Post by RoonilWazlib on Jul 24, 2019 8:35:31 GMT -5
Hey everybody, I first found myself at BAV during the show audition process where your advice on the various final audition threads was immensely helpful--so helpful, in fact, that I'm now faced with the (very good) new problem of getting good at the actual game of Wheel for when I play this season! In looking through the boards I've found some really great resources that have helped me improve already like the show recaps (especially those Bonus puzzles) and some good strategic tidbits here and there that a lot of the veterans seem innately aware of. However, I couldn't find any dedicated threads for Wheel strategy for those folks like me that were decent-to-good but looking to become much better than that for show prep purposes.
Pretty much everyone knows the basic things like how "What Are You Doing?" puzzles will have an -ING, you should wait for higher-value spins to call letters you know appear in multiples, and that if you're stuck, you should blind-guess T, R, N, S, or buy a vowel. I'm wondering about the truths of the game that go one step beyond that though, things like the strategy of using Free Play to stab at uncommon letters you have suspicions about but wouldn't risk a turn on, or watching your average spin strength to decide how hard to spin next--things, intuitive or not, that would take a player a step beyond and give them that much more of a chance at winning their game.
People who have played and succeeded on the show would be especially valuable for their input here. Through osmosis as well as a few other resources, I can start us off with some things I've gathered in spite of my newbie status:
-The first toss-up is related to your show theme. The second is generally not. The third can be but is not likely to be.
-I'm sure everyone thinks about and does toss-ups a bit differently. I have found I get a swoop of almost-recognition in my brain when I don't quite know the whole answer but have the strong feeling I should, and perhaps know one or more words in it. When this happens, I buzz in the moment the next letter appears. The intervening few moments of Pat and/or me speaking are often enough for my brain to recognize and fill in the rest of the puzzle. This isn't Jeopardy!--the only penalties for a wrong answer are the lock-out and not winning, and if someone else beats you to it that would have happened anyway.
-Again, my own specific toss-up observation: don't dart around and follow the letters like visual whack-a-mole. Stay mostly centered and absorb the gradually-shifting structure of the puzzle as a whole.
-Though "aiming" is illegal and will result in a re-spin, there is nothing wrong with having an average spin strength and deciding to go a bit weaker or stronger. This is where counting how many wedges your spin practically moves and adjusting power as needed can be useful, as it allows you to generally go where you want on the wheel without being forced to re-spin.
-After you've chosen your strength and executed the spin, your ability to affect what the wheel does is gone, so get your eyes off it and back to the puzzle and Used Letter Board.
-Be quick in your decision-making but not reckless. You have more time than it often looks like you do on T.V., if only a bit more.
-Don't solve a puzzle for the minimum $1,000. "Cook" it a bit with some consonants if you're able.
-...on the other hand, solve that prize puzzle IMMEDIATELY. Questionable game design element or not, it is a brutal weapon that you shouldn't risk losing.
-In the early parts of a puzzle, gamble on the Mystery Wedge. Beyond that, it will still often be correct, but do some risk/reward math to be sure.
-TAKE THE EXPRESS ALWAYS. It's one of the few ways to compete with the prize-puzzle score of another player.
-The expected value of the Million Dollar Wedge is far lower than one million dollars. Pretend it's not there, and if you pick it up don't give it a second thought.
Bonus round:
-Two strong competing groups of Bonus round letters are CDMA and (B/P)GHO. I am led to believe CDMA was overpicked for years but became stronger after one Washington Post (?) article several years ago broke the numbers down and determined GHPO to be the best letters to choose in the dark as far as their overperformance relative to normal language frequency, which probably led the puzzle writers to consciously swing the pendulum back, at least a bit.
-The above groups are a rough guide only. Everything is puzzle-dependent. Don't burn yourself by picking letters you know will be in two out of three words only to leave yourself totally stranded on the word where you actually needed help. The goal isn't to prove you knew part of the puzzle ahead of time, the goal is to solve the whole thing and get that prize.
-You have an indeterminate period of time during the Bonus round to give your letter choices. This means that a nervous, rushing player will have maybe 30 total seconds to consider their puzzle overall (5 seconds of letter choosing, 10 seconds of Vanna filling them in, 5 seconds of Pat vamping, and 10 seconds for the formal, final timer) while a wise, deliberate player can grant themselves well over a minute. I assume you probably can't stand there for an hour hemming and hawing, but whatever the maximum allotted time for Bonus letters is, we haven't hit it yet.
-Blindness to the weird/"killer" consonants (W, K, and V as strong examples) as well as the vowel U is an easy way to belly flop a potentially solvable Bonus puzzle.
-Look at that Used Letter Board! Banish all notion of letters beyond those from your brain! With some luck you'll find yourself leaving in a NEW BABY BUGGY, but get wrapped up in impossible letters and you won't even walk away with WOKS AND PANS.
