The basic command is the "tips" command. After clicking on tips, a form will appear requesting your username, password, and the round number. Complete the boxes and then submit these details by clicking on "enter". A new form will appear listing the games for the nominated round. Click on the buttons to make your selection and then select "enter". Make tips for future rounds by changing the "Round" number.
You will need a username and password which only I can provide for security reasons. To try out the system use "test" as the username and "test" as the password.
You can change your selections as often as you like, up until the appointed closing time. (The permission to write to the file is turned off at the appointed closing time.)
If you fail to tip, usually by 7.00 pm Friday, then you will receive the tips of our resident "expert", the RAT (aka RAndom Tipper). This is a set of random, computer generated tips.
The football pools system has several other options: "tipsters", "results", "average", "tip ratio", "tips from last round", and "ladder".
The "tipsters" button prints a summary of how all of the tipsters have gone for the most recent ten weeks of the season. The tipsters are sorted on aggregate score, then on surname.
The "results" button lets you check past form by printing a list of matches and scores for a previous round. It is always invoked by giving the name of the round you are interested in.
The "average" button lists the mathematical average tippers score for the round. The last ten round averages are recorded. Those who do not tip, and the RAT's tips, are not included in the calculations.
The "tips from the last round" button lists everyone's tips from the previous round. These tips are available for the "current" round, once the tips have closed, usually 7 pm Friday night. The idea is that you cannot see anyone else's tips until the tips have closed for the particular round. Future round tips are not available.
The "tip ratio" button lists the mathematical percentage of tippers who selected a particular team one game over another. For example, Collingwood (65%) vs Carlton (35%), would mean that 65% of the tippers selected Collingwood to defeat Carlton. Draws are accounted for. People who fail to tip are not included in the calculations. Tip ratios are similarly only available once the tips have closed.
The "ladder" button lists the current AFL league ladder.
Created: 12 May 1996 Last Modified: 7th March 2002