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500 Strategies, Conventions & Tips
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Card Cheat #2
John Scarne, 1949
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Who is Daffy aka Daffers?

My advocacy for an honest and civil site earned me the distain and abuse of a core of dishonest and abusive members - members who still play regularly on the site today. I suported the site financially by regularly donating well above the yearly fees. I argued forcibly for a code of conduct to ensure fair play, a well-regulated forum so players could share a healthy online community and then put in the hard yards to show how this could be done. I discovered and reported a major cause of the site's lag. For these efforts I was abused by the cheats and ignored by the administration.
I have many friends on the site and continue to play as a non-member. Rumours of my transmogrification to an ancient hobbit are much exaggerated.
JG500 Secret Multiple Memberships
- Rae/Dazza/Bundy Black: Raechelle controlled the top 5 rankings with her "preferred" partners for nearly a year until her exposure. She loves to play the victim, impersonate others, is a clever manipulator and an all round nutter. Her hubby is Dazza. She was exposed by Lee, Rat and Daffy and then confessed on the forum, "I cheated on multiple occasions... I don't prefer to be honest." She resumed playing soon after Daffy quit the site.
- Abba/Runt: Abba deleted her Runt account in 2004 after her deception was uncovered. She used Runt to win elo from her rivals and then transferred it to her main account. Since then she has used Toby's account to top up her elo when needed. She is unrepentant in her use of MSN with her partners to "discuss" games in progress - sometimes by mistake she messages the wrong player LOL. Rae was one of her several "preferred" partners.
- Tee/AJ: Tee laughably claimed to be trying to "clean up the site" after dominating the #1 gong for four months in 2005 by winning with one account and then transferring the elo to the other. He has been an honest player since then except for his female impersonation LOL.
- Benno/Elias: Benno is a major MSN cheat, mummy's boy and tool. His cheating was exposed when his shamed partner admitted using Toby's account with him and apologized on the forum. Benno just ran away and hid under a rock. He slunk back months later and pretended it never happened LOL. He needs his nappy changed regularly and likes lots of enemas.
- Funky Chicken/Rogue: The original and the best, he rarely plays now.
Lee and I introduced rotating partnerships a few years ago to combat the endemic cheating. This proved to be very effective and popular and since that time the site has seen far less cheating. However, JG500 is still crawling with sad fools like those above who need to bolster their low self-esteem by cheating on their friends. Most long-term members know about them but don't care, preferring instead a quiet day of cards in the sun before they are wheeled inside for their rusks and soup.
Join JG500 by all means to support the site, but be aware...
Thursday, January 22, 2009
JG500 forum screws up yet again?
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Friday, June 06, 2008
Prudence - in this case it is NOT called for!
Were the JG500 Forum a Forumer or Google/Yahoo/MSN Groups forum the moderators could have deleted this thread as soon as it appeared. Instead they have to go cap in hand to JG500 Admin and hope he has the time to do it eventually. This is not how moderated forums work! Does anyone else think this system doesn't make any sense? Or do most members come to the JG500 forum for cheap cyber-soap opera titillation and entertainment?
Anders, the JG500 Moderator has glibly criticized my concerns yet has produced little, if nothing, of any real value or use. I'm not trying to score cheap shots, nor am I engaged in self-promotion. In the spirit of his Code of Conduct I am seriously discussing matters of club concern. I have backed my proposals with working demonstrations and with financial donations. Does he have a problem with that? Does this go against his code? Does he find it awkward when people he doesn't like offer better solutions to complex problems than his answers? Perhaps he should try and address the issues and answer the questions rather than shooting the messenger.
Would he care to explain how effective and efficient his moderated forum actually is after its first month of operation? Can he explain why he drafted a Code of Conduct but then neglected to put in place a forum with the technology to enforce it? Can he explain why his solution results in much more work for Richard rather than less? Would he care to comment on Sharon's scathing indictment of his half-baked steam-powered mess? Does he gauge his successes by the effort he expends or by the results he achieves? Is he up to the job he appointed himself to do?
play500.blogspot.com/2008/05/failure-to-moderate.html
Is this Daffers blogging or Anders moderating?___________________________________
In light of the histrionic Prudence thread the Wikipedia extract below is an interesting read. Does remind you of anyone? I tested as high on the histrionic scale myself on the 4degreez Personality Disorder Test. Try it out for yourself - its fun, and a little introspection doesn't hurt!
Histrionic personality disorder
The essential feature of the histrionic personality disorder is an excessive pattern of emotionality and attention-seeking behavior. These individuals are lively, dramatic, enthusiastic, and flirtatious. They may be inappropriately sexually provocative, express strong emotions with an impressionistic style, and be easily influenced by others.
