Hi! I'm still here.
I haven't been writing because playing poker in Reno isn't very interesting to me these days. I'm keeping the blog open for the information in it, and just in case I have something to write about.
Well, something happened last Sunday that got me to sit down and type.
Grand Sierra started their Fall Pot Of Gold tournament series on Thursday, and it goes through today. However, it was announced on last Sunday that the series has been cancelled after four days. The reason was due to excessive overlays for the guaranteed events.
The big $100k weekend event, which had five starting heats, had a $30k overlay. The tournaments that I played included a $10k Omaha-8, a $10k HORSE, and a $15k NLHE. They all missed their guarantees by a decent amount. I would estimate that GSR had to pay around $40k in overlays for all event over the first four days. Due to gaming regulations, management's only choices were to continue the series or cancel the whole thing. And with a $200k Main Event and various other smaller guarantees, it's not that surprising that they pulled the plug.
Showing posts with label RantsRaves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RantsRaves. Show all posts
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Rants & Raves: The All-In Muck
(Updated 10/02)
Last week, ESPN's WSOP coverage showed the most controversial hand of the Main Event. Here is the Poker News entry in their Live Reporting of the Main Event:
Last week, ESPN's WSOP coverage showed the most controversial hand of the Main Event. Here is the Poker News entry in their Live Reporting of the Main Event:
Gaelle Baumann opened for a min-raise to 60,000 from under the gun, and the action folded to Andras Koroknai, who moved all in for what looked like 2 million from the small blind. Gavin Smith folded from the big blind, and thinking that the action was completed, Koroknai mucked his hand.
When he realized his mistake, he pulled back one of his cards, but the other was irretrievable. A floorperson was called to the table, and the dealer explained what had happened. Tournament Director Dennis Jones was called over to make the ruling, and upon hearing the story, he stood silently for half a minute.
When he realized his mistake, he pulled back one of his cards, but the other was irretrievable. A floorperson was called to the table, and the dealer explained what had happened. Tournament Director Dennis Jones was called over to make the ruling, and upon hearing the story, he stood silently for half a minute.
Smith, who was standing next to him, began laughing at the difficulty of the decision.
After a moment for thought, Jones informed the table that Koroknai would have to forfeit 60,000 chips to Baumann, but that he wouldn't be eliminated completely.
"Really?" Smith blurted.
Baumann was also confused with the ruling, so Jones pulled out his iPhone and called Vice President of the World Series of Poker Jack Effel. After a two-minute conversation, Jones hung up, and announced to the table that the original ruling would stand.
"You're not losing your tournament life," Jones told Koroknai.
In Jones' explanation to the table, he cited the "integrity of the tournament" as the major factor in the decision.
According to Smith, Baumann showed two kings.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Rants & Raves: Poker Promotions
A few weeks ago, I went up to Grand Sierra on a Wednesday night for their 6:30 tournament. Only two of us showed up, so I sat down to play some $1/$2. The game only had a couple of players, so the Floor named Jason was playing in the game as a Prop. The hand before I started, the Floor hit a Royal Flush and collected a High Hand Bonus of around $230.
Last week, the Peppermill had a promotion going for the 1-year anniversary of their new poker room. They did a drawing every two hours for $500 or $1000, and you earn tickets with hours played in Live Games. I rarely play Live Games, so I didn't even know about the promotion. I busted out of the tournament early, so I sat down in the $4/$8 Limit game that just opened. Naturally, my name didn't get called, but a Peppermill Dealer named Iva got called twice in a row, and won $1500.
In both of these stories, an employee of the poker room won a promotion bonus. And I have a problem with this.
Last week, the Peppermill had a promotion going for the 1-year anniversary of their new poker room. They did a drawing every two hours for $500 or $1000, and you earn tickets with hours played in Live Games. I rarely play Live Games, so I didn't even know about the promotion. I busted out of the tournament early, so I sat down in the $4/$8 Limit game that just opened. Naturally, my name didn't get called, but a Peppermill Dealer named Iva got called twice in a row, and won $1500.
In both of these stories, an employee of the poker room won a promotion bonus. And I have a problem with this.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Rants & Raves: The Bubble Save
One night last week at the Peppermill, I played $15/$30 Limit instead of the $45 donkament. (+$177 2.5 hrs, in case you were wondering). The Peppermill is adding $300 to some of their tournaments, so this one had a good crowd of 41 players. But for some bizarre reason, they paid out nine spots for a 41 player field.
I say this because the Final Table for the donkament was right behind my table, which started out with ten players. As soon as everyone sat down, most of the players wanted to do a Bubble Save, which is giving the 10th place their buy-in back by adjusting the payouts. There was one girl at the table who had a decent stack, and said "No". She said it was bad enough they were paying nine players in a 41 player tournament, and paying one more would be stupid. Others jumped all over here, saying it wasn't fair that one of them wouldn't get any money, and she was being greedy. Eventually, the TD came over, and stopped the Bubble Save talk.
I've mentioned in the past that I don't do Bubble Saves anymore, so I've been in her position before, as old geezers have jumped all over me for being greedy. I would have said, "I vote that we pay five players, as that's what a 41 player tournament should play."
I say this because the Final Table for the donkament was right behind my table, which started out with ten players. As soon as everyone sat down, most of the players wanted to do a Bubble Save, which is giving the 10th place their buy-in back by adjusting the payouts. There was one girl at the table who had a decent stack, and said "No". She said it was bad enough they were paying nine players in a 41 player tournament, and paying one more would be stupid. Others jumped all over here, saying it wasn't fair that one of them wouldn't get any money, and she was being greedy. Eventually, the TD came over, and stopped the Bubble Save talk.
I've mentioned in the past that I don't do Bubble Saves anymore, so I've been in her position before, as old geezers have jumped all over me for being greedy. I would have said, "I vote that we pay five players, as that's what a 41 player tournament should play."
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Rants & Raves: The Future Of Online Poker
With all of the drama-bombs in the online poker world this year, nobody knows what will the future of online poker will be. Here's my opinion on various aspects of the I-Poker topic.
On the Federal level, there are various "experts", including the PPA, who think there is a better than 50% chance of an online poker bill being passed in 2012. Well, I think that number is much closer to 0% for this year due to two reasons. First, the big 2012 Election is looking like it will be rather bloody for many incumbents, so they will want to stay away from anything controversial. Also, Congress is bogged down in the worst gridlock I've ever seen, and aren't capable of passing anything.
So 2013 looks to be the most promising year for federal legislation, but a lot of that depends on what happens in the election. If we get a super conservative President, then you can kiss goodbye any chance of I-Poker passing. It will also depend on which party controls which House of Congress, and who is a leadership position.
On the Federal level, there are various "experts", including the PPA, who think there is a better than 50% chance of an online poker bill being passed in 2012. Well, I think that number is much closer to 0% for this year due to two reasons. First, the big 2012 Election is looking like it will be rather bloody for many incumbents, so they will want to stay away from anything controversial. Also, Congress is bogged down in the worst gridlock I've ever seen, and aren't capable of passing anything.
So 2013 looks to be the most promising year for federal legislation, but a lot of that depends on what happens in the election. If we get a super conservative President, then you can kiss goodbye any chance of I-Poker passing. It will also depend on which party controls which House of Congress, and who is a leadership position.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Rants & Raves: Why I Will Never Play At Eldorado Again
I've never played much at Eldorado for a couple of reasons. Going downtown is a bit of a pain for me, as well as their parking garage being so far away from the poker room. I've also had trouble getting a seat, and it was not uncommon for me to simply leave and go to other room.
I have blogged about some previous issues with the Eldorado. In How Much Tolerance Do You Give A Drunk?, the Dealers allowed some drunk kids to do whatever they wanted because one of the kids was a regular in the room. In Honoring Washington, Lincoln, and Jackson, they gave an open seat at their only $1/$2 table to one of their Dealers rather than a paying customer like me.
But the Final Straw for me was last week (Wednesday, Sept 7). I had a rare day at work when I got off at 5pm. I decided to head over to the Eldorado and play in their 6pm $55 tourney because I haven't play in that tourney for a long time.
The tourney had 15 players. It was the 4th level, 200/400, and our table had seven players. I was the BB in this hand. UTG folded. For whatever reason, UTG+1 paused, and went into thought. During the delay, the SB said Call, and tossed out a 500 chip, in addition to the 200 that was already in the pot. The Dealer told everyone to hold on, and the action was still on the UTG+1 player, who eventually raised to 1600. It folded around to the SB, and the Floor was called over by the Dealer. The situation about the SB acting out of turn was explained to the Floor, and the Floor gave his ruling.
In most poker rooms, there would be one of two rulings. Either the SB can pull his 200 call back because "action out of turn is not binding", or he has to leave the full 400 in the pot because "any money put into the pot must stay in the pot".
I said "most poker rooms" because the Floor of the Eldorado came up with a 3rd option. He said that the SB must call the full 1600 because the SB said "Call". At the start of the tourney, one of the rules that the Floor mentioned was, "Any action, physical or verbal, is binding whether it is in order or out of turn."
To me, this was one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. This goes against any logical set of poker rules, including the TDA and Robert's Rules of Poker. It's also a terrible rule because it punishes new/bad players, as they are the ones most likely to act out of turn. It also seems like a great way to angleshoot because you can act out of turn. Any rule that creates more angleshots than the rule eliminates is a terrible rule.
I wasn't the only one who was dumbfounded by this as the entire table reacted quite loudly to this ruling. We all said that it was bullshit, and asked various questions. Most of the Floor's answers were, "He shouldn't have acted out of turn." "He did say Call." "I said the rules at the start of the tournament."
This conversation between us and the Floor lasted for quite a few hands, and I ended up asking, "So if another player had moved All-In after the UTG+1 raised, then the SB would have had to call the All-In?"
"Yes, he said Call. Verbal is binding."
Now, this silliness is enough for me to never play a tournament there again, but unfortunately, it wasn't the end of sideshow by the Floor.
At the Final Table with about five players left, I was sitting in the 6 Seat. There was a Kid in the 8 Seat who pushed All-In. The noteworthy part of this hand was the Floor, who was sitting right behind the Kid. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Floor react surprisingly when the Kid pushed All-In. The Kid was called by another player, turned over K8s, and was eliminated.
This reaction by the Floor surprised me for two reasons. First, I'm not the most observant poker player, and I really don't see things like tells. So for me to have noticed the Floor's reaction, it means that the reaction was rather dramatic.
Second, what the fuck is the Floor doing looking at players' cards, let alone reacting to them? As it turns out, this wasn't the only time he did it. For the rest of the Final Table, he kept hovering around the table, peeking at players' cards, and making comments like "Give me some chips, and I'll show you guys how to play a Big Stack."
I kept my mouth shut during this pathetic display of professionalism, which wasn't easy for me. Fortunately, I was sitting against a wall, and he wasn't able to hover around me. If had tried to look at my cards, I would have gone postal on him, saying something like, "If you try that again, I will call the Nevada Gaming Commission on you." (I would do it, too).
