He was never inserted into the game to actually profit in chessbucks; he's there to keep the overall economy fluid and to make sure nobody ever gets locked out from playing the game.

♔ COMING SOON ♔

We are still taking a few days off before the next leg (there aren't any important games going on lately anyhow).>

~ROFL~ Clearly <ChessBookie> you're getting sassy with some of your observations of late! ;) I wouldn't exactly call the - Russian Team Championship (2008) - (now currently in progress) chopped liver! ~lol~ <sheepish grin> Just one cursory look see at <Current CHESS Events ~April~ 2008> in my CG.com Profile should quickly refresh your memory! <wink>

<During this time we are seriously investigating some rule changes which may effect betting caps, loanshark interactions, and more.>

Sounds great! :^) Seriously, we are all looking forward to the new innovative upcoming changes and let the fabulous <Betting Game> begin once again! :)) My Best, - Mal

Some changes have been made to the Chess Bookie software which will effect two things:

(1) Your "betting cap" - the maximum amount of money you are allowed to wager on any single ticket.

(2) Your "hard luck limit" - this is the amount of money that the loanshark is willing to lend you, when you have a very low or negative net worth. (In the real world, he would not be expected to extend you any credit at all, but in our game he does this to keep the economy fluid and allow everybody to continue playing.)

Previously, your "betting cap" started at 200 and increased from there, and the "hard luck limit" was set to be 100 for everybody at all times.

Under the new rules, both of these figures will be greatly expanded for players who have a large "credit rating" in the eyes of the software. If your credit rating is not large the old rules will still apply.

What is a "credit rating"? This is a secret number which the software tracks as you play the game. The exact rules for how the credit rating works will not be disclosed at this time, but we can tell you this much:

• Making bets (buying tickets) increases your credit rating, whether you win or lose. This is the easiest way to establish good credit--in short, play the game like normal.

• Taking out loans decreases your credit rating, and paying back loans increases your credit rating, in the same amount. Taking out a loan and immediately paying it back will provide a net-gain of zero--however, if you take out a loan, and later pay it back with interest, your credit rating will go up.

♔ STRATEGIC DIFFERENCES ♔

Some scenarios can now occur which were previously impossible. For example:

• At the end of a leg, a player with only 1200 chessbucks is able to wager it all on a single high-stakes bet. (Previously, the betting cap of 200 would apply.)

• A player who used to have 10,000 falls all the way down to negative numbers, but the loanshark generously fronts him as much as 5000 to get back in the game. (Previously, only 100 would be fronted.)

These scenarios should be taken into account while playing this leg, especially in the endgame, as it changes the strategy.

♔ WHY? ♔

The original intention of the betting cap was to discourage players from cheating by establishing multiple accounts. Some players would establish "throw away accounts" that would wager their entire 1000 (plus a 500 loan) on an outcome opposed to their bets, to sweeten their odds. Betting caps discouraged cheating very effectively, but greatly changed the endgame strategy by denying people the right to make desperate last-minute moves. The new system should provide the best of both worlds: reward those who continue to play the game honestly, and also discourage the creation of multiple accounts.

Making the loanshark more generous in the "hard luck" cases should also have the benefit of adding more money to the economy, therefore helping to keep the market fluid.

We have opened late-betting for the Dutch Championships: WINNER and will add more bets soon.

That all took place on 'April 1st' of course! Just play as normal as <ChessBookie> suggest and everything will be fine! ;)

BTW: <WannaBe> Nice photo of Nemo ('Finding Nemo' with shark bait!) in your previous post... » http://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/up...

I had one slight problem though... When falling asleep last night with the heartbeat pounding 'Jaws' soundtrack music playing in my head I had a nightmare and in my dream this suddenly appeared...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...

~lol~ Other than that I'm just fine! :^) Regards, - Mal

PS: <ChessBookie> I paid back the <Loanshark> in FULL for the Winter Leg Championship. Really I did! ;-) Thanks also for adding the bets to the - Russian Team Championship (2008) - and - Dutch Championships (2008) - :))

That would be nice. :) When one places lots of bets, they'll have a considerable number of tickets to cash in at once, even with just a reasonable 50% success rate. Sure the pics are cute, but I've seen'em all dozens of times, and the loading time's a pain in the posterior, even with ADSL. Now, one may argue that if we play this game at all, we clearly have too much time on our hands anyway, but still... :p

<Mal> nice to have you for a neighbor! ;)

Hehehe... I know Annie but I've never seemed to mind it much collecting all those precious wins! ;) Plus, once you've grabbed the money (even while the picture is loading) you can use the hyberlinks above/below and get right back to the betting grid! :)

<Now, one may argue that if we play this game at all, we clearly have too much time on our hands anyway, but still... :p>

~ROFL~

<Mal - <nice to have you for a neighbor! ;)>>

Yep! After today's betting round (in which I won 4 out of my 6 bets), I'll now be moving up the ladder just a tad. Hope we can stay close together while we both chase <Buddy Revell> ! :^)

My Best, - Mal

PS: <TD - <Very impressive finish last leg! :)>>

That was impressive! Well done <TD> ! :)) I tried but couldn't get out of the cellar until the very last week and by then it was far too late...

So far so good, Mal! :) Then again, that's what the man who had fallen out of a 20th floor window said as he was passing the second floor... ;)

LOL, never mind the Hebrew, I'm not all that fond of the language myself.

So far so good, Mal! :) Then again, that's what the man who had fallen out of a 20th floor window said as he was passing the second floor... ;)>

HaHaHa! ;) That's why I learned to lose just as much as I learned to Win! ~lol~ Instead of the 'splat' scenario (not to be confused with 'spat') that you referred to above, I prefer to think of it like a <Roller Coaster> with ups and downs. In fact, I'll be on a down spin when the 'Dutch Championship - Round #8' bets are tabulated... :-(