so...how come we don't talk about worldwinner anymore?

[theartsyone]

Not to be a nitpicker, but 200 people can be considered "lots of people". "Lots of people" makes no reference as to the PERCENTAGE of people who are earning 5 figures. So technically, 200 people out of (hypothetically) 100,000 semi-regular players is only 0.2% which is considered "rare" or at least "uncommon" but 200 people can also be considered "a lot".

I should kick your butt for this! Obviously "Lots of people" isn't a an actual number, but implies large quantities which is not the truth regarding those players earning 5-figures in comparison to total number of players. And that was my point--can I get a break or is 2012 already dooommmmEEDDD!

[theartsyone]

I see you in some of my SC tournaments. I'd consider myself a top 7 to top 10 SC player and while I don't play a lot of SC and generally avoid premiums, I probably barely break even at the top of division 1. I suspect that even the number 1 SC player on WW doesn't clear 5 figures on SC alone because there just isn't enough activity on it and the top tier of division 1 is extremely competitive.

For what it's worth, you really are competing against the "best of the best" on some of these games. For instance, wranderson is a top 20 scrabble player in the UNITED STATES. So when you (and I) get beat by him by 100 or 200 points, don't feel bad. You really are playing some of the best word game players on the planet.

I'm kicking your butt twice!!! Have we established 5-figures yet? Cause if it's ten grand and wranderson hasn't made that, within in a year of playing, he's seriously doing something wrong. Especially his first year because he started with skills well above the typical player. But yes, Div 1 is competitive and winning all the time is damn near impossible. But Word Mojo or Bookworm are other playing options for those whose vocab and dexterity are sharp.

Certainly I don't like losing, but I've never made any money playing SC and it hasn't been end of my life. I have no beef with wranderson, we've exchanged messages and he seems very pleasant. I am fully aware that I do not have the dictionary knowledge or strategy to compete with MANY MANY SC players but I love scrabble and word games so that only reason why I play!! For fun.........

[theartsyone]

...
Yeah, I know you didn't say it couldn't be done, but it definitely had overtones of "If it's not easy for me then it's not easy". And I know quite a few people for whom it was quite easy. Until they changed the tournament availability.

What overtones...???? I don't know who's post you are reading but it's not mine. I have never said anything ever to the extent that if I'm not winning, no one else should either. I am well aware that there are skilled players who do well and all I said was they are in the minority--period!!! I said I was decent and that's exactly what I am. I don't really lose money but I don't really make much either--but I don't play games to earn a living, it's just a hobby. If I win $50 spending $10 that's good enough because I already have a five-figure job I love so I'm good to go.

I would tell you what you sound like, but it's obvious so I'm not going there.

[bmy1]

5 figures = $10,000 to $99,999.
I think maybe 1 or 2 players made that much from SC alone in 2011. That's my guess. And if they did I think they barely cracked the low end of it.

The only games on WW where I believe 6 figures or high 5 figures is possible are Solitaire Rush and BJ2. They are by far the most popular games there. But it seems like WW has started limiting the number of tournaments you can play in those as well.


Mojo and bookworm are a different animal. Esp. bookworm where speed is key. I am pretty terrible at both. But I excel at word memory games that's how I got good at boggle many years ago. I memorized anagrams just from playing (not from studying).

[theartsyone]

5 figures = $10,000 to $99,999.
I think maybe 1 or 2 players made that much from SC alone in 2011. That's my guess. And if they did I think they barely cracked the low end of it.

The only games on WW where I believe 6 figures or high 5 figures is possible are Solitaire Rush and BJ2. They are by far the most popular games there. But it seems like WW has started limiting the number of tournaments you can play in those as well.


Mojo and bookworm are a different animal. Esp. bookworm where speed is key. I am pretty terrible at both. But I excel at word memory games that's how I got good at boggle many years ago. I memorized anagrams just from playing (not from studying).