As it turned out, I ended up finishing 2nd place for $202. (I had the chip lead heads-up, but lost a flip, A9 v QJ.) For the first time ever in Reno, I grabbed the $202 chips, and walked out of the poker room without leaving a tip.
The complete lack of professionalism of this place doesn't deserve a tip, and they will never get my business again until I hear about some major changes in how this room is run.
The manager of the poker room is Margie Heintz. I'm not sure I've ever seen her at the Eldorado, and I doubt I could pick her out of a crowd. She has been in the poker industry for a long time, and is very well respected. She was even inducted into The Women in Poker Hall of Fame earlier this month.
Unfortunately, I have to say something rather mean about her now.
Either she is unaware that her poker room is being run with a complete lack of professionalism, and therefore has no business running a poker room. Or she believes this is the proper way to run a poker room, and therefore has no business running a poker room in 2011.
I have blogged about some previous issues with the Eldorado. In How Much Tolerance Do You Give A Drunk?, the Dealers allowed some drunk kids to do whatever they wanted because one of the kids was a regular in the room. In Honoring Washington, Lincoln, and Jackson, they gave an open seat at their only $1/$2 table to one of their Dealers rather than a paying customer like me.
But the Final Straw for me was last week (Wednesday, Sept 7). I had a rare day at work when I got off at 5pm. I decided to head over to the Eldorado and play in their 6pm $55 tourney because I haven't play in that tourney for a long time.
The tourney had 15 players. It was the 4th level, 200/400, and our table had seven players. I was the BB in this hand. UTG folded. For whatever reason, UTG+1 paused, and went into thought. During the delay, the SB said Call, and tossed out a 500 chip, in addition to the 200 that was already in the pot. The Dealer told everyone to hold on, and the action was still on the UTG+1 player, who eventually raised to 1600. It folded around to the SB, and the Floor was called over by the Dealer. The situation about the SB acting out of turn was explained to the Floor, and the Floor gave his ruling.
In most poker rooms, there would be one of two rulings. Either the SB can pull his 200 call back because "action out of turn is not binding", or he has to leave the full 400 in the pot because "any money put into the pot must stay in the pot".
I said "most poker rooms" because the Floor of the Eldorado came up with a 3rd option. He said that the SB must call the full 1600 because the SB said "Call". At the start of the tourney, one of the rules that the Floor mentioned was, "Any action, physical or verbal, is binding whether it is in order or out of turn."
To me, this was one of the most ridiculous things I've ever heard. This goes against any logical set of poker rules, including the TDA and Robert's Rules of Poker. It's also a terrible rule because it punishes new/bad players, as they are the ones most likely to act out of turn. It also seems like a great way to angleshoot because you can act out of turn. Any rule that creates more angleshots than the rule eliminates is a terrible rule.
I wasn't the only one who was dumbfounded by this as the entire table reacted quite loudly to this ruling. We all said that it was bullshit, and asked various questions. Most of the Floor's answers were, "He shouldn't have acted out of turn." "He did say Call." "I said the rules at the start of the tournament."
This conversation between us and the Floor lasted for quite a few hands, and I ended up asking, "So if another player had moved All-In after the UTG+1 raised, then the SB would have had to call the All-In?"
"Yes, he said Call. Verbal is binding."
Now, this silliness is enough for me to never play a tournament there again, but unfortunately, it wasn't the end of sideshow by the Floor.
At the Final Table with about five players left, I was sitting in the 6 Seat. There was a Kid in the 8 Seat who pushed All-In. The noteworthy part of this hand was the Floor, who was sitting right behind the Kid. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Floor react surprisingly when the Kid pushed All-In. The Kid was called by another player, turned over K8s, and was eliminated.
This reaction by the Floor surprised me for two reasons. First, I'm not the most observant poker player, and I really don't see things like tells. So for me to have noticed the Floor's reaction, it means that the reaction was rather dramatic.
Second, what the fuck is the Floor doing looking at players' cards, let alone reacting to them? As it turns out, this wasn't the only time he did it. For the rest of the Final Table, he kept hovering around the table, peeking at players' cards, and making comments like "Give me some chips, and I'll show you guys how to play a Big Stack."
I kept my mouth shut during this pathetic display of professionalism, which wasn't easy for me. Fortunately, I was sitting against a wall, and he wasn't able to hover around me. If had tried to look at my cards, I would have gone postal on him, saying something like, "If you try that again, I will call the Nevada Gaming Commission on you." (I would do it, too).
As it turned out, I ended up finishing 2nd place for $202. (I had the chip lead heads-up, but lost a flip, A9 v QJ.) For the first time ever in Reno, I grabbed the $202 chips, and walked out of the poker room without leaving a tip.
The complete lack of professionalism of this place doesn't deserve a tip, and they will never get my business again until I hear about some major changes in how this room is run.
The manager of the poker room is Margie Heintz. I'm not sure I've ever seen her at the Eldorado, and I doubt I could pick her out of a crowd. She has been in the poker industry for a long time, and is very well respected. She was even inducted into The Women in Poker Hall of Fame earlier this month.
Unfortunately, I have to say something rather mean about her now.
Either she is unaware that her poker room is being run with a complete lack of professionalism, and therefore has no business running a poker room. Or she believes this is the proper way to run a poker room, and therefore has no business running a poker room in 2011.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Rants & Raves: Who's The Best Player?
It's common to ask the question, "Who's the best poker player?" People love to talk about it, and ask other players their opinions. Pros generally say that Phil Ivey is the best poker player. It's certainly hard to argue with that answer, given is results for tournaments and cash games over the last few years.
Others have given their opinions. ESPN has a feature called "The Nuts". Every month or two, they ask various members of the poker media who they feel are the best players, and then tallies the results into a Top 10. This is usually a list of whomever is doing the best in recent tournaments, and the current #1 player is Jason Mercier.
The newly formed Epic Poker League has created the Global Poker Index, which uses some NASA-size mathematical formulas to determine who's the best player. Right now, it's Bertrand 'Elky' Grospellier.
Poker magazines like Bluff and Card Player have various Player Of The Year rankings. Each POY ranking has a different player as #1, depending on what criteria they use.
This question isn't just for the Pros. My former Home Game group has the question "Who's the best player in the group?" pop up occasionally, and there was never a consensus as to who it was. Naturally, I was never in the discussion. (Oh, no. I'm not bitter.)
Personally, I find this whole conversation pointless. I think it's a stupid question for two reasons.
The first reason is one I've already written about. The term "Poker" covers many different games. Can anyone be the best player at every possible version of Poker? Can anyone be the very best player at Heads-Up Limit Hold'em, 6-max PLO, and tournament 7-Card Stud-8?
Of course not.
Certainly, a player can be very good at many different versions of Poker. Hell, I'm actually decent at many poker games, but I'm better at some of them simply because I play them more often. Well, it's the same thing with the Pros. No matter how good they are at all the games, they will run into trouble when they play against a specialists at a particular game. Larger cash games are usually a mix of many different games, so that a specialist can't have an advantage when playing his game.
The other reason that "Who's the Best Player?" is a stupid question is Variance. As many players know, Luck is Short-Term and Skill is Long-Term. Naturally, the obvious question is, how long is the Long-Term? Is it measured in months, years, or number of hands? Truthfully, nobody really knows because it's all a mathematical concept.
But what we do know is that Poker is a streaky game. I've been in Reno for ten months, and I've already had a few Hot Streaks and Cold Spells. It's a normal part of the game, especially if you're a tournament player. It's not uncommon for those streaks to last weeks, months, or even years.
A great example of this concept is Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi. In 2005, he had an insane tournament year, winning two WPT events and the WPT Player of The Year. And then he vanished. Well, not really vanished. He continued to play tournaments, but didn't have any news-worthy results. And then in 2010, he made four Final Tables in the WSOP, including 5th in the Main Event and 1st in the $50k Players' Championship.
Did he become a bad player, and then got better? Of course not; it's just the nature of Poker. Granted, it's more noticeable in tournament, but it still happens to all of us in cash games.
Others have given their opinions. ESPN has a feature called "The Nuts". Every month or two, they ask various members of the poker media who they feel are the best players, and then tallies the results into a Top 10. This is usually a list of whomever is doing the best in recent tournaments, and the current #1 player is Jason Mercier.
The newly formed Epic Poker League has created the Global Poker Index, which uses some NASA-size mathematical formulas to determine who's the best player. Right now, it's Bertrand 'Elky' Grospellier.
Poker magazines like Bluff and Card Player have various Player Of The Year rankings. Each POY ranking has a different player as #1, depending on what criteria they use.
This question isn't just for the Pros. My former Home Game group has the question "Who's the best player in the group?" pop up occasionally, and there was never a consensus as to who it was. Naturally, I was never in the discussion. (Oh, no. I'm not bitter.)
Personally, I find this whole conversation pointless. I think it's a stupid question for two reasons.
The first reason is one I've already written about. The term "Poker" covers many different games. Can anyone be the best player at every possible version of Poker? Can anyone be the very best player at Heads-Up Limit Hold'em, 6-max PLO, and tournament 7-Card Stud-8?
Of course not.
Certainly, a player can be very good at many different versions of Poker. Hell, I'm actually decent at many poker games, but I'm better at some of them simply because I play them more often. Well, it's the same thing with the Pros. No matter how good they are at all the games, they will run into trouble when they play against a specialists at a particular game. Larger cash games are usually a mix of many different games, so that a specialist can't have an advantage when playing his game.
The other reason that "Who's the Best Player?" is a stupid question is Variance. As many players know, Luck is Short-Term and Skill is Long-Term. Naturally, the obvious question is, how long is the Long-Term? Is it measured in months, years, or number of hands? Truthfully, nobody really knows because it's all a mathematical concept.
But what we do know is that Poker is a streaky game. I've been in Reno for ten months, and I've already had a few Hot Streaks and Cold Spells. It's a normal part of the game, especially if you're a tournament player. It's not uncommon for those streaks to last weeks, months, or even years.
A great example of this concept is Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi. In 2005, he had an insane tournament year, winning two WPT events and the WPT Player of The Year. And then he vanished. Well, not really vanished. He continued to play tournaments, but didn't have any news-worthy results. And then in 2010, he made four Final Tables in the WSOP, including 5th in the Main Event and 1st in the $50k Players' Championship.
Did he become a bad player, and then got better? Of course not; it's just the nature of Poker. Granted, it's more noticeable in tournament, but it still happens to all of us in cash games.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Rants & Raves: If I Ran A Poker Room - Cash Games (Part 2)
This concludes the "If I Ran A Poker Room" series. It covers some more Cash Game stuff, as well as some other things that I forgot to mention earlier.
Promos: Even though many players hate the $1 Promo Drop from each pot, Promos are a great way to get recreational players into the room.
