Welcome, our dearest spectators, to the Grand Arena once again. Today is the great day: the day of the Finale! Two brave fighters, the best of the best, will finally show us who of them is worthy of a title of Champion of the Arena, and the tournament will come to a close - until the next year at least.
But, before that, let us remember those who did not make it, those who gave their bloody due to Armok and who managed to entertain the public, no matter how far they made it in. Gilbert “Crazy Legs”, the toad bard giving us the Ballad of the Pits. Adrinna Catastor, the dimension travelling fighter for a new home. Anyola the Obscured, Grekk the Deranged, Shendau Goldpeak, Urist McGladiator. They and more brave fighters have given their lives today for the glory and for the public. And so let it be known that their sacrifice will not be forgotten, and they live still in the Arena through the blood they have spilled on the cold floor of the Arena.
But enough about those who were lost, for we have our two finalists, the most glorious of them all!
The Finale: City Guard NPC vs. Molurus And so, let us introduce the two mighty warriors who have made it this far, in spite of all the odds and to the expectations of few. In the upper corner, standing proudly, his pike rising up into the sky like a mighty oak, his expression unwavering as steel, the hero of the common folk, the Relatable One, the slayer of favorites and an all-around great guy… BOB, the City Guard NPC (managed by
u/CalamarRojo)! A man seemingly born into his profession, he might not have a grand goal in mind; he might not have backstory which could be written ballads about; he might not have a quirky character; but what he does have is ultimate relatability and undoubtable skill in weaponry, which he has proven time and again.
In his very first round, he defeated a murderous environmentalist, a penguin who could have become the next Paul, Flipper Gut-Ripper, through the strength of his armour and his indomitable will alone. The next round, he has made cheese out of Ipetynalzo Toothbreaker without breaking a sweat. But these achievements pale in comparison to what he managed to do next.
The third round had him face off against Zip Zop, a goblin who was thought unbreakable due to her spectacular performance in her first two rounds: winning with a WOODEN dagger against Mephisopheles the Foul Blendec, and then outwrestling a troll - Van the Dungeon Master, to be precise! Still, her luck has run out against the staunch Guard, allowing him to move to the next opponent.
Kosak Stormclaw, the Polar Bear Man Adventurer who was one step away from becoming a legend, from his help in defending the Fortress of Stonegleam from yeti invasion. Known best as the slayer of Shendau Goldpeak, this polar bear man as well could not hold against Bob in the quarter-finals.
And, at last, the most surprising victory of all: one against Anyola the Obscured, the kinslayer in hiding, who seemingly was on the track to finally reconciling with her family. Her skills, proven by her one-hit kill of Beul the Executioner in the Quarter-finale, have earned her many followers, and some rumours even started that she was merely holding back and that she could beat Paul himself. But she too was felled by the City Guard’s pike, shocking many.
Now, he stands truly ready for the Quarter-finale: new finely-made steel armour glinting in the sun, pike raised high up to the sky. Bob seems more confident than ever before, and even his pose, while still completely compliant with one of the common guard, has been filled with something more than boredom of one. It has been filled with determination and strength, and soon, the pike is pointed at his opponent, and the confident smirk appears on his face. Today, we will find out whether this human will become our first champion of the Civilized Races. His job will not be easy, because…
His opponent is standing no less stalwartly, shining in the summer sun like a glorious star himself. His scales and his steel armour blending in a great bling, almost reflecting the warm that is filling the arena. This is a no-less beloved champion of the reptilekind with a grand purpose… Molurus, the Python Man (managed by
u/Rowsdower11)! The crusader of the Global Warming, he has deduced that the increased temperature of the world is going to help every cold-blooded creature in the world; as such, he has decided to participate in the Great Tournament to gather funds to start a charity promoting the climate change. Whatever you think of his policies, one thing cannot be denied: he is a force to be reckoned with.
He has cut a bloody swath through Crowemurphy the game developer and Little Tooth the Troll with his scimitar, not facing much resistance from either of them. Then he killed an interdimensional traveler, Lucius Postimus Corvus, the slayer of Gilbert “Crazy Legs” the Toadman Bard and Frostquake the Polar Bear Man, in a quick and efficient display of swordsmanship.
After that, he continued onto the Quarter-Finals, where he faced a fan favorite, a dwarven elf by the name of Dak Vagush, the inheritor of the dwarven hopes and avenger of Urist McGladiator. The brave woman stood her ground in a long and gruesome duel, but eventually had to give to her larger opponent, extinguishing the last hope of the dwarves to win this tournament.
