LAST EDITED ON 11-02-12 AT 09:16 PM (EST)

Bamboo Pain

This was one of the few Detours where I ended up disagreeing with the choice most of the TAR teams made. The moment I heard about that pile of bamboo they would have to transport, I didn't want anything to do with it. Yet, all the teams (save Abbie/Ryan) went for it. It might be one of those things where reading it on paper doesn't sound that bad, compared to seeing Phil explain it on TV.

Either way, a really tough, demanding leg.

Week 5 Results
1st place - James/Abba (2x)
2nd place - Abbie/Ryan (1.5x)
3rd place - Nadiya/Natalie (1.3x)
4th place - Rob/Kelley (1.1x)
5th place - Trey/Lexi (.7x)
6th place - James/Jaymes (.5x)
7th place - Josh/Brent (0x)

Gotta Stand PAT

My apologies for another bad PAT pun...

Week 5 turned out to be a pretty difficult week for scoring, despite the lack of movement in the actual TAR teams' placements. It seems like just betting on the same guys from last week was the way to go, but it's really hard to assume that everyone will just repeat from last week. Because that doesn't happen that much.

I also got booted from the game this week, due to an incorrect PAT wager. I really, really just couldn't get anything going this year, so at this point, I felt pretty content to just roll the dice one more time to see what would happen. There's always next year.

The Greatest Gainer goes to Snidget, who climbed 9 ranks to #20 this week. Not bad for one week's work, I say.

The Perfect Bet goes to both Snidget and kduck, who both doubled-up on James/Abba wagers. James & Abba weren't the most popular picks, so kudos to you both for sticking to your guns!

Leaderboard
1. Yogi - 126 (2.4x)
2. flipxcyd - 115 (2.4x)
3. louislam - 105 (2.4x)
4. Georjanna - 93
5. chiubakka - 80 (2.6x)
6. CTgirl - 76 (2.4x)
7. jbenz - 61 (2.6x)
8. Belle Book - 61 (2.2x)
9. Floyd1 - 59
10. sarah1234 - 48
11. IanQuentin - 47
12. Starshine - 44 (2.8x)
13. alemattos - 38
14. Ontheroadagain - 38 (2.4x)
15. Pplys - 30
16. bbenzenberg - 29 (2.2x)
17. kduck - 23
18. MzTee - 22
19. popeave - 21 (2.8x)
20. Snidget - 16
21. Max Headroom - 14 (2.8x)
22. udg - 11 (2.4x)
23. ARNutz - 8
24. KwietOne - 7 (2.6x)
25. beau_30 - 6 (3x)
26. VisionQuest - 5 (2.4x)
27. Weez - 4
28. esquire - 4 (2.8x)
29. taffnic - 4
30. michel - 3
31. vennui - 3 (2.4x)
32. FFantasyFX - 1 (3x)
33. Jims02 - 0

Yogi has now supplanted flipxcyd from atop the leaderboard, who enjoyed an impressive 5 week stay. As I mentioned in the last post, the game has definitely opened up considerably (with lockouts and bonuses), so now is the time to make your move! It's still a super-tight race for the top!

Reminder on Lockouts

The Lockout Bonuses have begun. For reference, I have put your 1st place payout for this week in parentheses next to your name. So if, for example, you see something like (2.4x) next to your name, you'd be playing for 2.4x for 1st instead of 2x. I also have a listing of your lockout teams in Post #1 below, so you know who you're not allowed to pick for the week.

Feel free to pick new Lockout Teams for next week, but remember you can't pick anyone again that's currently on your lockout list.

Week 6 Payout Table
1st place - 2x
2nd place - 1.7x
3rd place - 1.4x
4th place - Break even
5th place - .6x
6th place - .3x
7th place - 0x

Max Individual Bet - 30 points

Back to a regular payout table for the week.

Bonus Game - Playing it Straight

In this game, players can make a side-bet on three TAR teams, in an attempt to make a three-team straight. In poker, a straight consists of five cards in ascending/descending order (like 9-8-7-6-5). However, in the TAR Casino Game, a straight is a set of three teams who finished back-to-back-to-back in the rankings.

For example, in last week's results:
Abbie/Ryan, Nadiya/Natalie, and Rob/Kelley would make a straight, since they placed all in a row (2nd/3rd/4th). Same with Rob/Kelley, Trey/Lexi, and James/Jaymes (4th/5th/6th).

So, there's going to be more than one correct answer. It doesn't even matter what your intent was with the bet. In your head, you could pick your teams thinking they'd be 7th/6th/5th and they could end up finishing 2nd/3rd/4th... And you'd still win! The only thing I care about is whether the 3 teams finish back-to-back-to-back.

Straight Bonus Game
3-Team Straight - 7x
No Straight - 0x

Maximum Bet - 7 points

You may only make one bonus wager, and the limit is 7 points on that wager. A successful bonus wager will have two components, 1) the amount you're betting, and 2) the three teams you're picking for the straight.

A sample bonus entry could look like:

Bonus - 7 points
James/Abba, Nadiya/Natalie, Trey/Lexi

TAR20 Teams Remaining
Abbie/Ryan
James/Abba
Jaymes/James
Josh/Brent
Nadiya/Natalie
Rob/Kelley
Trey/Lexi

Good luck, folks! Let's make it a good one!

With how this season went for me, I'm going to need more than just a couple complimentary cocktails...