Is it really a disadvantage to panic grab at an elite level?

[homerwannabee]

OK, after seeing Wes' game, and even hearing him talk about how it doesn't really make a lot of sense NOT to panic grab, I am starting to wonder if this is a bad method?  I mean Wes did get 1,218,000 panic grabbing every single barrel board.  He also had the highest average level 5+ score as well.  Granted he had his RNP game of the year happen at the same time he went off, and had his best playing game of the year as well.

Still it makes me wonder if it really makes sense to NOT panic grab if you are going to lose two or three men by doing that during a game.  Do all those points gained by doing something like that make up for the 25,000 or so points lost from sacking men?

[Xermon54]

I think that you can get a higher barrel average by NOT panic grabbing. However, NOT panic grabbing adds a lot of risks, therefore you will most likely lose 1 more man on a full game by not panic grabbing, which means you will get better deaths WITH panic grabbing by sacing this hypothetical extra sac man.

Also, the least deaths someone has, the higher probabilities he has to getting to the end, therefore having more opportunities to finish games, and more opportunities to finish game = more opportunities to get good average luck.

This is the best maths I've done in a while 

Therefore, I am now a panic grabber believer.

[danman123456]

I've thought about this a long time George. I honestly think panic grabbing is a better strategy overall. You can still get "screwed" if the fireball goes right back down or zooms up the left ladder but overall i think more chances to get up top and group more than offset the points you "lose" by waiting to get that hammer. Too many bad things can happen once that fireball comes up. IF it gets above you and you spend your time not trying to die you just lose so many points in the process. Plus getting maybe 3 - 6  more bottom smashes more just isnt worth it. Another 1200 points is super easy to lose and the gain is so much more if you start grouping and the fireballs don't bother coming up anyway. Over the course of the game im starting to think its definitely better for you overall. Sure if you had the PERFECT RNG game where you didnt panic grab and every single fireball cooperated it would cost you a lot of points but that just isnt how DK goes.