And in the semi-finale he faced yet another fan favourite, She Intends To Stab You the Axolotl Woman. The cold-blooded killer in all senses, her abyssal eyes could send shivers down anyone’s spine, and her gruesome methods of dealing with her opponents, involving slowly bleeding them out, were surely entertaining for some of our more bloodthirsty patrons. Still, even though she had her adamantine dagger, the snakeman’s choice of ditching his armour for the fight against her proved a good decision, and he managed to survive the axolotl woman’s deadly assault.
And, surprisingly enough, he has dropped his faithful scimitar, instead opting for a set of armour. His only means of offense is now his own natural arsenal. He looks extremely confident, as the crowds of reptile men are cheering him up. His snake eyes are shining with determination and readiness. Today, his idea will finally get due funds for its realization… or will have to be delayed because of his death. Which will it be?Take your deepest breaths, bring out your merchandise, for in a few seconds…
The Horn Sounds! Combat Log;
Video The two fighters are moving towards each other slowly, carefully, calculation and anticipation in their eyes. There is little room for mistake, and it is all or nothing: either the eternal glory and achievement of their goals - or death and dust. Both fighters know this, and look at each other intently. Still, Molurus gives Bob a courteous hiss, and Bob nods his head back, as a sign of mutual respect. And then Molurus lunges, quick like a viper striking its prey.
But still, combat reflexes of the City Guard allow him to step away just in time, with Molurus flying right by him. The pike is quickly turned and strikes at the python man, tearing right through his leather robe and making a scratch on the arm. The hiss of the snakeman increases, and he jumps right at his opponent, making him fall over and directing his fist towards him - but the Guardsman manages to roll away just in time and jump right back on his feet with little difficulty, before sending his pike in his direction - the strike to be dodged by an agile body of a snakeman.The fighters enter a dance, pike and armours shining in the sun, neither opponent giving a single inch. The strikes are evaded as deftly as they are sent, and this is no small feat. The eyes sparkle with concentration and confidence, a small scratch not dissuading Molurus from his seemingly certain victory. With half the tribunes chanting Bob’s name - or moniker, and the other half cheering for Molurus - many hissing even despite not being reptiles - the atmosphere gives off a tensity only the Finale can provide.
Soon, another wild fist is thrown in the air, whizzing past the pike already breaking through to stab at Molurus’ arm, leaving a serious wound on the snakeman’s bicep! Still, the snakeman does not seem too unfazed by this, quickly grabbing the pike and once again moving in, pushing the Guardsman over with his shoulder! He is quickly pushed away when he tries to impale his fangs on Bob, and the fighters move a few steps back once again.
Still, this time Molurus manages to follow up on the momentum, as his fist flies into the guard/s armored leg - not dealing too much damage. Then another hook follows, to the other leg, and Molurus is pushed away by the shaft of the pike. City Guard’s eyes start to glow with fury, and he goes on the offensive once again. A few stabs whizz past the snakeman’s scales, and he does knock over Bob the third, then the fourth time! Bob’s fans become more and more anxious, calling for their favourite to get himself together.
And it does not take him long to do so, for, from the ground, he stabs right in Molurus’ right arm, and, after a few attempts by Molurus to get back at his rival, another stab follows, managing to hit the same spot, and a bone-chipping sound is heard loudly. For the first time, some resemblance of fear appears in the pained eyes of the python man - but it is extremely brief, and he immediately lashes out at Bob’s arm, the fangs sliding off the steel.The City Guard has the advantage, and he understands it, easily pressing his advantage by making two more holes in the snakeman’s unprotected arm, seemingly trying to mangle it far beyond any recognition. And, in a desperate move, Molurus once again pushes his opponent to the ground, his teeth now trying to bite through his opponent’s leg - and failing yet again. Once more, City Guard rses up, plunging his pike right into his opponent’s hand. Quickly retrieving his pike from his opponent’s hand, Bob moves out of the grappling distance, and braces his pike yet again.
After evading a few more stabs from the pike of the City Guard, the bleeding snakeman quickly takes a look around him, seeing as the hopes of the reptile men around the arena seem to dampen, their faces in desperation. He takes a look at the shining sun, feels the warmth upon his scales, and turns his gaze back to the City Guard, determination renewed in his eyes. He quickly charges once more, and starts to bite the City Guard - first in his hand, trying to get through the gaps in the gauntlets, before biting right on his opponent’s face and starting to shake his around by his head!The City Guard starts to bleed from his mouth, and the snakeman bites off his ear, then impales his teeth through the joints on the gauntlet, sinking them deep into his opponent’s forearm. He starts shaking the human around by his arm, and a pained scream erupts from his opponent’s mouth. As the bleeding intensifies, he bites through the other arm, shaking it around as well, and the trusty pike is dropped from Bob’s hands!
