Bobzilla
11-24-2009, 09:43 AM
Are there any other board members who have been competing in the TwinSpires Leaderboard competition? More specifically, has anyone been taking part in the SHOW ROI leaderboard? If so, do you have any strong opinions one way or another about the effects that minus show (and place) pools have on the results?
Last evening's 5th race at Mountaineer will certainly have a major impact on not only November's results but also the year's. The show prices were $56.40; $45.00 and $47.80. The yearly winner of all 6 leaderboards earns a coveted seat at Red Rock come the end of January. Having already qualified for that I'm simply playing the leaderboard for more NTRA Tour points and also because I enjoy tournaments and with the leaderboard I feel like I'm in a tournament every day. I do it because it's fun.
With regular play minus show pools are an attention getting event which offer the possibility of making a nice show score and maybe even a long term positive expectation, if one can stomach the long waits between successful hits. All this because some mental defective thinks that a certain horse's show chances are 100% and there is free money for the taking. But with tournament play, the effects of minus show pools are dramatic and can totally throw the results out of proportion. Would it not be better to have a cap for both place and show payouts in the TwinSpires leaderboard cometition? It seems to me the results at the end of the year should reflect the skill of the players and not simply award those who have all day to scour the countryside looking for bridgejumper money, some of whom may not have even handicapped the races to begin with. My own opinion is that the show competition should be capped at $17.00, in other words 150 points. If lucky, one could still get up to 450 points in one race if this is how they want to play. And I realize that there should be some reward for picking the right horses with which to beat the minus show pool horse. I've been the beneficiary of a few minus show pools myself in this competition over the last two years, but that's because you are really left with no choice if you want to compete. But awarding 1,432 in one race is ridiculous, throws the entire year's results out of whack, and is more reflective of luck and availability of time than skill, IMO. Anyone else been playing this and if so, any thoughts?
Last evening's 5th race at Mountaineer will certainly have a major impact on not only November's results but also the year's. The show prices were $56.40; $45.00 and $47.80. The yearly winner of all 6 leaderboards earns a coveted seat at Red Rock come the end of January. Having already qualified for that I'm simply playing the leaderboard for more NTRA Tour points and also because I enjoy tournaments and with the leaderboard I feel like I'm in a tournament every day. I do it because it's fun.
With regular play minus show pools are an attention getting event which offer the possibility of making a nice show score and maybe even a long term positive expectation, if one can stomach the long waits between successful hits. All this because some mental defective thinks that a certain horse's show chances are 100% and there is free money for the taking. But with tournament play, the effects of minus show pools are dramatic and can totally throw the results out of proportion. Would it not be better to have a cap for both place and show payouts in the TwinSpires leaderboard cometition? It seems to me the results at the end of the year should reflect the skill of the players and not simply award those who have all day to scour the countryside looking for bridgejumper money, some of whom may not have even handicapped the races to begin with. My own opinion is that the show competition should be capped at $17.00, in other words 150 points. If lucky, one could still get up to 450 points in one race if this is how they want to play. And I realize that there should be some reward for picking the right horses with which to beat the minus show pool horse. I've been the beneficiary of a few minus show pools myself in this competition over the last two years, but that's because you are really left with no choice if you want to compete. But awarding 1,432 in one race is ridiculous, throws the entire year's results out of whack, and is more reflective of luck and availability of time than skill, IMO. Anyone else been playing this and if so, any thoughts?