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Playing Words With Karl Alzner

Photo by Alena Schwarz

A couple months ago, Karl Alzner Tweeted that he had started playing Words With Friends and included his username (kalzner) UPDATE: It’s Karlzner now). Caps Outsider had a one-on-one with him about his spelling skills.

Capitals Outsider: How did you get started playing?

Karl Alzner: “I started playing last year when I got an iPhone and Brooks Laich played quite a bit, and DJ King played. I had played scrabble on my iPad before and I figured it was pretty much the same thing, so I started playing.”

CO: Why did you advertise it on Twitter?

KA: “It was because I was bored. I wanted something to do on my phone, and I figured this way I’d always have a game going at least that I could play. I’ve played probably, I don’t even know, maybe 150 games since then. So it’s definitely kept me busy.”

CO: How often do you get around to playing?

KA: “I try to play at least once a day. I don’t always get to every person on my thing cause I have probably 30 games going, so I might get to 10 of them, but I try to play every day. In the morning when I brush my teeth, I always sit on the bathtub and while I’m brushing I try to throw a few words out there before I go to bed. I always play around 2 [p.m.] on game days cause it’s right before I take my nap. I try get on every day, but I don’t always get through all my games.”

CO: What’s your record?

KA: “I have no idea. I’m probably close to 50/50. The problem is, with having so many games going, sometimes I just put a word out there just so I can get on to the next game and I don’t always get enough out of it, so I’ve been beat quite a few times pretty bad. But I’ve also handed out a few beatings myself. It’s probably about 50/50, though.”

CO: Do you regret sending out your username?

KA: “Not at all. I like doing it. I like that you can send a personal message on there so people can say, ‘hi’ and all that kind of stuff. It’s just nice to play. I don’t regret it at all.”

CO: Are you constantly getting requests?

KA: “Yeah, I get all these messages with people like, ‘I can’t get through, I can’t get a game going.’ Some people I’ve played probably five, six times in a row, so once I’ve realized that and people are asking to get in, I just kind of resign those games and let someone else play.”

CO: Do you think it’s mentally stimulating and helps keep your mind going?

KA: “Exactly. It’s one of the main reasons why I play. It’s just something else I can do. I don’t do any sort of schooling or anything like that, I watch a whole lot of TV, so this is at least where I can try to use my vocabulary and do something to make my brain work.”

CO: Who do you think is the best player on the team?

KA: “I think Brooksy is probably best; him or Halpy are really good, of the guys I’ve played against. I’ve played Brouwer. He’s not bad. Me and him are pretty close to each other, but I’d say Brooksy and Halpern are the two best.”

CO: Is it hard filtering invitations from other people vs. invitations from teammates?

KA: “Well, if one of the guys wants to play, then I always will resign a game so I can get one of them in, just because it’s more fun; I get to chirp them and stuff, and vice versa. But there’s only a few guys that are playing so it’s not too hard.”

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