Stanley said:
Outrights Leaderboard
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Lostinamerica ... 3-6; +153.50 units [Ames 150/1 1st; Van De Velde 100/1 1st; Finch 50/1 5th]
I play for small potatoes, but the combination of odds and stakes allowed me to cash the first and third biggest wagering tickets of my life on the same day. As ridiculous as it is sweet.
Whaleresque, really. (I think that's a verb, too, just like Van De Velde.) I enjoyed my day. :mj07:
Odds and Ends:
(1) INFORMATION and ANGLES are the foundation of my golf and football handicapping. I think the strength of my contributions in the Madjack's forums for either of those sports lies in the somewhat unique, unintentionally cryptic, but fundamentally solid perspectives I can offer in those areas; the picks are certainly part of the package, but that's not the aspect that always provides the greatest satisfaction from posting.
When I funded offshore accounts and started weekly golf capping in January of 2002, I thought there was no way I would struggle with matchups at about 11/10 odds, but these outright plays would be a different matter. After about one season, I discovered what a grind it really was to scour and study all the available matchups to maybe eke out a profit, while I just seemed to have a decent knack for outright wagering. In a related vein, I've noted in a couple of prior posts that being selective in my plays for purposes of posting them at Madjacks has been a terrific governor on my trigger pulling, and taking the time to analyze and possibly write about my rationale has also seemed beneficial to my bottom line.
ON THE OTHER HAND, I do NOT like having my name off Stan's leaderboard. It REALLY bothers me, and I noted in a post last year that "Just Shut Up and Post Your Plays" had not failed me as a mantra to get my name back on the leaderboard. For the last few weeks I've been hovering, but NOT happy, and my absence of commentary directly reflected the "Shut Up" mode I was in. This weeks turnaround makes it 4 for 4 in two seasons that the "Shut Up" mode has turned the trick when called upon (Plus, it even turned around my 2005 NFL season at Madjacks when I dispensed with any commentary and just posted plays under a thread titled, "Too Many or Too Few") . . . "Shut Up and Post" . . . "Post and Shut Up" . . . Is that the best you've got? . . . What have you missed? . . . Shut Up and Post . . . You've eked your way on the Matchups leaderboard, but that will never last . . . Read everything, dig deeper, don't pick wrong, Just Post and Shut Up . . . But it's Van De Velde . . . Shut Up . . . (i.e., the 2+ hours it took me to jot down notes at home and then write
this odd sounding post on the computer could have been just as well spent capping next week's events; for the last month or so I wasn't wasting my time there, because . . .) . . . It was just Get Mean, Shut Up and Post . . .
Get your ass home and watch your VCR tapes and try to gain some insights . . . Still try to convey as much useful INFORMATION as possible, but Post and Shut Up . . . There are no guarantees, but trust your judgment, and Shut Up and Post . . .
Mission accomplished, I guess! It looks like you're stuck with me, at least through the Masters. :shrug:
(2) A pair of 65s from Van De Velde and Ames by noon on Friday had me daring to believe I was on to something, and I instituted a zero tolerance policy to go with my "Shut Up" mode; the less the commentators failed to single out the "good place" Stephen Ames was operating from, the harder it was not to post on that precise point. Hedging is not always the best policy, and the last two days I played Stephen Ames (small) about every way you could play him, which still has me grinning.
As for Jean Van De Velde, people seem to forget how well the guy can play (European Tour Order of Merit finishes of 13th, 18th, 25th, 26th, 32nd, 42nd, and most recently 43rd, in his career, and 71 spectacular holes in The Open Championship). I didn't think Van De Velde had left many doubts about his intentions through his play to start the season, and when in his last outing (on a watery track in Singapore with fairly penal rough) he raced through the first 8 holes with 5 birdies on Sunday, I was shouting at my computer that he better tone it down before he ruined my plans for his next event on a more favorable track (China or Madeira); on cue, all pars and one bogey thereafter, before a late double and a seemingly nondescript 70, fit perfectly with what I was hoping to see . . . I kept a candle burning for you Jean, and since last year's Open de France would have been a bigger deal than this for Whalers Rule and yourself, waiting for this fan and this spot wasn't really necessary - but it was much appreciated.
(3) Dogs - I usually put in about 10-15 outright/e.w. parlays each week, mostly before the events, for stakes of $0.20 X 2 = $0.40 to $1 X 2 = $2, and the bets are in partnership with a wagering buddy. I've hit the e.w. side, but never the winning side. Twice on Wednesday night, just hours before Madeira started, I tried to log onto Bet365 for that purpose, with a list of names in front of me, but I couldn't access the sight, so I went home to bed. I'm not sure if I would have paired Van De Velde and Ames in one of the combinations, but there's a fair chance I would have, and with odds of at least 100/1 and 80/1, that does leave one regret over this week.
Agent - I would have responded to your earliest inquiry regarding GolfingGods, but I wasn't talking. Give me till late tonight and I'll respond in your latest post with some helpful pros and cons regarding GolfingGods.
Cheers!
GL
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If it wasn't for angles, I'd just be guessing.
Don't believe everything you think.
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Ref Date/Time Tour Tournament
21359 17-03-06 14:52
USPGA The Players Championship
Event Description Market Selection Price
Outright EW 1/4 1-05 AMES, Stephen 151.00
Coupon Type Opponent(s)
Outright Field
Type Stake EW Total Stake Return Status Result
Single $10.00 Y $20.00 $1895.00 Resulted WON
20 Mar 2006 16:50 34/30 10.00
10.00 W
P Single Madeira Open - Outright : Tournament Outright Van De Velde, Jean +10000 Won Won 20.00 1,220.00
