Imagine you are a gambler enjoying a night at the casino. You decide to play Blackjack. Your hand is a ten and the dealer shows a 7.
"I would like to hit."
"No sir. You are only allowed to stand or surrender."
"That's not the rules of the game. Aren't you regulated?"
"Due to the votality your hand represents to the Casino, sir, you are only allowed to stand or surrender. These are extraordinary times."
"...are you only allowed to stand or surrender?"
"No sir. In fact, we may double down."
"Wait. What? You are the dealer, you can't put more money in that I didn't put in. That money doesn't even exist on the table!"
"Sir, you have a gambling problem. We might have to report the commission on you for attempting to hit with your hand because your friend told you that you should."
"Wait, are you trying to make me fold?"
"Sir, we reported you to the newspaper for being a degenerate."
"You guys are crazy!"
"Sir, we have decided that in order to protect your interests, you have decided to surrender."

Boomer version
To whom it may concern,
The team of moderators at ASX_Bets are currently unavailable to conduct any further media interview.
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Thanks
Autist Version
We ain't talkin no mo'.
Join this shitstorm and hold on. The Snags are amazing, the tears are beautiful and the meme are dank.
Follow the rules. See that shit on the side? Follow them. If you don't, it's a bannin. Ignoring mod requests for proof, it's a banning. Making a bet that shit will rise and it falls, oh you better believe that’s a bannin.
We just do this shit for all of you, we made the rules cos some of you need them. You ignored the rule not to stick crayons up your nose and look how that turned out.
This is for all you Aussie Autists who want to get involved and follow your dream of buying all the Bunnings Sausages, Blackjack, Hookers and Bluey Merch (your life stage may vary) you want.
There is stuff going on in other parts of the world. Outright fraud, manipulation and share numbers somehow being more than 100% appeared. At this point, we haven't seen any of that here, so no pretending there is unless you got proof someone came in and kicked your dog, and now they have to pay.
This is our place, what you do outside this place is your own shit. We didn't ask why you got 7 rubber chickens and a truckload of fish delivered to your house, we don't want to know. what you do is on you, just show us pics. No advertising your onlyfans.
We ain't done shit, even the US mothership ain't done shit. We aren't billionaires, we can barely pay for our wives boyfriends rent. You want to find manipulation, go somewhere with real money. Get them to Pay Sancho's rent for me while you're at it.
We expect this will get misquoted, like the last time we said something. We took a moment to make sure that was said, now we're done, at least for now.
See the modmail button, hit it if you need something.
This subreddit may be the brightest fish, the flashiest, loaded to the gills with the best memes. But we are not the largest. Among the wretched hives of scum and villainy known as ASX Social media, we do not pretend the be the in-charge fish, though clearly the dankest. But we see the sharks. We see the game wardens. But no one looked at this sea when the sharks feasted on the fish. They only care now the fish in a distant sea have turned to face their sharks.

Hi, everybody. My name is Sid, and I’m an addict.
It took me a long time to accept that. But when you take a job in a casino just so that you can be there all the time and try to gain an edge, you’re an addict. It’s obvious even to me. More so to my family and friends, who I barely see anymore.
It’s not pills or coke, booze or heroin that I’m hooked on. I’m addicted to gambling.
The casino that made me so obsessed is not an ordinary one, though. It’s far from ordinary.
You don’t play for money at Fantasy Casino. You play for your dreams.
I hear you laughing.
But have you ever had a really, really great dream? One that got so good you snapped awake the second it started to get really excellent?
Well, imagine that times a thousand. Times a million.
A dream so real and so perfect that all of your fantasies become reality. Time stretches out. You feel like you are there forever. A lifetime passes before your return.
Infinite wealth, the ability to fly like superman, you’re surrounded by sex and beautiful people all day as you relax in a palace built to your mind’s most exacting specifications of perfection.
But then you wake up, and in an instant it is gone.
The power, the wealth, the endless sex and supernatural powers.
Everything is suddenly NORMAL again.
And so you go back to the casino.
I went back to the casino.
But the problem with gambling is that you don’t always win. And when you lose, suddenly the winnings are gone as well, vanished without a trace. All I knew was that I had to have that feeling again.
So I went inside the giant building and then followed the secret signs which led to a door that led to a staircase going downwards.
I went down the stairs and knocked on the door marked “Private” and waited for an answer.
“Password.”
The voice on the other side of the black door waited for my response.
“Seramth Gin.” I said the unnatural words carefully and deliberately, still not knowing their meaning.
A friend had told me the password, a fellow gambler who I would later find dead in his apartment. His corpse white, bloated, and maggot-infested.
His eyes were black and filled with blood which streamed from his eye sockets like tears. He had bit his tongue clean off and his fingernails were found lodged in various surfaces throughout his apartment. Like he had been trying to claw his way out of a steel box that only he could see.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. That was later. At this point I was still hopeful for another wonderful dream. Still thankful for his advice to seek out the place.
The door opened and I walked inside. It was the same as it had been the day before, only less busy at this time – still early afternoon.
I approached the table I had been sitting at the night before.
Poker – Texas Hold ‘em: Ten dream limit – the sign read.
The rules were simple. You got a stack of chips. If you doubled them, you received a dream. If you lost them, you lost a dream.
I wasn’t concerned about losing dreams yet, I still didn’t understand exactly what that meant.
When I lost my first stack of chips, I quickly bought in again. And again. And again.
Pretty soon I realized I had lost eight dreams with no winnings whatsoever. I was in a slump. A losing streak.
I decided to go home and count my losses. Literally, since I had no idea what that even meant.
As I got up to leave the table, the dealer looked at me. His eyes were remorseless and cold.
“See the cashier on your way out,” he said, handing me eight black chips.
I gulped and walked over to the glass window where the cashier sat waiting. Handing him the eight chips, he raised his eyebrows and clicked his tongue.
“That’s a shame. Hold out your hand please.”
Two men in black suits came up behind me suddenly and stood on either side of me, intimidating in their stature and demeanour.
I did as he asked and held out my hand with the palm facing up.
The cashier pulled out a strange-looking device from beneath the counter. It had a vial of vermillion-coloured liquid at the top that was attached to the rest of it which resembled a gun with a hypodermic needle at the end.
I screamed and tried to pull away, but the two men grabbed me and held my arm through the window. Thrashing and elbowing them, I tried to get away but it was useless.
The cashier injected the stuff into my veins quickly and it felt cold and slimy going through my system. I could feel it suddenly in my heart, turning it cold and then up into my mind and my lungs and all extremities causing me to shake and violently seize. I writhed on the floor, blood pouring from my ears and my eyes.
Finally the feeling settled down into a numbness that prickled the insides of my blood vessels. It wasn’t until later, once I realized what the casino really was, that I found out what they had done.
I went home with the certainty that they had injected me with something. If winning had resulted in the greatest dream I had ever had – essentially an almost never-ending fantasy – what would happen after a loss?
Nightmares. That was what it would be. I was sure of it.
I settled into bed that night and closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep quickly after such an emotionally exhausting afternoon.
As soon as my eyes closed, they opened again and it was morning.
It felt as if I had not slept at all. My mind was fuzzy and it was difficult to focus. My eyes wanted to close again but my alarm was telling me that it was time to get up for work, so I hit the “dismiss” button and hopped in the shower.
I threw on my clothes and went out the door. At work I noticed a few people looking at me strangely, but I didn’t realize until someone pointed it out to me that my shirt was on inside-out. At this point I was still working in an office doing commodities trading and such lapses were frowned upon.
If you couldn’t focus enough to put your shirt on properly in the morning, how could you focus enough to get the work done in such a demanding environment? Millions of dollars changing hands with each transaction meant that such trivial things were put under a magnifying glass and coupled with other subsequent mistakes each following day after that, I found myself in the boss’s office by the end of the week being handed my walking papers.
Desperate for rest after days of not feeling any benefit from sleep, I went back to the casino.
They knew just by looking at me how to dig their claws in further. After a couple hours I had managed to win myself a dream.
They handed me the complimentary cocktail as they had the time before. I hadn’t realized the significance of it and still didn’t, despite the unusual vermillion colour of the drink. I swallowed it in one gulp and went out the door practically dancing and clicking my heels, ready to go home and feel rested again.
My dream that night was wonderful. Everything I had hoped for in many ways.
But not as good as the first time. I wanted that feeling back again.
Knowing that it was a dream the whole time and realizing that it was going to end seemed to shorten the fantasy, made it seem hollow and manufactured.
If I could win again maybe it would be like that first time, I thought.
The casino drew me in again and again. I found myself a zombie most days, exhausted, at my wit’s end. Ready to call it quits for good and say goodbye.
But then I would win again and it would all seem to be alright for a while.
My debt kept growing and growing with nearly every trip. The hypodermic needle would be plunged into my skin and every time they had to hold me down. Every time I would feel a little more empty. A little more hollow.
Waking up every day began to feel the same. Nothing had definition or purpose.
“You’re here all the time,” one of the goons whispered to me as they shot the needle into my vein the time after that. “Haven’t you figured it out yet? You should just get a job here and then at least you’ll be in on the secret.”
I applied the next day and got an interview with the boss. I would find out later that if you got someone to apply there you got a one dream bonus.
In his office, the well-dressed man was sitting behind a massive polished ebony desk. The room was adorned with paintings, sculptures, and other high-priced artwork. He had photos everywhere of himself shaking hands with world leaders, new and old, for hundreds of years.
His face never changed. Never aged.
“So, you want to work with us? Tired of dreamless nights without end? You want to have some relief, is that it?”
“Yes. Please. Anything. I’ve been coming here for so long and it’s an endless cycle. I want back what I’ve lost but I keep finding myself more and more in debt with each visit.”
“Ah, so do you understand it now, then? What the ‘injections’ are?”
It finally dawned on me, sitting there. Not injections at all. They weren’t putting something in us. They were taking something out. The vermillion-coloured liquid in the vials – our dreams.
“If I take a job with you, will the same rules apply? Will they still take my sleep, my rest, every time I lose?”
“Yes. We can’t have the employees living by different rules than everyone else. But we will give you an alternative injection, so that you feel well-rested when you come in for your shift.”
“I’ll do it. I need to rest. I need to get some meaningful sleep. My life has been miserable ever since coming here.”
“Well, I can’t promise that this will help,” he said, getting up from his desk with a hypodermic gun in his hand. The vial of fluid sitting atop this one was jet-black and looked evil and poisonous. He rolled up his sleeves as he primed it and I watched a few beads of it drip oil-like out of the tip of the needle.
“What the hell is that!? I don’t want that stuff in me!”
“But you need to sleep, my dear worker. I can’t have you passing out at the blackjack table like a narcoleptic! You agreed to this, after all. You wanted to rest, and the only way for that to happen is for you to have SOME sort of dream. Not everyone is as lucky as you, you know. To have that wonderful vermillion fluid in your veins. Some people come to us begging to take it from them. Some of our employees for example, the ones who do the recruitment for us, are full of this black stuff.”
“What?” I had gotten up from the chair and was backing away from him towards the door. But I found it was locked as he approached.
“First you have to tell me the password, Sid.”
“Seramth Gin.” I said the words that I had said every time to gain access to the casino, only this time I pictured the letters and rearranged them in my mind.
“Nightmares.”
He smiled as he injected me with the vial of black hate, and it went into my veins feeling hot and unpleasant. I began to sweat and the beads of it turned cold on my skin as I shivered.
I’ll sleep tonight. I might even wake up feeling rested. But as long as I live and work at that casino, I’ll be afraid to dream again. Because now my unconscious hours are occupied by the most terrifying experiences imaginable. Nightmares beyond imagining in their awfulness. That is my fate.
Unless… Just maybe, I can win one more time.
JG
TCC

I've recently started playing blackjack for fun but am still trying to play an optimal strategy. The best game my casino (crown casino melbourne) offers is H17, no surrender, DAS allowed and only doubling on 9, 10 or 11. Rules aren't great for edge but that's what I have on offer.
The chart I'm following is a blackjackapprenticeship one. Since I can't double down on these low cards after hitting an ace, does it change the splitting strategy for the lower pairs?
Also a super quick question about the chart, it says to deviate at certain true counts. I know what true count is, but for example it says with a 16 against a 9 you should deviate at 4+ true count. Does this mean to deviate to a stand instead of a hit? And with a 10 against a 10 for example, it says to deviate at 4+ as well, does that mean deviate to a double instead of a hit? Thankyou for any help.

