is that i didn't think i'd be getting it right in the vast majority of the cases where i had a chance to win, since i needed franny to miss it (and i judged her as considerably more likely than me to get it right), and i also likely needed ted to miss it (and i judged him as MUCH more likely than me to get it right). so anything that i wager is likely to be money i'm throwing away if i'm lucky enough to win. but since i also recognized that it might just be another triple get, i bet enough to keep ted in 3rd.

so i'm deciding between $2200ish and $3400ish. the $3400 covers more cases to win, but, i thought, they were vanishingly unlikely cases—requires me to have misread franny completely, plus me getting FJ right. most of the time, i figured i was just throwing away extra money on the triple stumper. (well, actually, most of the time, i figured my wager was irrelevant. i thought the single most likely outcome was ted 1st, me 2nd, franny 3rd, and second most likely was franny 1st, ted 2nd, me 3rd.) of course, by that logic, $2500 was too much and i should have just bet $2201. i don't have a good reason for not doing that, other than maybe OCD. i mean, in ordinary life, i would not be thinking, "eh, what's the big deal about $299 more", but on jeopardy i had a fondness for making round-number bets.

the most surprising and strangest part of all of this is that i actually responded correctly on a question tough enough that neither of my opponents did. i guess it makes my victory look a bit more legit because of the single-get, but makes my wager look stupider because i didn't even bet to cover $0. but whatever. i did have the correct read on both my opponents, and was lucky enough that neither one got it right (especially ted, who i think was paralyzed with too many possibilities). the fact that i happened to respond correctly amounts to just $5000 worth of icing on the cake. (which is a lot of icing, actually, come to think of it.)
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by opusthepenguin »

jpahk wrote:i mean, in ordinary life, i would not be thinking, "eh, what's the big deal about $299 more", but on jeopardy i had a fondness for making round-number bets.
"Had." A-HA! You're in trouble with the Jeopardy! powers now, letting something like that slip.
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by xxaaaxx »

opusthepenguin wrote:
jpahk wrote:i mean, in ordinary life, i would not be thinking, "eh, what's the big deal about $299 more", but on jeopardy i had a fondness for making round-number bets.
"Had." A-HA! You're in trouble with the Jeopardy! powers now, letting something like that slip.
And just like that, our dreams of a 35-day champ are crushed.




;)
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by seaborgium »

opusthepenguin wrote:
jpahk wrote:i mean, in ordinary life, i would not be thinking, "eh, what's the big deal about $299 more", but on jeopardy i had a fondness for making round-number bets.
"Had." A-HA! You're in trouble with the Jeopardy! powers now, letting something like that slip.
Maybe he's implying that he's since broken himself of that fondness!
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by legendneverdies »

heelsrule1988 wrote:Totally a ZergCam moment... where the heck was it?! :(

Oh well... congratulations again, Joon! One more for the TOC lock (if you're not in already).
There was still a chance Franny would wager $900 or less. I don't think they've done Zergcams unless it known before the last Final J! wager was revealed that the second place player or third place player going into FJ! would win.
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by alietr »

It's a refreshing change to see a contestant make a well-reasoned analysis of their wager (in this case, both on the show and here). It does get tiring watching people betting seemingly randomly. Well done, Joon. But we expected no less from you.

And while we're on the topic of NYT crosswords ... Easiest ... Friday ... Ever. 6-1/2 minutes. But I guess they've had that one in the can for a while, and it wasn't necessarily intended to be a Friday.
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by jpahk »

seaborgium wrote:
opusthepenguin wrote:
jpahk wrote:i mean, in ordinary life, i would not be thinking, "eh, what's the big deal about $299 more", but on jeopardy i had a fondness for making round-number bets.
"Had." A-HA! You're in trouble with the Jeopardy! powers now, letting something like that slip.
Maybe he's implying that he's since broken himself of that fondness!
well yeah, obviously. i mean, once you win 30+ games and your new opponents have seen your first games on TV already, it's definitely time to mix things up. ;)
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Re: Thurday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by John Boy »

xxaaaxx wrote:
Most movie buffs will probably find today's FJ as easy as the other 3 FJs this week, but I'll admit, without the "high seas" TOM, I probably would've WAGged The Godfather, and the right answer was still something of a guess. Oh well, I'll take it.
Even with the "high seas" clue this was no piece of cake. I think there are many well-known and high-quality movies about seamen, naval warfare, etc. For some odd reason the Laughton-Gable MotB was my first thought but I couldn't think of a third oscar-worthy performance in it. I also considered Caine Mutiny but went with my first choice.

I thought this FJ was an order of magnitude harder than anything else this week, and props to Joon for nailing it.
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by John Boy »

jpahk wrote:
well yeah, obviously. i mean, once you win 30+ games and your new opponents have seen your first games on TV already, it's definitely time to mix things up. ;)
Yeah, I've always tried to live by those words. :roll: Yeah, I should be so lucky as to have to think about such things.

We won't know at least until tonight whether you're on the way to a 30 game streak. But whatever happens, your wins have been legit and impressive in a variety of ways. Plus you're on the way to the ToC and have bagged a bunch of victories and a bunch of dough and a bunch of bragging rights. Many congrats.
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by MarkBarrett »

I thought it was cool that Alex said Joon and he got to say Dune.

Did anyone run a stopwatch on Franny digging out Pulitzer?

