What Can You Learn From Board Games?

Wow!

If I recall correctly, this would be my first full year of attending the Board Games Meetup.

To date, I've played around 100 games of all kinds: Cooperative, deduction, classic-euro, negotiation, diplomacy, economic, dexterity, resource management, etc...

And for each game, you can learn all kind of "soft-skills", such as:

1. Expand your vocabulary and ability to link unrelated stuffs in Codenames.

2. Train your ability to keep a straight face and "sow discord" in Secret Hitler.

3. Test your imagination and judgement skills in Dixit.

4. Your negotiation and charisma to bring people to your side in I'm the Boss.

5. Your deduction, story-telling, teamwork and puzzle solving skills in Time Stories.

The list goes on.

I think "outsiders" are still stuck in the old days where they think Board Games = Monopoly, Scrabble and Uno.

Nowadays, there are much more variety of games that engages you in all aspects.

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Recently, I've had the chance to play this game call "Panic on Wallstreet", a negotiation economic game based on luck and probability.

Playing this game, I can really feel the different styles that different kind of players adapt.

While most managers and investors play "by the rules" and negotiate in the pit, there are a couple who "strike up their own private deals". Instead of touting in the mass market, they build up their own network by personally approaching investors.

This builds up "rapport" and "regular customers" which they can take advantage of, where they have less fear of failing to sell their stocks. On the other hand, time pressure can often force managers to let go of their properties at ridiculously low-price.

We have master mathematicians who try to bid for deals where they will "never lose" (at most break-even), and master negotiators who try to squeeze every inch of juice out from the other party.

I just feel it's amazing that I can see such diverse attitudes and styles towards a simple game that simulate the real world.

Board Games [2016]

This shall be an overall record of all the board games I've played and the best ones.

A - Excellent. I think this game is among the best of its category. If I want to play a game of this type, this will be my top choice.
B - Very Good.
C - Average.
D - Bad, or just not my cup of tea.


BEST LIGHT PARTY GAMES
A - Code Names / "Code Names Dixit"
A - Concept
B - Dixit
B - Cloud 9
B - Telestrations
C - Good Cop Bad Cop
C - Get Bit!
C - No Thanks
C - Can't Stop
D - Dead Last


BEST LIGHT CARD GAMES
B - Parade
B - 7 Wonders
C - 6 Nimmt!
C - Citadels
C - Gang Up
C - Saboteur 2
C - Mascarade
C - Coup
C - Love Letter
C - Sushido (Party)
C - Falling
D - Condottiere
D - Bang!
D - Loot
D - Loco


BEST DEXTERITY/CHESS-LIKE GAMES
A - Dr Eureka
B - Quoridor
C - Bamboleo
C - Going Going Gone
D - Hands Up
D - Ugly Dolls
D - Monster Fox


BEST LIGHT BOARD GAMES
A - I'm The Boss
A - Shadows Over Camelot
A - Plague Inc
B - St Petersburg
B - Pandemic
B - Carcassonne
B - Nigeria Falls
B - Pompeii
B - Small World
B - Sheriff of Nottingham
B - Mystery of the Abbey
B - Chateau Roquefort
B - Takenoko
B - Tiny Epic Western
C - Manila
C - Tiny Epic Kingdoms
C - King Of Tokyo/New York
C - Evolution
C - Flash Point
C - Samurai
C - Captain Sonar
C - Scotland Yard
C - Through The Desert
C - Goldbrau
C - Takenoko
D - Tiny Epic Galaxy
D - Happy Pigs
D - Panic Station


BEST DECEPTION / SOCIETY DEDUCTION GAMES
A - Secret Hitler
A - Spyfall
A - Deception: Murder
B - Blood Bound
B - Fake Artist
C - Resistance / Avalon
D - Eat Me If You Can!


BEST ECONOMY/WORKER PLACEMENT GAME
A - Stone Age
B - Splendor
B - The Palaces of Carrara
C - Isle of Skye
D - Istanbul
D - Lords of Waterdeep
D - Broom Service
D - Village


BEST HEAVY/STRATEGIC GAME
B - Three Kingdoms Redux
B - Imperial
B - Battlestar Galatica
B - Betrayal at House On The Hill
B - Shogun


BEST CO-OPERATIVE GAME
B - Time Stories (Asylum)
B - Time Stories (Marcy Case)
B - Time Stories (Prophecy of Dragons)
C - Time Stories (Under The Mask)
C - Escape Room
C - Arkham Horror: The Card Game

When I Hit 100BI Below EV

Walking Dead

Reinvented Gaming

This is so true. 

It may be hard to believe, but this game has really taught me some important lessons.

Heavy Rain

Another awesome "Let's play" to introduce.

This is a very unique action thriller that's presented almost entirely using CG animation - unlike anything I've ever seen before.

The plot is frigging amazing too!

An FBI Agent, a private detective, a mysterious hot girl, and a distress father who'll go any length to save his son. Add in the main antagonist - a highly intelligent, sick psychotic serial murderer.

How can this not be good?!

Trust me, you will be hooked after watching the 15 mins prelude.

---

Watch this if you're interested to jump right into it.




















If you're interested to follow the entire series and got the time, I recommend following this player instead. The story is more flashed out - it's his first time playing, he attempts to explore every area, and his commentary is way more entertaining.
 

To The Moon

I've played hundreds, possibly thousands of video games in my life - many of them with great story-lines.

 But this game...

 This game has got to have the most heart wrenching plot I've ever come across. 

At least in terms of "love story", this got to be the saddest plot I've seen, even when compared to movies.