Imagine you are a gambler enjoying a night at the casino. You decide to play Blackjack. Your hand is a ten and the dealer shows a 7.
"I would like to hit."
"No sir. You are only allowed to stand or surrender."
"That's not the rules of the game. Aren't you regulated?"
"Due to the votality your hand represents to the Casino, sir, you are only allowed to stand or surrender. These are extraordinary times."
"...are you only allowed to stand or surrender?"
"No sir. In fact, we may double down."
"Wait. What? You are the dealer, you can't put more money in that I didn't put in. That money doesn't even exist on the table!"
"Sir, you have a gambling problem. We might have to report the commission on you for attempting to hit with your hand because your friend told you that you should."
"Wait, are you trying to make me fold?"
"Sir, we reported you to the newspaper for being a degenerate."
"You guys are crazy!"
"Sir, we have decided that in order to protect your interests, you have decided to surrender."
there’s no cross posts or image posts allowed so this is from u/Palidor206 over at WBS, this is not mine

Everyone really seemed to enjoy the first two installments of my Riordan Retrospective, so I think I’ll share the next two. Combining two into one post worked last time, so we’ll do it again here.
To recap, this is my look back at the works of Rick Riordan. That means Percy Jackson, it’s sequels, and its spin-offs. It’s less of a formal review, and more of a casual look back. Also, given the nature of this retrospective, and that we’re discussing books three and four of the original Percy Jackson series, there will be spoilers. So, consider yourself warned.
Now then, let’s jump right in with a look back at book three, The Titan’s Curse
It's Christmas Vacation, but there's no rest for Percy Jackson, the demigod son of Poseidon. Along with his fellow demigods Annabeth Chase and Thalia Grace, the newly revived daughter of Zeus, he's on a mission to locate a pair of newly discovered demigods. During the mission, however, Annabeth is kidnapped by an manticore. Worse yet, the goddess Artemis is also being held hostage. An important meeting of the Olympian Council will occur during the Winter Solstice, about going to war agains the Titans, and Artemis could prove to be the swing vote. It's going to take everything Percy and the gang have got to brave to fearsome odds to get Annabeth and Artemis back in time.
The Titan's Curse is often considered to be a turning point for the Percy Jackson series. I think that, all things considered, that's a fair assessment. We're introduced to several characters who either leave a big impact, or go on to play major roles later in the series. We also get set up for events and plot-points that play a big role later in the series.
Once again, given the nature of these retrospectives, there’s going to be spoilers ahoy, so just keep that in mind as we move forwards.
One of the big changes that comes with The Titan's Curse is that it marks the first time we witness characters die "on-screen", and two main characters at that. Granted, previous book have discussed demigods getting killed, but always in reference to the past. This time, however, Plot Armor is not guaranteed from the get-go. I does deliver the harsh, yet still true, message that sometimes even heroes die in the line of duty. It also serves to up the stakes and makes thing a bit more interesting, as everyone's survival is not a forgone conclusion.
Now then, let's talk about those characters. First up we've got Bianca di Angelo. Despite only making it about halfway through the book, she leaves a huge impact on the series. Her death proves to be a huge source of motivation for her brother Nico. Speaking of Nico, Bianca often catches a lot of flax for her decision to join the Hunters of Artemis, but I think she deserves more sympathy. She's been looking after Nico for quite a while by the time Percy and company find them, and she's only twelve-years-old.
Well, physically, she and Nico have been in the Lotus Hotel since the 1940s, but time passes slower in the hotel than in the outside world. Point is, she definitely loved Nico, but she was just a kid herself. She knew that he'd be safe and cared for at Camp Half-Blood, and the Hunters would be able to give her the freedom to just be free and actually be a kid, just like she'd always wanted. Plus, she knew that she wouldn't be saying goodbye to Nico forever, just goodbye for now. Granted, that's not how things played out, but I can at least understand her thought process.
In other characters, we've got Zoe Nightshade. She makes it almost all the way through the book before she bites the dust. Bianca's death has more long-lasting impacts, but Zoe's death makes more of an immediate impact because we've spent the whole book getting to know her. She also helps expand the worldbuilding. For example, we learn that she's one of the Hesperides, the daughter of the titan Atlas. However, the reason she never made it into the mythology books is because Atlas disowned her for helping the hero Heracles. I liked how it gave the impression that, while all of the Greek Myths are true, they might not all be completely accurate accounts of what happened. It's a clever way to handwaving any discrepancies; well, that and the fact that consistency was never a strong point of Greek Mythology.
Next up, in important characters, there's Annabeth's dad. Throughout the first few books, Annabeth has had a strained relationship with her father. So, what's he like when we finally meet him? He's goofy and silly, but he also clearly cares about Annabeth, and he's there for her when the chips are down. Now, consider that Percy is goofy and silly, but also cares about Annabeth, and is always there for her when the chips are down. Studies have shown that women often uses their fathers as a template for choosing a husband; the same holds true for men using their mothers a templates for choosing a wife. This isn't an Oedipus Complex, or anything like that. It's more that these kinds of people often bring with them the comfort of familiarity and feelings of safety.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, maybe one of the reasons Annbeth became attracted to Percy is that, subconsciously, he reminds her of her father. On a similar note, I like to think that Percy's mom was a bit like Annabeth in her younger days.
So, there is that supercool scene at the climax where Mr. Chase rides in on a World War I biplane, and shoots monsters with Celestial Bronze bullets. However, that scene raised an interesting question: why don't demigod use guns. Now, from a Doylist, or out-of-universe point-of-view, the explanation is probably that sword fights are cooler to read about than gun fights; though that is subjective. It's also possible that, given Riordan's political views, he simply doesn't like guns and doesn't want to glorify them.
Okay, so what about the Watsonian, or in-universe, explanation? There could be quite a few reasons. It could be that swords are more reliable than guns; gun need to constantly be reloaded with bullets and might jam at critical moments. There's also the question of how many bullets it would take to kill a monster. On the flip side, it only takes one or two bullets to kill a demigod. Perhaps the thinking is that it's best not to give the monsters any ideas. Curiously, in The Heroes of Olympus, the Camp Half-Blood arsenal is mentioned to contain a shotgun, so maybe it just hasn't occurred to anyone yet?
In other speculations, let's talk about the Ophiotaurus. First of all, hats-off to Rick for not underestimating his audience. The Ophiotaurus is definitely not a creature most people would think of when listing creatures of Greek Mythology. Now, Percy convinces the gods to spare the little beast on the grounds that it is wrong kill it for something it might do. It probably didn't hurt that the gods were also having a very similar conversation about whether or not to kill him at this time. Perhaps, however, Percy's motives weren't as altruistic as they seem. By this point, Percy is more than aware that the gods can be major pricks when they want to, and that demigods are often powerless to do anything about it. So what if he saved the Ophiotaurus to use as a potential Sword of Damocles if the occasion ever called for it?
Don't think he wouldn't go through with the ritual. If there one thing you should never do, it's mess with Percy's loved ones. He'd probably use it as an absolute last resort, but if he were pushed far enough, I believe he'd go for it. Though, I concede, this is all speculation on my part.
To a certain extent, The Titan's Curse follows the pattern set by the previous books. Like the previous books, someone significant to Percy has been kidnapped and he needs to rescue them. In The Lightning Thief it was Mrs. Jackson, in The Sea of Monsters it was Grover, and this time it's Annabeth. Similarly, whereas last time we got The Odyssey 2.0, with a bit of Jason and the Argonauts, this time much of the action is inspired by the Labors of Heracles. Percy and the gang battle the Nemean Lion, our heroes hit ha ride on the Erymanthian Boar, and holding up the sky is, of course, the titular Titan's curse. In the previous book , we also got the Stymphalian Birds and the Hydra. We also get some more of this in The Battle of the Labyrinth, but we'll talk about that next time. Like I've said, it ties in with the theme of history/mythology repeating. We also got other cool monsters, such as the Spartoi.
All of that having been said, The Titan's Curse also diverges from the other books in that it is clearly setting things up for later books more so than before. For example, we get the first few sparks of Percy and Annabeth's eventual romance, as well as set up for the eventual war with the Titans. We're also introduced to characters like Nico and Rachel, who play major roles in subsequent books.
The audiobook version was as excellent as always, and the Hoover Dam scene becomes even funnier. If you're reading the text, it's obvious that the characters are saying things like "the dam snack bar" or "the dam bathroom". In the audio version, it sounds slightly racier, as though they're saying "the damn snack bar" or "the damn bathroom". I knew what the joke was from the start, but it's fun to pretend, and I love Uncle Rick for including it.
Let's now take a moment to analyze the book covers. First, we'll start with the original . It's very purplish-blue, and we see Percy and his pegasus Blackjack atop the Chrysler Building. Fun fact, when Blackjack was first introduced in The Sea of Monsters he was described as female, but in all subsequent books he is described as male. It is unknown why this is, probably just a typo that never got corrected, or something like that. We see some vines from Mr. D attempting to stop the duo from going to Washington D.C. When Rick first showed this cover to some kids to promote the book, he had a memorable experience where a kid shouted out "Percy's riding a war moose!" because of how fat Blackjack looks.
Moving on to the new cover , we see Percy and Blackjack front and center. In this version, Blackjack decidedly does not look like a war moose. In the background we see the Golden Gate Bridge, since the climax takes place in San Francisco and thereabout. It also notable I contrast to the previous covers. The first two covers had very dark and ominous color schemes; this time, however, the colors are bright and triumphant. Curiously, the books are numbered using Roman Numerals, even though the Romans don't appear until The Heroes of Olympus.
Next up we have a look back at book four, The Battle of the Labyrinth .
Percy Jackson is feeling a bit down about having to go to freshmen orientation in the middle of summer. His mood doesn't exactly improve when he's nearly attack by a pair of empousai. Percy soon finds himself back at Camp Half-Blood, where there's trouble brewing. The war against the Titans is drawing closer with each passing day. Worse, the Labyrinth of Daedalus is back, and one of its openings is in the middle of Camp Half-Blood; a perfect sneak entrance for the Titan army. Percy and his friends are going to have to brave the twists and terrors of the Labyrinth to find Daedalus and get him to close the Labyrinth once and for all.
As I've stated many times before, but I'm going to state it again, there will be spoilers of plenty beyond this point. Turn back now if you don't want anything spoiled. Now with that out of the way, let's talk plot.
As the penultimate book of the original series, some serious shit goes down in Battle of the Labyrinth. This is, of course, in order to set things up for the final book, The Last Olympian. The changes that The Titan's Curse started only continue to mount in this book.
Perhaps the biggest shocker was when our heroes finally find the god Pan. Grover's entire character arc has been based around finding Pan and convincing him to come back and save the wild. However, Pan has grown so weak that he no longer has any will to live. Still, he passes his spirit to Grover and friends and encourages them to keep fighting the good fight, and defend the wild. Again, this has been what Grover's entire character arc has been building towards, and you can just feel how absolutely crushing this was to him.
And yet, even with this crushing blow, Grover still dusts himself off and soldiers on with his new. I think it really goes to show how strong-willed Grover is, and how many people often underestimate him. To me, Pan's death was even more shocking than Bianca and Zoe, because it showed that even gods can die. Granted, this does raise quite a few questions. For example, Pan claims to be dying because wild places are being destroyed. Problem is, there are huge swaths of America that contain wild and undeveloped lands; that's not even getting into all the places in other countries with wild and untamed lands.
Now, let's change gears slightly. Throughout the Percy Jackson series there's always been a bit of a subtle environmental message. For example, there are a lot of times that Percy winds up in a river and will remark on how polluted it is, and of course there's Grover's occasional commentary. There's also a couple other occasions that Percy will note the ways humans have effected the natural landscape. You get the message, but it never gets too preachy. This contrasts nicely to how Riordan would go on to tackle other serious topics, but again, we'll get to Magnus Chase eventually.
It is also in this book that we get an explanation for how Athena has children, despite being a virgin goddess. Apparently, they're created from thought when Athena finds a mortal mind that matches her own. So, I guess you could say that a child of Athena is literally a brain child. Admittedly, it does seem a bit odd that Riordan took so long to get around to explain this, given that Athena having children would raise most mythology buffs' eyebrows. I think it is a good and clever explanation. It also had the benefit of expanding the pool of goddess mothers beyond just Demeter and Aphrodite.
Speaking of children of Athena, let's talk about Quintus. It was certainly an interesting dynamic to have an adult demigod be one of the major characters. In fact, this is the first, and only, time in the original series that we see an adult demigod. It has been strongly implied that most demigods get killed by monsters before reaching adulthood. Though, admittedly, this is somewhat contradicted by how many famous historical figures are mentioned to have been demigods. It does seem like a bit of a missed opportunity that we never got to meet any other adult demigods. What sort of wisdom and perspectives could they have offered to Percy and company?
Of course, we can't talk about Quintus without discussing who he actually is: Daedalus. It's mentioned that Daedalus was a son of Athena, though this is purely an invention of Riordan's. Then again, the myths were never very consistent, and as I mentioned in my retrospect of The Titan's Curse, it's implied that not all myths are accurate accounts. Hephaestus more or less says as much when Percy meets him, so there's that. His major character arc is learning that wisdom and book-smarts aren't the same thing. As Annabeth points out, children of Athena are supposed to be wise, not just clever.
There's a bit of early installment weirdness, as TV Tropes would put it, at play in this book. The biggest offender being when the characters encounter Janus, a purely Roman god with no Greek counterpart. The Roman gods and demigods didn't appear in full until the sequel series, The Heroes of Olympus. I suppose it can be excused somewhat, as it is possible that Riordan hadn't workout all the lore and/or plans for sequel series. Though, if nothing else, Janus serves as (possibly) unintentional foreshadowing for what was to come.
I probably should have brought this up before, but a lot of the characters' names are actually pretty significant. They either nod to their parentage or reveal something about their personality or motives. For example, we have Nico di Angelo, son of Hades. In Italian, di Angelo means "of the angels", like how when someone dies they're often said to have become an angel. Theologically speaking, this is inaccurate, but you get the point. A very fitting name for a child of the god of the dead, especially one who was originally from Venice. That brings us to Ethan Nakamura, son of Nemesis, the goddess of justice and balance. In Japanese, Nakamura means "middle village", or to put another way, neutral. He also wears an eyepatch over one of his eyes, due to it having been stabbed out, bring to mind the old saying "justice is blind". Ethan is also notable in that he is the first child of a minor god we are introduced to. His entire motivation is based around the fact that the minor gods, and by extension their children, get no respect. The minor gods don't have thrones on Olympus, nor do they have cabins at the camp. Their children as forced to bunk with the Hermes campers.
Just a side note, just why didn't the minor gods have cabins? I can understand not having thrones, but no cabins for their kids? Children of minor gods aren't exactly rare, and even taking into account how bad the gods were about claiming their kids, surely, they'd need somewhere to sleep at the camp? Was there some rule that said only gods with thrones could have cabins? I'm getting off track, let's get back to talking about Ethan.
You get the impression that, at heart, Ethan is a good kid. However, his circumstances forced him to join Kronos' army in hopes of bringing justice to the minor gods and their children. It's related to one of the things that makes Luke such an effective villain. A lot of the things he says do have at least some legitimacy to them. There also a really great scene where Percy is on Ogygia and is having dinner with Calypso. He ask how she could have sided with the Titans during the Titanomachy. She replies that they were her family and she felt obligated because they're her family; then she asks if that's really so different than why Percy fights for the Olympians.
Percy himself have a pretty significant name, but we'll get more into that when we get to The Last Olympian. In more on the nose names, we've got Rachel Elizabeth Dare, who is a redhead. I liked the way she factored into the plot, and showed that mortals who can see through the mist can still do cool things even without demigod powers. I also enjoy the fact that the other characters didn't get derailed just to make Rachel look more competent. Annabeth's plan for finding Daedalus wasn't without merit, she was just looking at things from the wrong angle. This contrast very well with a similarly scene in the later books, but we'll get to The Blood of Olympus eventually.
Also, let's take a moment to appreciate how, when faced with the newly revived Kronos, Rachel tossed her hairbrush at him without a second thought. Even Kronos himself was a bit impressed that she was so bold. Don't think I've ever brought this up before, but I've always thought that The Mist was a really cleaver way to explain why most regular mortals don't notices the mythological goings on.
Leaving aside names, let's talk about the Labyrinth itself. It was actually a pretty great way to get the character across America in the blink of an eye. My only minor criticism is that it seems like it could have gone a bit further. For example, why not have it take the characters to other nations? Granted, the gods are currently living in America, so that probably explains it. Still, it does seem like a bit of a wasted opportunity. Interestingly, The Trails of Apollo would later confirm that, yes, that Labyrinth can go to other nations. I will also add that I loved how the scene with the Sphinx satirized standardized testing.
As a side note, in this book we finally get some scene set in Riordan's native Texas. I bring this up because, as of the posting of this article, he's never set any of his book in San Antonio, the city of his birth and where he spent most of his life. We've got scenes set in San Francisco, where Riordan lived for many years, and Magnus Chase is set almost entirely in Boston, where Riordan currently lives. We've also, in other books, had scenes in Houston and Austin, but not San Antonio. It just seems odd that San Antonio has yet to appear in any of Riordan's books.
As usual, you know I'm going to plug the audiobook version . It was just as excellent as all of the other audiobooks in the series. The only minor criticism I had was that Jesse gave Ethan an Asian accent, even though nothing in the text suggests that this is the case. Like I said, just a minor point, it is still a great audiobook.
In other things that you know are always do, let's analyze the covers. The new cover features a group of buildings that eventually turn into the Labyrinth. Looming over it menacingly is Kronos; at least, I'm fairly certain that's him. If you look closely you can see our heroes on the run.
The old cover features crimson red as its primary color. We see Percy pearling into Kronos' sarcophagus, which is overflowing with energy. Below, we see a miniature version of the Labyrinth and miniature representations of some of the major stops in the novel.
Well, I think that wraps it up for now, just one minor order of business to attend to. Technically, The Last Olympian is the fifth book in the series, however, there is short story collection set between it and Battle of the Labyrinth. This collection, known as The Demigod Files, will be the focus of the next edition of The Riordan Retrospective. Not only is it chronically set between books four and five, but it actually plays a pretty significant role in the sequel series, The Heroes of Olympus.
Link to the original retrospectives on my blog are here, but they’re just the same as what is here.
The Titan’s Curse: https://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2017/10/riordan-retrospective-titans-curse.html?m=1
The Battle of the Labyrinth: http://drakoniandgriffalco.blogspot.com/2017/10/riordan-retrospective-battle-of.html?m=1