Joon: Thanks for your behind the scenes take on the FJ category and clue. I recalled your remark about the Emmys DD, so I was not surprised by your wager. That was interesting to see how favorable the category appeared for your opponents vs. the (Perfect Storm and [spittake] - Down Periscope) results

If the clue had asked for two of the three nominees I would have been correct. Franchot Tone would not have happened. Only needing the movie had me spending the thinking time to anticipate incorrect responses. I would have expected Titanic or The Caine Mutiny long before the guesses we saw.
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by jpahk »

MarkBarrett wrote:Did anyone run a stopwatch on Franny digging out Pulitzer?
pulitzer was slow, but i was also very slow to get my own DD. in my case, it's because i had to read and re-read the clue several times before i figured out what they wanted. the first three answers in the category ("lefty") had all been people, but i thought, "how can they give me chavismo if they want me to say chavez?" the third time i read the clue, i finally lighted upon "this south american country".
MarkBarrett wrote:If the clue had asked for two of the three nominees I would have been correct. Franchot Tone would not have happened. Only needing the movie had me spending the thinking time to anticipate incorrect responses. I would have expected Titanic or The Caine Mutiny long before the guesses we saw.
as for me, if the clue had wanted even one of the nominees i wouldn't have known, and i'd never even heard of laughton or tone at the time. i knew the year and that it won best picture, and that's it. but i guessed from the clue that it would be very old (indeed, MotB predates the best supporting actor category by one year), and likely a very good movie so best picture winner was a reasonable way to go. that plus "high seas" was enough for me to pull the trigger.

i think i now owe it to myself to watch this film.
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by Bamaman »

Thanks for sharing your betting strategy. Like you, that is a category where me making a sole get would be highly unlikely. So betting to cover third place while maintaining a TS win was a smart move and I'd have done the same thing.

In a way, your lack of movie knowledge may have helped you here. The other two likely have a large mental data base of movie trivia they had to sort through. Yours was pretty much limited to the list of Best Picture Oscar winners you had wisely memorized before going on the show.

So using the following logic.....

1. Had to be a good movie, so likely won Best Picture. which it did, though it lost Best Actor.
2. Probably made a long time ago. No real reason, but I felt this as well.

.....it led you to the right movie. A quick scan of the winners showed me Titanic was the only other "high seas" movie to win Best Picture. While it was set in the middle (and bottom) of the Atlantic, the term high seas makes me think of exploration ships like the Bounty rather than luxury ocean liners. Had MotB not won, you would have been sunk (sorry) but still would have won the game.

In short, it was another example of times when limited knowledge can be beneficial.

Congrats and retro good luck in becoming a five time champ. Yes, you've had some luck, but you've beaten some very good players.

What else did you study/memorize in prepping for the show that you felt you were weak in?
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by LeFlaneur »

First of all, all props and kudos to Joon on another hard fought victory over formidible opponents.

As for all the speculation and constructive criticism being expressed about wagering choices,particularly when a contestant is in 2nd place in FJ, it has always been my opinion that one has to bet it all. The only scenario worse than pulling a Cliff Klaven is answering correctly and not having wagered enough.
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by whoisalexjacob »

LeFlaneur wrote:First of all, all props and kudos to Joon on another hard fought victory over formidible opponents.

As for all the speculation and constructive criticism being expressed about wagering choices,particularly when a contestant is in 2nd place in FJ, it has always been my opinion that one has to bet it all. The only scenario worse than pulling a Cliff Klaven is answering correctly and not having wagered enough.
OK, I'll bite. If I had to guess, I'd say that opinion is based on the idea that it would "feel really bad" to answer correctly and lose, when a bigger wager would have won. So in that sense your strategy is probably the best one for you and a lot of people. For a robot programmed to win J! (a little far-fetched, who would take the time to do that?), I personally wouldn't recommend that strategy.
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by seaborgium »

LeFlaneur wrote:First of all, all props and kudos to Joon on another hard fought victory over formidible opponents.

As for all the speculation and constructive criticism being expressed about wagering choices,particularly when a contestant is in 2nd place in FJ, it has always been my opinion that one has to bet it all. The only scenario worse than pulling a Cliff Klaven is answering correctly and not having wagered enough.
When second place has at least two thirds of the leader's score, the concept of "enough" should not be applied to wagering from second place in relation to first. As you go above the two-thirds threshold, you go from having an "enough" wager to keep above, to having a "too much" wager to keep below. Among people who have lost from second place, there are many more who could have won by wagering less than there are who could have won by wagering more.
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by legendneverdies »

alietr wrote: And while we're on the topic of NYT crosswords ... Easiest ... Friday ... Ever. 6-1/2 minutes. But I guess they've had that one in the can for a while, and it wasn't necessarily intended to be a Friday.
3.5 minutes here. I suspect a certain event caused that crossword to show up on a Friday, rather than say, a Tuesday or Wednesday where it might have been more suitable for difficultywise.
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Re: Thursday, October 6, 2011 Game Recap & Disc (SPOILERS)

Post by jpahk »

jpahk wrote:i think i now owe it to myself to watch this film.
i don't know if anybody will find this interesting, but tonight my wife and i watched mutiny on the bounty. (it cost $2.95 on demand, which means it's now only netted me $4997.05.) it was pretty good, really, even though i don't usually like old movies. slightly off-putting that some of the actors didn't even attempt english accents (notably gable), but charles laughton was awesome and gable was very good (other than the accent thing). franchot tone was fine, but if they'd had best supporting actor in 1935 (it started in 1936; not sure if there's a causal relationship), i can't imagine he would have gotten a best actor nod. byam is not that big a role.

it feels weird being "done" with jeopardy. i guess joe koster is still on and i'll be cheering for him, but there were three weeks in a row where literally every player in every game was somebody i'd met and liked. monday is going to be strange.
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