The promos that I would run would depend on what the other room are doing. I would want to run different Promos then they're running, or at least in a different way. Some possibilities are High Hand Bonuses (either a fix amount or progressive), AA cracked, Splash Pot, drawings for stuff, freerolls like Beat The Boss, and the dreaded Bad Beat Jackpot. The promos would probably be rotated for different months to keep things fresh and new.
I know many player bitch, whine, and moan about the BBJ, but they can be a great way to fill up a room. In Detroit, when one of the BBJs hits $100k, the room is packed all day long, with 2-3 hour waiting lists. I think the best way to have a BBJ is to have two different ones. The first one is a smaller one that's easier to hit, and it may even be a fixed amount like the Atlantis has. The second BBJ would be much harder to hit (like Quad 6 beaten). That would make it much larger to entice the recreational players into the room in hopes of hitting the lottery.
As for the Promo Drop, it would be $1 at $10. Depending on how much we take in, there might be another $1 when the pot gets bigger, say $50 or $60.
Posting: For those who don't know what Posting is, it's when you first arrive at a table, and have to post a BB to see your first hand. You also have the option to sit out a few hands, and wait for the Blinds to come to you. The idea behind it is that your Blinds are what you're charged to play an orbit at the table. This is why most players leave the table to cashout right before they have to play the Blinds again.
Posting is not popular with players, as many players would rather just wait for the Blinds. As a player, I really don't care either way. I go to a room to play poker, and not sit there waiting for the BBJ to hit.
Most rooms in Reno don't make players post, except in bigger games (I don't know what the difference is). However, I'm constantly seeing players abuse this by sitting down a few hands before the Blinds come to them, and letting the Blinds pass them before they play a hand so they get a free orbit. (Have I ever mentioned that this town is full of Super Nits?)
I would make all new players post in my poker room. I feel that a player should pay to play an orbit.
Comps: This would obviously depend on my bosses, but the standard $1/hr is a good place to start. The one thing that I would do differently than most room is change the comp rate depending on the time and day. I would pay up to $2/hr during slow times, like Tuesday 10am, and as low as $0.50/hr during peek times, like Saturday 10pm. This is one way, along with other promos, to get players in to the room during traditionally slower times.
Tournament players should also receive comps for playing in a tournament, even if it's just a small amount. The amount of the comp would depend on either the tournament buy-in, or the amount that goes to the house.
Website: It is amazing that most casinos have no clue that we are in the 21st century. Just look at their websites. They are all just giant billboards on the Information Superhighway. Website can be used for so much more information, like telling you what games are running (Borgata or Wynn), or even just tell you what the Bad Beat Jackpot is at today (Hollywood). EDIT: The Peppermill has added a page to it's website that has all their Lists.
Cards & Chips: The cards would be Jumbo Index because they are easier to see from the other side of the table. I've only seen one poker room use these (Turning Stone), and I don't understand why others don't use them. We used them in our Home Games back in Cleveland, and they were wonderful.
The chips would be almost anything but Paulsons, which is the most common chip used by casinos (the ones with the top hat and cane). They are wonderful for stacking, and do hold up very well. However, they can't be washed due to the clay that they are made with. Anyone who plays in casinos regularly knows how disgusting the poker chips can be after a while. Chipco makes very good chips, and are very easy to keep clean.
Lessons: Poker lessons given out by the casinos seem like they are rare these days. I know that Mountaineer used to do it once or twice a week, but I'm not aware of any room in Reno that has them.
I'm not saying that my room would have them, but I would look into it. And maybe not just for Hold'em, but also for other games like Omaha-8.
Cell Phones: I know the old geezers won't like this, but cell phones should be allowed at the table. After all, it is the 21st Century. They can be used as long as you're not in a hand, causing a distraction, or slowing down the game. If you're having a conversation, it would be encouraged that you step away from the table in order to prevent a distraction.
All the conspiracy talk concerning cheating is just silly. If a player is talking about the hand, then everyone at the table can hear it. If a player is texting about the hand he's in, then he's breaking the rules about using the phone while in the hand. Plus, just how much information about the Hand can he text to someone else to get help from that person? However, Bluetooth headphones would be banned. If you want to be on the phone, then you need to blatantly be on the phone.
PokerPro: These are the electronic tables that have sprung up in various smaller poker rooms across the country, including the Silver Legacy here in Reno. Overall, they have been a dismal failure.
I actually like them, and think they have a lot of potential. I feel they have just been used in the wrong way. Most rooms that have the machines are smaller rooms. The manager just turns on the machines, offers something basic like $.50/$1 NL or $2/$4 Limit, and hopes that someone will want to play. This is the wrong approach to these tables.
The PokerPro machines have the best potential to be used for things that a regular Live table is not suited. Mixed games would be wonderful on these. Just think of the Hands Per Hour you could play in PLO rather than with a Live Dealer. Speed Poker (say 10-20 seconds per decision) would be easy to do on the PokerPro tables. Other potential games would include a 6-Max or Heads-Up since a Live Room would never spread these.
The other great potential is Tournaments, especially Sit-N-Gos. In a Live Room, Sit-N-Gos are horrible because the room doesn't want to tie up a Dealer. This isn't a problem with the PokerPro machines. Plus, the extra Hands Per Hour would make a 20-minutes per Level structure seem like 30 or 40 minutes per Level.
Promos: Even though many players hate the $1 Promo Drop from each pot, Promos are a great way to get recreational players into the room.
The promos that I would run would depend on what the other room are doing. I would want to run different Promos then they're running, or at least in a different way. Some possibilities are High Hand Bonuses (either a fix amount or progressive), AA cracked, Splash Pot, drawings for stuff, freerolls like Beat The Boss, and the dreaded Bad Beat Jackpot. The promos would probably be rotated for different months to keep things fresh and new.
I know many player bitch, whine, and moan about the BBJ, but they can be a great way to fill up a room. In Detroit, when one of the BBJs hits $100k, the room is packed all day long, with 2-3 hour waiting lists. I think the best way to have a BBJ is to have two different ones. The first one is a smaller one that's easier to hit, and it may even be a fixed amount like the Atlantis has. The second BBJ would be much harder to hit (like Quad 6 beaten). That would make it much larger to entice the recreational players into the room in hopes of hitting the lottery.
As for the Promo Drop, it would be $1 at $10. Depending on how much we take in, there might be another $1 when the pot gets bigger, say $50 or $60.
Posting: For those who don't know what Posting is, it's when you first arrive at a table, and have to post a BB to see your first hand. You also have the option to sit out a few hands, and wait for the Blinds to come to you. The idea behind it is that your Blinds are what you're charged to play an orbit at the table. This is why most players leave the table to cashout right before they have to play the Blinds again.
Posting is not popular with players, as many players would rather just wait for the Blinds. As a player, I really don't care either way. I go to a room to play poker, and not sit there waiting for the BBJ to hit.
Most rooms in Reno don't make players post, except in bigger games (I don't know what the difference is). However, I'm constantly seeing players abuse this by sitting down a few hands before the Blinds come to them, and letting the Blinds pass them before they play a hand so they get a free orbit. (Have I ever mentioned that this town is full of Super Nits?)
I would make all new players post in my poker room. I feel that a player should pay to play an orbit.
Comps: This would obviously depend on my bosses, but the standard $1/hr is a good place to start. The one thing that I would do differently than most room is change the comp rate depending on the time and day. I would pay up to $2/hr during slow times, like Tuesday 10am, and as low as $0.50/hr during peek times, like Saturday 10pm. This is one way, along with other promos, to get players in to the room during traditionally slower times.
Tournament players should also receive comps for playing in a tournament, even if it's just a small amount. The amount of the comp would depend on either the tournament buy-in, or the amount that goes to the house.
Website: It is amazing that most casinos have no clue that we are in the 21st century. Just look at their websites. They are all just giant billboards on the Information Superhighway. Website can be used for so much more information, like telling you what games are running (Borgata or Wynn), or even just tell you what the Bad Beat Jackpot is at today (Hollywood). EDIT: The Peppermill has added a page to it's website that has all their Lists.
Cards & Chips: The cards would be Jumbo Index because they are easier to see from the other side of the table. I've only seen one poker room use these (Turning Stone), and I don't understand why others don't use them. We used them in our Home Games back in Cleveland, and they were wonderful.
The chips would be almost anything but Paulsons, which is the most common chip used by casinos (the ones with the top hat and cane). They are wonderful for stacking, and do hold up very well. However, they can't be washed due to the clay that they are made with. Anyone who plays in casinos regularly knows how disgusting the poker chips can be after a while. Chipco makes very good chips, and are very easy to keep clean.
Lessons: Poker lessons given out by the casinos seem like they are rare these days. I know that Mountaineer used to do it once or twice a week, but I'm not aware of any room in Reno that has them.
I'm not saying that my room would have them, but I would look into it. And maybe not just for Hold'em, but also for other games like Omaha-8.
Cell Phones: I know the old geezers won't like this, but cell phones should be allowed at the table. After all, it is the 21st Century. They can be used as long as you're not in a hand, causing a distraction, or slowing down the game. If you're having a conversation, it would be encouraged that you step away from the table in order to prevent a distraction.
All the conspiracy talk concerning cheating is just silly. If a player is talking about the hand, then everyone at the table can hear it. If a player is texting about the hand he's in, then he's breaking the rules about using the phone while in the hand. Plus, just how much information about the Hand can he text to someone else to get help from that person? However, Bluetooth headphones would be banned. If you want to be on the phone, then you need to blatantly be on the phone.
PokerPro: These are the electronic tables that have sprung up in various smaller poker rooms across the country, including the Silver Legacy here in Reno. Overall, they have been a dismal failure.
I actually like them, and think they have a lot of potential. I feel they have just been used in the wrong way. Most rooms that have the machines are smaller rooms. The manager just turns on the machines, offers something basic like $.50/$1 NL or $2/$4 Limit, and hopes that someone will want to play. This is the wrong approach to these tables.
The PokerPro machines have the best potential to be used for things that a regular Live table is not suited. Mixed games would be wonderful on these. Just think of the Hands Per Hour you could play in PLO rather than with a Live Dealer. Speed Poker (say 10-20 seconds per decision) would be easy to do on the PokerPro tables. Other potential games would include a 6-Max or Heads-Up since a Live Room would never spread these.
The other great potential is Tournaments, especially Sit-N-Gos. In a Live Room, Sit-N-Gos are horrible because the room doesn't want to tie up a Dealer. This isn't a problem with the PokerPro machines. Plus, the extra Hands Per Hour would make a 20-minutes per Level structure seem like 30 or 40 minutes per Level.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Rants & Raves: If I Ran A Poker Room - Cash Games (Part I)
Game Structures: In my opinion, there are two important factors to consider when it comes to game structures. First is that all of your NL games need to have a cap on them except for your largest regular game. For example, if your room runs $5/$10 on weekends, then the $1/$3 and the $2/$5 should be capped. If players can buy into the $1/$3 game for $1000, then why would they want to play $2/$5 or $5/$10. This is the number one reason that larger NL games rarely run in Reno.
