Posting the names of the contestants in advance is something I've not seen before, & something I wish the Gallos had done, as it might have saved me a trip to South Dakota, where I never was able to locate the elusive dodie. I only recognized 5 as "regulars", but there's no doubt that the list includes a number of locals who have a bit of an advantage because they know Col inside & out. Still, 3 qualifying spots out of 115 or so entries is about as good as these things get.

In this kind of contest, you obviously don't want to play yourself out on day 1. If there's one thing I think I've learned over the last two yrs, it's that the vast majority of contestants will be using the same "standard" strategy, which I, & maybe I alone, think is a mistake. Rather than go into long detail here on that & a myriad of other considerations I think are important, I've sent you an email which includes a link to my writings on the subject & a phone number. Glad to help, although based on what I saw at Kee I'm not sure you need much.