Quote Originally Posted by kynan View Post
You will only win the round if you are the only bidder in it though Jim. It doesn't matter if you bid one second into the round or one second to the end of it - the only way you win is if you are the last bidder.

If you are bidding in the last seconds in hope of winning after the next round (as in bidding at the end of round 2 and hoping no one bids in round 3 so you can win) then fine, but if you are willing to go another round then get the bid in early.

Also, you say many won't be interested in a long auction if the player isn't unique - another reason to bid early. If you bid late and so does someone else then it goes to another round. If you bid early and the other person isn't really that keen they might not bother bidding again - saving you another round of bids.

The only time it is wise to bid late in a round is if its either your last token, or you have decided you don't wish to bid anymore. I've seen it several times where there are 2 or 3 late bidders per round - which is stupid as they late bid EVERY round. Therefore to make sure you get the player you have to late bid in your winning round again anyway to make sure you get the player!
Thanks for your help. Do you set yourself a limit on spent tokens? I tried your strategy and just lost 20 tokens, because a maniac always outbids me, then I still lost.