Damfino

also...

{005} Jack uses his medical skills to help someone. (8:1)

Is this one still unsettled? (I don't want to read the whole thread to find out) Jack did help Faraday after he was shot.

Palaver

Yeah. I'm pretty sure that one was unsettled. I thought about it during the episode, but forgot about it later. It looks like only two people had it picked for a grand total of $21 each.

Those early bets don't pay off much.

Damfino

Well, every dollar counts in this economy!

RE: my 2 cents on other issues:

I think if the Star Trek reference counts, then it should also count as a scene in space. I don't have either one so this isn't a big deal for me.

and regarding the use of Widmore as Faraday's father twice (56 & 89), I think it's ok to repeat predictions because there are some things that I wouldn't have guessed a month ago, that I think might happen now and this was one of them.

Palaver

Yeah. I'm fine with reusing predictions. I just wanted to give people a heads up in case it might affect how they bet, if they already had money in the first one.

Arthur Dent

The DVD/BD release will most certainly include the normal title sequence-- sans Star Trek marketing nonsense.

This episode didn't feature a Star Trek reference; the title sequence was manipulated in order to segue INTO a Star Trek promotion.

Raul3

Agree.That wasn't a reference.

Palaver

So, what is the official ruling on the Trek reference?

Palaver

I went ahead and updated the scores with {5}, {56}, {71}, {83}, and {89} being definitive winners.

I'll hold off posting any rankings here until Bus makes an official ruling on the Star Trek one.

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?k...8aPuDsaVfczHOA

pinata242

I'm going to cast my vote for "no reference". It isn't like they haven't made direct ST references before in the episodes (red shirts, namely) to worry about shoe-horning this in.

The Bus

Enough people think it wasn't a reference so we'll hold off on it.

Palaver

Current rankings according to my numbers:

outcastja 507048
awil1026 297000
DarkestPhoenix 285515
Raul3 236216
datagirl7 114824
BlackCapten 70074
Damfino 63000
Jury Duty 45584
dvdhook 30000
The Bus 20150
Shibboleth 16564
Palaver 9000
bradler 7796
Jason 7305
IDrinkMolson 5500
aktick 4800
Matthew Ackerly 576
Groucho 200
BadlyDrawnBoy 195
kakihara1 115
kaze0 105
buzzdalf 96
kevinlord190 69
Superman07 0
pinata242 0

The Bus

LOST Game — Week Ten

You have $20,000 to spend between these predictions. You can bet on any number of predictions. Any unused money from this week is lost. As I mentioned before, as the totals start getting up there, I'm going to increase each week's play money. Unless noted, "Previously on Lost" never counts towards a prediction.

Predictions are in this format:

{Number} Prediction (Odds)

{091} A reference is made to the Hanso Foundation. (10:1)
{092} The words "incident" or "accident" are used. (4:1)
{093} Hurley & Miles have a conversation together that is about pop culture or explains the current plot to the audience. (3:1)
{094} We are shown a child Richard Alpert.(3:1)
{095} We are not shown any of the blue Dharma vans. (5:1)
{096} Someone is shown barefoot. (5:1)
{097} Someone introduces themselves using a false name (or a different name than what we know them by). (9:1)
{098} An episode contains scenes in the Other camps, Locke's present-time camp, the beach, the Dharma village, and the jungle of the island. (These are not necessarily mutually exclusive.) (4:1)
{099} At least one main character is playing a board or card game. (7:1)
{100} An episode starts with a known song playing (like Petula Clark's "Downtown" in A Tale of Two Cities or ends with a song and montage (like the episode where Hurley was listening to his music player). (The montage only needs to occur at the end of the episode). (12:1)

Off you go! Post your bets here by Wednesday, May 6th at 8:55PM EST.

Please make your bets in this format:

{00X} $AmountBet

OR

{00X} Description $AmountBet

Thanks!