Still, the heat of battle has taken its toll on both fighters, and they both tumble to ground, where Molurus continues biting at his opponent, still trying to kick his opponent off him. Still, soon enough a hand is ripped right off from the rest of his body. This, combined with the continued biting, about does it for the City Guard. With his last breath, he mutters one thing: “Someone… help… please...”
With that, brave guardsman Bob’s head drops on the ground, and Molurus slowly, exhaustedly, rises up to standing, roaring ovations of the public. The python man looks at his warm-blooded opponent, giving him a solemn, respectful bow. After that, he manages to break out a smile, and bathes in the sun and the cheers of the spectators. He has done it.
Congratulations, Molurus! You have prevailed in the tournament despite everything, and you are the winner of the Fifth Gladiator Tournament!
But wait a moment… -----
The crowds shake as the gates are knocked on heavily. A deep, wrathful roar resounds through the tense air of the Arena. The people start to whisper among themselves, and some even start to leave in a hurry. And soon enough, the door opens, revealing a terrifying figure of a harp seal man, dressed in full adamantine armour, a blue hood over his head. He raises his morningstar far up in the air and smirks malevolently. He cannot be mistaken for anyone. Paul the Pulverizer is here to defend his title.
And so, the Arena staff quickly patches up Molurus for the newest fight, as Paul stretches and swings the morningstar around, warming his muscles. The two stare off for a long time, hatred soaring through their eyes, and the two of them square off in the Arena again. Another match is in order…
The Title Match: Molurus vs. Paul the Pulverizer
The contender for the title has already been introduced, so let us reintroduce the current holder of the title of the Champion of the Arena - though everyone knows him already. Paul the Pulverizer (managed by
u/LegalPusher), the infamous environmentalist crusader, has been driven away from his home by the Global Warming and has departed on a quest to cull the world in order to slow it down the previous year; and in the name of the ice caps everywhere, he has murdered his way through many.
First, it was an unnoticeable kobold, Sneekris. Then, in a fit of brutal strength, he has killed Shakkan D’armignan with his own teeth after being disarmed of his morningstar. After that, he brutalized one of the fan favourites of the Tournament, Glovely Graypelt the bravest of opossum women. In the quarter-finals he destroyed lovable Kisat Dur Panda. In the semi-finals, Cowlvin the Cowvalier, a minotaur with a starving family, fell to his vicious morningstar. And finally, in the Finale he defeated the tough guy batman En Yaw Ecurb, before wrestling the title away from Notorious Breakfast and commencing the Massacre of the Arena. But do not worry, the Arena Officials have ensured that there will be no second one even if the sealman wins.
Weirdly enough, a few of the previous tournament’s fans have turned out, flying the ‘Seal the Deal’ banners from the previous year. Paul’s expression is one of unrivalled confidence - after all, in the eyes of the many he has become something akin to a demigod of slaughter. How could Molurus possibly stand up to such a force of nature?..
Molurus himself for a moment seems a bit insecure, but his commitment to his cause soon overpowers whatever dread his heart holds. This harp seal man is the antithesis to all he stands for. It is either his awful vision of a cold hellish world, or the hot paradise. He will fight for his dream, whatever the cost. He straightens up, looking at Paul and hissing through his teeth.
One thing is absolutely certain. We are in for one hell of a title match.
The Horn Sounds once again! Combat Log;
Video Paul moves straight to his opponent, as quickly as a harp seal man can, his posture exerting supreme assurance. After all, he has defeated all his opponent without much struggle, and this puny, disgusting snakeman will be an easy pulverizing target. In a few moments, Molurus attempts to lash out at his opponent, but his head is slapped away, and the deadly morningstar rams itself into the snakeman’s hand, the force tearing the scale on the snakeman. Still, the response from Molurus comes immediately, as he punches his opponent’s arm, the force enough to slightly tear the skin higher up the seal man’s arm. Slight confusion briefly appears on the seal man’s face, before he decides to charge at the snakeman, and the two of them tangle and fall to the ground together.
