Skill vs Luck?

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 10:52 am

As cocktail hour approaches, I'm happy to report that this thread has lasted almost three hours without it turning into a BWaz vs. Snake free for all. Any thread started by Billy termed Luck vs. Skill naturally slithers (pun intended) into a 20-page free-for-all. I hate to almost say this, but have we matured out of control?

As a proud parent who is going home for a drink soon, I say we may have finally grown up!!

I'm proud of you all. I really am!!

BillyWaz · Post by **BillyWaz** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:02 am

Originally posted by RI WORKHORSE:
quote:Originally posted by King of Queens:
Johnny, last year you scored an extra $2,500 based on your 12-1 record, even though FISHER scored more points. Now I don't know about you, but I can have a lot of fun with $2,500. Surely you didn't hate making $5,000 last year!

Total points leagues can get a little stale, to me anyways. King, I agree with you. But it made up for the year before when I was best H2H and best in points and didn't get paid for it.
[/QUOTE]

[/QB][/quote]
Also my team was so injured, My team was better then Fisher's. I hit the wire and finished 2nd in points though.

Fisher Made up for it by getting a extra $12,000...

[/QB][/quote]

Honestly Johnny, if what we have in place for this year, you wouldn't have had the 5K as Fisher was really solid during the 3 week stretch.

Like KOQ said, I would be happy as you got the 5K right under the wire!

da bears · Post by **da bears** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:12 am

Good topic Billy. Luck plays a role in fantasy football but how much who really knows???

If one of my teams has a bad season I never blame it on bad luck though. There are always decisions you could have made during the draft and during the season that could have changed the outcome for your team that year. This is where skill comes into play I believe. Over time the more skilled owner makes better decisions and as a result wins more.

Even the best players have off years, because no one makes the correct decisions all the time. But over the long haul, the top players will emerge and you can see that already happening in this contest.

So yeah luck does play a role, but this game is still more skill-based I think. I know I wouldn't be spending the time and money playing if I thought otherwise.

sportsbettingman · Post by **sportsbettingman** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:15 am

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:
As cocktail hour approaches, I'm happy to report that this thread has lasted almost three hours without it turning into a BWaz vs. Snake free for all. Any thread started by Billy termed Luck vs. Skill naturally slithers (pun intended) into a 20-page free-for-all. I hate to almost say this, but have we matured out of control?

As a proud parent who is going home for a drink soon, I say we may have finally grown up!!

I'm proud of you all. I really am!!

I guess you missed the post about SNAKE getting a day job...he should be off soon.

~Lance

kjduke · Post by **kjduke** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:18 am

Originally posted by Quahogs:
Is it REALLY a fact H2H is smothered in luck and total points lathered in skill ? Wasn't CINCY lucky to play Tenn the week Haynesworth was out (and with a banged up secondary)? The recipient of that luck ? - C.Johnson to the tune of 40.3 pts. It's lucky Chad played Tenn THAT week or he'd probably throw up another 13 pt game.

Luck and skill are entwined even at the altar of the god TOTAL POINTS. Good post Q.

As flawed as H2H is, total points is more flawed. Going by total points, a team could put up one or two monster weeks while being inferior on a week-to-week basis for most of the season. I'd rather we abolish total pts altogether and use a H2H system that reduces scheduling luck.

BillyWaz · Post by **BillyWaz** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:27 am

I think a big part of all "skill vs luck" is weekly lineup decisions.

It is amazing what a few points left on your bench each week can do to your H2H and of course your total points.

I am my hardest critic. It is ultimately ALWAYS on me no matter "who said this" or "what I read", it is my decision in the end, for better or worse (the same obviously goes for the draft, free agent pickups, etc.)

The worst are when you are mulling over a really tough decision all week, going back and forth, and you decide on a guy. The guy you put in scores 12, and the guy you bench scores 18. It generally isn't a big deal, but if you lose by 6 or less, it can sting ALL week (and sometimes longer).

On the flip side, when you put the right guy in and you see you would have lost had you played the other one, that is IMO what makes this game so fun!!

[ November 28, 2007, 05:29 PM: Message edited by: BillyWaz ]

Steel Curtain · Post by **Steel Curtain** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:30 am

I think this is a loaded question. I think it all depends on who is in your league. Put any one of the sharks in here with 13 owners like myself and it becomes a matter of their skill versus my luck. However, put 14 owners with a vast amount of knowledge and who've really taken the time to study up for the draft and I think luck comes into factor more. I think it is a lot like football in some ways. Let's imagine the Immaculate Reception..... I could be biased and say the Steelers were the far superior team that day but quite frankly, they won because of a lucky play. Who in the world could possibly know where that ball would bounce off of Frenchy Fuqua's head? Both teams were prepared, but it came down to luck.

Some teams rely more on skill....I myself am horrible at fantasy football (but still love it) and have to rely more on luck. Not sure if that makes sense or not but that's my two cents.

boutrous11 · Post by **boutrous11** » Wed Nov 28, 2007 11:31 am

I think poker and fantasy football are both pretty similar. I'd say 65% luck in each.