So, this last two weeks was my first week in my life “investing” (legalized gambling really). 🥳
 
If I’m on WSB, it’s because all you autists are so fucking retarded that WSB has become the funniest place on the Internet. And because sometimes, despite (or because of?) the collective stupidity, I learn a lot.
 
Like: How to lose money 🤑 😭. Quickly. Seriously. Learning how to lose money is so hard. I mean, I only invested about 3500 total. But still, thanks to you guys, managed to lose at least 1500!
 
But seriously, thanks! Because for a measly 1500 greenbacks, as someone who has never, ever invested I learned:

• how to use a trading platform
• how to read critically
• how to place limit orders and not market orders
• how basic options works
• how to navigate insane amounts of hype, stupidity, and propaganda (the SLVR, BB, NOK pushers, which were always obvious targeted distractions
• how little power I have
• how even less knowledge I have.

   
So here are a few lessons (which I'm still learning) which I’d like to share with y'all.

1. Be critical of everything - There are not only a lot of shills and bots out there (I’m looking at you, $SLVR-pushers!) but there are, surprise surprise even more autists. Especially with 6 million new accounts of presumably people who have never invested in their live, but in classic Internet-style, already tout themselves as steel-balled market gurus. From people posting data that’s fundamentally wrong, fundamentally misinterpreted, or coming to conclusions without enough data or just plain old confirmation bias (basically, all of WSB). Special shoutout to u/smohyee's very sober post which helped me look critically at stuff that has been flying around the forum these last days.
   
2. Don’t underestimate my ignorance - I know nothing. Literally nothing. I can do basic addition and subtraction, and know stocks go up and down. Personally, the market seems like a huge insane bubble ready to burst at any second. But maybe not. What do I know? 🤷‍♂️ I’m as autistic as you. 🤤
   
3. Get in before the hype - Even to my stupid, ignorant self, I realized buying GME at an all-time high of 150X its low, was a stupid idea. Especially when the entire Internet and even non-Internet media was buzzing with the hype. 3B. (Corollary). - If you are going to go up against a Hedge fund with is 10000X more powerful than you, don’t announce all your moves up front.
   
4. Understand what the statistics and metrics mean before betting (I mean: "investing") - People are posting volume data, short interest numbers, using fancy lingo and stats that I still can’t wrap my brain around (I still haven’t understood how you can sell a put you don’t have for example, that’s how ignorant I am). But, as the wise men & women say - ignorance is an opportunity to redeem yourself.
   
5. Don’t underestimate all the other players - Hedge funds, Retirement funds. Whales. They all have different agendas. And their agendas are not yours. The worst mistakes I saw were not acknowledging the special advantages that institutional investors will always have. This is not cheating. This is how the market works. You can be a crybaby autist about it, but that’s how it is (I wrote a bit about some of the advantages even I saw that HF have here - me, who knows nothing about investing). Institutional Investors have sentiment trackers, high-speed algorithms, inside information, battle-hardened experience, tricky tactics, etc. You are not going to beat any Hedge Fund of Institutional Investor at a game they invented, made the rules in, and excel at.
   
6. Expertise is valuable - There is a very good reason why finance jobs, especially at Investment Banks, Hedge Funds and Private Equity firms are the best-paid jobs in the world - because they places hire very fucking smart people, who work very fucking hard (7 days a week, 14-hour days), to be better at this than you or I. The expectation that we be as good as them, is like expecting to pop out of your mom’s womb and run a 100m faster than Usain Bolt without a day’s training. The reason we don’t like Hedge Funds or the stock market in general, is it is because it a casino for the wealthy. We are the poor schlubs sitting at the 1 dollar blackjack table, while watching the billionaires in their Tuxedos coming out of their Bentley’s to play at the million dollar poker tables. From a recent Economist article this week: “Even in America stock market gains have mainly accrued to the rich. The wealthiest 1% owns 56% of the stock market, up from 46% in 1990; the top 10% owns 88% of the market.”
   
7. The HF didn’t cheat. They don't need to. They hustled - They invited ignorant newbies to sit at their tables (yes, that’s us), and then fleeced us of our cash. We are idiots, because we KNEW the hustle was coming and we KNEW the pros were pros, and yet we STILL played against them.
   

   
Little reminders for myself for next time:

1. Accept the risk - Any money I gamble in this friggin casino I can count as lost.
2. If you have no clue, don’t bet - I have no clue what a “Calendar Call” or a “Vertical Call” is. You can bet I won’t be making that, until I do.
3. Losing (preferably a little bit) of money, is a very strong motivation to learn.

 
And a li’ tip for my fellow autists:
Don’t post fucking DDs if you are an ignorant shit.
 
Positions - Holding 215 AMC (115 bought (stupidly, and during the hype) @14; 100 bought during a dip @ 8.11) Holding 2 GME (1 free from RH, 1 bought at 115) 1 SPY put 332; EXP 03/31
 
Final final note (for real, this time):
 
***If you think the stock market is unfair, you are right. Unfair is the very core foundation of capitalism. If you really really are pissed off at capitalism and hedge funds, have the balls to be socialist or a marxist; refuse to participate in the free market; and refuse to consume.
 
Be Bartelby!***

Introduction

After perusing the subreddit for a while and making this post, I've come to see that thieves don't get much love. As someone who loves Enairim's thievery with a passion, I thought I'd see if I could convince anyone to adopt this very unique playstyle.
Don't be mistaken—being a thief is not about crouching down in the corner and taking 10 years to slowly walk up to and sneak attack a bandit or crouching off somewhere in the distance and clicking on people with a bow. No, a thief is no assassin, no light-armored warrior, no shadow mage—it is something all its own.
This build is built around Ordinator's Pickpocket, Lockpicking, Sneak, Speech, and Alchemy trees. Absolutely no perk points are put into weapon or armor skills, no gaining any spells, nor using invisibility of any form. Being a thief takes an entirely different mindset from every other playstyle. If you can get used to it, it will offer a completely different and amazingly fun experience.
The main Enai mods used are Ordinator, Thunderchild, and Growl. I highly recommend, however, some additional mods to compliment Enai's baseline. Optional non-Enai additions will be marked as such, and links to these mods will be located in the last section of the post.

The Mindset of a Thief

For people who haven't gone in-depth with this style of play, establishing a new mindset is important. Always remember, the number one thing in the mind of a thief is opportunity.
For other characters, the city is a pit stop—a place where one goes to dump gear, get quests, and buy supplies. Their domains are combat, one way or another, whether it be archery, big ol' weapons, sword and board, flashy spell combos, commanding an army, or blade dancing. Combat is their opportunity, the place to train, obtain glory, solve problems, get loot... everything. Cities, towns, wilderness... it's a means to an end.
The domain of a true thief, however, is everywhere. Combat is not the be all end all, a thief finds opportunity in ALL circumstances. The streets of a city, a bustling inn late at night, a dusty tomb, a lively marketplace, an army camp... all offer equal opportunity. Quickly distinguishing shadowmarks in the night is of the same importance as categorizing the weapons of foes. Figuring out the best targets in a town is of the same importance as solving dungeon puzzles.
Being a thief means focusing on the things most give only a passing glance. Exploration, planning, and optimization all yield great rewards.

Backstory - The Black Wolf

The Black Wolf's first memories were of her Nord parents: a working-class couple of Riften. With them struggling to make ends meet, they were gone most of the day, leaving her on her own. While the other children took to the streets, playing with each other, she kept to the back alleyways and solitary perches, observing. People made fun of her for her thick black hair... for her not looking anything like her parents... for her strange, quiet behavior, but she paid no heed. Although she never got traditional schooling, her natural cleverness and curiosity lead to her picking up on many things. She watched orphan schoolhouse lessons from the window, she watched the many businesses in the marketplace, she watched the priestesses at the temple, she watched the court mage's garbled sketches... but her favorite thing to watch, however, was the mysterious leather-armor wearing men. They moved with such poise and skill, their eyes full of guile. They were no beggars, no petty thieves, they were noble... seeming to possess an aura of luck itself. She dared not approach them, nor attempt to do what they do, but their presence imprinted on her. Every sight taught her a new lesson.
At 18 years of age, she was out one night under the moonlight, on one of her frequent strolls. As she went to go on her normal walk, however, she witnessed two shrouded figures slinking down the back streets. She had seen mysterious figures plenty of times, but these were different. If she hadn't been lucky enough to be looking where she was, there's no way she could have seen them. They moved so naturally, so swiftly, and their armor, black and red, was unlike anything she'd seen before. With her natural stealth skill and knowledge of the streets, she followed them to the entrance to a tucked-away home. Picking the lock, they went in, just as she'd seen the leather armor-wearing men do, but she sensed something was wrong. There was a shout, then... silence. Her blood ran cold. Did they just...? No, they couldn't have! She'd seen members of the guild intimidate people, but... no this.
As her mind raced, they stepped out. Their gaze shot to her. She immediately knew she'd been found out, and ran, but it was no use—they were faster. She felt herself being thrown to the ground, then... a blade against her throat. Held there on the ground, she stared into the eyes of the masked figure. She could see no mercy in them, no hope. Why would they do this? How could they do this?! No, she couldn't just let this happen to her. She wouldn't just let this happen to her. The moon shining above her, she felt every muscle in her body tense up, her teeth clenching, and her mind filled with nothing but rage. Fur bristled up all over her body, and she was overcome with strength like she'd never felt before. She threw the assassin off of her, standing up in the cool night air. Opening her mouth, she let her voice be heard. She smelled their fear as her roar filled them with terror and watched as they tried to flee, but she wouldn't let prey like them escape.
Slamming one to the ground, she tore out their throat, the warm blood on her fangs filling her with vigor and satisfaction. She grabbed the neck of the second one, pulling it until it tore clean off. As their bodies sat there in a bloody heat, she felt her rage leave her... and soon, she was laying down on the street, breathless, cold, as the shouting of the night guards filled her ears. "Werewolf!" they cried as they grabbed her now naked self, dragging her off to Riften jail. Dazed, confused, and exhausted, she didn't fight back. Looking down at her bloodied hands, the taste of iron in her mouth, she was overwhelmed. She sat there, processing until her parents finally came in the morning. Her mom in tears, her dad came forwards, sadness and scorn in his eyes. "We knew this would happen when we found you," he said. "If not for your mom's dying wish, we would have left you out there." Her heart sank. She knew this was coming, deep in her soul, but she didn't want to face it.
Utterly alone, lost, and rotting in the cold prison, she thought it was the end for her. As she lied there in her cell, however, a figure approached. Not a guard, not her parents... but someone else. She recognized that armor anywhere... the Guild. The man looked her up and down, smirking. "Don't think someone like you should be rotting in here, lass."
Seems she wasn't the only one observing. She sat up, smiling.

Goals

• Work with the guild to prove yourself and restore it to its former glory, completing the questline
• Refine your skills as a thief to the point of perfection, bringing your Pickpocket, Lockpicking, Sneak, Speech, and Alchemy skills to 100
• Establish your legend across the land as a legendary thief, refining your skills in every city
• Find the lost artifacts of Skyrim, rebuilding the Crown of Barenziah and the Aetherium Crown
• Uncover the secrets of your past and gain full control of your wolfy nature, obtaining the Ring of Hircine and becoming one with the beast within
• Fully develop your howl, working with the Greybeards and the Companions to meditate on words of power and find the Totems of Hircine
• (OPTIONAL) Travel to Hammerfell, recovering the Gray Fox's artifacts and establishing your legacy
• GET THAT GOLD, OF COURSE! MAKE A PROPER DRAGON HOARD!

