The 2,000,000th post game

Originally posted by Wonder Man
Long distance time travel should be shorter than other types.

I might come back to this one; several concepts that may or may not be related came to mind when I saw this line:

--> the twin paradox, where a 30 year old man taking a round trip near-light-speed for several hours finds his same-age brother who stayed behind is now an old man

--> the extraordinary amount of time it seemed to take to walk the state fairgrounds versus how long it took to fly to Chicago

--> political Islam, taught by a man named Warner, who sites how, by shutting down sea travel, trips were made EXTREMELY slow and expensive in the ancient world. The Mediterranean Sea was like the superhighway of that day; waterways in general were. Even routes that were several times longer in distance than the conventional land routes took MUCH less time to travel.

--> Stalingrad, 1942. Probably the most extreme case of slow travel progress that I know of. Germany's armies were slowed from conquering miles of land to being lucky if they took a few literal yards of territory; going from conquering cities to fighting days, and sometimes even weeks, for a single house.

Originally posted by Wonder Man
How many does it take a regular champion to win in chess?

I'm thinking there probably IS a rough standard range of how long, in terms of moves, it takes champions, on average, to win their games.

Just about every OTHER aspect of chess is covered by people, so, why not?

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mmm

Random: I don't know Italian, but I get the sense the man and woman in this video are more than just friends ...

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2bek2JYOTQ

The much maligned pirate is blamed today as he was in the early years of boating.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RZs836b449M

Vince Colletta, comic book inker.

Originally posted by Wonder Man
The much maligned pirate is blamed today as he was in the early years of boating.

There's a case to be made pirates did a LOT of damage in the "early years" as you call them; proper sea-faring Raiders, but probably not from the regions you're thinking of.

Bill Warner makes a fascinating case for this; the part that deals most with the "long distance nevertheless equals shorter traveling time" and how that was STOPPED by pirates begins around 21:44 below, though perhaps all of the talk is to be recommended if you have the time:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Im0IisZ77QI

Well the pirate is probably farther back then you think. All the old days of people with pirated bones around their necks and all. Then neandrathalpirate.

SET
Having a pocket pair that hits on the board, making three of a kind.

SHORT STACK
Having fewer chips than the rest of the players at the table or in the tournament.

SHOWDOWN
When, after the final round of betting, players turn their hands face-up. A poker hand will only reach a showdown if there are callers in the last round of betting, or if someone is all-in prior to the last betting round.

SIDE POT
Separate from the main pot. If one or more players is all-in, the pot to which the all-in players contributed is the main pot. A side pot is created from any additional money bet by the remaining players. There can be many side pots if there are more than one all-in player. An all-in player is only eligible to win a pot to which he has contributed.

SIT-AND-GO
A poker tournament that starts whenever a specified number of players have registered. As the name suggests, you "sit" (register), and, when there are enough of your fellow players to start the game, you begin, or "go."

SLOW PLAY
When, in an attempt to have other players stick around and possibly call your bets, you play your hand less aggressively than necessary. For example, if you flop a full house, it is unlikely anyone is going to beat your hand. Slow-playing the hand may allow the other players to make their hands and therefore continue to call your bets.

SMALL BLIND
The smaller of two blind bets. The position to the immediate left of the dealer button position, and to the right of the big blind position.

SPLIT POT
When two or more players make the same hand and the pot is divided between equivalent high hands.

STRADDLE
An optional pre-deal bet, typically made by the player to the left of the big blind. The straddle amount is twice the big blind (same as a legal raise). The straddler earns the "option" from the big blind. He may re-raise when the action comes around to him. A straddle is a cash game convention and is not usually permitted in a tournament.

STRING BET
Placing a bet on the table in a staggered motion or multiple motions. String bets are not allowed, and the dealer will remove the added amount of the bet if he determines a bet to be a string bet. It's not permitted because it could be used to gauge the reaction of other players before you commit the entire intended amount of the raise.

STRAIGHT
A hand consisting of 5 cards in sequence but not in suit.

STRAIGHT FLUSH
A hand consisting of 5 cards in sequence and the same suit.

TELL
An interpretation of a physical action or a betting pattern that seemingly reveals how strong or weak a player's hand is. The best players do not provide many tells themselves and have an ability to detect tells of their opponents in order to determine how to play a hand.

TILT
Usually the result of taking a bad beat or series of bad beats, a player is said to be "on tilt" when he plays with reckless abandon. Presumably, the term derives from tilting a pinball machine.

TIME
Requesting more time to think. A player will call for time to avoid the dealer killing the hand due to inactivity. Conversely, a player that takes excessive time to make decisions may have a "clock" called on them by the other players who seek to keep the flow of the game going.