The second factor is that the games need to have some space between them, or they won't run because they're essentially the same game. Some examples are Mountaineer offers $2/$4 and $3/$6 Limit, but $3/$6 almost never runs because they are basically the same game. Some of the Reno rooms offer a $2/$3 NL ($5 to go) that never runs because it's the same as $3/$5. Conversely, the Peppermill had $2/$4 and $4/$8 Limit that ran every day because they're not the same game.
Having said all that, I would have the NL & PL games with the following structures: $1/$1 ($40-$100), $1/$3 ($100-$400), $2/$5 ($400-$800), and maybe $5/$10 ($800-$1500 or uncapped). For games like PLO, there might be some slight tweaks, like changing the $1/$3 to $2/$3 ($5 to go) in order to help with rounding off the size of the pot.
For Limit games, I would use three different levels, but there is some different ones to choose from. It could be $3/$6, $6/$12, and $10/$20. Or, if I wanted to have a larger spread, it could be $3/$6, $7.50/$15 (using the Pink $2.50 chips that many casino use for Blackjack), and $15/$30. As I have said before, there would need to be some trial and error to see what the customers want.
There would also be a Kill for all Limit games. It would probably be a Half Kill, but could be a Full Kill if the table requests it.
Game Types: Obviously, No-Limit Hold'em would be the main game, along with some Limit Hold'em. Naturally, I would want to try promoting other games. I have found the best way to do this is to schedule games on various nights. Atlantis has done a good job with this concept. On Mondays they have $3/$6 HORSE, on Fridays $5/$10 NL, and on Saturdays $1/$2 PLO-8.
Generally, these games would be on the small side to encourage players to try them out. If the game takes off, then that game might pop-up on different nights, or even a bigger game could happen on that same night.
Rake: I know this isn't a common practice, but I feel that larger games should pay more in rake than smaller games. I know as a player, it's evil for me to think about rake. But as someone running a room, business is business.
For example, the standard Reno rake is $3 or $4 (plus the promo drop). So I might do $3 at the $1/$1 game (with .50 cent pieces), $4 at the $1/$3 game, and $5 for the $2/$5 and higher games. If the $1/$1 isn't generating enough rake, then I may have an automatic $2 on the Flop, and the 3rd dollar after the pot hits $30.
Straddle: For NL games, there would be a NL Straddle for up to 5 BB (up to $15 at $1/$3, for example). This would only be for UTG. I know the Mississippi Straddle or Button Straddle is popular for some players, but I feel that straddling on the Button is just too strong, and creates an imbalance in the game.
Cash Plays: Cash would not play at any game. It's too easy to sneak into a pocket, and it's very easy to hide behind chips. I often see players trying to fold up the $100 bills, and hide the fact that they have any at all. Plus, it's really hard to judge just how many $100 bills a player has. As long as the casino has enough chips, there is no reason to have Cash on the table.
Also, larger chips should only be allowed in certain games. The Green $25 chips would only be allowed on $1/$3 or larger. The Black $100 chips would only be allowed on the $2/$5 or larger.
Normally in $2/$5 games, the White $1 chips don't count except in units of $5. I've never understood the point of this rule. Since White chips are on the table, then why not use them? Why can't the preflop raise be $17, rather than $15 or $20? If a room doesn't want the White chips to count, then make it a $5/$5 game.
The second factor is that the games need to have some space between them, or they won't run because they're essentially the same game. Some examples are Mountaineer offers $2/$4 and $3/$6 Limit, but $3/$6 almost never runs because they are basically the same game. Some of the Reno rooms offer a $2/$3 NL ($5 to go) that never runs because it's the same as $3/$5. Conversely, the Peppermill had $2/$4 and $4/$8 Limit that ran every day because they're not the same game.
Having said all that, I would have the NL & PL games with the following structures: $1/$1 ($40-$100), $1/$3 ($100-$400), $2/$5 ($400-$800), and maybe $5/$10 ($800-$1500 or uncapped). For games like PLO, there might be some slight tweaks, like changing the $1/$3 to $2/$3 ($5 to go) in order to help with rounding off the size of the pot.
For Limit games, I would use three different levels, but there is some different ones to choose from. It could be $3/$6, $6/$12, and $10/$20. Or, if I wanted to have a larger spread, it could be $3/$6, $7.50/$15 (using the Pink $2.50 chips that many casino use for Blackjack), and $15/$30. As I have said before, there would need to be some trial and error to see what the customers want.
There would also be a Kill for all Limit games. It would probably be a Half Kill, but could be a Full Kill if the table requests it.
Game Types: Obviously, No-Limit Hold'em would be the main game, along with some Limit Hold'em. Naturally, I would want to try promoting other games. I have found the best way to do this is to schedule games on various nights. Atlantis has done a good job with this concept. On Mondays they have $3/$6 HORSE, on Fridays $5/$10 NL, and on Saturdays $1/$2 PLO-8.
Generally, these games would be on the small side to encourage players to try them out. If the game takes off, then that game might pop-up on different nights, or even a bigger game could happen on that same night.
Rake: I know this isn't a common practice, but I feel that larger games should pay more in rake than smaller games. I know as a player, it's evil for me to think about rake. But as someone running a room, business is business.
For example, the standard Reno rake is $3 or $4 (plus the promo drop). So I might do $3 at the $1/$1 game (with .50 cent pieces), $4 at the $1/$3 game, and $5 for the $2/$5 and higher games. If the $1/$1 isn't generating enough rake, then I may have an automatic $2 on the Flop, and the 3rd dollar after the pot hits $30.
Straddle: For NL games, there would be a NL Straddle for up to 5 BB (up to $15 at $1/$3, for example). This would only be for UTG. I know the Mississippi Straddle or Button Straddle is popular for some players, but I feel that straddling on the Button is just too strong, and creates an imbalance in the game.
Cash Plays: Cash would not play at any game. It's too easy to sneak into a pocket, and it's very easy to hide behind chips. I often see players trying to fold up the $100 bills, and hide the fact that they have any at all. Plus, it's really hard to judge just how many $100 bills a player has. As long as the casino has enough chips, there is no reason to have Cash on the table.
Also, larger chips should only be allowed in certain games. The Green $25 chips would only be allowed on $1/$3 or larger. The Black $100 chips would only be allowed on the $2/$5 or larger.
Normally in $2/$5 games, the White $1 chips don't count except in units of $5. I've never understood the point of this rule. Since White chips are on the table, then why not use them? Why can't the preflop raise be $17, rather than $15 or $20? If a room doesn't want the White chips to count, then make it a $5/$5 game.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Rants & Raves: It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
There's an old saying, "Las Vegas is built on implosions." They tear down the old, and build something new. The Dunes was imploded, and the Bellagio was built in it's place. The Stardust was imploded, and the Echelon was built in it's place. (err, nevermind)
On Friday 04/15, the poker world had it's own implosion of the nuclear variety. The US Dept of Justice unsealed 11 indictments against individuals who are running the largest online poker sites that service American players. The charges involve running a online gambling site, and money laundering. The DOJ also started to shut down websites, confiscate IP address that they use, and freeze various bank accounts that sites use. The sites have cutoff Real Money games for US customers, and have stopped all cashouts until further notice.
The story will continue to develop over the next few days and weeks. I've heard that the DOJ wants to shut down Stars and Tilt worldwide. Although, I don't know how they can shut down international companies that are licensed and regulated in other countries. There are some small sites that I think are still open for business, like Cake and Bodog. I'm assuming they're next. There also may be more indictments in the future. None of Team Full Tilt were named, but it's widely assumed that they have some ownership of Full Tilt.
While this certainly was a bombshell, it wasn't a "Bolt from the Blue". The DOJ has been tracking the payment processors and freezing bank accounts for almost two years. Here are three stories about this. Story 1 - Story 2 - Story 3. It was assumed that the events on Friday could happen, but it was not very likely to ever happen.
So how does this affect me directly? Well, not at all. As I've mentioned before, I don't play online poker because it bores the crap out of me. I have around $400 between Stars and Cake, and I have opened up Stars once since I moved out to Reno six months ago. If I ever lost that money, I wouldn't have reloaded, so I'm certainly not worried about it now.
But the effect on other players is much more significant. Someone I played with last night said one of his buddies has $250k on Full Tilt (He played $200-$500 Heads-Up SNGs). Not only do thousands of players have thousands of dollars tied up on Stars and Tilt, but they now have to find some way to pay their bills.
So does this mean there will be a "Brick & Mortar" poker boom? Maybe. I could certainly see some single 21 yr olds moving to a casino town like Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or LA. But a Kid who's used to multi-tabling $5/$10 to $25/$50 6-max will have trouble adjusting to one full table of $2/$5 or $5/$10, and that's only if they have enough money offline to play that high.
One part of Live Poker that will be affected is the Tournament Trail, but I'm not sure how. Online tournament grinders are more likely to start visiting more tournament series. But players who were relying on money from Stars and Tilt don't have that safety net in the form of bonuses and buy-ins. They might not be able to afford playing in larger buy-in tournaments, so they might start playing more preliminary events and satellites, or even just going to smaller tournament series (Hello, H P T). Of course, they could always just move to Canada or Europe, and continue to grind online, even though there will be much less money to win without the US market.
One tournament that will certainly be affected is the WSOP Main Event. On Thursday, it was expected that this year's total would be over 7500 players. Today, I've been hearing wild guesses between 4000 - 5500, since players can't satellite in for just $5 anymore. If the attendance will drop that significantly, is it possible that the WSOP might consider cutting back the schedule of the Main Event to just two starting days? If they only get 4500 players, then why bother having four Day 1 and two Day 2?
Many other parts of the Poker World will be affected by what happened on Friday, mostly because Stars and Tilt were investing money in various forms of marketing. Most notable will be Poker on TV. The NAPT was to start airing on ESPN tomorrow night, and I don't know if that will happen now. High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark are currently running new shows, and The Big Game has already taped shows that were to start running in June. All of these are paid for by Stars and Tilt. How many of them will actually make it to air is anyone's guess.
Another aspect is the Poker Media, which gets a lot of revenue from poker sites. How many magazines / websites like Card Player and Bluff will be able to continue without that money? Poker podcasts like Ante-Up and The 2+2 Pokercast are sponsored by Stars, so will they still be around? Poker Road was barely hanging on before, and I don't expect them to last past the WSOP.
All other poker businesses will feel the effects, as well. What will happen to Card Runners, Dueces Cracked, and the other training sites? How about a staking business like Sheets & Bax? Yes, they do staking of live players, like WSOP champ Joe Cada, but a majority of their staking comes from online. If most of their money is tied up online, are they willing to increase their risk by staking more live players, or will they just call it quits?