Molurus manages to push his opponent down, and stand up before him, but the grounded harp seal man manages to drive his morningstar into the python man’s hand. In response, another punch follows, striking Paul’s arm, though most of the force is dissipated by the armour.
Soon after, Molurus manages to grab Paul, in hopes of making him an easy target for his fist - but the head moves away just in time, and Molurus is forced to release his opponent. He quickly manages to get behind the seal man and punch him in his flipper - once again, without significant consequences, and Paul retaliates by bashing his opponent’s tail. Then, a punch to the seal man’s arm is met by a morningstar flying right into the snakeman’s mouth, pushing him quite a bit back! Molurus spits some blood on the floor of the arena, before getting back to the fight,
The two fighters are quick to get back at fighting, the glint of the sun reflecting from the python man’s armor contrasting with the blue adamantine like flame and ice. A wild lunge from Molurus - and he is bashed in his tail once again. The follow-up, however, is evaded quite deftly by the snakeman, and he tries to sink his teeth into his opponent’s flipper - but the fangs slide off the armour yet again. Molurus continues his assault, and two out of many punches land, failing to cause significant damage yet again - before his jaw finally grabs the sealman’s head!Just as with the Guard, he manages to shake Paul around by the mouth for a bit, before he is thrown off by a morningstar’s jab in the gut. Blood starts to pour from Paul’s mouth, giving him a decidedly sinister look, as the duel continues on. And yet, the sight of blood covering Paul is a sign that even in all his armoured and brutal glory, he is not immortal. The scared fans start to perk up just a bit…
Molurus continues punching his opponent, with predictable results, and some of the public simply starts to shout for Molurus to “bite the hell out of that bastard”, and soon enough Molurus knocks his opponent’s teeth out and uses the distraction to bite the sealman’s finger! Even the two morningstar strikes, with the spikes of the weapon stuck in snakeman's flesh after the second one, do not prevent the snakeman from viciously ripping the finger off!Another bite to the head quickly follows, and once again shakes the seal man around to the best of his ability, before Paul again takes them both down to the ground. Molurus once again rises up over his opponent - but not before receiving a morningstar strike to the head. he delivers three punches to his opponent, but the morningstar to the tails throws him a bit back, allowing Paul to get back to his feet.And right afterwards, snakeman’s fangs sink into Paul’s secondary arm, and Molurus shakes it around with an audible sound of tearing flesh. Afterwards, he delivers a left hook to the sealman’s head, his head slightly turning, and he attempts to deliver another strike to the arm, but the force is deflected by the adamantine. The retaliation is quick, and the offending hand is quickly proven the target of the morningstar. Still, the snakeman quickly grabs the sealman’s gauntlet and starts punching his opponent again and again.
But the battle has been going for long now, and the strain of tiredness finally gets to the fighters, who collapse on the floor, breathing heavily. As soon as Paul tries to get back up, the snake fangs slide across his flipper, force not enough to break through but enough to send the seal man back to the ground. With the shaft of the morningstar, Paul immediately knocks out one of the snakeman’s fangs! But this does not stop Molurus.
With both fighters too exhausted to evade attacks, the final test of toughness starts. The snakeman bites at his opponent, the armour deflecting less and less force from the desperate bites of the snakeman, as the morningstar bashes him time and again. Sooner or later, someone will have to give, and the crowds start to cheer more desperately for their chosen gladiators…
After a bit of this, Molurus plunges his teeth into the hand of the sealman, shaking it around again, before managing to get straight to the sealman’s throat! In a desperate attempt to throw the snakeman off before it’s too late, he drives the morningstar into his arm - but when Molurus starts to shake his opponent around, Paul finds his body quickly paralyzed, and the morningstar - the weapon of slaughter - drops to the ground! Molurus bites on his defenseless opponent’s head, shaking him around violently - and for the first time, the pain makes the dreaded, undefeatable Paul lose his consciousness.
Molurus continues to wrathfully shake around his opponent’s head, almost as if trying to drain every single drop of blood from Paul - or rip his head off. And he succeeds in the first part soon after. The crowds stand in shock, as they watch the seal man finally take his last breath… before erupting in cheer perhaps unheard in the Arena ever before. The Slaughterer is gone, and Molurus is the hero of the day. Bathing in all the attention and the rays of the sun once more, he gives the world a true, genuine, wide smile. Now, he will not be stopped in his goals of making the world embrace Global Warming. At least, until the next year comes.
