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Suggestions/Thoughts on creating well formed MLB game specific questions.
The Yankees game is the first rain out of the year, and it instantly brings the focus of HubDub users to the idea that baseball games can get delayed/postponed, and how do we resolve this issue. The situation it created was that a question was phrased "Will the NYY's lose to Toronto on the Opening Day Game on March 31st?" Now, of course, since the game wasn't played, they didn't lose, but there is intent to the question that can't be denied. It has already been stated by an admin that the question in question (ha!) will be decided by the April 1 game, but this does bring about the idea of setting a standard and/or proper phrasing of MLB game specific questions.
First, a little info on MLB delayed/postponed games:
A game can be postponed by one day or a couple days or months.
If a game is postponed until near the end of the season, but ends up not having any impact on either team’s playoff chances, a postponed game can end up not being played at all.
When a game is postponed, the tickets are NOT reissued. You need a ticket for the original game date to get into the later date game.
A postponed game is frequently NOT the very next game to be played, even if the same two teams are playing.
A postponed game RARELY involves the same two starting pitchers as was originally planned.
This being said, how should HubDub handle postponed games? If an April game ends up getting postponed until August, I don’t imagine that people will want their money tied up. However, I don’t believe that any outcome should be decided based on the game being postponed (unless that is the question, of course). So, should postponed games cause questions to get voided? Is it up to admins to determine if the game will be played soon enough for it to be played out?
I do think that the question creator has a large responsibility to be specific in the phrasing of the question, and in the settlement details.
First, I recommend that people NOT create questions of the Yes/No variety. Create a question that has two outcomes, and provide two team names. That will require a team to actually WIN for a payout to occur.
Second, be specific in the Settlement Details how you would like a postponement to be resolved. You can request it get voided if postponed, or can be even more specific and request it gets voided if postponed by more than one day or two days. If the game is postponed, but the same two teams are playing the next day, the question can be applied to that game. The key is to actually specify what you (the creator) think should happen, and not let it get flushed out in the comments section.
Now, these are just my thoughts. I would love to hear what the rest of the community has to say about this issue.
First, a little info on MLB delayed/postponed games:
A game can be postponed by one day or a couple days or months.
If a game is postponed until near the end of the season, but ends up not having any impact on either team’s playoff chances, a postponed game can end up not being played at all.
When a game is postponed, the tickets are NOT reissued. You need a ticket for the original game date to get into the later date game.
A postponed game is frequently NOT the very next game to be played, even if the same two teams are playing.
A postponed game RARELY involves the same two starting pitchers as was originally planned.
This being said, how should HubDub handle postponed games? If an April game ends up getting postponed until August, I don’t imagine that people will want their money tied up. However, I don’t believe that any outcome should be decided based on the game being postponed (unless that is the question, of course). So, should postponed games cause questions to get voided? Is it up to admins to determine if the game will be played soon enough for it to be played out?
I do think that the question creator has a large responsibility to be specific in the phrasing of the question, and in the settlement details.
First, I recommend that people NOT create questions of the Yes/No variety. Create a question that has two outcomes, and provide two team names. That will require a team to actually WIN for a payout to occur.
Second, be specific in the Settlement Details how you would like a postponement to be resolved. You can request it get voided if postponed, or can be even more specific and request it gets voided if postponed by more than one day or two days. If the game is postponed, but the same two teams are playing the next day, the question can be applied to that game. The key is to actually specify what you (the creator) think should happen, and not let it get flushed out in the comments section.
Now, these are just my thoughts. I would love to hear what the rest of the community has to say about this issue.
I’m excited for a new baseball season!
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Inappropriate?This is a great post. Informative, thought-provoking, and forward-looking. Off the top of my head, I agree with your ideas. If we need a one-size-fits-all solution, I'd say the choice is between voiding postponed games or having a "postponed" option among the choices. The former case is simpler. The latter case requires a meaningful assessment of how likely a postponement is (based on weather stats and whether or not the field is indoor or outdoor) for the initial odds - I predict that this would be messy, with initial odds likely to be questionable.
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Inappropriate?just void it i think..when we try to get comlicated it gets ugly..and the lord don't like ugly.:)..but as i always say..keep it simple..everybody will be happier..trust me -
Inappropriate?I'll make our sports editor aware of this. Thanks for the post.
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Inappropriate?OK
In the case of the question BostonGraf referred to, the wording referred to March 31st and "Opening Day". Given that no precedent has been set for this, I decided that given that the game would be played the following day (technically I may be wrong on that contention) and that the same pitchers would be starting, I would edit and extend the question.
I admit though that this could cause difficulties in the future
I'd suggest the best way to go is as follows - MLB game questions should be created just like other good hubdub questions and feature
- wording referring to the date of the game
- accurate starting odds
- preferably a link to background material, in the case of MLB, info on likely starters would be great.
If the game is postponed, I would suggest that that questions directly about (I emphasize this phrase) the game be voided.
This, I feel is the simplest approach
- it means we can have multi-outcome and yes/no questions
- it avoids the unseemly inclusion of a postponement outcome
You could argue that this would be a little harsh if the game is postponed and re-scheduled the following day and ends up having the same scheduled starters; and that we could have rules to account for this.....but from my experience of Hubdub to date, this would undoubtedly lead to complications down the line.
So - to summarize, I am in favor of tieing an MLB game question to its scheduled date (at the time the question is created). In the event of a postponement, the question is voided.
Any thoughts????
BTW - big thank you and major props to BostonGraf for raising this issue
Other that that - Go Os! -
Inappropriate?A void is the simplest solution.
I like it.
I'm sure there will end up being one or two predictions that get voided, and I won't like it! But it is the easiest solution for the greater good...
I’m still excited about the baseball season.
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Inappropriate?One added suggestion. If the game is to be played the next day, a settlement request could be made (or a flag) to keep it open, and if donal decides okay, it stays open instead of the usual void.
The reason for this is that, first, people who bet on the original may not know it has been voided. Secondly, there's the problem with the 12 hour cash-in delay on a replacement question.
It would be nice if people (who have wagered on a question) could be notified by email if an extension is given (or unsuspended or voided too)
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