However, after the implosion comes the rebuilding. And that's where Congress comes in to the picture. It's widely assumed that there will be Federal Regulation someday, but the question is When? Personally, I thought that nothing would happen until at least 2013 because of the Presidential Election in 2012. But if there is a super conservative President elected, then it may be much longer than that.
But with the events of this weekend, I'm curious to see if Congress will move sooner. If Congress does try to get things moving, then it will have to be this year because 2012 will be all about the Election. In order for something to happen this year, I would guess that there needs to be significant movement before Memorial Day.
Keep in mind, everything that I said and speculated about could change over the next few days, weeks, or months. Either way, I'm gonna sit back and watch the poker world change around me. It's gonna be a hell of a ride.
On Friday 04/15, the poker world had it's own implosion of the nuclear variety. The US Dept of Justice unsealed 11 indictments against individuals who are running the largest online poker sites that service American players. The charges involve running a online gambling site, and money laundering. The DOJ also started to shut down websites, confiscate IP address that they use, and freeze various bank accounts that sites use. The sites have cutoff Real Money games for US customers, and have stopped all cashouts until further notice.
The story will continue to develop over the next few days and weeks. I've heard that the DOJ wants to shut down Stars and Tilt worldwide. Although, I don't know how they can shut down international companies that are licensed and regulated in other countries. There are some small sites that I think are still open for business, like Cake and Bodog. I'm assuming they're next. There also may be more indictments in the future. None of Team Full Tilt were named, but it's widely assumed that they have some ownership of Full Tilt.
While this certainly was a bombshell, it wasn't a "Bolt from the Blue". The DOJ has been tracking the payment processors and freezing bank accounts for almost two years. Here are three stories about this. Story 1 - Story 2 - Story 3. It was assumed that the events on Friday could happen, but it was not very likely to ever happen.
So how does this affect me directly? Well, not at all. As I've mentioned before, I don't play online poker because it bores the crap out of me. I have around $400 between Stars and Cake, and I have opened up Stars once since I moved out to Reno six months ago. If I ever lost that money, I wouldn't have reloaded, so I'm certainly not worried about it now.
But the effect on other players is much more significant. Someone I played with last night said one of his buddies has $250k on Full Tilt (He played $200-$500 Heads-Up SNGs). Not only do thousands of players have thousands of dollars tied up on Stars and Tilt, but they now have to find some way to pay their bills.
So does this mean there will be a "Brick & Mortar" poker boom? Maybe. I could certainly see some single 21 yr olds moving to a casino town like Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or LA. But a Kid who's used to multi-tabling $5/$10 to $25/$50 6-max will have trouble adjusting to one full table of $2/$5 or $5/$10, and that's only if they have enough money offline to play that high.
One part of Live Poker that will be affected is the Tournament Trail, but I'm not sure how. Online tournament grinders are more likely to start visiting more tournament series. But players who were relying on money from Stars and Tilt don't have that safety net in the form of bonuses and buy-ins. They might not be able to afford playing in larger buy-in tournaments, so they might start playing more preliminary events and satellites, or even just going to smaller tournament series (Hello, H P T). Of course, they could always just move to Canada or Europe, and continue to grind online, even though there will be much less money to win without the US market.
One tournament that will certainly be affected is the WSOP Main Event. On Thursday, it was expected that this year's total would be over 7500 players. Today, I've been hearing wild guesses between 4000 - 5500, since players can't satellite in for just $5 anymore. If the attendance will drop that significantly, is it possible that the WSOP might consider cutting back the schedule of the Main Event to just two starting days? If they only get 4500 players, then why bother having four Day 1 and two Day 2?
Many other parts of the Poker World will be affected by what happened on Friday, mostly because Stars and Tilt were investing money in various forms of marketing. Most notable will be Poker on TV. The NAPT was to start airing on ESPN tomorrow night, and I don't know if that will happen now. High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark are currently running new shows, and The Big Game has already taped shows that were to start running in June. All of these are paid for by Stars and Tilt. How many of them will actually make it to air is anyone's guess.
Another aspect is the Poker Media, which gets a lot of revenue from poker sites. How many magazines / websites like Card Player and Bluff will be able to continue without that money? Poker podcasts like Ante-Up and The 2+2 Pokercast are sponsored by Stars, so will they still be around? Poker Road was barely hanging on before, and I don't expect them to last past the WSOP.
All other poker businesses will feel the effects, as well. What will happen to Card Runners, Dueces Cracked, and the other training sites? How about a staking business like Sheets & Bax? Yes, they do staking of live players, like WSOP champ Joe Cada, but a majority of their staking comes from online. If most of their money is tied up online, are they willing to increase their risk by staking more live players, or will they just call it quits?
However, after the implosion comes the rebuilding. And that's where Congress comes in to the picture. It's widely assumed that there will be Federal Regulation someday, but the question is When? Personally, I thought that nothing would happen until at least 2013 because of the Presidential Election in 2012. But if there is a super conservative President elected, then it may be much longer than that.
But with the events of this weekend, I'm curious to see if Congress will move sooner. If Congress does try to get things moving, then it will have to be this year because 2012 will be all about the Election. In order for something to happen this year, I would guess that there needs to be significant movement before Memorial Day.
Keep in mind, everything that I said and speculated about could change over the next few days, weeks, or months. Either way, I'm gonna sit back and watch the poker world change around me. It's gonna be a hell of a ride.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Rants & Raves: If I Ran A Poker Room - Tournaments
This is Part 2 of my "If I Ran A Poker Room" series, and it covers Tournaments. Everything I say in this post would be dependent on State Regulations, as well as "Supply & Demand" issues regarding the players and nearby casinos.
- Daily Tournaments are important to a Poker Room because they bring in players who don't play in Cash games. These are also good for newer players because they will only spend a fixed amount, and the tourneys only take a couple of hours.
There would be a robust schedule, with 3 - 4 each day. One in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening. I may even try a late night tourney on weekends.
Most of the tourneys would be NLHE, but there would be some variety. I would be actively pushing other games, so there would be at least one Limit Hold'em, Omaha-8, and PLO. Also some variety NLHE tourneys like a Bounty, a Rebuy, and a Cash Me Out.
The Buy-Ins would be in the $50 - $125 range. I would like to try at least one higher buy-in each week.
The structures would be on the quick side. I understand that some players hate these tournaments because they become Push-N-Pray so quickly, but that's how it must be. Obviously, the higher buy-in tournaments would have a better structure than the $50 tourneys.
The number of players paid will be (# of tables +1). For example, a one-table tournament will pay two spots, and a three-table tournament will pay four spots. The actual payouts will be flatter than most rooms. (60/40, 50/30/20, 45/30/17/8, 40/25/17/11/7, etc). Most rooms have top-heavy payouts to encourage players to chop and end the tournaments faster. But the players are probably gonna chop anyways, so why encourage it.
- Tournament Series are a great way to bring out-of-towners into your room, which also means they will be spending money in the casino and hotel.
The series would last a week or two, and would have a variety of tournaments. In addition to the tournaments that are run every week, there would also be a Main Event, a Shootout, a Heads-Up tournament, a 6-max, and Mixed Game tournaments like HORSE.
The payouts would be flat just like the daily tournaments, and we would payout 15% of the field. More players would get paid which makes the recreational players happy, and the winners will still get a large chuck of money.
The structures would be much better than the daily tournaments. After running a Home Game for three years, I understand how tournament structures work. I'm definitely a fan of the Matt Savage philosophy, which is "Less Chips, More Levels". There is no reason to ever start a NLHE tournament with more than 200 BB. By not starting with super deep chip stacks, it means that we can add levels later in the tournament when it's more important to have some play, rather than getting to the Push-N-Pray sooner.
Limit tournaments are a different story. Most casinos just take their NL structure, and covert it to a Limit tourney. These structures fail miserably because they have too many Big Bets in the beginning, and accelerate too quickly. The best way to structure a Limit tournament is to start with around 30 - 40 Big Bets, and have the level gradually increase. (For example, 6000 chips - 100/200, 125/250, 150/300, 200/400, 300/600...) I have never ran a Limit tournament, so all of this is theoretical based on my experience in playing Limit tournament. There would need to be some trial and error until I figure it out.
- Promotions are a useful tool to get recreational players in to the room. One of the promos that I see commonly around Reno is giving extra chips (up to 1000) for either playing in the Cash game, or showing a previous tournament receipt.
One thing that I would like to have is something that I've only seen in two poker rooms (Blue Chip & Showboat AC), a Bad Beat Jackpot (BBJ) for tournaments. It would be an extra $5 added to the buy-in, and it would be the same qualifications as the regular BBJ. The $5 would be split like this; $3 for the Main Jackpot, $1 for the Back-Up Jackpot, and $1 for other promotional stuff. The BBJ might be capped at a certain amount, like $25k. I know that the BBJ is a dirty word for some players. But recreational players love the BBJ, and good players love playing against recreational players.
Another promotions would be a monthly or quarterly freeroll for tournament players. You would earn points for playing in tournament, and more points for cashing, based on what place you finish. The top 20 or 30 would play in the freeroll. If it was a $1000 freeroll, the payouts would be something like $500, $300, $100, $50, $50.
- Daily Tournaments are important to a Poker Room because they bring in players who don't play in Cash games. These are also good for newer players because they will only spend a fixed amount, and the tourneys only take a couple of hours.
There would be a robust schedule, with 3 - 4 each day. One in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one in the evening. I may even try a late night tourney on weekends.
Most of the tourneys would be NLHE, but there would be some variety. I would be actively pushing other games, so there would be at least one Limit Hold'em, Omaha-8, and PLO. Also some variety NLHE tourneys like a Bounty, a Rebuy, and a Cash Me Out.
The Buy-Ins would be in the $50 - $125 range. I would like to try at least one higher buy-in each week.
The structures would be on the quick side. I understand that some players hate these tournaments because they become Push-N-Pray so quickly, but that's how it must be. Obviously, the higher buy-in tournaments would have a better structure than the $50 tourneys.
The number of players paid will be (# of tables +1). For example, a one-table tournament will pay two spots, and a three-table tournament will pay four spots. The actual payouts will be flatter than most rooms. (60/40, 50/30/20, 45/30/17/8, 40/25/17/11/7, etc). Most rooms have top-heavy payouts to encourage players to chop and end the tournaments faster. But the players are probably gonna chop anyways, so why encourage it.
- Tournament Series are a great way to bring out-of-towners into your room, which also means they will be spending money in the casino and hotel.
The series would last a week or two, and would have a variety of tournaments. In addition to the tournaments that are run every week, there would also be a Main Event, a Shootout, a Heads-Up tournament, a 6-max, and Mixed Game tournaments like HORSE.
The payouts would be flat just like the daily tournaments, and we would payout 15% of the field. More players would get paid which makes the recreational players happy, and the winners will still get a large chuck of money.