That's most of what I can think of right now! Please jump in with anything I missed or am blatantly misguided about.
Pretty much everyone knows the basic things like how "What Are You Doing?" puzzles will have an -ING, you should wait for higher-value spins to call letters you know appear in multiples, and that if you're stuck, you should blind-guess T, R, N, S, or buy a vowel. I'm wondering about the truths of the game that go one step beyond that though, things like the strategy of using Free Play to stab at uncommon letters you have suspicions about but wouldn't risk a turn on, or watching your average spin strength to decide how hard to spin next--things, intuitive or not, that would take a player a step beyond and give them that much more of a chance at winning their game.
People who have played and succeeded on the show would be especially valuable for their input here. Through osmosis as well as a few other resources, I can start us off with some things I've gathered in spite of my newbie status:
-The first toss-up is related to your show theme. The second is generally not. The third can be but is not likely to be.
-I'm sure everyone thinks about and does toss-ups a bit differently. I have found I get a swoop of almost-recognition in my brain when I don't quite know the whole answer but have the strong feeling I should, and perhaps know one or more words in it. When this happens, I buzz in the moment the next letter appears. The intervening few moments of Pat and/or me speaking are often enough for my brain to recognize and fill in the rest of the puzzle. This isn't Jeopardy!--the only penalties for a wrong answer are the lock-out and not winning, and if someone else beats you to it that would have happened anyway.
-Again, my own specific toss-up observation: don't dart around and follow the letters like visual whack-a-mole. Stay mostly centered and absorb the gradually-shifting structure of the puzzle as a whole.
-Though "aiming" is illegal and will result in a re-spin, there is nothing wrong with having an average spin strength and deciding to go a bit weaker or stronger. This is where counting how many wedges your spin practically moves and adjusting power as needed can be useful, as it allows you to generally go where you want on the wheel without being forced to re-spin.
-After you've chosen your strength and executed the spin, your ability to affect what the wheel does is gone, so get your eyes off it and back to the puzzle and Used Letter Board.
-Be quick in your decision-making but not reckless. You have more time than it often looks like you do on T.V., if only a bit more.
-Don't solve a puzzle for the minimum $1,000. "Cook" it a bit with some consonants if you're able.
-...on the other hand, solve that prize puzzle IMMEDIATELY. Questionable game design element or not, it is a brutal weapon that you shouldn't risk losing.
-In the early parts of a puzzle, gamble on the Mystery Wedge. Beyond that, it will still often be correct, but do some risk/reward math to be sure.
-TAKE THE EXPRESS ALWAYS. It's one of the few ways to compete with the prize-puzzle score of another player.
-The expected value of the Million Dollar Wedge is far lower than one million dollars. Pretend it's not there, and if you pick it up don't give it a second thought.
Bonus round:
-Two strong competing groups of Bonus round letters are CDMA and (B/P)GHO. I am led to believe CDMA was overpicked for years but became stronger after one Washington Post (?) article several years ago broke the numbers down and determined GHPO to be the best letters to choose in the dark as far as their overperformance relative to normal language frequency, which probably led the puzzle writers to consciously swing the pendulum back, at least a bit.
-The above groups are a rough guide only. Everything is puzzle-dependent. Don't burn yourself by picking letters you know will be in two out of three words only to leave yourself totally stranded on the word where you actually needed help. The goal isn't to prove you knew part of the puzzle ahead of time, the goal is to solve the whole thing and get that prize.
-You have an indeterminate period of time during the Bonus round to give your letter choices. This means that a nervous, rushing player will have maybe 30 total seconds to consider their puzzle overall (5 seconds of letter choosing, 10 seconds of Vanna filling them in, 5 seconds of Pat vamping, and 10 seconds for the formal, final timer) while a wise, deliberate player can grant themselves well over a minute. I assume you probably can't stand there for an hour hemming and hawing, but whatever the maximum allotted time for Bonus letters is, we haven't hit it yet.
-Blindness to the weird/"killer" consonants (W, K, and V as strong examples) as well as the vowel U is an easy way to belly flop a potentially solvable Bonus puzzle.
-Look at that Used Letter Board! Banish all notion of letters beyond those from your brain! With some luck you'll find yourself leaving in a NEW BABY BUGGY, but get wrapped up in impossible letters and you won't even walk away with WOKS AND PANS.
That's most of what I can think of right now! Please jump in with anything I missed or am blatantly misguided about.
Oh and one other tip for the bonus round is to NOT pick THING as your category. It is way too broad of a category and will more than likely result in some sort of tougher bonus round puzzle.
Oh and one other tip for the bonus round is to NOT pick THING as your category. It is way too broad of a category and will more than likely result in some sort of tougher bonus round puzzle.
