Mall, I think the ground rules are $1,000 bet any way we want to. I blew my training last night at the Oyster Bar at Grand Central (what a great place), but I think I can recover.

Marc, I agree with some of your characterizations of Friedman, but I think you are in fact missing something.

Friedman will say he's not suggesting a play, but then he frames his discussion of a race in such a way that he suggests using more than half the field in exotics, and this is, in the loosest sense, suggesting a play.

First off, he could find another way to make his points. The 'use lightly in exotics' really doesn't add much. He's said as much in posts replying to my nagging over there. Then he proceeded to do it again. It's obviously something he's comfortable with.

There are other ways to do this kind of thing, and the TG race of the week is a good example. Including the sheets for the race he's talking about on the board would be good too, but that's probably beyond them technically and I have heard it said (not by Robes) things like this would "kill their price" and after all, according to David Patent they don't want too many people using the stuff (this is so hilarious I have to find a way to use it).

I'm straying a bit. The main point is that Friedman's method allows him to have it both ways. Of course you are correct that this will be a method used in exotics, particularly tris. I do it myself. But he is prognosticating while saying he is not prognosticating. While it is true that he does not often seize credit, others do give it to him, and he does not delete those posts! HP