The structures would be much better than the daily tournaments. After running a Home Game for three years, I understand how tournament structures work. I'm definitely a fan of the Matt Savage philosophy, which is "Less Chips, More Levels". There is no reason to ever start a NLHE tournament with more than 200 BB. By not starting with super deep chip stacks, it means that we can add levels later in the tournament when it's more important to have some play, rather than getting to the Push-N-Pray sooner.
Limit tournaments are a different story. Most casinos just take their NL structure, and covert it to a Limit tourney. These structures fail miserably because they have too many Big Bets in the beginning, and accelerate too quickly. The best way to structure a Limit tournament is to start with around 30 - 40 Big Bets, and have the level gradually increase. (For example, 6000 chips - 100/200, 125/250, 150/300, 200/400, 300/600...) I have never ran a Limit tournament, so all of this is theoretical based on my experience in playing Limit tournament. There would need to be some trial and error until I figure it out.
- Promotions are a useful tool to get recreational players in to the room. One of the promos that I see commonly around Reno is giving extra chips (up to 1000) for either playing in the Cash game, or showing a previous tournament receipt.
One thing that I would like to have is something that I've only seen in two poker rooms (Blue Chip & Showboat AC), a Bad Beat Jackpot (BBJ) for tournaments. It would be an extra $5 added to the buy-in, and it would be the same qualifications as the regular BBJ. The $5 would be split like this; $3 for the Main Jackpot, $1 for the Back-Up Jackpot, and $1 for other promotional stuff. The BBJ might be capped at a certain amount, like $25k. I know that the BBJ is a dirty word for some players. But recreational players love the BBJ, and good players love playing against recreational players.
Another promotions would be a monthly or quarterly freeroll for tournament players. You would earn points for playing in tournament, and more points for cashing, based on what place you finish. The top 20 or 30 would play in the freeroll. If it was a $1000 freeroll, the payouts would be something like $500, $300, $100, $50, $50.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Rants & Raves: If I Ran A Poker Room
Like many Poker players, I have often thought, "I could run this Poker Room much better than these dweebs (especially at Greektown)." Well, here is how I would do it. Keep in mind, everything that I'm saying would need to be in compliance with State regulations.
I'm going to do this in multiple Blog entries. This one will be concerning general things about the room. There will be one about Tournaments, and one or two about Cash games.
- Tables: The tables will be nine handed. I much prefer nine handed, although I know the Super Nits will bitch and moan about it. It allows for some elbow room, and we can always squeeze in the tenth player if necessary.
The tables will have cup holders built it. I've never been a fan of those cheap ones that you slide under the rail.
The tables will have a Betting Line, and it will be enforced. If any chips cross the Line, then an action must occur, either a bet, a call, or a raise. In some places (Greektown and Blue Chip, for example), any chips that cross the line must stay in the pot, even if they're just in your hand. To me, that is a horrible rule that just punishes newer players, and it can easily be used for angle shooting as well.
- Food & Drink: There will be food and drink available for players. I love the set-up at Motor City. They have a drink station that you can get self-serve pop, coffee, and bottled water. They also have some munchies and sandwiches to grab. Having the drinks available for the players to grab will reduce the number of cocktail waitresses the room will need.
Eating at the table will be allowed, and a menu will be available for the Poker Room. This will depend on if there is a restaurant near the Poker Room.
- Rules: As most players know, it can be frustrating that the Rules can be different from one Poker Room to another. It's even more frustrating when the Rules vary within the Poker Room, depending on which Dealer or Floorperson you talk to. This is something that I would try to fix.
The enforcement of the Rules will vary depending on the level of the game. Smaller games, like $2/$4 Limit or $1/$1 NL are for newer players. Warnings will be given out about things like "acting out of turn", string bets, or "one chip is a call". If they keep doing these infractions, then they will be enforced.
There will be a Rules Book at the Desk that Floorpeople and players can use as a reference. The Rules Book will be made by us, will have examples, and will be updated when necessary. There will also be sign or pamphlet that will highlight various House Rules like Straddles, Buying the Button, Kill Pots, etc. There will not be any pointless Rules like "Checking and Raising is allowed."
There will also be a Log Book for Floorpersons to write down all rulings that are given during the day. This way all employees will see what ruling have been made, and keep things consistent.
But the #1 Rule to be enforced comes from the Robert's Rules of Poker: "Management reserves the right to make decisions in the spirit of fairness, even if a strict interpretation of the rules may indicate a different ruling." Rules are in place to provide a fair game for everyone, and not for Old Timers to make angle shots against the newer players who don't know better (like they do in Detroit).
I'm going to do this in multiple Blog entries. This one will be concerning general things about the room. There will be one about Tournaments, and one or two about Cash games.
- Tables: The tables will be nine handed. I much prefer nine handed, although I know the Super Nits will bitch and moan about it. It allows for some elbow room, and we can always squeeze in the tenth player if necessary.
The tables will have cup holders built it. I've never been a fan of those cheap ones that you slide under the rail.
The tables will have a Betting Line, and it will be enforced. If any chips cross the Line, then an action must occur, either a bet, a call, or a raise. In some places (Greektown and Blue Chip, for example), any chips that cross the line must stay in the pot, even if they're just in your hand. To me, that is a horrible rule that just punishes newer players, and it can easily be used for angle shooting as well.
- Food & Drink: There will be food and drink available for players. I love the set-up at Motor City. They have a drink station that you can get self-serve pop, coffee, and bottled water. They also have some munchies and sandwiches to grab. Having the drinks available for the players to grab will reduce the number of cocktail waitresses the room will need.
Eating at the table will be allowed, and a menu will be available for the Poker Room. This will depend on if there is a restaurant near the Poker Room.
- Rules: As most players know, it can be frustrating that the Rules can be different from one Poker Room to another. It's even more frustrating when the Rules vary within the Poker Room, depending on which Dealer or Floorperson you talk to. This is something that I would try to fix.
The enforcement of the Rules will vary depending on the level of the game. Smaller games, like $2/$4 Limit or $1/$1 NL are for newer players. Warnings will be given out about things like "acting out of turn", string bets, or "one chip is a call". If they keep doing these infractions, then they will be enforced.
There will be a Rules Book at the Desk that Floorpeople and players can use as a reference. The Rules Book will be made by us, will have examples, and will be updated when necessary. There will also be sign or pamphlet that will highlight various House Rules like Straddles, Buying the Button, Kill Pots, etc. There will not be any pointless Rules like "Checking and Raising is allowed."
There will also be a Log Book for Floorpersons to write down all rulings that are given during the day. This way all employees will see what ruling have been made, and keep things consistent.
But the #1 Rule to be enforced comes from the Robert's Rules of Poker: "Management reserves the right to make decisions in the spirit of fairness, even if a strict interpretation of the rules may indicate a different ruling." Rules are in place to provide a fair game for everyone, and not for Old Timers to make angle shots against the newer players who don't know better (like they do in Detroit).
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Rants & Raves: Checking It Down
On Sunday night, I was in a tournament at the Peppermill with 20 players. In the middle of the tournament with around 14 players left, one of the players donked off most of his stack leaving himself with just 325 in the 200/400 level.
Very next hand, two players limped in before the Shortstack went All-In for less then the Big Blind. A total of five players saw the Flop of 8 4 4, including me in the BB. I checked. A Kid (UTG+1) bet 1500, and everyone folded, including me. The Kid turned over A9o. The Shortstack showed K8o. The Kid missed his Pair Draw, and won the small Side Pot, while the Shortstack now has some chips.
Right after the hand was over, one of the Super Nits at the table started to inform the Kid that what the Kid did was not proper. He told the Kid that the proper thing to do was to just check it down in order to eliminate a player. After all, the Super Nit had AJ, and would have hit his J on the River. He kept going on and on about this. Not in an angry, yelling way. It was more like he was giving the Kid some fatherly advice. After all, he was old enough to be the Kid's father.
Normally, I try not to talk Poker at the table. I don't want to advertise that I actually have a clue what I'm talking about, and I'd rather not tip off anyone who might be paying attention. But in this case, I had to defend the Kid. Not because I would have bet on the Flop with just A-high, but I just couldn't take the Super Nit preaching anymore.
I said, "That is just a myth. Sometimes it's proper, but it depends on the situation. At this stage of the tournament, it's more important to accumulate chips than to knock out a player." The Super Nit didn't say anything to me, and the conversation ended.
I would like to thank Mike & Vince from the WPT for this myth. They are the ones who started this "Checking It Down To Eliminate A Player" thing. And at a Final Table with four players left, it's a good idea to check it down and get to three players. But earlier in the tournament, it doesn't matter how many players are left, whether it's this tournament with 13 or 14 players remaining, or something like the Main Event with 2377 or 2378 players remaining.
The early stages of the tournament are all about accumulating chips. Certainly eliminating a player is a good way to build up a chip stack, but that's not the priority unless you're in a Bounty tourney.
I certainly wouldn't have bet with just A-high on a 8 4 4 Flop. However, I was in the BB, and I had 77. I considered doing a squeeze preflop to isolate with the All-In, because there was so much dead money in the middle. But I chickened out. The Shortstack still would have been alive, but that doesn't make the squeeze a wrong play. It just means that the Super-Nit would have given me the sermon.
Very next hand, two players limped in before the Shortstack went All-In for less then the Big Blind. A total of five players saw the Flop of 8 4 4, including me in the BB. I checked. A Kid (UTG+1) bet 1500, and everyone folded, including me. The Kid turned over A9o. The Shortstack showed K8o. The Kid missed his Pair Draw, and won the small Side Pot, while the Shortstack now has some chips.
Right after the hand was over, one of the Super Nits at the table started to inform the Kid that what the Kid did was not proper. He told the Kid that the proper thing to do was to just check it down in order to eliminate a player. After all, the Super Nit had AJ, and would have hit his J on the River. He kept going on and on about this. Not in an angry, yelling way. It was more like he was giving the Kid some fatherly advice. After all, he was old enough to be the Kid's father.
Normally, I try not to talk Poker at the table. I don't want to advertise that I actually have a clue what I'm talking about, and I'd rather not tip off anyone who might be paying attention. But in this case, I had to defend the Kid. Not because I would have bet on the Flop with just A-high, but I just couldn't take the Super Nit preaching anymore.
I said, "That is just a myth. Sometimes it's proper, but it depends on the situation. At this stage of the tournament, it's more important to accumulate chips than to knock out a player." The Super Nit didn't say anything to me, and the conversation ended.
I would like to thank Mike & Vince from the WPT for this myth. They are the ones who started this "Checking It Down To Eliminate A Player" thing. And at a Final Table with four players left, it's a good idea to check it down and get to three players. But earlier in the tournament, it doesn't matter how many players are left, whether it's this tournament with 13 or 14 players remaining, or something like the Main Event with 2377 or 2378 players remaining.
The early stages of the tournament are all about accumulating chips. Certainly eliminating a player is a good way to build up a chip stack, but that's not the priority unless you're in a Bounty tourney.