Perk List - Level 50

Alchemy (11):

• Alchemy Mastery (2)
• Advanced Lab
• Poisoner
• Bottomless Cup
• Elemental Oil
• Alkahest
• Lab Skeever
• Double Toil and Trouble
• Amplify Lethality
• World Serpent
• That Which Does Not Kill You...

Lockpicking (11):

• Lockpicking Mastery (1)
• Game of Fate
• Lockdown
• Robber's Eye (Scrolls)
• Wax Key
• Gone in Fifteen Seconds
• Locksmith
• Nose for Treasure
• Golden Touch
• Treasure Hunter
• Seen this Before

Pickpocket (18):

• Pickpocket Mastery (2)
• Blood Money
• Cutpurse
• Thief's Eye
• Brotherhood Cocktail
• Death's Emperor (2)
• On the Run
• Thief's Luck (Scrolls)
• Stalk the Prey
• Doomed to Plunder
• Trickster
• Crime Wave
• You Saw Nothing
• Mutiny
• Robbed Blind
• Dragon Hoard

Sneak (13):

• Sneak Mastery (1)
• Sneak Attack
• Tripwire
• Silent Roll
• Spot Detection
• Dynamic Entry
• Infiltrator
• Light Foot
• Right Behind You
• Dodge Roll
• Smokescreen
• Clean Escape
• Problem Solver

Speech (12):

• Speech Mastery (2)
• And the Universe Listens
• Kinship
• Windborne
• Force Redoubled (1)
• Salesman
• Hurricane Force
• Investor
• Fence
• Trade Prince

Non-Stealth (9):

• Alteration Mastery (1)
• Vancian Magic
• Enchanting Mastery (1)
• Last Word (3)
• Illusion Mastery (1)
• Quiet Before the Storm (2)

Werewolf:

• Lycanthropic Speed
• Lycanthropic Regeneration (2)
• (OPTIONAL) Growl Tweaks - Roadkill

Now, you may be wondering why there are 74 perks listed here instead of the normal 49 a character would have at level 50... which brings up another beauty of the skill of a rogue. This build features every single extra perk point perk—Seen this Before, That Which Does Not Kill You..., Game of Fate, and, most importantly, Dragon Hoard.
With Seen this Before and TWDNKY, you're guaranteed 5 extra perk points. Game of Fate, depending on your luck, can give you anywhere from 0 to 5 perk points by the time you reach level 50, which leaves the rest of the burden on Dragon Hoard. With all these perks based on gaining money, this means the amount of money you gain, your success as a thief, is directly correlated to your skill. Go out there and get that gold!
If you're wondering, you need anywhere from 750,000 to 1,000,000 gold for your hoard by level 50. If you're a good thief and dedicate yourself to optimizing your craft, it will come.
(OPTIONAL) I use the 20% more perk points for Ordinator, personally, so if you choose to use that yourself then you can knock down the required gold to 300,000 to 550,000.

Signature Abilities

These "Abilities" are a combination of Perks, Items, Standing Stones, and Powers that enable specific strategies that are key to this playstyle.
Expropriate
You can squeeze every single penny out of those who cross you.
Blood Money + Doomed to Plunder + Pillage + Aetherium Crown
Blood Money and Pillage activate the same way, so they stack easily. Pillage can normally only be done once a day, but, once you obtain the Aetherium crown, you can store the Thief Stone in it. Make sure you activate the Thief Stone first then the Serpent Stone. Then, if you want to use Pillage again, just unequip the crown and reequip it once more!
Stalker's Prowess
I promised not taking 10 years to sneak up behind you, and these set of abilities are what makes that a reality. You sneak not like a man, but like a beast, moving swiftly and efficiently.
Lycanthropic Speed + Vancian Magic + Serpent Stone + On the Run + Quiet Before the Storm + Windborne + (OPTIONAL) Lab Skeever - CACO Fortify Speed Potion
Move 35% faster while sneaking by default, or as much as 75% faster if On the Run and Windborne are active at the same time—much faster than even normal running! Oh, and 240% more effective sneaking and 40% sneak attacks if that wasn't enough for you.
(OPTIONAL) Since the vanilla sneak animation looks pretty silly with this amount of speed, I recommend using the Relaxed Sneak Animations mod.
Uncanny Agility
Your wolf-like movements confer you not just swift stalking, but a fighting style foreign and frightening to your opponents.
Stalker's Prowess + Elemental Fury + Dynamic Entry + Dodge Roll + Lycanthropic Regeneration
This is one of the most unique parts of this build and something I haven't ever seen done before. With the added move speed by Stalker's Prowess, Dodge Roll, and the stamina regen from Lycanthropic Regeneration, you can fight completely in sneak mode. Yes, that's right, you fight low to the ground like a wild wolf. This may seem silly at first, but with Dodge Roll on command and speed not being an issue, you can be extremely agile, easily dodging attacks and ending up behind your opponents. Dynamic Entry and Windborne means you'll have +65% attack damage by default, and, with your poison skill, one good hit is all you need to finish someone off.
Heightened Senses
Your natural affinity for the dark, your trained vision, and your wolfy nose enable you to notice things others wouldn't.
Aura Whisper + Quiet Before the Storm + Kyne's Peace
With Aura Whisper completely silent and Kyne's Peace reducing shout cooldowns outside of combat to 10 seconds, you can have infinite Aura Whisper uptime outside of combat with no chance of being found out.
Invisible Hand
Your incredibly swift movements and seemingly supernatural pickpocketing abilities leave opponents defenseless before they even know what happened.
Disarm + Hurricane Force + Quiet Before the Storm + Force Redoubled + Windborne
Disarm combined with Hurricane Force means targets up to level 70 will be affected. Again, Quiet Before the Storm means it's just as silent as doing it through the pickpocket menu, and with this, you can do it even to targets you normally couldn't pickpocket! If Force Redoubled procs, you can go on a disarming spree before even entering combat. Plus, Windborne will proc, giving you even more move speed and potential damage if you decide to attack!
Unnerve
With your guile and clever tricks, you can turn your opponents paranoid, leaving them fighting amongst each other.
Invisible Hand + Trickster + Mutiny
Simple execution, but absolutely hilarious if you can pull it off. Invisible Hand or Trickster the weapons off of all but one enemy in a group, and place Death's Emperor in the armed one's pocket. Activate Mutiny, which would normally end up in the target being killed, but you'll have removed all the weapons of their would-be attackers. Watch and laugh as bandits try to punch their leader to death while they chop wildly!
Death Mark
Luck being on your side means it isn't for your opponents. The moment you catch someone unaware, their fate is already sealed.
Sneak Attack + Serpent Stone + Dynamic Entry + Death's Emperor + Problem Solver + Brotherhood Cocktail + Alkahest + Marked for Death + Windborne
The lack of the dagger sneak attack perks is done on purpose, for it is not the weapon that matters, but the skill and ingenuity. A true rogue can adapt to any situation, use any tool, after all. Sword, dagger, axe, unarmed, use it all!
Roll up to an opponent, place the poisoned coin (coin + any poison you want), whisper Marked For Death, then attack. I don't think I need to elaborate on how much damage this deals if performed perfectly.
(OPTIONAL) Pickpocket Everyone means that no one is safe from Death Mark.
Use Magic Device
Although you have no formal magic training, your cleverness and observations have taught you enough about magic to improvise.
Last Word + Thief's Luck (Scrolls) + Nose for Treasure (Scrolls) + Vancian Magic
Having Last Word is important for enabling the use of all tools you may find. It encourages using what you find and adapting to what you currently have, enabling even more depth of play and fitting the theme. Scrolls are also very valuable and light, only outclassed in value per weight by jewelry (or gold if you count that).
I highly recommend you do not use a scroll crafting mod, as it goes completely against the spirit of the build and the purpose of this ability.
Expert Ingenuity
With enough preparation, you can set even the toughest opponents up for failure. With a bit of booze and some clever trap work, you can give would be pursuers a nasty surprise.
Trip Wire + Elemental Oil
This is effectively a version of Partystarter that's more fitting, easier to obtain, and more simple to execute. The snap of your tripwire mechanisms ignites your "booze" which you've poured all over the ground, sending them tumbling to the floor in a pool of flaming alcohol. This is immensely helpful against the undead in the early game or if you don't' have Pickpocket Everyone or CACO.
Beast Form
Your wolfy nature cannot be contained in times of dire need. Woe to all that brings you to that point before you can control yourself.
And the Universe Listens + Windborne + World Serpent + Alkahest
Werewolf howls are shouts, so let out a shout of fear to immediately heal some, give yourself extra attack damage, and give yourself extra speed. As soon as someone tries to hack through your hide, your residual poisons will strike them, most likely killing them. If they're not dead by then, your claws ignoring 40% of their armor will make sure of that.
This form is more for roleplay reasons than for gameplay. The idea is to use it when you get to low HP and lose control until you're able to get the perks needed from the werewolf tree that affect both forms and go through Hircine's quest, becoming a werewolf lord (integrating your Nord and Wolf form, effectively).

Equipment/Stats

Allocate Health/Stamina in a 1 to 3 ratio. Stamina is the stat of thieves, after all, and health won't be of much use to the playstyle.
The Black Wolf relies on skill and natural ability, not on weapons or armor. Thieve's Guild armor is perfect for starting out, but as you progress in your skills, you can eventually eschew it all together in favor of simple clothes. The less your equipment weighs, the better. The only recommended piece of gear is the Aetherium Crown, but even that is only for the Expropriate ability.
As for weapons, carry a wide variety of tools. A dagger in your boot, a sword at your hip, and a bow at your back. Be prepared for anything and everything.
(OPTIONAL) With Poisoning Extended, you can much more easily prepare multiple blades with different types of poisons. Combined with CACO, you can have pre-prepared tools for any job you may come across.
(OPTIONAL - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) With Sneak Tools, your Blackjack and utility arrows will be invaluable. Keep a good stock of water and rope arrows.

Moral Code

Although a master thief and a werewolf, the Black Wolf is good at heart. If we're using classical D&D alignment terms, she's Chaotic Good—wild, unchained by men, elves, or their laws. In order to not fall out of the right mindset and set some fun roleplay restrictions, I recommend following these rules:

1. Never kill an innocent. Hunt only those who have wronged you or others.
2. Don't pickpocket the poor, unless they get items added with Thief's Eye.
3. Try not to fast travel. Use every route as an opportunity for more loot.

If you're using sneak tools as I recommend, then you'll be able to knock out innocents with your blackjack, making following the code much easier. Otherwise, it's pretty simple to follow.

Recommended Mods

Complete Alchemy And Crafing Overhaul - Gives more potion effects, speed of which is particularly useful, as well as balancing face chugging healing potions. Be sure to grab the Ordinator Patch.
Growl Tweaks - Nerfs Lycanthropic Regeneration's health regen and gives more bonuses that apply outside of beast form. Perfect for a hybrid form character such as this one, especially the perk that gets rid of fall damage. Be as agile as you want!
Pickpocket Everyone - Essential for a pickpocket focused character such as this. Recently ported, does what it says, just be wary of the prerequesite SKSE plugins.
Sneak Tools - Rope arrows for climbing, water arrows for putting out flames, and a non-lethal option for true thieves!
Gray Cowl of Nocturnal - Quest mod entirely suited for thieves and absolutely perfect for roleplaying the Black Wolf.
Relaxed Sneaking Animations - Crouch slightly instead of squatting. Looks a lot more natural with the level of sneak speed the Black Wolf gets.
Artful Dodger - Dynamically raise the pickpocket chance cap as you increase in level. Really makes you feel like a master pickpocket once you hit 100 and you're near perfect at your art.
Fall Rolling Animation - Automatically performs a stealth roll when falling from high places, halving fall damage. Combined with rope arrows from Sneak Tools, you'll really feel like a master thief running and jumping across rooftops.
Poisoning Extended - Lets you see what poison is on your weapons, as well as showing you on the HUD outside of the menu. Absolutely perfect for the prepared rogue who needs to keep track of the multiple types of poisoned blades they've prepared ahead of time!
Class Overhaul Reimagined - Another class overhaul, but one that dynamically grows in power as you level. It's on the recommended list because of the pure Rogue specialization which you can achieve at level 45. It limits non-stealth skills to 60 while making you lucky in many aspects. Perfect for a pure thief who really wants to feel Lady Luck on their side.
Thief Eyes - Essential for anyone looking to learn how to use shadowmarks. Effectively makes them glow in the night, laying out all your opportunities ahead of you. It only works after buying the book from Tonilia, too, so you must learn about them immersively before you start seeing things like a true thief.
See MB's True Thief mod list if you're looking for even more. The ones listed are just the ones I'd recommend anyone doing this build add, but if you want to go the extra mile, perusing MB's list and getting everything that suits your fancy will further enhance the experience.
Edit #1:
Wintersun Deities
I didn't mention this in the main post because it's not essential to the build, but I figure now it would be a good idea to explain the idea of the patron deities for this character. Born a Nord Werewolf, the Black Wolf is blessed by both Kyne and Hircine, which is what enables her to use her unique alteration of the thu'um which I call howls. This gives an alternative for people seeking to use shouts without all the Dragonborn crap, which I personally don't like. Werewolf howls are shouts, after all, and they're gifted by Hircine.
Once you complete your first goal of restoring the guild to its original glory and refining your skills as a thief, you'll curry the favor of your third patron deity, Nocturnal. As Lady Luck, she is instrumental to your endeavors and the one you should put your 1 allowed Wintersun worship towards.
Gaining favor with Kyne through Thunderchild, Hircine through Ill Met by Moonlight/Totems of Hircine, and Nocturnal through the thieves guild quest are all important parts of building up your repertoire of skills. I figured having a triumvirate of patron deities was both fitting for the build lore and roleplay wise as well as being a unique concept!
Perk Changes + Expert Ingenuity,
After talking with u/VulpineWife, it's come to my attention that I should make room for alchemy oils in the build. Alchemical Oil is perfect as it fits the theme of using what you got, in this case booze since we take the fire one, and offers another way of taking down the undead, who are definitely the ones that limit your abilities the most (although you're far from useless against them, even without this).
I've removed the second rank of Sneak Mastery since there are already huge sneak bonuses in other places, and I've also removed the second rank of Force Redoubled since Kyne's Peace and Storm Crown offers plenty of ways to reset shout cooldowns. In their place, I've added Tripwire and Elemental Oil.

