Playing your Total Value portfolio By Eric (The Great Northern) This article is being written with the newer Jockstock players in mind, although its advice can obviously be used by the more veteran members of the community as well. The "TV" acronym stands for -- "Total Value". While prizes are not a part of the TV competition, it is in fact the only portfolio in your account that is never reset, and which will constantly grow in value. Think of it as a monthly-quarterly-yearly competition, without an end-date. You start your TV port off with $100,000. The object of course, is to have it increase in value as rapidly as possible, in order to rise in the TV leaderboard standings. This is done by "day-trading", which is the buying and selling of the best performing sports stocks, on a daily basis. An important thing to remember is that you cannot simply put all your money in one stock. The most you are allowed to invest in any one stock is either 10,000 shares, or a dollar amount equal to 10% of your port value -- whichever is less. With the aforementioned rule in mind, your nightly purchases - for at least the first 3 to 5 weeks - will be limited to 10 player-stocks. Now having said that, you can purchase fewer shares in a greater number of stocks, but keep in mind that your objective is to invest as much of your cash as possible in those players who perform the best in their game each night. Every morning at 9 A.M., those in-season stocks who played the night before will receive a dividend, based on their performance versus their "projections" (how they were expected to perform). Generally speaking, a player who is projected to either score a lot of goals, or hit a lot of homeruns, will receive a dividend that is smaller than another player whose projections (expectations), are lower. The more rare, the more valuable. The same rule applies to the other sports as well. Another way in which a stock increases in value, is by what is known as "moo". The term is short for (price) "movement". As more and more people purchase a stock, it's price rises upwards. Coversely, when more and more people sell a stock, you get what is known as "anti-moo" -- the downward price movement of a stock. In order to see your TV port increase in value at the maximum rate, you should attempt to hold those daily stocks with both the greatest moo, and highest dividend payout rate. While you are day-trading, be careful to sell your stocks within the "window". This is a period of time between 9 A.M. and 12 noon, in which you receive the highest price for the stock after its divi payout, regardless of its current price. If you sell after the window period is closed, you get the current price, which will include its drop in share value from the daily sell-off. One other important facet of the TV game, are "splits". Simply put, as a stock continues to rise in value, it may eventually hit the $1000 mark. At this point it is split 10:1, and you will be holding 100,000 shares at $100 per share, instead of the previous 10,000 shares at $1000 per share. In either case you will still be holding the same dollar value ($10 million). But there is one important difference about splits: As the price splits and continues to rise afterwards, it will allow you to hold a greater dollar amount in said stock, and consequently receive a higher dividend payout, dollar-wise. Conversely, someone who sells off a stock that splits, must revert back to holding only the 10,000 share limit... with a lesser dollar value to base the dividend payout on. Generally speaking, a newer player should probably avoid investing his money in splits until his/her TV port reaches a value of $100 million. The reason I am suggesting this is because you need to invest your cash on hand in all possible dividend paying stocks on a daily basis, in order to rise quickly. When you buy and hold a split-stock, there will obviously be some nights where said player is not playing, and thus you would not receive a dividend for him the following morning. There are two ways to gain in the TV leaderboard standings: Number one is to day-trade as much as possible, knowing that not everyone in front of you is doing so; and, Number two, is to hang onto your splits once you can afford to buy them -- again, because many in front of you may be selling off theirs, and come each subsequent dividend payout your portfolio will receive more dollars. That last point is important to remember: Unless a player retires, or is hurt and out for the season, try to avoid the urge to sell-off a split. Holding an active split will pay-off handsomely in the long run. Finally.... have fun. Don't worry about those ports on page one. Compete against yourself and those who are around you in the standings. Given enough time you will raise in the ranks, and make a lot of great friends along the way. That's what this game is all about. And don't be afraid to ask questions of either myself or any of the other members. Questions about this article? Send a private message to the author.