The literature differentiates HPD according to gender. Women with HPD are described as self-centered, self-indulgent, and intensely dependent on others. They are emotionally labile and cling to others in the context of immature relationships. Females with HPD over-identify with others; they project their own unrealistic, fantasied intentions onto people with whom they are involved. They are emotionally shallow and have difficulty understanding others or themselves in any depth. Selection of marital or sexual partners is often highly inappropriate. Most all partners chosen will have symptoms of personality diseases far worse than their own. Women with HPD often tend to enter into abusive relationships with partners who increase in the abuse as time wears on. Pathology increases with the level of intimacy in relationships. Women with HPD may show inappropriate and intense anger. They may engage in self-mutilation and/or manipulative suicide threats as one aspect of general manipulative interpersonal behavior.[1]
Males with HPD usually present problems of identity crisis, disturbed relationships, and lack of impulse control. They have antisocial tendencies and are inclined to exploit physical symptoms. These men are emotionally immature, dramatic, and shallow. Both men and women with HPD engage in disinhibited behavior.
People with this disorder are usually able to function at a high level and can be successful socially and at work. People with histrionic personality disorder usually have good social skills - but they tend to use these skills to manipulate other people and become the center of attention. Furthermore, histrionic personality disorder may affect a person's social or romantic relationships or their ability to cope with losses or failures. People with this disorder may seek treatment for depression when romantic relationships end, although this is by no means a feature exclusive to this disorder. They often fail to see their own personal situation realistically, instead tending to dramatize and exaggerate their difficulties. Responsibility for failure or disappointment is usually blamed on others. They may go through frequent job changes, as they become easily bored and have trouble dealing with frustration. Because they tend to crave novelty and excitement, they may place themselves in risky situations. All of these factors may lead to greater risk of developing depression.
Symptoms
The symptoms include:
- Constant seeking of reassurance or approval.
- Excessive dramatics with exaggerated displays of emotions.
- Excessive sensitivity to criticism or disapproval.
- Inappropriately seductive appearance or behavior.
- Excessive concern with physical appearance.
- A need to be the center of attention (self-centeredness).
- Low tolerance for frustration or delayed gratification.
- Rapidly shifting emotional states that may appear shallow to others.
- Opinions are easily influenced by other people, but difficult to back up with details.
- Tendency to believe that relationships are more intimate than they actually are.
- Making rash decisions.
- Threatening or attempting suicide to get attention.
Diagnosis
The person's appearance, behavior, and history, and a psychological evaluation are usually sufficient to establish the diagnosis. There is no test to confirm this diagnosis. Because the criteria are subjective, some people may be wrongly diagnosed as having the disorder while others with the disorder may not be diagnosed. Treatment is often prompted by depression associated with dissolved romantic relationships. Medication does little to affect this personality disorder, but may be helpful with symptoms such as depression. Psychotherapy may also be of benefit.
Diagnostic criteria
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a widely used manual for diagnosing mental disorders, defines histrionic personality disorder as a pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:
- Is uncomfortable in situations in which he or she is not the center of attention
- Interaction with others is often characterized by inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behavior
- Displays rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions
- Consistently uses physical appearance to draw attention to self
- Has a style of speech that is excessively impressionistic and lacking in detail
- Shows self-dramatization, theatricality, and exaggerated expression of emotion
- Is suggestible, i.e., easily influenced by others or circumstances
- Considers relationships to be more intimate than they actually are.
The International Statistical Classification of Diseases defines histrionic personality disorder as characterized by:
- self-dramatization, theatricality, exaggerated expression of emotions;
- suggestibility, easily influenced by others or by circumstances;
- shallow and labile affectivity;
- continual seeking for excitement and activities in which the patient is the centre of attention;
- inappropriate seductiveness in appearance or behaviour;
- over-concern with physical attractiveness.
Mnemonic
A mnemonic that can be used to remember the criteria for histrionic personality disorder is PRAISE ME:
- P - provocative (or seductive) behavior
- R - relationships, considered more intimate than they are
- A - attention, must be at center of
- I - influenced easily
- S - speech (style) - wants to impress, lacks detail
- E - emotional lability, shallowness
- M - make-up - physical appearance used to draw attention to self
- E - exaggerated emotions - theatrical
Relationships
The HPD is highly reactive. If there is another major disorder present, such as delusional disorder, then emotional intensity will create anger, rage, abuse and distance in relationships.
It is important for the therapist and family members to monitor and record all situations that trigger the HPD so that the deep underlying overload of pain can be accessed and released for therapeutic change.
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Calling Aces

This certainly applies to ATF500. The only modification I would make for Classic 500 is that IF you have 2 aces then call what would be your off-suit ace in preference to your trump ace. The idea of ace calling is to give your partnership an extra trick by identifying an off-suit strength.
If you have no aces then go straight to seven if you have a good hand or if the scoreline dictates a bid. Calling strength at 6 because your hand is weak just muddies the water. The exception is calling 6 strength when your team is very near the back door. I use minus 350 as my guide as to when to call strength at 6 instead of 7.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Sunday, June 01, 2008
The Three Little Bops
From Wikipedia
Three Little Bops is a 1957 Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng, with voices by Stan Freberg and music by jazz composer/trumpeter Shorty Rogers. It is a takeoff on The Three Little Pigs, told as a hip, jazzy musical.