I’m a relatively new card counter (330 hours of playing time) and recently experienced the dreaded 100 hour losing streak. During this period I often found myself searching online for “what to do during 100 hour losing streak blackjack.” I found a few posts, and wanted to make my own for the next beginner who runs into this type of variance.
When I first started counting, I was completely solo. I didn’t know any other APs, didn’t know about podcasts. By chance I happened to meet two APs from my area just as this losing streak started. As people have said, having some type of social support was really crucial for me.
I had been pretty open about AP with friends and family when I was winning. This was still met with skepticism and misunderstanding. When I started losing, and just kept losing, I didn’t want to talk about my play bc it made me seem like I had a gambling problem. They would say “Just quit now while you still have some profit!”
Knowing other APs and also listening to many podcasts in which others talked about these losing streaks helped me find motivation to keep playing. One of the guys I met actually had a 200 hour losing streak, so it helped normalize my experience.
I had purchased CVCX early in my play but didn’t really know how to use it other than calculating RoR and hourly EV. These fellow APs helped me understand standard deviation and other important metrics to evaluate your play. If you don’t have this software and are in a long losing streak, I highly recommend getting it so you can find out whether your loses are within “normal range” for your bankroll and game.
As I kept losing, I questioned everything. Was I actually a losing player? I was able to have these other guys test me out to confirm that my basic game was solid. However as the losing continued I found ways to tighten my game further.
One aspect that improved was game selection. I had been almost exclusively a 6 deck player. I liked that there was less heat, that the count fluctuated less; that it was easier to find a game with decent rules.
What I was overlooking were some great double deck games in my region, and even one amazing single deck. Don’t get tunnel vision on type of game.
Prior to the losing streak I was not an aggressive Wong-er. Before, I would play through TC -2 and even let it hit TC -3 before leaving sometimes. I also rarely back counted games. I felt like it was too boring. As the hours of loss kept piling up I would leave the game much earlier (TC -1) and became much more willing to let a 6 deck game hit TC 2+ before stepping in. I became much more selective about penetration as well.
Maybe most importantly I kept playing. Although the losses continued as I worked to improve my game, I know that these techniques contributed to the eventually upswing I recently experienced.
For context, my initial all-time high was about $11k...after 98 hours of almost continual losing sessions, I was down to just $1.2k in winnings (and this is after 300+ of play). My APs friends encouraged me to keep playing, and after losing sessions I would listen to BJA podcasts, T & A, and Gambling with an Edge to hear from other people who got to the other side.
I can report that my last 25 hours of play have been a nice upswing. I’m on my way back from Vegas as I type this and actually have a new all time high of $14k.
If you’re in the middle of a long losing streak, analyze your game, get tested, wong harder...and don’t give up.

I found a small casino resort about 3 hours away from me that offered a wild blackjack game. It's so good that they must of screwed up the odds on all levels of management. This is the game.
-Single deck with a 90% penetration. -Pay out 2:1 -Minimum $5 to $500 -Stand on soft 17 -Splits on any pair -Unlimited splits -Ace splits get one card only -You can double down on any 2 cards. -You can surrender. -Once you double down you have the option to surrender.
I have no idea who approved this in a casino. I know someone will be fired over this house edge. But I was able to play this game for two days while I was there. Needless to say I am already rushing back.
I stayed at this place for 2 nights. At first I thought the dealer was miss paying 2:1 instead of 3:2. But then I had been paid out for blackjack 2 or 3 times before the pit boss came over and watched the payouts. Then after a few minutes the casino swapped out dealers. I was still really confused because I have never seen an actual $5 single deck before. I has surrendered a couple hands before the new dealer. Once she got to the table I was dealt 5,6 vs deal 10. I doubled down and got an ace. The dealer then asked if I wanted to surrender. At this point I thought that all the dealers had no clue what they were doing. Again I have never seen a true $5 single deck with a 2:1 payout and now a double down surrender? It was kind of hard to hear the lady when I asked what she meant due to barriers and masks. At this point the pit boss was walking over to mark the two chairs the frat guys sat in to be cleaned due to COVID. He explained how normal casinos don't offer a surrender like that but most people don't use it because they are smart. I want sure if this was slight heat but I was more confused than anything. I played a few more hands and walked away. The only reason for walking away is that I wanted to stand back and see if the situation was right. I got my girlfriend, walked around, got dinner and walked back to the floor. We walked around and observed everyone flocking to the 6 deck games for $5. I sat down and kind of played dumb. I asked the table why everyone liked blackjack vs craps or roulette. After some answers I slowly slipped in asking "Why are those tables of blackjack so empty?" A dealer replied that "The only players that play that are usually throwing down high bets and drunk or are from out of town. Locals want to play a game that doesn't stop to shuffle every 5 minutes". I looked around and on a Tuesday night I could only see elderly people playing penny slots, college kids getting drunk and making really bad plays and bets, and obviously gambling addicts jumping from slots, to craps, to game to game. At this point my friend and I decided too leave upstairs and get some sleep. The next day we walked around the town. I called a friend who runs a casino business about the game. He told me to go back like I was going to and look over the rules again. Once the tables opened up I grabbed my girlfriend and gave her $100. She doesn't gamble at all and kind of knows the rules. I told her to not ask me anything but ask the dealer when she is confused on how to play so I could hear them explain it. She sat down at the table and I followed after sitting down across from her. This night I observed the same thing from 2 new dealers. But this time they gave weird advice on doubling because "I can feel it" on a players 16 vs the dealers 10 and things of the sort. Overall it still confuses me. This happened a week ago. Needless to say I put in to take time off of work to travel back comes up soon to hope it wasn't some weird alternate universe.

Hi everyone,
Lately I've been reading and watching on the news about Robinhood and I just wanted to give my two cents as somebody who actually researches Gambling disorder in the United States. My goal in this post is to hopefully encourage people on WSB to become politically active in preventing the regulations or removal of certain aspects that Robinhood allows on its investing platform. First, let me define some terms from the Gambling disorder field:

• Gambling- placing something of value on a random outcome in order to achieve a desired result or profit (this last part is added by me as I think it gives a better explanation of why an individual gambles in the first place);
• Gambling disorder: A psychological disorder where an individual is unable to control their gambling to the point that they are experiencing consequences from the behavior. The behavior also has to occur without the presence of Mania, other biological co-morbidity, or under the influence of a psychoactive substance.

In this post I will address a few arguments at Robinhood. The first is regarding the "gambling" nature of investment that Robinhood purportedly encourages. The second is that the average investor needs to be "protected" because they lack the information and knowledge to participate on the app.
When I first downloaded Robinhood, I was skeptical at first and proceeded to uninstall and reinstall it multiple times before I deposited $350 to invest in stock. The app provided me a "scratch-off" with my first deposit that rewarded me with my first stock (some medical company). That was the only time that event occurred. If we look at my prior definition of gambling, technically that is not a form of gambling. I placed nothing of value on this random outcome. If the actual act of investing in stock is gambling this leads to an interesting analogy regarding trading platforms, not just Robinhood.
Stocks are the game (roulette, blackjack, craps), Robinhood and trading platforms are the dealers (giving information on the rules of the game and how much it costs to place a bet), and the liberal market is the casino.
In this analogy everybody is in the Casino, and if you don't play the game you stand to lose regardless as your money loses value to inflation. Even worse, if the casino folds the people that didn't cash out or were fully invested in the casino never collapsing (The Great Depression, the recession of 2008 the coronavirus recession) can stand to lose everything even if they didn't participate (regular person that was laid off) or were placing safe bets (ETF's Blue chip stocks etc).
The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, William Galvin, is addressing the wrong issue by suing Robinhood. What should be addressed is the reasons that people even participate in Robinhood or in any trading platform. The average individual doesn't understand the market and the United States does not address this ignorance by providing information on how to properly invest for retirement or provide a welfare structure that protects against poverty as individuals become unable to participate fully in the economy due to injury, developmental disability, age, discrimination or lack of access to the "free" market. To claim that people on Robinhood "gamble" for excitement or risk is reductive. People invest their money on Robinhood for the potential accumulate life changing "tendies" that will protect them from the eventuality that they will be unable to participate in the economy and the government will not insulate them from the fiscal impact an individual will (not if) have to deal with in regards rising medical cost for their healthcare and any other services they would require in order to lead a normal life. If William Galvin is actually concerned about the "gamefying" of investment, he should focus on regulating Wall Street and the Banking sector, because last time I checked investors on Robinhood invest with their own money, not the money of other people.
The argument that the average investor isn't informed also leads to more issues that I guarantee the government doesn't want to address or even ask because it would require an expansion of the welfare state and higher taxes on companies and individuals. If the average American is too dumb to invest using Robinhood that what is the solution? The U.S. government has always fought any sort of government guaranteed income or services to insulate an individual against against insolvency from the free market as can be seen by the desire to privatize almost all forms of government programs such as Social Security, Medicare, Food Stamps and Medicaid. This has already occurred with certain programs at the federal level such as HUD which doesn't do anything to help people get affordable housing and the drastic reduction in funding for colleges and universities especially after boomers were done getting their degrees for essentially free.
So lets examine what the average person has to understand in the American economy,

• they have to be able to plan and invest for their retirement,
• understand loans (including all the fine print such as interest) to pay for college, and purchasing of necessary items for certain areas such as housing or a car;
• Navigate a Byzantine like medical industry that can easily bankrupt the average American even with insurance;

So the average American is suppose to navigate all of the aforementioned areas with little to no government assistance. But Robinhood should be regulated, makes sense. Let's not even talk about that most Americans read at about an 8th grade level and have a tough time understanding that a quarter pounder is less than a one third hamburger...
"Why the third pound hamburger failed: One of the most vivid arithmetic failings displayed by Americans occurred in the early 1980s, when the A&W restaurant chain released a new hamburger to rival the McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. With a third-pound of beef, the A&W burger had more meat than the Quarter Pounder; in taste tests, customers preferred A&W’s burger. And it was less expensive. A lavish A&W television and radio marketing campaign cited these benefits. Yet instead of leaping at the great value, customers snubbed it. Only when the company held customer focus groups did it become clear why. The Third Pounder presented the American public with a test in fractions. And we failed. Misunderstanding the value of one-third, customers believed they were being overcharged. Why, they asked the researchers, should they pay the same amount for a third of a pound of meat as they did for a quarter-pound of meat at McDonald’s. The “4” in “¼,” larger than the “3” in “⅓,” led them astray. --Elizabeth Green, NYT Magazine, on losing money by overestimating the American Public Intelligence."
The REAL QUESTION is what responsibility does the government have to insulate the average American from an economy that by its very nature is predatory, especially when the argument set forth by William Galvinson is that the public doesn't understand how to invest on Robinhood. Especially since the government has told the public from day one to take care of themselves as they get older through investing instead of expecting the government to provide assistance. By removing or regulating Robinhood, the fungibility of the average American's dollar will drop in value because they are prevented from another avenue of wealth accumulation, which research shows (at least for those in poverty) they turn to gambling as a means of wealth accumulation because even though the return on a gamble is less it is technically even since their dollar is also worth less.
I think I may have gone on a rant, sorry.
TL; DR,
Please buy me some tendies William Galvin, because I like to be wined and dined before I GET FUCKED!
Robinhood isn't gambling. Robinhood just provides a service to investing on Wall Street, the actual gambling is our devotion to supply side economics which is the original, STONKS ONLY GO UP 🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀
Also, if we are going to start regulating Robinhood because of the actions of a minority (WSB) then we should start regulating other industries that are WAY more predatory and impact a larger amount of the U.S. such as, payday loans, guns, pharma industry, surprise medical bills from emergency rooms, childcare, prison industry, bail industry etc. I bet you the cost to the U.S. economy from those industries is way more than anything Robinhood has done.
Positions: SAVE at 18.45 67 shares; and TQQQ 5 shares at 174.71

Today i lost 1.2k. Well my original deposit was 300, built it up to 1.2k through sports betting. But when i went under a 1000 i started chasing losses. Bet 500 on red. It landed black. Shit, Ok its gotta be red this time.. bet 500 again. Nope black again. Damn it was so hard not to deposit again after. I felt like i went thru a lot building up that much money, it felt unjustified.I felt like such an idiot playing fucking roulette chasing my losses. I even told myself i wouldnt do that. But ive been here before.
3 years ago i had it way worse. Lost 16k gambling online. All credit card debt. Ofc i couldnt pay it, pretty soon i had collections calling 3 times a day. Everytime i saw their number id get a hit of anxiety. Never picked up. What was i supposed to say? "Hi i gambled ur money and lost it all"?. Well eventually they sued me and so i had to figure something out. Settled for about 30% for both credit cards. The last card i actually settled yesterday, while playing blackjack. I thought it was funny at the moment, thinking i overcame my addiction, and if i could follow the rules and strategies i set up for myself, ill be good. But once i started losing big numbers relative to the stack i had, i couldnt stop doubling, tripling down. It was like i was possessed by a demon making the most perfect excuses in the world. Those excuses sounded fucking delicious. "U only deposited a fraction of what u have now anywayss" "what if u could double ur money right now? That would be soooOoO awesome wouldnt it?" "Imagine if u could get another double after this!" "CMOON BET ON RED 1 MORE TIME AND U WILL BE 50X UR ORIGINAL DEPOSIT!" Its more persuasive than a hot chick trying to have sex with u. I dont even think drugs can replicate the dopamine and adrenaline rush u get when so much is on the line. This is when i remembered. This shit runs in my family.
many many years ago my uncle spent 200k of borrowed money gambling in russia. He lost it all and was held by the russian mafia. My grandfather who also was a gambling addict had to pay the debt in order for them to let him go.
My grandfather was a rich man. Owned a hotel and was very very well off, but he couldnt beat his gambling addiction. Lost everything including his hotel. My dad told me he attempted suicide many times only to bail because of his fear of death. He had everything.. now he asks my dad for money occasionally and he doesnt even make a fraction of what grandpa made. Went from a millionaire to a begger overnight. Being old, its hardto financially recover from that.
I realized, in gambling eventually ur gona lose it all. Whats the fun in winning 10 dollars if u have 10000? Its the psychology of gambling that makes casinos billions. We are hard wired to lose and the house was designed to win. I dont wanna do this anymore, I feel like i cant enjoy watching sports without betting now. Having money on the line made the thrill that much better. Higher highs, and lower lows. Exactly the same wave pattern as drugs. I want to get into (crypto) trading and have been learning. I have holding position and some money laying around i wanna try trading with. I dont know how my gambling problem would affect me. I lost money i can afford to lose, im not financially ruined at all. But mentally im ruined with regret and shame. I had a huge urge to deposit and bet half my checkings on red again but i managed to hold that off, sounds fucking retarded right? Well i wouldve thought the same yesterday. But in the moment i was not in control, like something switched on inside me. But the pain of past history wouldnt let me do that. I controlled my pain with the possibility of even more pain. How would i feel being even more in debt than last time? Now thats a shitty feeling. Fuck
Tl;dr : lost 1.2k today chasing losses. Was very hard not to deposit again. 3 years ago i lost 16k of borrowed money (credit card) had collections calling me everyday until i got sued and then settled. If there wasnt a credit limit i probably couldve went way higher.
Uncle lost 200k in borrowed money in russia and was held by the mafia until grandpa paid it off.
Grandpa then lost his hotel and all assets gambling, attempted suicide multiple times.
All in all, im glad i only lost that much today. It just hurts to see all that profit disappear just like that. Mentally its very painful. I wanna put in another 5k and double up. But i know itll never end until i lose it all again, this time 10x more than before. Fuck man

Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics

Genre: Compilation / Card Games / Board Games / Sports / Misc.
Players: 1-2 Cooperative (Local, Local Wireless, Online), 2-4 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)
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Review:
Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics is a family-friendly compilation of various games that is primarily classic card and board games, although there's also a good smattering of fairly unique minigames as well. This is the second game in the Clubhouse Games series, with the first one hitting the original Nintendo DS in 2006, and with this sequel hitting the Nintendo Switch in 2020.
Here is what I thought of each game in this collection (be prepared for a lot of “this is a decent version of X”...):

Game	Genre	# of Players	Score	tl;dr
6-Ball Puzzle	Falling Block Match-6 Puzzle	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	B+	This is a fantastic competitive Puzzle game with great water, lighting, and reflection effects. If Nintendo added in a bunch of features, this could have easily been expanded into a full game.
Air Hockey	Sports (Air Hockey)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	B	This is a surprisingly good videogame version of air hockey.
Backgammon	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C	This is a good version of a classic board game.
Battle Tanks	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C	This is a decent Arcadey top-down competitive Action game, but there's not enough content here to make for much longevity.
Billiards	Sports (Pool)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	B-	This simple, top-down version of Billiards is pretty good, and even has a few nice variants. It's just a shame it only supports two players and doesn't include things like aiming for different parts of the cue ball.
Blackjack	Card Game	1-4 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C	A decent version of the classic card game.
Bowling	Sports (Bowling)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	B+	This is a fantastic spiritual successor to Wii Sports Bowling with fantastic motion controls and great touchscreen controls. I wish there were support for more players here.
Carrom	Sports	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C+	This is a decent game that plays a bit like marbles or pool.
Checkers	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C	This is a decent version of the classic board game.
Chess	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C+	This is a decent version of the classic board game.
Chinese Checkers	Board Game	1-3 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C	This is a good version of an excellent classic Board Game... but why only support for three players instead of the full six (or at least four)?
Darts	Sports (Darts)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C	This is a decent version of a simple game of skill. The motion controls are decent, but the touchscreen controls take a lot of getting used to.
Dominoes	Board Game	1-4 Competitive (Local Wireless, Online)	D	This isn't a game about tipping the blocks over, but rather, lining them up so their dots match. And... I just don't get the strategy in this game, and the scoring seems inconsistent.
Dots and Boxes	Puzzle	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C-	This classic pen-and-paper game could really use a lot more options, like support for four players, and the ability to set different grid sizes.
Fishing	Sports (Fishing)	1-2 Competitive (Local), 2-4 Competitive (Local Wireless, Online)	B-	This is a simple fishing game with some surprisingly good graphics for the water and fish.
Four-in-a-Row	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C	Better known to many as Connect Four, this is a decent version of a simple game.
Golf	Sports (Golf)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C+	This simple, top-down version of Golf is pretty decent, although it's limited by a lack of content – it includes only nine holes. I should note that the water effects here are very nice.
Gomoku	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C+	Although this game uses a Go board, it actually plays more like Connect Four (or in this case, connect five). A simple, fun game.
Hanafuda	Card Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	N/A	Sorry, I don't know how to play Hanafuda, and the included tutorial didn't help me understand how to figure it out.
Hare and Hounds	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C-	A very simple asymmetrical game about maneuvering your pieces to trap or evade the opponent.
Hex	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C	This is a decent but simple board game where players try to bridge their sides before the opponent.
Hit and Blow	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C	Better known to many as Mastermind, this is a decent version of a simple deduction game.
Klondike Solitaire	Card Game	1	D+	This is the solitaire Card Game that many will remember fondly as the game that comes included in Windows. Frustratingly, the game is often completely unwinnable, making for a lot of frustration. The game also doesn't include any scoring options.
Last Card	Card Game	1-4 Competitive (Local Wireless, Online)	C	Better known to many as Uno, this is actually a pretty shameless rip-off... but a decent one, at least.
Ludo	Board Game	1-4 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	D	Better known to many as Parcheesi, this is a decent version of a terrible “roll and go” board game, where far too much of the gameplay depends on pure luck of dice rolls.
Mahjong Solitaire	Puzzle	1	B	This is the matching version of Mahjong, and surprisingly this version includes 60 puzzles, which is a hefty amount of content for a minigame collection.
Mancala	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C+	A simple but effective version of a classic African board game.
Matching	Card Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C	Better known as Concentration, Memory, or Pairs, this is a decent version of the card game that even adds an interesting match-4 variant.
Mini Shogi	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	N/A	This is a smaller, scaled-down version of Shogi. And as I say for Shogi... I don't know how to play Shogi, and the tutorial included here didn't help me to figure it out.
Nine Men's Morris	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C+	A simple but effective version of a classic Roman board game.
Piano	Misc.	1-2 (Local)	D+	This isn't a game so much as a toy, and is pretty much only usable with the touchscreen in handheld mode, though you can shake the Joy-Cons to make drum/tambourine/maraca noises.
Pig's Tail	Card Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	D	This card game seems almost completely random and pointless.
President	Card Game	1-4 Competitive (Local Wireless, Online)	C	A decent version of the card game.
Renegade	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C	Better known to many as Othello or Reversi, this is a decent version of a simple board game.
Riichi Mahjong	Board Game	1-4 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C-	This is a decent version of a classic Chinese Board Game, but even with the included tutorial, I feel that new players may still find themselves confused at how to play this game.
Sevens	Card Game	1-4 Competitive (Local Wireless, Online)	C	A decent version of the card game.
Shogi	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	N/A	Sorry, I don't know how to play Shogi, and despite this game including a tutorial, I still can't figure it out.
Shooting Gallery	Arcade	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C	This is a simple but fun little shooting gallery game that uses gyroscopic motion control for aiming. It's got good core gameplay, but lacks the content to make this more than a fun distraction.
Sliding Puzzle	Puzzle	1	C-	This is a sliding Puzzle game where you need to move pieces to make a path for a mechanical turtle or hare. Unfortunately, the game feels far too cramped due to too few pieces you can move.
Slot Cars	Slot Car Racing	1-2 Competitive (Local) 2-4 Competitive (Local Wireless, Online)	C	This is a decent version of a really simple game. It would have been nice if the game included local 4-player support or a track builder (beyond the “mosaic mode”)
Speed	Card Game	1-4 Competitive (Local Wireless, Online)	C	A decent version of the card game.
Spider Solitaire	Card Game	1	C+	This solitaire Card Game isn't as well-known as Klondike, but I'd argue it's much better, and this is a decent version of it.
Takoyaki	Card Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	D	This card game seems almost completely random and pointless.
Team Tanks	Arcade	1-2 Co-Op (Local), 2-4 Co-Op (Local Wireless)	C	Like Battle Tanks, this is a decent Arcadey top-down co-op PvE Action game, but there's not enough content here to make for much longevity.
Texas Hold 'Em	Card Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C-	A decent version of the classic card game, but the lack of options or the ability to see other players' faces really limits the game.
Toy Baseball	Sports (Baseball)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C+	This is a simplified version of the sport. Batting is really fun. Pitching doesn't feel like it gives very good control, unfortunately.
Toy Boxing	Sports (Boxing)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C	This seems a little like Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots, but it's thankfully less hectic and more strategic than that. It's still very simple, but not bad.
Toy Curling	Sports (Curling)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	B-	This is a fun little “toy” game where players aim for a spot in the center of a field and try to knock away the other player's pieces. Really nice subtle effect of frost getting cleared from the ice.
Toy Soccer	Sports (Misc.)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C-	This is a little like foosball. It's not bad, but it feels like it's chaotic and doesn't really involve much skill.
Toy Tennis	Sports (Tennis)	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C-	This is a cute version of tennis, but the “toy” aesthetic seems unnecessary, and limiting players' movements to notches in the toy is really frustrating.
War	Card Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	F	This card game is completely random and pointless. Seriously, they couldn't have included a variant where you can at least see your card before playing it? What a waste.
Yacht Dice	Board Game	1-2 Competitive (Local, Local Wireless, Online)	C+	Better known to many as Yahtzee, this is a solid version of the game, though the lack of support for more players is disappointing.

Okay, now that is a lot of C-, C, and C+ grades, right? The only games to get a B- or higher (by my judgment) were 6-Ball Puzzle, Air Hockey, Billiards, Bowling, Fishing, Mahjong Solitaire, and Toy Curling, for a total of 7 out of 51 games (plus Piano, which apparently isn't included in the 51 count). Meanwhile, you have some actual bad games in here - Dominoes, Klondike Solitaire, Ludo, Piano, Pig's Tail, Takoyaki, and War are all disposable or outright terrible.
So this is a bad collection, then?
No, hold up.
Firstly, it bears mention that Clubhouse Games is a compilation that's about quantity more than quality. True, the overwhelming majority of what's here lacks the sort of depth or options you would hope for in a more fully-fledged version of that game... but you're also getting over 50 games for $40, so each game amounts to roughly $0.80.
Secondly, while the games often lack options and features, the overwhelming majority of them are perfectly playable versions of time-tested classics. For example, I gave Chess a C+, because it lacks the display options, the game settings, and tutorial content I would ideally like to see in a great chess game... but it's still chess, the game of kings, a classic that has lasted through the ages.
Thirdly, while these games often lack options, the presentation here is superb. Boards and pieces often have a great tactile look to them, with nice little details and the most commonly-used areas of board even look a little worn like a real board might. Games like 6-Ball Puzzle, Fishing, and Golf have nice water effects, Toy Curling has nice subtle ice effects, and a lot of attention has been paid to the way pieces sound and move, too. The music is decent if a bit forgettable, but on the whole the overall experience here is nice, welcoming, and appealing.
Fourth, pretty much everything here has some great controls. Most games make good use of traditional gamepad controls in a layout that works well for the game, a few games have really good use of gyroscopic motion control, and most games make excellent use of the Nintendo Switch's touchscreen. A lot of work has gone into making the controls as intuitive and accessible as possible.
Fifth, on the topic of accessibility, everything here is presented in a way that makes these games as accessible as possible. Every game has a cutesy (and often kinda' cringe-inducing) introduction with characters represented by figurines having a little conversation introducing the game and its concepts, there's further text-based tutorial instructions for each game, trying to make it as easy as possible for anyone to learn how to play each game. And while some games are naturally harder to learn than others (looking at you, Chess, Hanafuda, Mahjong, and Shogi), for the most part these tutorials do a good job laying out the rules and strategy for each game.
Sixth, one more note about accessibility – these games actually make it a point to include elements to make it easier to parse things if you're colorblind, which is a nice touch.
Seventh, some of the games here actually have more depth than one would expect from such a collection. Mahjong Solitaire has a full 60 puzzles, and Bowling is a straight-up expanded port of Wii Sports bowling with an added game mode.
I really wish Nintendo included more options and features for the included games here. In some cases, I feel like they missed a huge opportunity – 6-Ball Puzzle, as I said before, really could have been expanded into a full game on its own if it had more features and options. Also, I can't ignore the fact that you could easily play a sizable chunk of the games here with a deck of cards you probably have lying around at home, and I suspect most people likely have a chess/checkers board at home as well. However, having a slew of these classic games collected together in one convenient place certainly is nice.
A few notes on the game's multiplayer: Firstly, know that most of the games here are only playable locally by two players – if you want to play with four, most four-player games will require multiple Nintendo Switch consoles, either locally or online. Having said that, the overwhelming majority of games here support two-player local play, with the only exceptions being games where you need to keep information secret from other players (Riichi Mahjohng, Dominoes, and some of the card games), and solitaire-style games (Klondike Solitaire, Spider Solitaire, Mahjong Solitaire, and Sliding puzzle). However, barring these exceptions, Clubhouse Games is a pretty phenomenal game for couch competitive play for two players. The online multiplayer is pretty good too, though your success at finding an opponent will depend in part on which game you're trying to play.
I also feel like I should mention a unique feature that some of the included games here offer – Fishing, Piano, Slot Cars, and Team Tanks all make use of something called Mosaic Mode that allows you to place up to four Nintendo Switch consoles next to each other to combine their screens together. This is used to, for example, make an oddly-shaped slot car track, or long or winding stream in the fishing game (or even tilt one Nintendo Switch to make a waterfall). It's a bit gimmicky, but it is nevertheless a cool feature that gives players with multiple Nintendo Switches a way to customize their experience.
I think this is now officially the longest review I've ever written. Suffice it to say that Clubhouse Games is a Compilation that could definitely do with improvement in many areas, but it is also absolutely filled with content, the majority of that content is good (if a bit feature-poor), the presentation is excellent, the accessibility is superb, and there are even a few delightful surprises. As a result, this is an overall excellent package that delivers a wide variety of fun activities, and it's a welcome addition to just about any player's any Nintendo Switch library.
tl;dr – Clubhouse Games is a family-friendly Compilation of 51 various games (plus a piano toy software) ranging from time-honored classic card and board games to simple sports and arcade games. While most of the individual games are pretty feature-poor, there is a massive amount of content here, and most of it plays well and is excellently-presented. There are even a few delightful surprises here as well. Add in good local competitive play for two players and decent online play, and you have a superb game collection well worth owning.

