Board Game Arena

Any method is an imperfect approximation of the answer to the question "is this person good at this game?". My preference is for a method that doesn't disincentivize folks from joining any and all games. It also seems especially harsh to lose elo points in a game in which another player ca...

Eh, it seems like it introduces "table selection" as a component of the "skill" of playing the game which, while very true to its poker roots, doesn't tell you much about if they're a good player at the table or not. If you contend it's a more accurate measure of a player's skill...

I'm not sure if I like being able to lose elo for a cooperative game. I enjoy playing with new players and helping them learn the game, and I guess I'm now doing that at my own detriment? Obviously, the fake number on the board game site doesn't really matter, but it seems like a perverse incentive ...

I've never noticed this and it should be reported as a bug the next time you see it.

I think this would be incredibly tricky to code. A good player might reasonably infer something from a bogus communication from a bad player that throws off their interpretation of the hand; no sense penalizing them because a bad player made a bad communication.

This is an interesting thought. My gut reaction is that I don't like it like that but I'm struggling to articulate why. Here's me thinking out loud about it ... 1) Why choose that convention? It seems like several conventions could be equally reasonable for 6p, perhaps such as: 6 = pair 5 = A 4 = K ...

I think I agree with almost all of the advice you gave. My main critique (and it is a minor one) is that I don't like the "attacking/defending" metaphor. I try to think of it more as a conversation than a battle. They took a higher chip? They're telling me they improved. I take it back? I'...

iamshadowspawn wrote: ↑10 June 2026, 19:44 !!! NEVER GO DOWN TO A LOWER CHIP UNLESS SOMEONE BELOW YOU GOES ABOVE YOU. !!!

(except if your two pair got counterfeited...)

I guess that's technically correct (which is the best kind of correct), but in the context of this game you don't (or at least I don't) generally consider that kind of change "improving your hand". Normally the board pairing benefits everyone, so relative hand rankings don't change. ----- ...

The exception to the "your hand can't get worse on its own" rule is when you have two pair and the board pairs again. It's entirely possible that even if the other hands haven't improved that your hand's rank changed drastically. Board: 334-5-5 Your hand: 22 Other hands: AK, AQ, AJ, 78 You...