Congratulations, Molurus! Despite all odds, all expectations, all fears, you have managed to defeat Paul, who once seemed absolutely invincible, just a year after he went up on his throne, and now you are officially the
Champion of the Arena! -----
And so concludes the Fifth Dwarf Fortress Gladiator Tournament, our dearest spectators. It has been a great honour having you all here, watching, cheering, booing, weeping. We really hope that all of you will come back to the next tournament, at this Crucible of Legends. The Arena will await you in a year. Farewell, and may Armok be with all of you.
u/ERR40 wins the betting, with good a margin!
-----
Written by
u/Black_Griffin23 Edited by
u/Morpheus_Darkwater Tournament run by
u/Morpheus_Darkwater Everyone has gotten unlucky on a seemingly sure bet that backfired. We hate losing that nail biter. It hurts a lot more than that blowout loss where you weren’t even close.
The question is: should each loss (and alternatively each win) be treated equally? Margin of Victory If most of your wins are by a single point and you’re getting blown out in your losses, it might be a sign that your Win/Loss performance is due for a regression. Alternatively, if your only losses are of the nail biter variety, you might just be on the wrong side of variance. As an assessment, it might be helpful to measure your margin of victory on your wagers.
The margin of victory (“MOV”) measurement is a simple but useful measurement of how well your bets are performing. Since bets are generally binary outcomes (win or loss) there is a quite a bit of variance when it comes to measurement by simply wins and losses. Using the MOV measurement can give you a more precise measurement that isn’t as influenced by the binary nature of wager outcomes. This is identical to evaluating team performance using net differential as opposed to W-L.
MOV Example: Say you placed the 15 NBA ATS bets below, winning 7 and losing 8 during the first week of March:
| Date | Wager | Odds | Win/Loss |
| 3/1/2020 | Kings -7.5 | -110 | L |
| 3/1/2020 | Nuggets -2.5 | -110 | W |
| 3/2/2020 | Cavaliers +10 | -110 | L |
| 3/3/2020 | 76ers +12.5 | -110 | L |
| 3/3/2020 | Warriors +15 | -110 | W |
| 3/4/2020 | Pacers +11.5 | -110 | L |
| 3/4/2020 | Thunder -8 | -110 | L |
| 3/4/2020 | Blazers -7.5 | -110 | W |
| 3/5/2020 | Raptors -9 | -110 | L |
| 3/6/2020 | Bulls +2 | -110 | L |
| 3/6/2020 | Celtics -1.5 | -110 | L |
| 3/6/2020 | Mavericks -7.5 | -110 | W |
| 3/7/2020 | Grizzlies -6.5 | -110 | W |
| 3/8/2020 | Pacers +6.5 | -110 | W |
| 3/8/2020 | Magic +8 | -110 | W |
| Wins | | | 7 |
| Losses | | | 8 |
| Win % | | | 46.7% |
A 46.7% winning percentage at -110 is certainly not a profitable record when betting the same amount every time. We could just assume that these weren’t very good bets. What we’d rather do, however, is examine our margin of victory for these games. The first wager of Kings -7.5, for example, was a game that the favorite failed to cover by 1.5 points, winning the game by 6 points when favorite bettors had to lay 7.5. Your wager (Kings -7.5) would have a MOV of -1.5 since your bet lost by 1.5 points.
| Date | Wager | Pts | Opp Pts | Result | Line | W/L | MOV |
| 3/1/2020 | Kings -7.5 | 106 | 100 | -6 | -7.5 | L | -1.5 |
We can do this same analysis for each wager and find that your MOV averaged 17.5 points in your wins and -3.1 in your losing wagers. Thus despite a losing record, your wagers had a total MOV of 6.5 points.
| Date | Wager | Odds | Win/Loss | MOV |
| 3/1/2020 | Kings -7.5 | -110 | L | -1.5 |
| 3/1/2020 | Nuggets -2.5 | -110 | W | 12.5 |
| 3/2/2020 | Cavaliers +10 | -110 | L | -3 |
| 3/3/2020 | 76ers +12.5 | -110 | L | -0.5 |
| 3/3/2020 | Warriors +15 | -110 | W | 31 |
| 3/4/2020 | Pacers +11.5 | -110 | L | -7.5 |
| 3/4/2020 | Thunder -8 | -110 | L | -1 |
| 3/4/2020 | Blazers -7.5 | -110 | W | 13.5 |
| 3/5/2020 | Raptors -9 | -110 | L | -1 |
| 3/6/2020 | Bulls +2 | -110 | L | -4 |
| 3/6/2020 | Celtics -1.5 | -110 | L | -6.5 |
| 3/6/2020 | Mavericks -7.5 | -110 | W | 17.5 |
| 3/7/2020 | Grizzlies -6.5 | -110 | W | 10.5 |
| 3/8/2020 | Pacers +6.5 | -110 | W | 9.5 |
| 3/8/2020 | Magic +8 | -110 | W | 28 |
| Wins | | | 7 | 17.5 |
| Losses | | | 8 | -3.1 |
| Average MOV | | | | 6.5 |
This certainly indicates that variance was not on your side as you were on the losing side of several one-possession games and most of your wins occurred at pretty comfortable MOVs.