Grade: B+

As a basketball fan, it's always fun to speculate on the NBA Draft prospects. That said, I'd stress the speculate part of that statement. As an outsider with no real access to these players, it's hard to be arrogant and steadfast in our opinions. We're working with about 10% as much information as actual NBA teams. If you feel confident in your analysis based on some highlight tapes of James Wiseman dunking on South Carolina State or LaMelo Ball jacking up shots in the Australian League, god bless you. And if you want to read my amateur analysis, god bless you too. But before you do, remember to check your sodium levels and take these picks with a grain of salt.

BEST PROSPECTS in the 2019-20 NBA DRAFT

(1) SG Anthony Edwards, Georgia
Based on pure stats, Anthony Edwards would be one of the least impressive # 1 picks of all time. We're talking about a player who just averaged 19-5-3 on bad shooting splits (40-29-77) on a bad Georgia team. In fact, the Bulldogs didn't even crack .500 (finishing 16-16). All things considered, this isn't the resume of a top overall pick. It's like a kid with a 2.9 GPA applying to Harvard Law.
Still, the "eye test" helps Edwards' case in the same way it helped proud Harvard alum Elle Woods. Edwards has a powerful frame (strong and long with a 6'9" wingspan) and a scorer's mentality. He's going to be a handful for NBA wings to contend with, especially when he's going downhill. And while he hasn't shown to be a knockdown shooter, his form looks better than the results suggest. I'd project that he can become an average (35-36%) three-point shooter in time.
It may be unfair to label Edwards with the "best case scenario" comparison -- Dwyane Wade, for example -- but it may be just as unfair to liken him to "worst case scenario" comps like Dion Waiters as well. One of the reasons that Waiters is such an inefficient scorer in the NBA is that he's allergic to the free-throw line; he averages 3.1 FTA per 36 minutes. Edwards didn't live at the FT line, but he did get there 5.3 times per game. With more encouragement from an analytical front office or coaching staff, Edwards has the potential to get to the line 7-8 times a game and raise his ceiling in terms of efficiency.
The key for Edwards' career is going to be his work ethic and basketball character. As a prospect, he reminds me of Donovan Mitchell; in fact, he's ahead of where Mitchell was at the same age. That said, Mitchell is a natural leader who made a concerted effort to improve his body and his overall game. If Edwards can do the same, he has true All-Star potential. If he walks into the building thinking he's already a superstar, then he may never become one.
best fits
Anthony Edwards has some bust potential, but he also has true star potential. Given that, it'd be great to see him go to a team that's willing to feature him. Chances are he won't last this long, but he'd be a great fit for Charlotte (#3). The Hornets desperately need a signature star, and Edwards has the chance to be a 20 PPG scorer within a year or two.
worst fits
If Edwards falls in the draft, he may end up clashing with the talent on the teams in the 4-5 range. Chicago (#4) already has a scoring guard in Zach LaVine. Meanwhile, Cleveland (#5) has already doubled up on scoring guards with Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. Adding a third would be a potential headache, both offensively and defensively.
(2) C James Wiseman, Memphis
A true center? Gross! What is this, 1970?
Traditional big men tend to get treated that way these days. In some ways, they've become the "running backs" of the NBA. They once ruled the draft, but now they have to scrape and claw to climb into the top 5.
Still, let's no go overboard here. Even if centers aren't as valuable as they used to be, there's still some value here. Some of the best centers in the game (Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert, Joel Embiid, etc) have helped make their teams staples in the playoffs. Wiseman can potentially impact a team in the same way, especially on the defensive end. He can get beat on switches now and then, but he's about as agile as you can expect out of a kid who's 7'1" with a 7'6" wingspan. Offensively, he has an improving face-up game in addition to being a devastating lob threat.
Another reason that I'm comfortable with Wiseman in the top 3 is because he appears to be a smart kid with the will to improve his game. He intends to keep stretching out his range towards three point territory. Even if he can be a passable three-point shooter (in the 33% range), that should help make him a consistent 18-12 player and a fringe All-Star. And if not, then he'll still be a viable starting center.
best fits
We mentioned Charlotte (#3) as a great fit for Anthony Edwards, and I'd say the same for Wiseman here. His game complements the more dynamic P.J. Washington well; between the two of them, they'd have the 4-5 spot locked up for years. While Wiseman's best chance to be a star may come in Charlotte, we don't know if he truly has that type of aggressive upside. The more likely scenario is him being a pretty good starting center with an emphasis on defense. In that case, he makes some sense in Golden State (#2) and Atlanta (#6).
worst fits
Apparently James Wiseman doesn't want to go to Minnesota (#1), which makes sense given the presence of Karl-Anthony Towns. If he slips, Chicago (#4) may also be an odd fit. Wiseman is a better prospect than Wendell Carter Jr., but they're not terribly dissimilar. The new Bulls administration didn't select Carter, but it still feels too early to give up on a recent # 7 pick.
(3) PF/C Onyeka Okongwu, USC (HIGHER than most expert rankings)
Another big man? I may be showing my age here.
Still, I'm going to stick to my guns and suggest Onyeka Okongwu is a top 3 prospect in the class for some of the same reasons we ranked James Wiseman so highly. In fact, Okongwu is arguably an even better defensive prospect than Wiseman. While he doesn't have the same size (6'9" with a 7'1" wingspan), he's more switchable. He projects as a prowling, shot-blocking panther, not dissimilar to Bam Adebayo on Miami. Offensively, he flashes some solid skill here and there, although it's unlikely he'd get to Adebayo's level as a playmaker.
Another aspect that should help Okongwu is his selflessness. In high school, he played for Chino Hills alongside stars Lonzo and LaMelo Ball. While there, he blended in and did the dirty work for the LaVar Traveling Circus. It's likely that Okongwu will play a similar role in the NBA, complementing a star perimeter player.
While Okongwu may not have All-Star upside, I don't see much downside here. I'd be surprised if he's not a long-time starter at the center position (with the potential to play some PF if his shooting range improves.)
best fits
The most natural fits for Onyeka Okongwu mirror the best fits for James Wiseman. There’s a chance he may slip further than Wiseman too. Washington (#9) should be salivating if that’s the case.
worst fits
As a low-usage player, there aren't a lot of terrible fits for Okongwu on the board. However, Detroit (#7) already has Blake Griffin on a long-term deal and may re-sign Christian Wood as well. Given that, there wouldn't be much room for Okongwu barring a Griffin trade.
(4) PG LaMelo Ball, U.S./Australia. (LOWER than most expect rankings)
Every draft pick is an inherent gamble, but there's a difference between gambling in blackjack and gambling in Roulette. To me, LaMelo Ball is more of the latter.
No doubt, there's a chance that you may get lucky and "win big" with LaMelo Ball. He has great height for the position at 6'6"/6'7", and he makes some exceptional passes that illustrate a rare court vision. ESPN's Draft Express team ranks him as the # 1 prospect overall, and I take that seriously. Those guys were way ahead of the curve on calling Luka Doncic a transcendent talent at a time when most others were still skeptical.
At the same time, I'd say there is a sizable downside here as well. In fact, I'd estimate that there's a greater than 50/50 chance that Ball is a "bust" based on his current draft status.
LaMelo Ball put up good raw numbers this past season in the NBL -- 17.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists -- but he was in a situation specifically designed for him to put up good numbers. The efficiency tells a different story, as his shooting splits (38-25-72) look worrisome. Yes, height helps on defense, but it doesn't matter much if you're not locked in on that end. And yes, highlight-reel passes and super-deep threes are fun to watch, but they're not a path to consistency on offense. As Ball makes the jump to the NBA, he may smack hard into a wall and crash into the water like was on Wipeout. There's a chance he'll be among the worst players (from an advanced stats perspective) as a rookie.
So what? We expect most rookies to struggle, right? That's true, but I'd be nervous about how LaMelo Ball and his camp would respond to those initial struggles. Again, I've never met the kid and have no real basis for this, but media interviews make him seem a little immature. That's totally understandable for a 19 year old, but it's not ideal for a 19 year old who's about to get handed the keys to an NBA franchise. If he struggles out of the gates, will he start to lose confidence? Will LaVar Ball start to make waves? Will the media gleefully tear him to shreds? No clue. And if I'm picking in the top 3, I'd prefer to have more confidence than question marks.
best fits
If we treat LaMelo Ball as a developmental project, then I'd prefer he land with a team like Chicago (#4). New coach Billy Donovan is a former PG himself, and spent decades working with young kids at the college level. If they slow play Ball's development, we may see the best of him down the road. Detroit (#7) also makes sense. Coach Dwane Casey has a pretty good reputation in player development himself, and he has a solid bridge PG in Derrick Rose to help buy Ball some time.
worst fits
Cleveland (#5) is an obviously wonky fit based on the current roster. I'd also assert that Charlotte (#3) is a poor fit as well. While the team desperately needs a signature star, they don't have the type of supporting cast that would be conducive to him right now. And if he struggles as a rookie, then coach James Borrego and the whole front office may be cleaned out. If that happens, a new administration would be inheriting a franchise player that they didn't pick in the first place.
(5) SF/PF Deni Avdija, Israel
The NBA tends to be reactionary when it comes to the draft, which can be particularly impactful for international prospects. Their stock tends to swing up and down more violently than a ride at Action Park. There was a ton of skepticism about Euros when Dirk Nowitzki came along. When he hit, the NBA got so excited they drafted Darko Milicic at # 2. Eventually that excitement wore off as the busts started to pile up again. But when Latvian Kristaps Porzingis looked like the real deal, it helped reverse that narrative and helped Dragan Bender go # 4 the following year.
In terms of that up-and-down timing, Deni Avdija stands to benefit. He's coming into the NBA on the heels of an incredible sophomore campaign from Luka Doncic. No one thinks that Avdija can be a superstar like Doncic, but teams aren't as wary of international wings (specifically white wings) these days. Avdija should go somewhere in the top 10 if not the top 5.
In my mind, that's justified. He's 6'9", which should allow him to play either the SF or PF positions. He hasn't shown to be an excellent shooter yet, but he should eventually be solid there. He's better suited as a playmaker and passer, and he can also use his size and skill to convert on slashes around the rim. I've seen some comparisons to Lamar Odom before, although that may be optimistic. More likely, he'll be a 4th or 5th starter. His experience as a pro should help toward that end, as he's used to working hard and fitting in on a team of vets.
best fits
If you project Deni Avdija to just "fit in" and be a solid starter, then he'd make sense on a team like Golden State (#2). He could effectively play the role of Harrison Barnes or old Andre Iguodala for them. If the intention is to make him more of a featured player, then the Knicks (#8) would be interesting. In that market, he has real star potential.
worst fits
I don't love the fit for Avdija in Charlotte (#3), where he may duplicate some of P.J. Washington's talents. Atlanta (#6) and Phoenix (#10) have also invested in young SF-PFs recently, so Avdija may find himself scraping for time there.
(6) SG/SF Devin Vassell, Florida State (HIGHER than most expert rankings)
Every single NBA team needs 3+D wings. They thirst for them like a dying man in the desert. And then, when a legitimate 3+D wing comes along, they often ignore them in favor of splashier players at other positions.
Part of the issue is that low-usage 3+D wings aren't going to put up monster stats. That's certainly true of Devin Vassell, who averaged a modest 12.7 points this past year. Still, you have to go deeper than the pure numbers alone and consider the context. Florida State had a stacked and balanced team. In fact, Vassell's 12.7 PPG was the highest on the roster (and came in only 28.8 minutes.) There's more in the tank here than we've seen so far. He can hit the three (42% and 42% from deep in his two years), and he shows a good feel for the game (2:1 assist/turnover ratio.)
Vassell shows even more potential on the defensive end. He's currently listed at 6'7" with a 6'10" wingspan, but he looks even longer than that to my eye. He's tenacious and disruptive (1.4 steals, 1.0 blocks) without being out of control. Presumably, he should be a good defender at either the SG or SF spot.
In a sense, Vassell's the prototype for a 3+D wing. To be fair, I don't anticipate him being a great shooter at the next level. His FT% was iffy, and he's apparently been tweaking his shot during the draft process. Still, if he can be a viable shooting threat in the way that Josh Richardson is (an inconsistent shooter who averages around 36%), then he should be a solid starter for an NBA team. That may not sound like something worthy of a top 5 pick, but the high "floor" helps him in this case. He also appears to have a strong character and work ethic, making him feel like an even safer bet.
best fits
Devin Vassell's skill set would fit on virtually any NBA roster -- but his perceived lack of upside may keep him from going as high as my personal ranking. If he does, then Cleveland (#5) would be a nice fit given their lack of big wings and their lack of defense. Defensive-challenged Washington (#9) would also make sense; Vassell tends to be listed as a SG but he should have enough size to play the SF for them.
worst fits
You can never have too many 3+D wings, but it may be a duplication to put Devin Vassell on the same team with Mikal Bridges in Phoenix (#10).
(7) PG Tyrese Haliburton, Iowa State
One of the reasons I'd have to be specific about a fit with a player like LaMelo Ball is that he needs the ball in his hands to maximize his potential. That's true for most lead guards.
Given that, it's a nice change of pace to see a prospect like Tyrese Haliburton come along. He's listed as a PG and he can perform those duties. This past season, he averaged 15.2 points and 6.5 assists per game. But he ALSO can operate as an off-the-ball player. As a freshman, he did exactly that, effectively working as a wing player and a glue guy on offense. His three-point shot looks wonky, but he converted 43% as a freshman and 42% as a sophomore. If that translates, he can be an effective spacer as well.
Haliburton's versatility also extends to the defensive end. He's 6'5" with an incredible 7'0" wingspan, allowing him to guard either PG or SGs. Like Devin Vassell, he also puts those tools to good use. Either one is an incredible athlete, but they're disruptive and locked in on that end. I'd expect Haliburton to be one of the better guard defenders in the NBA.