I certainly wouldn't have bet with just A-high on a 8 4 4 Flop. However, I was in the BB, and I had 77. I considered doing a squeeze preflop to isolate with the All-In, because there was so much dead money in the middle. But I chickened out. The Shortstack still would have been alive, but that doesn't make the squeeze a wrong play. It just means that the Super-Nit would have given me the sermon.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Rants & Raves: How Much Tolerance Do You Give A Drunk?
I was at an interesting table earlier this week at the Eldorado. At first, it was a rather typical weeknight $1/$2 game. (You know... boring.) Then three college kids sat down at the table, and two of them were rather drunk. The Dealers knew one of the drunks by name, Casey.
The two drunks and their buddy bought in for around $100 each. The two drunks played like you would expect them to do. They played almost every hand. They called with nothing, and raised for no reason. As a player at the table, I think it was wonderful, because I can get paid when I have a big hand.
However, there were other things happening that were not so wonderful. They were openly talking about hands and their cards during a hand. They would tell each other, "Call him. He ain't got nothing." After every hand between them, the winner would toss a chip or two back the loser, and said, "Good Battle." One time, the non-drunk buddy got short on chips, and Casey tossed him five Red chips right across the table.
I was not thrilled with all the extra-curricular activities, but I didn't say anything because I didn't want to "tap the fishtank". There was one player who was vocal about the circus, but he was just saying generic things to nobody in particular. Things like, "I can't believe what I'm seeing" and "I can't believe they have cameras in here."
There was one other person who didn't say anything, and that was the Dealer. Actually, of the three Dealers who sat down during while the drunks were here, and only one of the them said anything to Casey about what was happening.
Unfortunately, this was not uncommon. I've played in a lot of smaller poker rooms that cater to Locals, and the Dealers don't enforce the rules with the Locals for one simple reason. Dealers get paid with tips, and they don't want to upset the people who tip them, who are the Regulars that the Dealers are on a first name basis with. But "tourists" like me, the Dealers don't care about.
The worst Poker Room for this double standard was at Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel in Salamanca, NY. They were one of the first casinos in the area, and they had a decent amount of business from Cleveland, which was about a 2.5 hour drive. A few years ago, a large group of from the CPMG went up there on Good Friday. One of us, El Diabl0, was in a hand with two Locals. On the River, one of the Locals bet, and El Diabl0 called. The other Local was thinking, and the first Local said, "I got this one, Fred. Just lay it down." So he folded, and the first Local won the pot. El Diabl0 asked the Dealer, "You guys allow this in your Poker Room?" The Dealer didn't respond, but did collect the tip.
At a different table, I was sitting with two of our players, Canuck and Twitch. They got into a pot, and were the only two in the pot. So naturally, there was some table talk between them. After Twitch won the hand, the Dealer warned him that he was not allowed to lie about his hand. So I asked the Dealer, "What if he told the truth?" The Dealer said, "Well, we don't encourage that here."
A Dealer's job is to control the Deck, control the Pot, and control the Table. That doesn't mean they have to be a Bitch, and yell at everyone. Usually just a couple of words can solve a lot of problems, and it certainly would have helped with the drunks earlier this week.
The two drunks and their buddy bought in for around $100 each. The two drunks played like you would expect them to do. They played almost every hand. They called with nothing, and raised for no reason. As a player at the table, I think it was wonderful, because I can get paid when I have a big hand.
However, there were other things happening that were not so wonderful. They were openly talking about hands and their cards during a hand. They would tell each other, "Call him. He ain't got nothing." After every hand between them, the winner would toss a chip or two back the loser, and said, "Good Battle." One time, the non-drunk buddy got short on chips, and Casey tossed him five Red chips right across the table.
I was not thrilled with all the extra-curricular activities, but I didn't say anything because I didn't want to "tap the fishtank". There was one player who was vocal about the circus, but he was just saying generic things to nobody in particular. Things like, "I can't believe what I'm seeing" and "I can't believe they have cameras in here."
There was one other person who didn't say anything, and that was the Dealer. Actually, of the three Dealers who sat down during while the drunks were here, and only one of the them said anything to Casey about what was happening.
Unfortunately, this was not uncommon. I've played in a lot of smaller poker rooms that cater to Locals, and the Dealers don't enforce the rules with the Locals for one simple reason. Dealers get paid with tips, and they don't want to upset the people who tip them, who are the Regulars that the Dealers are on a first name basis with. But "tourists" like me, the Dealers don't care about.
The worst Poker Room for this double standard was at Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel in Salamanca, NY. They were one of the first casinos in the area, and they had a decent amount of business from Cleveland, which was about a 2.5 hour drive. A few years ago, a large group of from the CPMG went up there on Good Friday. One of us, El Diabl0, was in a hand with two Locals. On the River, one of the Locals bet, and El Diabl0 called. The other Local was thinking, and the first Local said, "I got this one, Fred. Just lay it down." So he folded, and the first Local won the pot. El Diabl0 asked the Dealer, "You guys allow this in your Poker Room?" The Dealer didn't respond, but did collect the tip.
At a different table, I was sitting with two of our players, Canuck and Twitch. They got into a pot, and were the only two in the pot. So naturally, there was some table talk between them. After Twitch won the hand, the Dealer warned him that he was not allowed to lie about his hand. So I asked the Dealer, "What if he told the truth?" The Dealer said, "Well, we don't encourage that here."
A Dealer's job is to control the Deck, control the Pot, and control the Table. That doesn't mean they have to be a Bitch, and yell at everyone. Usually just a couple of words can solve a lot of problems, and it certainly would have helped with the drunks earlier this week.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Rants & Raves: The November Nine
On Saturday, November 6, the World Series of Poker resumes after it's four month hiatus.
For the record, I've always hated the concept of the November Nine. I think it's a "Wag the Dog" stunt so ESPN can get better ratings. I know it's supposed to help promote Poker, and it gives the nine player more opportunities for sponsorships. But, to me, it affects the outcome of the tournament. Momentum and game flow are big factors in a tournament. Do you think Jerry Yang or Jamie Gold would have won if they had to come back four months later? Do you think Phil Ivey would have won last year if he could have played the next day?
Since were almost done with the third November Nine, I want to see if it has delivered on what was expected. First is the sponsorship opportunities for the nine players. Jeffery Pollack, former Commissioner for the WSOP, said that he hoped "the nine players would come to the Final Table looking like NASCAR drivers, covered with patches and logos." There was some of that the first year. But none of those patches were from Pepsi, Budweiser, Ford, Burger King, or any other "mainstream" companies. All of them were from companies in the Poker industry, like CardRunners or Card Player. And the second year had noticeably less patches and logos. What will happen this year remains to be seen.
And has the November Nine been a boom for Poker? Well, the number of players at the Main Event has grown in each of the last three years, but it was growing before that. The only drop off was due to the passage of the UIGEA in 2006, but they're almost back to the 8000 range.
The most important numbers to look at are the ratings for ESPN, since this is their baby. The ratings for the first year, 2008, were awesome for a Poker show. In 2009, when Phil Ivey was one of the November Nine, it was expected to have even bigger ratings. Instead, they were actually down 7% from the previous year. This year, the rating are already down 16% over last year.
Because of the declining ratings, I'm going to make a bold prediction: Either next year, 2011, or the following year, 2012, will be the last year for the November Nine. Now it's possible that there will continue to be some sort of delay, and that it might not exactly go back to how it was in 2007, when they played the Final Table then next day. But the current concept of the November Nine will change. If ESPN isn't getting the ratings, then they will not be going along with it.
As for some bold prediction for this year, like who's gonna win... To be honest, I haven't been watching the coverage. Partially because I was a little busy moving across the country, and now I'm a little busy actually playing Poker. Another factor is that I'm bored with Poker on TV. It's gotten stale for me.
Although, I listen to a lot poker podcasts while delivering the mail, so I do know who is in the November Nine. I have no clue who's gonna win. I think it's wide open this year.
But I will make one prediction for 2010. I think this will be the fastest Final Table in many years. First, since the November Nine Bubble lasted six hours, the blinds are a little high right now.
Second, all but one of the Nine are Pros, either Live or Online. I really doubt any of them will be interested in "Folding their way to 4th Place". I also don't think they will be as scared of The Grinder as last year's table was scared of Ivey. I expect the Play of the table to be similar to last year after Ivey busted out; a lot of 4-Betting and flipping coins because they now have the Pot Odds.
For the record, I've always hated the concept of the November Nine. I think it's a "Wag the Dog" stunt so ESPN can get better ratings. I know it's supposed to help promote Poker, and it gives the nine player more opportunities for sponsorships. But, to me, it affects the outcome of the tournament. Momentum and game flow are big factors in a tournament. Do you think Jerry Yang or Jamie Gold would have won if they had to come back four months later? Do you think Phil Ivey would have won last year if he could have played the next day?
Since were almost done with the third November Nine, I want to see if it has delivered on what was expected. First is the sponsorship opportunities for the nine players. Jeffery Pollack, former Commissioner for the WSOP, said that he hoped "the nine players would come to the Final Table looking like NASCAR drivers, covered with patches and logos." There was some of that the first year. But none of those patches were from Pepsi, Budweiser, Ford, Burger King, or any other "mainstream" companies. All of them were from companies in the Poker industry, like CardRunners or Card Player. And the second year had noticeably less patches and logos. What will happen this year remains to be seen.
And has the November Nine been a boom for Poker? Well, the number of players at the Main Event has grown in each of the last three years, but it was growing before that. The only drop off was due to the passage of the UIGEA in 2006, but they're almost back to the 8000 range.
The most important numbers to look at are the ratings for ESPN, since this is their baby. The ratings for the first year, 2008, were awesome for a Poker show. In 2009, when Phil Ivey was one of the November Nine, it was expected to have even bigger ratings. Instead, they were actually down 7% from the previous year. This year, the rating are already down 16% over last year.
Because of the declining ratings, I'm going to make a bold prediction: Either next year, 2011, or the following year, 2012, will be the last year for the November Nine. Now it's possible that there will continue to be some sort of delay, and that it might not exactly go back to how it was in 2007, when they played the Final Table then next day. But the current concept of the November Nine will change. If ESPN isn't getting the ratings, then they will not be going along with it.
As for some bold prediction for this year, like who's gonna win... To be honest, I haven't been watching the coverage. Partially because I was a little busy moving across the country, and now I'm a little busy actually playing Poker. Another factor is that I'm bored with Poker on TV. It's gotten stale for me.
Although, I listen to a lot poker podcasts while delivering the mail, so I do know who is in the November Nine. I have no clue who's gonna win. I think it's wide open this year.
But I will make one prediction for 2010. I think this will be the fastest Final Table in many years. First, since the November Nine Bubble lasted six hours, the blinds are a little high right now.