The Bus

I'm still thinking about how to "end" this game. Certainly, we will start at square one in our final season (starting with predictions {121} through {130}) but I'm wondering what do with previous bets.

Any changes you'd like to see? What about a system of betting where you can only bank on, say, x predictions (out of 10) and they are worth a flat amount: $100 or $50 or $200. That may make it a bit more competitive. It would also make keeping track of this a bit easier as you don't have to calculate what each person put in, just a Y/N.

pinata242

For {098}, is it required that all 5 of those conditions are satisfied in one episode?

Superman07

For this week I only have the play money and no bank.

{091} A reference is made to the Hanso Foundation. (10:1) $20,000

Superman07

I don't entirely follow what you're getting at here. You can only have 10 open bets at once? No money involved except for x bets won times the static value per bet?

I'd like to see constant values per week. That or we each get $x to start with an that is that. It forces you to manage your bets and make some smart decisions early on - otherwise you wouldn't get any payback to then rebet with.

The Bus

Yes. We need to see them all. As per usual, flashbacks are OK, but "Previously on Lost" doesn't count.

<hr>

Say next season a week's bets are these (imagine there's 10):

(133) Juliet falls down a well. $50
(134) Sawyer and Kate make out. $100
(135) The Jonas Brothers guest star. $300

For each of the ten bets, you can pick a few. It's not a system I particularly like, but I'm trying to think of a way to keep it semi-competitive.

Constant early-starting values? That completely obliterates any competition. We'd still all be in the four digits with one or two players in six digits.

Maybe we could have some sort of Double-or-Half question each week, to which you need to make a stand on.

For example, it could be:

(D01) In this episode, John Locke will not appear.

And you either say Yes or No to it, and from that, you double your money or cut it in half. Sort of a side bet.

aktick

This week's bets:

$8800 {091} A reference is made to the Hanso Foundation. (10:1)
$6000 {096} Someone is shown barefoot. (5:1)
$10000 {100} An episode starts with a known song playing (like Petula Clark's "Downtown" in A Tale of Two Cities or ends with a song and montage (like the episode where Hurley was listening to his music player). (The montage only needs to occur at the end of the episode). (12:1)

Raul3

For next season I would like bets to be for just one episode.

One of the ways I've been able to get so much money it's betting all my gains in secure bets. For example, Sawyer will call someone a nickname. If that's not true today, I'm sure it will be true in a future episode. So if I bet 100K there and if that doesn't happen today, I lose those 100K. I think outcastja did the same. That will make the game more close, I think.

Raul3

And saying that... fuck it! I'll risk it...
I expect it to happen in the season finale or the previous episode to that...

{100} An episode starts with a known song playing (like Petula Clark's "Downtown" in A Tale of Two Cities or ends with a song and montage (like the episode where Hurley was listening to his music player). (The montage only needs to occur at the end of the episode). (12:1) $250,000

Damfino

My active plays:

63000 + 20000 = 83000

{091} A reference is made to the Hanso Foundation. (10:1) $40,000
{099} At least one main character is playing a board or card game. (7:1) $43,000

Palaver

How about some sort of spending cap per bet for next year? Like half or a quarter of your available money. That way people can't put all money on one "sure thing" every week and will cause them to spread their money around into less likely bets.

pinata242

I don't think there's anything wrong with the format. Nothing else really seems fair.

Maybe you should have the odds determined after betting closes. Not arbitrarily chosen, but (reverse) weighted based on popularity.

Palaver

That would be interesting. The picks would have to be done via PM since the last bettor would have a distinct advantage over early bettors.

Superman07

I'm confused by your response. My two recommendations were:

1) Each week the bet value stays the same. Say $50. Any winnings you get you could obviously used to be the following week (similar to this year).

2) Everybody starts with $1,000 and it's your job to apportion that as the season progresses. You could dump it all on a 10:1 in week one, but if that doesn't come true you're screwed until then. It would force you to spread your bets and play smart - near term and long term.