All in all, you may ask: why isn't this guy ranked HIGHER? The skill set would justify that. At the end of the day I don't see elite upside here (maybe George Hill?) because he may have some trouble getting his shot off in a halfcourt offense. Still, he's one of the safer prospects overall and a kid that you'd feel good betting on.
best fits
The New York Knicks (#8) may bring in a big-name guard like Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, but if they stick with the rebuild then Tyrese Haliburton makes loads of sense. He can share playmaking duties with R.J. Barrett, and he can help Tom Thibodeau establish a defensive culture. He'd also make sense for Detroit (#7) and even Atlanta (#6). While the Hawks have Trae Young locked in at PG, Haliburton can play enough SG to justify 30+ overall minutes.
worst fits
Obviously any team that doesn't have room for a PG OR SG would be a problem here. Cleveland (#5) and Washington (#9) are the clearest examples of that. While Haliburton could theoretically guard some SFs, it's not the best use of his talent.
(8) PG Killian Hayes, France
If NBA centers are like NFL running backs, then point guards / lead playmakers may be like quarterbacks. There's positive and negatives to that comparison. Obviously, a good lead guard can immediately boost your team. At the same time, you don't really need more than one. And if you're not "the guy," then your impact is going to be limited.
Given that, there's a high bar to being a starting PG in the NBA. You have to be really, really friggin' good. According to many experts, Killian Hayes is exactly that. Physically he's what you want in the position, with a 6'5" frame. He averaged 16.8 points and 7.8 assists per 36 playing in Germany this year for a team that had a few former pros like Zoran Dragic. The Ringer has him # 1 overall.
Personally, I haven't completely bought into that hype yet. I can't claim to have season tickets to Ratiopharm Ulm, but when I watch highlights I don't really see ELITE traits here. He's not incredibly explosive, he's not a great shooter, he's over-reliant on his left hand. I have no doubt that he has the upside to be a good starter, but I don't think we've seen enough (or at least, I haven't) to make me confident in that projection.
best fits
Chicago (#4) and Detroit (#7) appear to be the most obvious fits for a potential star guard like Killian Hayes. And while the Knicks may have been underwhelmed by a French PG before, he would make sense for them at #8 as well.
worst fits
Teams with lead guards locked in -- Golden State (#2), Cleveland (#5), for example -- would be obviously problematic fits for Hayes. While he has the size to play some shooting guard defensively, he has a ways to go before he's a sharpshooting spacer.
(9) SG/SF Aaron Nesmith, Vanderbilt (HIGHER than most expert rankings)
Back when I was single, I dated a girl who presumably viewed me as a "developmental prospect." She'd always tell me how cool I'd look if I got some new jeans. How hot I'd be if I lost some weight. After a while, reality set in. It ain't happening, honey. What you see is what you get. The whole transformation idea may have worked with Chris Pratt, but it's not going to work with schlubby ol' Zandrick Ellison.
Sometimes it feels like NBA teams view prospects in the same delusional way. Josh Jackson can be a superstar -- if he develops his shot! Isaac Okoro can be a great pick -- if he becomes a great shooter! IF IF IF. We tend to forget that it's not that easy for a leopard to change his spots or for a player to suddenly develop a shooting stroke. It may have worked with Kawhi Leonard, but it's not working with most players.
Given that, we should value players who already have developed that skill. Aaron Nesmith is one of the best shooters in the draft -- right here, right now. He shot 52% from three and 83% from the line this past season. There's a sample size issue there (he only played 14 games prior to injury), but his shooting form looks fluid and suggests that he should be a legitimate 38-40% shooter from deep. While Nesmith isn't a great athlete or defender, his 7'0" wingspan should help him hang at either the SG or SF spots. All in all, we're talking about a player who should be a starter, or at the very least a high-level rotational player.
best fits
Aaron Nesmith isn't going to put a team on his back, but he can help carry the load offensively given his shooting ability. That should make him a good fit for a team like New Orleans (#13) as they look to replace J.J. Redick down the road. He'd also be an excellent fit with Orlando (#16) as they eye more shooters/scorers.
worst fits
It's hard to find a bad fit for a good shooting wing, but there are a few teams that may not have starting positions available. Phoenix (#10) already has Devin Booker and a few solid young SFs. Sacramento (#12) already has Buddy Hield and Bogdan Bogdanovic (presuming they retain them.)
(10) PG/SG R.J. Hampton, U.S/N.Z. (HIGHER than most expert rankings)
After that rant about delusions of grandeur with development prospects, let me try and talk you into a raw developmental prospect.
Like LaMelo Ball, R.J. Hampton went to play in the NBL during his gap year after high school. They were both top 10 prospects going in, but their stocks diverged from there. LaMelo Ball put up big numbers and locked himself into top 3 status. Hampton didn't showcase much (8.8 points per game on 41-30-68 shooting splits) and may drop out of the lottery altogether. But again, I'd caution us to consider context here. LaMelo Ball went to a bad team where he could jack up shots. Hampton played on a contending team that didn't spoon-feed him minutes.
Given that limited sample, I'm falling back on the "eye test" here. No doubt, Hampton's shot is a problem. He's a poor shooter now, and it may be 2-3 years before he straightens it out. At the same time, his size and explosion jumps out at you, particularly when he's attacking the basket. He also appears to be a mature and charismatic young man. That combo -- physical talent + basketball character -- tends to be a winning formula. There's some chance Hampton turns out to be a genuine star as a scoring lead guard. There's also a sizable chance he busts. Still, it's the type of gamble that teams in the late lottery should be considering.
best fits
In a PG-rich class, it'd be bold for Detroit (#8) to reach on R.J. Hampton. Still, he would fit there, as the team could groom him behind Derrick Rose for another year or two until he's ready to take over for major minutes. Any team that can afford him the luxury of patience would be a nice landing spot, even if it means going later in the draft to places like Boston (#14, #26) or Utah (#23.)
worst fits
I'd be less bullish on R.J. Hampton in situations where he may have to play early and take his lumps. The N.Y. Knicks (#8) have struggled to develop point guards Frank Ntilkina and Dennis Smith already, and a new coaching staff doesn't make those concerns go away. Hampton would also have lower upside on teams that already have scoring guards locked in, like Sacramento (#12) or Portland (#16).
(11) PF Obi Toppin, Dayton (LOWER than most expert rankings)
When Obi Toppin sees the list of names ahead of him, he should be stewing with rage. He's arguably the most productive player on the entire board. This past season at Dayton, he averaged 20.0 points on 63% shooting from the field. He's a good athlete and dunker, and he even hit 39% of his threes. At 6'9", he's a natural PF but he could theoretically play some SF or C too if need be. What else does a guy need to do to go in the top 5??
But while Toppin checks all the boxes on paper, I'm a little more skeptical. In fact, he reminds me a lot of Arizona PF Derrick Williams, who went # 2 in the 2011 draft. Many pundits thought Williams was the best player in the class, fresh on the heels of an awesome sophomore season that saw him average 19.5 points per game on 60% shooting and 57% (!) from three. The trouble is: Williams benefited from a small sample size from 3 that year (74 total). And while he was athletic in the dunking sense, he didn't have the hip movement to guard 3s or 4s effectively.
We see some of the same traits play out here with Toppin. He dominated this past season as a (22 year old) sophomore. Still, I'm doubtful that his three-point shooting is as good as the numbers suggest. I'm doubtful that his run-and-dunk athleticism translates to the defensive end, where he often looks stiff when changing direction. I can see a scenario where Toppin is a scoring big in the mold of a John Collins, but it's more likely to me that he'll be a scorer off the bench instead.
best fits
While I'm cool on Obi Toppin myself, I fully admit that I could be wrong and he may just end up being Rookie of the Year. That may happen if he plays on a team like Washington (#9) where his guards will be able to take a lot of pressure off and give him good opportunities to score. Cleveland (#5) would also make some sense if they trade Kevin Love.
worst fits
If Toppin's defense is going to be bad, then he'd be a poor fit with Atlanta (#6). I also don't see much of a fit with Sacramento (#12) given the presence of Marvin Bagley III. In the long run, both may end up being smallball 5s.
(12) SF Isaac Okoro, Auburn (LOWER than most expert rankings)
We've all had this experience before. You'll go see a movie that you hear everyone rave about and you come away... underwhelmed. It's fine. It's OK. But you just don't get all the fuss about it.
Right out of that Silver Linings Playbook comes Isaac Okoro. His stats don't jump off the page: 12.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.9 blocks. He's allegedly a great defensive player, but his dimensions (6'6" with a 6'8" wingspan) don't suggest "stopper." Worse yet, he's a poor shooter from distance (29% from three, 67% from the line.) The last time I got this sense of "meh-ness" was Jarrett Culver last year. I didn't understand how he went in the top 5, and I'm not going to understand how Okoro goes in the top 10 this year.
To be clear, I don't think Okoro (or Culver) is a BAD prospect, just that they're both overrated by the community. Okoro is definitely a strong kid who is active around the rim. He's a live body. He could theoretically improve his shooting and become a starter. Still, "potential starter" is not something that I want in a top 10 pick.
best fits
While I don't love Isaac Okoro myself, I can see some good fits on the board. Washington (#9) could use some thicker wings who can play solid defense. Portland (#16) is incredibly desperate for capable wings themselves.
worst fits
With Okoro, I don't necessarily think the worst fits are a matter of skill set as much as expectation. If he goes as high as Chicago (#4) or Cleveland (#5), I suspect he'll disappoint in terms of the returns and garner some resentment from the fan base.
(13) SG/SF Josh Green, Arizona
As oddly overrated as Isaac Okoro is (in my mind), Josh Green is oddly underrated. Okoro tends to go about 10 spots higher in mock drafts, but they seem nearly identical in terms of a head-to-head comparison. In fact, I had to go back and forth about which I'd rank higher. They're both good athletes for their position and should be backend starters at the next level. Okoro is thicker and better around the rim, while Green is further along as a shooter. Overall I leaned to Okoro because he had the size to match up with bigger SFs and has a little more of a bullying scorer gene in him, but it was a close race.
In fact, you can argue that Josh Green's selflessness will actually benefit him in the NBA. He's a "team guy," with an underrated passing ability and basketball IQ. The stats don't jump off the pages in that regard (2.6 assists, 1.6 turnovers), but he was also playing with a good college PG in Nico Mannion. As he moves to the NBA, he's unlikely to have the ball much either, but he projects to be an all-around glue guy who can help on both ends.
best fits
As with Isaac Okoro, Portland (#16) could be a nice landing spot for a solid wing player. And while New Orleans (#13) has a lot of athleticism already, it never hurts to have another viable wing. They tended to play small at the SG-SF spot, which hurt their defense overall. Playing Green could help them when they slide Brandon Ingram over to the 4 and Zion Williamson at the 5.
worst fits
I don't see many "bad" fits for Josh Green on the board, but you'd prefer that he went to a team that intended to make him a part of the future. Minnesota (#17) may not be able to do that if they already have Jarrett Culver and Josh Okogie. Brooklyn (#19) may not be looking for long-term projects since they're in a "win now" mode.
(14) PG Tyrell Terry, Stanford
Tyrell Terry is rocketing up draft boards on account of his stellar shooting ability (41% from 3, 89% from the line) and his better-than-expected measurement of 6'3". It's only natural that pundits would start comparing him to stud shooters like Steph Curry.
That said, not every stud shooter is Steph Curry. Some are Seth Curry. Some are Quinn Cook. There's a slight chance Terry breaks out as a good starter, but there's a better than average chance he peaks as a rotational player instead. Still, he should be an asset to a team as a spacer, particularly if they run their offense through a playmaking forward (like a LeBron James).
And in case you're wondering, no he is NOT related to Jason Terry, although some of their skill sets do overlap as scoring guards with deep range.
best fits
If we presume that Tyrell Terry can be a Seth (not Steph) type player, then adding him to Dallas (#18) makes sense. He can develop behind Seth for a year or two as he gains weight, and then help complement Luka Doncic as a spacer after that. Similarly, he makes sense for Philadelphia (#21) as well. We'd still lock Ben Simmons into the starting PG role, but Terry could play alongside him in lineups or be used as a sparkplug off the bench.
worst fits
Teams that may be eyeing Tyrell Terry as a surefire starter will have to be careful. For example, Phoenix (#10) needs an heir apparent for Ricky Rubio, but a Terry + Devin Booker combo may be problematic on the defensive end. Some other teams -- Brooklyn (#19) and Denver (#22) -- already have sharpshooter guards, so they don't have as strong of a need for this type of player.
(15) PF Aleksej Pokusevski, Serbia
We mentioned that LaMelo Ball may be the biggest boom/bust prospect in the class, likening him to gambling on Roulette. Enter Aleksej Pokusevski. "Gambling" may not even be doing it justice. This is like risking your family fortune on a bag of magic beans.
But hey, that worked for Jack, and it could work for an NBA team as well. I have a friend who works in coaching who raved about Pokusevski and considers him a top 10 prospect overall. After all, this is a legit 7'0" player with true perimeter skills. Playing for Olympiacos' development team, he averaged 16.7 points, 12.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.0 steals, and 2.8 blocks per 36 minutes. He hasn't even turned 19 years old yet, giving him an enormous amount of upside.
Still, he scares the hell out of me. He's listed at 7'0" and 200 pounds, with narrow shoulders that make you doubt how much weight he'll be able to carry in the long term. His body type doesn't remind you of any current NBA forwards; it reminds you of two kids wearing a trenchcoat.
All in all, Pokusevski seems like a great prospect to invest in, presuming you don't have to withdraw from the bank until 2023 or 2024. To that end, teams should only consider them if they feel confident in their long-term job security.
best fits
If the goal is to send Aleksej Pokusevski to a good, stable organization, then you can't do much better than San Antonio (#11). Even if Gregg Popovich retires from coaching, R.C. Buford should be around to help the next coach (Becky Hammon? Will Hardy? R.C.'s son Chase?). And if the goal is to find a good stable GM, Sam Presti and Oklahoma City (#25) would be a great home as they prepare for a long-term rebuild.
worst fits
Orlando (#15) always values length, but they have limited space left in the frontcourt and limited leg room left on that poor charter plane.
I wasn't kidding when I said this post was "overly" long. The rest of the top 20 got cut off because of a length limit. I'll try to include them in the comment section.