Okay, let me back this up some--I believe it would be extremely difficult to win 5-figures of the lesser or larger amount off a single game. At a certain point your earnings will cap so I believe players with large earnings are doing so off a combination of games. In addition, just playing on WW and earning 5-figures would also be significantly more difficult than if you played on multiply sites, which another thing I believe more skilled players do. Or it would be more advantageous.

I agree that word gaming could be less profitable than BJ or WoF or Solitaire but the larger player base could make it equally as hard to profit if not more so than a less played game--because of the higher volume of skill of competitors. Anyway, it's all pretty tricky at the end of the day--which is why the best of the best get paid. Of course if WW is limiting the number of tournaments one can enter in all games, regardless of popularity, it's definitely going to be that much tougher to get ahead.

PS-Even if you're not "studying" words, I believe memorizing words from game play is pretty much the same thing right? In either case you're scanning lists or scanning boggle grids...but regardless you're good!

[wanderer15]

Just in the past couple days I’ve noticed a slight decrease in the SC games I can open for the first time ever – only one $2.75, $3.65, or $7.25 game instead of two. So maybe WW is extending whatever matching adjustment they made to WOF to other games too.

I’m curious, in WOF and other high-traffic games where 20-40 games were closing in each 3-day period of 50/75/100 player tourneys, who was cashing in those games? Is it the same small bunch of people every time? Not defending the change at all – if the games were closing time after time, it’s pretty good evidence that the system didn’t need to be tweaked. Just trying to imagine some kind of motive.

I think WW is worse about communication than they are about anything else. I bet that if they were clearer about what they were doing and why they were doing it, they’d dramatically reduce (but certainly not eliminate) complaints. In WW's defense, I also think that many of the complaints on their forums are misguided or just outright crazy, and the sheer volume of them might get in the way of them addressing the ones that actually make sense.

Also, for the record, I did not struggle to break a 5-figure profit in SC in 2011. Losing every time I reach rounds 10 and 11 of SC survivals is really grating on me, though...

[bmy1]

Will, I can only speak on WOF from the perspective of the top of Div 1. I am pretty sure that there were probably 5-10 people at the top of Div 1 who made a decent profit in 2011. Let's call it >$10k. I am pretty sure there will be far fewer than 10 people clearing $10k profit in 2012 at this rate.

P.S. re: "Also, for the record, I did not struggle to break a 5-figure profit in SC in 2011." your statement is ambiguous. Either you easily broke 5 figures profit from SC or you didn't break 5 figures at all. I leave it to the read to decipher haha.

[wanderer15]

Good point, it'll just have to be a mystery...

From my perspective, even if the number of SC tourneys I can play in drops from whatever it is now to one, it won't be a huge drop - certainly not even close to what SR, BJ2, or WOF players are experiencing, from 20-40 to 1 or 2. Which games are getting hit with the change besides those? It seems like only WOF players were inclined to bring it up on the WW forums. I haven't seen anything from BJ2 players.

[Skialot]

Okay, let me back this up some--I believe it would be extremely difficult to win 5-figures of the lesser or larger amount off a single game.

If you were talking about trying to win 5-figures off of Blockwerx, then I'd agree with you. But if your specialty is one of the top-5 games, then I would disagree.

I've heard people complaining about Solitaire Rush, and I think Raptor just complained about Big Money -- only in one premium, with one spot open, and the tournament has been open for nearly the full 72 hours now.

I’m curious, in WOF and other high-traffic games where 20-40 games were closing in each 3-day period of 50/75/100 player tourneys, who was cashing in those games? Is it the same small bunch of people every time?

Wheel of Fortune has quite a few people who can pop up in the top paying spots of tournaments. In the $10,000 weekly special that just closed, the top spot was won by one of the "elites". However, the next four were by three second tier players and one complete unknown. That often happens with the 100-player etc. tournaments -- it's really not that unusual to see second-tier players in the top spots.

[Skialot]

Interesting development today, as always, without any comment or explanation from WW: the Scrabble Cubes Daily Delight says "Non-elite players only" next to it. It appears to be the only game getting that treatment. So far.