Do pub quizzes help prepare?

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lbligh
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Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by lbligh »

I have never been to a pub quiz, but they sound like fun. Do you-all think they are helpful for Jeopardy or are they an end in themselves?
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boson
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Re: Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by boson »

I'm sure some pub quizzes help to prepare - all trivia does to some extent - but most that I've been to are pretty far removed from Jeopardy. Go to have a drink or two with friends, laugh at the questions, and complain about other people cheating.
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Blue Lion
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Re: Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by Blue Lion »

The pub quizzes I've taken part in--including events hosted by a local public library--have a much higher proportion of pop culture questions than Jeopardy.

Years ago, some local bars offered Buzztime trivia (formerly known as Countdown). That game offered a more Jeopardy-like mix of questions. One of the bars where I played gave a free pint of beer to anyone who finished first in the bar with a score of 12,000 or higher (out of 15,000). Free beer is my favorite brand.
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Re: Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by triviawayne »

Blue Lion wrote:The pub quizzes I've taken part in--including events hosted by a local public library--have a much higher proportion of pop culture questions than Jeopardy.

Years ago, some local bars offered Buzztime trivia (formerly known as Countdown). That game offered a more Jeopardy-like mix of questions. One of the bars where I played gave a free pint of beer to anyone who finished first in the bar with a score of 12,000 or higher (out of 15,000). Free beer is my favorite brand.
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Re: Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by Blue Lion »

triviawayne wrote:Formerly known as NTN.
I stand corrected. Countdown was NTN's flagship game. I occasionally played Showdown, which took place on Tuesday evening. It consisted of six themed rounds, followed by a final question on which players could wager up to half their point total.
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Re: Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by Golf »

Blue Lion wrote:
triviawayne wrote:Formerly known as NTN.
I stand corrected. Countdown was NTN's flagship game. I occasionally played Showdown, which took place on Tuesday evening. It consisted of six themed rounds, followed by a final question on which players could wager up to half their point total.
OK, let's get it right once and for all.

Showdown is NTN/Buzztime's flagship trivia game played on Tuesday night. Originally 90 minutes long, now 60 minutes. It consists of 5 slightly differing format rounds consisting of general trivia questions skewed heavily towards the classics. Then a final question where you can wager up to half your points.

Countdown is Buzztime's most popular game played in a 15 question 30 minute format again with general trivia questions. But these questions are much easier and contains more pop culture.

If you want to get right down to it, NTN's flagship game was QB1 which had nothing to do with trivia.

Started playing NTN in 1992 and it was the reason I got as deep into trivia as I am. Have been a member of one of the top Showdown teams on the network since 1993 and still play almost every Tuesday night.

But back to the original question, almost all pub trivia sucks. It's fun for something to do on occasion with friends, but offers little preparation for Jeopardy or other quiz based shows. NTN/Buzztime is decent for trivia facts pertaining to Jeopardy, but it's biggest advantage is actually pressing a button quickly to score points and the competition both locally and nationally. Nothing better than walking into an Buzztime location and have every player hating your guts after a game or two!

Free beer for only 12k winning a game in bar? Don't tell anybody where that place is/was! :D :?
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Re: Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by goatman »

Pub trivia IMHO is almost entirely worthless for J prep. The hours wasted in sitting in bars yakking up late and guzzling suds would be far better spent reading Game Show Trivia.tv as the kind of clues read in pubs are entirely lifestyle, pop music, television and sports. Never encountered any opera, classical composers, significant literature, world geography or history in pubs. Occasionally I have seen decent clues on elements, famous names, foods and of course, potent potables. All of which are found on the lists at above links. Pub trivia is a casual social activity. Study for J is an intense exercise involving rote repetition and recall.

Fun clues I pulled out of pubs include:

This element is named from the Greek for 'lead' because it resembles lead, although it's only atomic number 42:
Spoiler
This smallest cetacean is critically endangered:
Spoiler
Henry Kissinger's favorite board game was this:
Spoiler
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Re: Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by ElendilPickle »

Pub trivia IMHO is almost entirely worthless for J prep. The hours wasted in sitting in bars yakking up late and guzzling suds would be far better spent reading Game Show Trivia.tv as the kind of clues read in pubs are entirely lifestyle, pop music, television and sports. Never encountered any opera, classical composers, significant literature, world geography or history in pubs.
I guess you've never played Geeks Who Drink, which, though it is pretty heavy on pop culture, covers all the above categories with some regularity.

Keep in mind, too, that questions about lifestyle, pop music, TV, and sports also appear on Jeopardy.
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Re: Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by Johnblue »

I play pub trivia every Tuesday night that I'm in town & my team of 4 wins $50 each week. We seem to get quite a few geography & sports questions.
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Re: Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by IronNeck »

It's a fun social activity which is also great for meeting people.

However, even if there is some carryover to Jeopardy, an hour of targeted study at home is always going to beat a few hours of random trivia that may or may not ever appear on the show.
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Re: Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by Woof »

I am good at trivia because I have insatiable curiosity and a very good memory for facts. Pub trivia sometimes peresents me with new facts to remember and, since my biggest weakness is pop culture, they serve to fill gaps in my knowledge.
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Re: Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by ElendilPickle »

Woof wrote:I am good at trivia because I have insatiable curiosity and a very good memory for facts. Pub trivia sometimes peresents me with new facts to remember and, since my biggest weakness is pop culture, they serve to fill gaps in my knowledge.
:::noting "biggest weakness is pop culture" for LL 72:::
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Woof
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Re: Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by Woof »

ElendilPickle wrote:
Woof wrote:I am good at trivia because I have insatiable curiosity and a very good memory for facts. Pub trivia sometimes peresents me with new facts to remember and, since my biggest weakness is pop culture, they serve to fill gaps in my knowledge.
:::noting "biggest weakness is pop culture" for LL 72:::
Well, it's not as if my LL stats don't tell the same sad tale, Lee Ann. ;)
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ElendilPickle
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Re: Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by ElendilPickle »

Woof wrote:
ElendilPickle wrote:
Woof wrote:I am good at trivia because I have insatiable curiosity and a very good memory for facts. Pub trivia sometimes peresents me with new facts to remember and, since my biggest weakness is pop culture, they serve to fill gaps in my knowledge.
:::noting "biggest weakness is pop culture" for LL 72:::
Well, it's not as if my LL stats don't tell the same sad tale, Lee Ann. ;)
Just like my LL math stats...
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Re: Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by ihavejeoprosy »

Id say they are helpful, depending on the questions. While there are some quizzes with silly questions, there are a lot like geeks who drink that blend harder knowledge with pop culture and other less serious stuff.
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Re: Do pub quizzes help prepare?

Post by Johnblue »

I've won 5 weeks in a row. The questions have been fairly easy but they cover a broad spectrum of topics. Out of 18 questions this week, 4 were sports.
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