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Any tips to play faster in a tournament?

Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2015 11:53 am
by juck101
Any tips to play faster in a tournament?
I am always fairly slow, and even looking in my opponents turn I don't normally see much in advance that I will do. Anyone got any tips, thanks

Re: Any tips to play faster in a tournament?

Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2015 12:22 pm
by lunchmoney
Come to Speedbowl- you'll learn to play faster or die trying :)

My old league used to play in a shop that was open from 1800-2130. We'd get 3 games in sometimes - speed comes with practice.
juck101 wrote: even looking in my opponents turn I don't normally see much in advance that I will do.
Try thinking about what you want to achieve in your turn, whilst your opponent is playing. Plan ahead.

When you roll dice, get another set in hand ready to roll as soon as the first set shows it's numbers.
Play with the clock, like you are supposed to, then shorten it to 3.30, then 3.00 and so on.

I'm sure there are other things :)

Re: Any tips to play faster in a tournament?

Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2015 3:06 pm
by babass
juck101 wrote:Any tips to play faster in a tournament?
I am always fairly slow, and even looking in my opponents turn I don't normally see much in advance that I will do. Anyone got any tips, thanks
Focus on only 1 roster.

Re: Any tips to play faster in a tournament?

Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2015 3:18 pm
by Joemanji
Play on FUMBBL. There is a chance your opponent will time you out after 4 minutes, but because the dice are automated that probably amounts to a 6 minute TT turn. Playing under that slight pressure will make you speed up.

Practice. The more you play the more certain decisions become instinct. BB is mostly pattern recognition; there is no way anyone can work out the best possible play from first principles in 4 minutes.

I actually play too fast now. But it is very difficult to play at exactly the right speed - I can't add a minute of thinking time without adding another minute, and then maybe another...

Babass is right - becoming more comfortable with the roster you are using will speed things up.

Re: Any tips to play faster in a tournament?

Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2015 3:27 pm
by lunchmoney
Joemanji wrote: I actually play too fast now. But it is very difficult to play at exactly the right speed - I can't add a minute of thinking time without adding another minute, and then maybe another...
This I can sympathise with. My game got better when I slowed down, but I'm still quick.

Re: Any tips to play faster in a tournament?

Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2015 3:37 pm
by mzukerman
Play with turn timers in your league if you can. If you don't play in leagues, just practice with a turn timer. And there's nothing stopping you from bringing a turn timer to a tournament. If you know that you have 2 hours to play your game, time yourself at 3.5 to 4 minute turns. If you know you have a 2 1/2 hour game, time yourself at 4 - 4.5 minute turns.

Have a plan for your drive and while your opponent is making their move, make slight adjustments based on the results of their turn. I spend the first 15-20 seconds of a turn planning everything out and then start acting. I usually get my turns in at around 3 minutes. Then again, I haven't won a tournament so I may not be the best example. :-)

Re: Any tips to play faster in a tournament?

Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2015 4:18 pm
by Darkson
Learn to fail the first roll in every turn, makes your play a lot faster. ;)

Re: Any tips to play faster in a tournament?

Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2015 4:35 pm
by Magictobe
Experience so play matches and as often as possible. It will make you see your chances and options sooner.

Re: Any tips to play faster in a tournament?

Posted: Wed Apr 29, 2015 10:56 pm
by Smeborg
Juck - pratice with a clock. This can be either a chess clock (unlimited time per turn, but limited time for the game) or a timer (limited time per turn). Get your opponent on board with what you are doing.

The main benefit of practicing with a clock is to make yourself aware how much time you are taking. If using a timer, I suggest you try 3 minutes per turn at first, then see if you can speed it up to 2 minutes per turn. If using a chess clock (which I prefer), then set the game time for less than normal (say 1.5 hours total time instead of 2 hours).

When I observe slow players, I notice that almost always they waste time in thinking about the turn before they take any actions. They can take 2 minutes or more just doing this. An experienced player will have his plan for the turn formulated before or at the same time as his opponent's turn ends. Thus he can play two or three times as quickly as the slow player. And he saves lots of time for critical moments, unlike the slow player who just spends his time wastefully each turn.

Find out (by using a clock or timer and observing yourself) what you are spending your time doing. Only then can you improve.

Time habits in clubs often develop in relation to how many hours are available for play. For example, I play in a club on a weekday night, it is quite sociable, we have several hours available, but not enough for 2 games, hence coaches are not very fast, indeed some are slow. I have played in 2 clubs previously where experienced coaches would play 2 games within 4 hours, including set-up, pre- and post-match etc.. (One of these was in a pub, curiously my record in the second games was poor compared to the first.)

[I am neither slow nor fast, I consistently average 3 minutes per turn or less in tabletop tournaments.]

Hope that helps.

Re: Any tips to play faster in a tournament?

Posted: Mon May 04, 2015 6:08 pm
by juck101
Cheers all. Almost every tip is in use

Re: Any tips to play faster in a tournament?

Posted: Mon May 04, 2015 7:01 pm
by longfang
Don't play Stoned. :smoking:

Re: Any tips to play faster in a tournament?

Posted: Mon May 04, 2015 7:33 pm
by burgun824
longfang wrote:Don't play Stoned. :smoking:
Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat....?....?..........?

Re: Any tips to play faster in a tournament?

Posted: Thu May 21, 2015 5:45 am
by Vigfus
Find a mate and play some speedbowl. Turns last 2 minutes at most.

It will force you to think faster.