The Big Bad Wolf is not interested in eating the pigs, but rather joining their band. His problem is that he is a terrible trumpeter and therefore fails to endear himself to the Bops (or the audience, all of whom refer to him as a "square"). Constantly thrown out of the clubs he visits, the insulted Wolf retaliates by using his trumpet to blast away the House of Straw and the Dew Drop Inn of sticks.
The club of bricks is where he runs into problems; wolves are not permitted in the club, but he is not the least bit discouraged. Like his forefather, the Wolf runs out of breath in trying to blow away the club. Unlike his forefather, however, the Wolf resorts to other measures to make his mark. He reenters in fur coat and ukulele with his rendition of the Charleston song (cut short by slipping on a strategically-placed banana peel). He returns in the disguise of a houseplant with his trumpet but gets blasted outside by a plunger shot from the double bass. For his third try, the Wolf shows up in drum major outfit playing a big bass drum. A dart is shot into the drum, leaving him to exit in humiliation.
Finally, he shows up with a large cylinder of TNT and snaps, "I'll show those pigs that I'm not stuck! If I can't blow it down, I'll blow it up!" The fuse is blown out on his first try, so he steps back a bit and lights it from there. Unfortunately, he is too far away and his weapon explodes while he's carrying it to his target.
The Bops hear his trumpeting from "the other place" (hell), and it has improved dramatically. One of pigs proudly replies, "The Big Bad Wolf, he learned the rule: you gotta get hot to play real cool!" Thus the Wolf achieves his goal in afterlife: becoming a member of the Bops.
Instrument Credits are believed to be:
- Vocals - Stan Freberg
- Saxophone - Art Pepper
- Trumpet/flugelhorn - Shorty Rogers
- Piano - Pete Jolly
- Guitar - unknown
- Bass - possibly Joe Mondragon
- Drums - Shelly Manne
This is one of only two Warner Brothers cartoons to give on-screen credit to an actor other than Mel Blanc during the period of Blanc's exclusive contract with the studio. The other short is The Mouse That Jack Built, which credits the cast of The Jack Benny Program.
Yoinks and awaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!
From Wikipedia
The film features Daffy Duck in the role of legendary outlaw Robin Hood, and opens to the strains of his playing an instrument similar to an archlute or bouzouki. As he prances along singing, he trips and tumbles down a bank into a lake. Watching is Porky Pig, here a Friar Tuck figure, who laughs uproariously at Daffy's inglorious plunge. The annoyed Daffy tries to prove his skill with a "quarterstaff" (Daffy: "Actually, it's a buck-and-a-quarter quarterstaff, but I'm not telling him [Porky] that."), but manages to hit himself in the face with it, bending his bill in what becomes a recurring visual gag throughout the film. He tries again, but while he is spinning his quarterstaff, Porky stops it with a mere toothpick, resulting in Daffy falling back into the lake.
Having given up trying to impress the friar, Daffy attempts to leave, but Porky follows and asks him if he knows the whereabouts of Robin Hood's hideout as he wants to join his band of outlaws. Daffy proudly announces that he is Robin Hood, but Porky disbelieves him. To prove himself, Daffy informs Porky that he will attempt to rob a rich traveller on a bouncing mule (and give his money to some poor unworthy slob). Daffy fails in each and every attempt he makes to stop the traveller, usually injuring himself in the process, be it accidentally firing himself from his own bow, or slamming into a succession of trees while trying to swing on a rope. Eventually the rich traveller, oblivious to Daffy's attempts to rob him, reaches his castle unharmed. The frustrated Daffy gives up, and in the final scene walks on with a shaven head and wearing a habit, having decided to become a friar himself: "Never mind joining me, I'll join you. Shake hands with Friar Duck (a pun of the name Friar Tuck)." As the film irises out, Daffy's bill bends back up one more time.
Other notable lines:
- Daffy, fighting with his $1.25 quarter staff : "Ho! Haha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust!" (quarter staff bounces off log, bending his bill. He straightens it back to normal, and starts speaking to himself) "Let's see now. Something amiss here... hmm, I'll run through it. Ho, haha, guard, turn, parry, dodge, spin, ha, thrust." (bill bends again) "Got it." (straightens bill, and starts his fighting moves again.) "Ho! Haha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin!" (Porky comes up and holds a toothpick up against the quarterstaff while Daffy is spinning it, stopping and causing Daffy to spin instead. Daffy then falls back down into the lake)
- See yon rich unwary traveller? I'll rob him of his gold, and give it to some poor unworthy slob. That'll prove that I'm Robin Hood, hmm? Prithy, hmm?
- "Yoicks . . . and away!" (Daffy swings from a treetop and hits another tree) "Yoicks . . . . and away!" (Daffy swings from the other treetop and hits another tree. This happens a few more times, slurring his speech a little more each time, until he's at ground level.) "Why you...!" (Daffy gets an axe and starts chopping down the last tree he hit. Eventually, all the trees that got in his way are now out of his path, and he is back on top of the first tree.) "Now then, yoicks . . . . . and, away. . ." (Daffy swings over all the trees he's chopped down and hits a rock)
- "Ho ho, very funny; Ha ha, it is to laugh."
- "Oh, knock it off. How jolly can you get?"