tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309619614827620892.post23937878271938208..comments2023-09-11T04:22:12.074-04:00Comments on Bluegrass Scrabble: Tracking: The Pro's and Con's; Techniques; etc.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309619614827620892.post-13618438532102997992009-01-13T12:31:00.000-05:002009-01-13T12:31:00.000-05:00I usually track. It isn't always helpful and when ...I usually track. It isn't always helpful and when playing someone who is fast, can make me run overtime. <BR/><BR/>Tracking would be helpful I suppose if I could come up with some sort of end-of-game strategy. :D<BR/>CherylCherylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02493919687979726551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309619614827620892.post-73750978649386475512009-01-10T19:59:00.000-05:002009-01-10T19:59:00.000-05:00I always start out tracking, and unless the game b...I always start out tracking, and unless the game becomes a runaway in my favor, or I'm running out of time, I try to track the whole game. I've been playing live games for about two years now, but only recently has my tracking accuracy approached 100%.<BR/><BR/>I played on ISC for about 2 years before playing in club and tournaments, which was great preparation for live play, except for the fact that tracking is done automatically on ISC. Having that crutch removed proved difficult for me for a while. I found that trying to track tiles was such a distraction that for a while I gave it up altogether, and found that I played much better without worrying about it. In my experience, I don't have to be much less than 100% accurate for tracking to not be worth the cost in time and mental distraction.<BR/><BR/>When I did restart tracking (my third tourney, Lexingon '07), I did it only selectively, not tracking at all throughout the game, but then if it was close, I'd spend 3-4 minutes to track all the tiles at once up to that point. I found that my accuracy improved greatly with this method. The downside is that 1) sometimes there isn't enough time left to do this, particularly if my opponent makes a big scoring play to make it close late in the game, and 2) it's still possible to make turn-by-turn tracking mistakes even after the initial tracking (a good possibility if the game is close and time is low).<BR/><BR/>So I eventually decided that I just needed to develop good turn-by-turn tracking habits, that weren't dependent on the game situation. My method is pretty similar to the others described, and like the others, it's a big help to check off each score box as it's tracked, in case I fall behind.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04601426142276247445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2309619614827620892.post-36871268128705257472009-01-09T21:06:00.000-05:002009-01-09T21:06:00.000-05:00I always track. Sometimes it's not so important t...I always track. Sometimes it's not so important to get it exactly correct, but it's always helpful to get a general sense of what's left in the bag nonetheless.<BR/><BR/>Power tiles are a must. Vowel to consonant ratio (again, in the general sense) is good knowledge. It helps to know which 3- and 4-pointers are still out there if the score can turn easily (say within 30-45 points or so). It is unquestionably vital in an endgame situation, particularly so if it's close.<BR/><BR/>If the game is obviously a gimme - in one direction or the other - then tracking becomes less important. But I always do it until that point is reached, at least. Since this is relatively rare, I usually end up doing it all the way to the end.<BR/><BR/>I'm pretty close to 100% on tracking, missing a tile about every ten games or so.Brad Millshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05730518649380492907noreply@blogger.com