Let's just say Titanic has got nothing on this. 

Watch through the Let's Play. 

 Definitely worth your time. 

Texas Holdem - Range

This will be a series of short articles aimed to introduce beginners to the skills and arts behind the game of Texas Holdem. The content will be kept introductory and minimal.

Hopefully it'll spur your interest to learn more about this fascinating game on your own!

Let's get started with the most fundamental of them all - The 2 cards you get.

We know there's a certain % for each combination of 2 cards that you can get. 

For example, everyone knows AA is the strongest starting hand in this game, and based on mathematical probability, you'll get them about once every 221 hands.*

KK is the next strongest.

Then comes QQ, then AK / JJ......

Since no one in the right mind folds AA and plays 23, we can conclude something:

The less % of hands one play, the stronger his hand is on average. The more % of hands he plays, the weaker it is on average.

Example:

Let's say you meet a super tight opponent that keeps folding - playing only about once every 100 hands, or 1% of all his hand.

What do you think he's playing? Probably only KK and AA.

You can therefore say that his range, the likely cards he's holding, is "KK+", meaning pocket pair KK and stronger.

If you understand the above:

Below is a simplified chart of % of hands played and the range of cards it comprises. You can think of it as arranging all possible combinations of 2 cards from strongest to weakest, with each row representing the top X%.

Now, here's a test.

Suppose you're playing against an opponent who plays about 1 every 10 dealt hands, and the flop comes:

1) 5 6 7
2) A J K

Can you tell which of these 2 flops is most likely to have helped him?

Suppose you have 22, would you rather have the first or the 2nd flop against this particular opponent?

If you can answer this question (and know the reasoning), you would already have a great advantage over many other players in this game.

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*There are (52 x 51 / 2) = 1326 possible starting hand combinations. There are (4 x 3 / 2) = 6 possible pocket AA combinations. 6 out of 1326 is 1 every 221 hands.

Piece Of Paper

A piece of paper I used to refer to almost every day...

Apparently, I don't seem to need this anymore...

2012 Rocks!!!

OMG!!!!!!!

I JUST HAD THE MOST THRILLING, EARTH-SHATTERING AND EPIC BATTLE OF ALL TIME!

In the end, the PRIZE got SO HUGE that I am too afraid to play any further... 

Every single decision, every hand, every move amounts to thousands of gold (literally).

So, I settled for a deal - a split of the prize.

I actually made a little sacrifice by giving some portion of my prize to the other gladiators in order to get them to agree to the deal.

Was it a mistake?  Maybe.

It's definitely -EV, and I can't bet so much on a coin flip.

...

Yes, the first prize would be GODLY, but I rather play safe and make the deal - guaranteeing a substantial part of the pool.

And that portion of the prize, that is already beyond what I ever thought possible.

It was WAYYYYYYY  bigger than any of the prize I've won the past.

It was almost life changing.

Almost.

LOL.

1st January 2012. 

I will always remember this day.

The day when I fought for over 7 hours to win the greatest prize to date.

So You Want to Work In The Video Game Industry

After watching this video... ... No.

Bernard Tapie Group Officially Acquires Full Tilt

Bernard Tapie Group Officially Acquires Full Tilt

The U.S. Department of Justice finally signed off on a deal that will see the Bernard Tapie Group takeover Full Tilt Poker yesterday.

As part of the deal FTP has agreed to forfeit its assets to the U.S. government, which then sold the assets to the Tapie Group.

The French firm will take responsibility for the players outside of the U.S. who never got their deposits back from the site while the DOJ will return funds to American players.

Comeback From Seclusion...

重

出



 

江

湖

Full Tilt Poker Statement Addresses Player Funds

Full Tilt Poker Statement Addresses Player Funds

Full Tilt Poker released a new statement yesterday, addressing the question of why the online poker room’s former customers have not yet been paid back.

The statement specifies that in addition to new money, FTP is also seeking a new management team to reopen the site and get players back their money.

...

"...Our players should know that Full Tilt Poker is fully committed to paying them back in full and restoring confidence in our operations"

Holdem Manager 2!!!

Anyone who has purchased Holdem Manager since May 1, 2011 will receive a free upgrade to HM2 once it goes on public sale.

OMG!!!

I really need this back in my life...

To fill this empty void...

RIP, FTP

Looks like it's over...

That  last glimmer of hope...

Like a candle in a wind...

It's final light is flickering out before my very eyes...

Everything will become nothing more than a dream...

 

And Now, I Need To

1. Nurse myself back to health.

This is really causing me a lot of distress and I really need to find out what's wrong.

I will try really hard to sleep before 3am every night.

And I will try to eat more regularly and healthily.




2. IPPT

Last year, I took 4 months to go from 15min to 12min.

This time round, I got barely 1 month, so I think it's a lost cause.

Still, I really really don't want to fail.

So I promise myself that I will exercise at least once every other day as long as my schedule permit.




3. FTP

I need to clear the dozen of free tickets they've given me (which I have no time to play)

Figure out a way to spend the 70K points accumulated...

And see how far it can take me...
 

Bonus, Bonus & More Bonus!

Thanks for the $500 cash bonus!

Thanks for the additional $60 free cash game buy-in!

Thanks for the free ticket to a $20,000 tournament!

But... when can I cash out?!

We Thank You For Your Patience...

One week passed...

Two week passed...

Three week passed...

The Final Game - Red Rider

This is it guys.

My last, and final game project...

My 告别作...

...At least, for anytime in the foreseeable future...