Now certainly there are limitations to an MOV analysis. First, since it is an “average” measurement, it can be influenced by outliers. You might consider capping the MOV (say a 10 or 15-point maximum MOV) to reduce the impact of outliers.
Second, different sports have different key numbers and a simple MOV analysis does not account for key numbers or non-normal distributions.
Lastly, this type of analysis doesn’t translate as easily for moneyline wagers. To make an apples to apples comparison, you would need to assess the average score differential at various moneylines. We computed the average run differential of away teams in the MLB based on the breakeven win probability of their moneyline odds in the graph linked below.
Normalizing Run Differentials Based on Implied Win Probability More Granular Measurements For sports that have lumpy scoring (NFL, NHL, MLB) you might perform a similar analysis using even more granular data than scoring. For example, to remove cluster luck from baseball scoring, you might do an analysis of net base production or in football you might analyze yards per play or play success rates.
Grading Your Own Predictions Now let’s say you’ve made a model to come up with your own predictions for games (we’ll cover several ways to do this in our model building section) and you want to assess your predictions vs the market (or someone else). In statistics and machine learning, two common ways of assessing performance are by the mean absolute error (“MAE”) and the root mean squared error (“RMSE”) of various models.
Mean Absolute Error The great thing about these terms is that their names so accurately describe their calculations. The mean absolute error is the average (
mean) of the
absolute value of your model’s prediction
error. So if you forecasted a game to be -5 and the game ended in -3 the absolute value of the error of your model was 2 points. Do that for every prediction and take the average. Simple enough.
Root Mean Squared Error The root mean squared error is conceptually very similar to MAE except that you first 1)
square your error term, then 2) take the average (
mean) of the squared
error terms and finally 3) take the
squared root of those squared errors.
We’ve calculated the MAE and RMSE for the NBA ATS wagers that you made linked below. Naturally, since those wagers had a positive average MOV, we’re not surprised that the prediction error was less than the market.
MAE and RMSE The difference between MAE and RMSE is that by squaring the error values, you are more heavily penalizing predictions with large errors. If large errors are significantly worse than smaller errors, then RMSE might be a better calculation for you to use. Otherwise MAE will work just fine.
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submitted by The margin of victory multiplier is calculated as follows. Take a team’s margin of victory, add 3 points and then take the result to the power of 0.8. NFL margins of victory are changing due to moving the PAT back to the 15-yard line. Learn how this impacts key numbers for bettors and tips on how to adjust your betting strategy. THE ULTIMATE SPORTS BETTING TOOL - 4 DAY TRIAL. Contact Us; Advertise; Login / Register; TheSpread.com When betting on NFL games there are two specific key numbers that bettors keep an eye on. These two specific margins of victory occur much more often than any others. The most frequent margin of victory in both college and pro football is 3 points. The second most frequent margin of victory is 7 points. An electoral margin-of-victory (MOV) is the difference between the share of votes cast for the winning candidate and the second-place candidate in an election. For example, if Candidate A wins an election with 55 percent of the vote and Candidate B, the second-place finisher, wins 45 percent of the vote, the winner's margin of victory is 10 percent.
The greatest margin of victory in a college basketball championship game was 30 points, when the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, slaughtered Duke 103-73 in 1990. Category Howto & Style The Wisconsin Badgers will look to bounce from their loss to the Michigan Wolverines when play host to the Buckeyes. Ohio State is by far the toughest task to date to any team and oddmakers at ... A straight can be made on the money line, where you are betting on winning the game, the spread, where you are betting on the margin of victory. Or the total, where you are betting on the combined ... Former Bush-Cheney Presidential Campaign Advisor Terry Holt and Goodstein & Associates Partner Richard Goodstein on the 2016 presidential race. By buying a half point to make the spread -2.5, you get slightly worse odds but a way bigger chance of winning since the most likely margin of victory for the Colts is three points.
