Its been a while since I have posted, and I apologize for that. I had some issues to sort through in game, and now that we seem to be making some headway there, I think its time to start going through this more.

Today’s tip is all about pack odds, and how to understand what those mean. Now that Topps has taken to separating out the inserts, its best to understand the way that is going to work when buying packs.

One thing to clarify here – the pack odds are overall, not just for you personally. So if an insert is labeled as 1 in 20 packs, it means that for all the people opening, its 1 of those cards for every 20 packs opened by the population. That means its in your best interest to open when there are a lot of people going at once. Remember the Cinco de Mayo packs for 555 coins? They were loaded because so many people were buying them to suck up the odds.

In reference for the percentages, it looks like the packs are done at a seeding rate. Meaning, that for all packs being opened at once, X% of the cards delivered will have a SR and so on and so forth. One thing that has not been made clear is whether or not the percentages include the inserts themselves. Basically, the seeding could be different for inserts. At the moment 6% chance of getting a SR seems to be the going rate, and if the rate drops below that, its probably better to buy one with higher odds.

Additionally, its good to set yourself up for success, and try to play the odds in your favor. Nothing is fool proof, but its a great idea to follow the basic instructions Topps has given you in the store for each pack. If you dont know what is in a brand new pack – check the news feed article comments. Most likely, people will be talking about what they pull.

Think about it this way – the more coins you spend the more you should get in the pack. Just because a pack promises 40 cards, doesnt necessarily mean you should buy it. Try to get at least something of note when spending more than 5000 per pack. Keep in mind that there were packs offering 3 golds for 7500 back at the beginning of the year, and I thought that was a damn good deal.

Wisely approach your purchases with what you can get out of that pack. If you KNOW no one is opening along side you (its 3am!), its better to understand that the odds COULD be longer.

I have said since the beginning that its more important to build a collection before going fishing for inserts, but I understand it can be very tempting. At least when you play in the casino, its good to know how likely it is that you will win.