Second, all but one of the Nine are Pros, either Live or Online. I really doubt any of them will be interested in "Folding their way to 4th Place". I also don't think they will be as scared of The Grinder as last year's table was scared of Ivey. I expect the Play of the table to be similar to last year after Ivey busted out; a lot of 4-Betting and flipping coins because they now have the Pot Odds.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Rants & Raves: That's Not Real Poker
How many times have you either heard or even said the phrase, "That's not Real Poker!" Everyone says it, and everyone's heard it about their Poker game of choice.
Cash players say about Tournaments, "That's not Real Poker. It's all preflop, and it's for players who can't play Poker."
Tournament players say about Cash games, "That's not Real Poker. It's a full of players throwing money around, and playing Bingo."
No Limit players say about Limit Poker, "That's not Real Poker. Nobody ever folds, and you can't bluff."
Limit players say about No Limit, "That's not Real Poker. You just shove you're chip into the middle, and flip a coin."
That's also what everyone says about Pot Limit Omaha.
So I think we need to come up with a definition for "Real Poker". When you need to define something, the best place to start is a dictionary.
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, Poker is "Any of several card games in which a player bets that the value of his or her hand is greater than that of the hands held by others, in which each subsequent player must either equal or raise the bet or drop out, and in which the player holding the highest hand at the end of the betting wins the pot".
What sticks out to me about that definition is the phrase "several card games". The game of "Poker" actually describes many different games. Rummy is the same way, with at least 2438 different versions of Rummy.
So if there are so many versions of Poker, then which one is "Real Poker"? Here is the definition that I've come up with:
Real Poker is the game that I play and enjoy. The other games that I don't play, or even like, are not Real Poker.
So let's not be so judgmental about Poker game that we don't play, just because we don't like or understand them. If you want to become a better Poker player, then many Pros say you should step out of Comfort Bubble, and try some of the different games. You may not like them all, but that doesn't mean that they're not "Real Poker".
Cash players say about Tournaments, "That's not Real Poker. It's all preflop, and it's for players who can't play Poker."
Tournament players say about Cash games, "That's not Real Poker. It's a full of players throwing money around, and playing Bingo."
No Limit players say about Limit Poker, "That's not Real Poker. Nobody ever folds, and you can't bluff."
Limit players say about No Limit, "That's not Real Poker. You just shove you're chip into the middle, and flip a coin."
That's also what everyone says about Pot Limit Omaha.
So I think we need to come up with a definition for "Real Poker". When you need to define something, the best place to start is a dictionary.
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, Poker is "Any of several card games in which a player bets that the value of his or her hand is greater than that of the hands held by others, in which each subsequent player must either equal or raise the bet or drop out, and in which the player holding the highest hand at the end of the betting wins the pot".
What sticks out to me about that definition is the phrase "several card games". The game of "Poker" actually describes many different games. Rummy is the same way, with at least 2438 different versions of Rummy.
So if there are so many versions of Poker, then which one is "Real Poker"? Here is the definition that I've come up with:
Real Poker is the game that I play and enjoy. The other games that I don't play, or even like, are not Real Poker.
So let's not be so judgmental about Poker game that we don't play, just because we don't like or understand them. If you want to become a better Poker player, then many Pros say you should step out of Comfort Bubble, and try some of the different games. You may not like them all, but that doesn't mean that they're not "Real Poker".
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Rants & Raves: The $50k Players Championship
On Tuesday night, ESPN starts their 2010 World Series of Poker coverage. The first event will be the Final Table of the $50k Players' Championship.
For those who are not familiar with the Tournaments history, it start back in 2006 as the $50k HORSE Tournament. It was won by Chip Reese, and the WSOP named the Trophy after him when he died a year or two later. However, even though it was a HORSE tournament, No Limit Hold'em (NLHE) was played at the Final Table, as requested by ESPN. Many of the Pro were not thrilled with this, since NLHE is not part of the HORSE rotation. I agree with the Pros; a HORSE tournament should have a HORSE Final Table.
The following year, 2007, the WSOP and ESPN agreed with the Players. The tournament was HORSE throughout the entire tournament. ESPN aired 3-4 episodes of the Tournament, which covered from the final 24 players to the championship. As a Mixed Game Player, I really enjoyed watching the Pros play. But the rest of America did not, as these episodes were the lowest rated WSOP shows since before the Poker Boom in 2003.
In 2008, ESPN only aired two episodes of the $50k HORSE, which were the Final Table. Unfortunately, these were the "Scotty Nguyen Is An Angry Drunk" episodes, and I've heard that ESPN has buried these episodes so that they won't be aired in reruns.
Last year, ESPN decided not to broadcast any of the formerly prestigious $50k HORSE tournament. Since there was no TV coverage, attendance dropped for the tournament from the 140-150 range in previous years down to under 100.
This year, the WSOP made some changes to the tournament. First, they changed it from HORSE to an 8-Game tournament, and they are now calling it the $50k Players' Championship. They are also making the Final Table NLHE only, so that ESPN will cover it. While some of the Pros aren't thrilled with the NLHE only Final Table, they understand the importance of ESPN showing this tournament, mostly for extra money the players can earn by wearing their Full Tilt or PokerStars gear.
Personally, I hate it. Yes, NLHE is one of the 8-Games, but a Mixed game tournament should have a Mixed Final Table. But I can understand not wanting to show all of the 8-Games. While I enjoy playing 2-7 Triple Draw, it's not a game that you would want to watch on TV.
However, since I know that many of the WSOP Players' Advisory Committee read this blog (after all, who doesn't read it?), I have a compromise that they can use for next year. Have the Final Table consist of No Limit Hold'em, Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha, and 7 Card Stud.
All four games have been on ESPN in the past, and none of them have that confusing Hi/Lo component to them. Two of the games are Hold'em, which is easier for the "Casual" viewer to follow. There are two Limit games and two Big Bet games, so you still have the Mixed game feel to it.
For those who are not familiar with the Tournaments history, it start back in 2006 as the $50k HORSE Tournament. It was won by Chip Reese, and the WSOP named the Trophy after him when he died a year or two later. However, even though it was a HORSE tournament, No Limit Hold'em (NLHE) was played at the Final Table, as requested by ESPN. Many of the Pro were not thrilled with this, since NLHE is not part of the HORSE rotation. I agree with the Pros; a HORSE tournament should have a HORSE Final Table.
The following year, 2007, the WSOP and ESPN agreed with the Players. The tournament was HORSE throughout the entire tournament. ESPN aired 3-4 episodes of the Tournament, which covered from the final 24 players to the championship. As a Mixed Game Player, I really enjoyed watching the Pros play. But the rest of America did not, as these episodes were the lowest rated WSOP shows since before the Poker Boom in 2003.
In 2008, ESPN only aired two episodes of the $50k HORSE, which were the Final Table. Unfortunately, these were the "Scotty Nguyen Is An Angry Drunk" episodes, and I've heard that ESPN has buried these episodes so that they won't be aired in reruns.
Last year, ESPN decided not to broadcast any of the formerly prestigious $50k HORSE tournament. Since there was no TV coverage, attendance dropped for the tournament from the 140-150 range in previous years down to under 100.
This year, the WSOP made some changes to the tournament. First, they changed it from HORSE to an 8-Game tournament, and they are now calling it the $50k Players' Championship. They are also making the Final Table NLHE only, so that ESPN will cover it. While some of the Pros aren't thrilled with the NLHE only Final Table, they understand the importance of ESPN showing this tournament, mostly for extra money the players can earn by wearing their Full Tilt or PokerStars gear.
Personally, I hate it. Yes, NLHE is one of the 8-Games, but a Mixed game tournament should have a Mixed Final Table. But I can understand not wanting to show all of the 8-Games. While I enjoy playing 2-7 Triple Draw, it's not a game that you would want to watch on TV.
However, since I know that many of the WSOP Players' Advisory Committee read this blog (after all, who doesn't read it?), I have a compromise that they can use for next year. Have the Final Table consist of No Limit Hold'em, Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha, and 7 Card Stud.
All four games have been on ESPN in the past, and none of them have that confusing Hi/Lo component to them. Two of the games are Hold'em, which is easier for the "Casual" viewer to follow. There are two Limit games and two Big Bet games, so you still have the Mixed game feel to it.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Rants & Raves: The Cleveland Casino
In November '09, the voters of Ohio approved the construction of four casino in four cities: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, and Toledo. The casinos are expected to be built and open by 2012, except for Cleveland in 2013.
A couple of weeks ago, the State of Ohio finally came out with some basic rules and regulations for the casinos. The ones that have caused a bit of controversy are the ones involving alcohol and smoking.
There will be no free drinks in the casinos. People who've been to Vegas once or twice, but nowhere else, are upset by this. But Vegas, and maybe Atlantic City, are the only places that just give away alcohol. All of the casinos in this part of the country charge for alcohol. Some of them do offer free booze in their High Roller areas. The Ohio casinos are also cutting off alcohol at 2:30am, which follows state law. This is also standard in this part of the country. I know that the Detroit casinos have "Last Call" at 2am.
Also following state law is the smoking policy, which is No Smoking anywhere in the casinos. This is not normal. In fact, I'm not aware of any casino in the country where you can't smoke in certain areas of the casino, like the Pit. I'm actually expecting this to change before Opening Day for one simple reason. It's bad for the casino operators.
If a smoker is having a bad day at the Slots, they would normally just stay in the Pit and chase their losses hoping for that one Big Hit. But in Ohio, they would have to leave the Pit, and go outside for a smoke. While outside for five or ten minutes, they can think about their losses, and realize they are better off just going home, and try again next time.
And from the logistical perspective, will the casinos allow a huge crowd to hang around right outside the entrance? Or are they gonna build some designated Smoking Areas that are outdoors? For those who live in Northeast Ohio, how many people are going to hang around outside in the middle of January, instead of just stopping by for a quick visit before heading home?
The age for gambling in the Ohio casinos is 21, which is standard for most of the country. I understand this is because of alcohol, but I disagree with it. In Ohio, you only need to be 18 to play the State Lottery. So why not allow them to also play Blackjack or Poker?
There is one issue that hasn't been discussed yet, and that's Parking. Currently, there is no such thing as Free Parking in Downtown Cleveland. They're planning on opening up a temporary casino right on Public Square. Since it's temporary, that means we will have to use whatever parking we can find. Currently, every place that charges for parking has flexible rates, depending on what is happening Downtown. It's is usually up to $20 or more for special events like a ball game. So how much will they gouge us on a Saturday night? How many people are willing to pay $10-$25 for parking to go play poker on a Saturday night.
In Atlantic City, you have to pay $5 to park in any of the casino parking garages. This is somewhat balanced by the poker rooms only charging $4 max rake. Do you really think that the Ohio casinos will only have $4 max rake? The national "standard" is $5 max rake, and Detroit has $6 max rake. For those that take poker seriously, these extra expenses really add up over time.
A couple of weeks ago, the State of Ohio finally came out with some basic rules and regulations for the casinos. The ones that have caused a bit of controversy are the ones involving alcohol and smoking.
There will be no free drinks in the casinos. People who've been to Vegas once or twice, but nowhere else, are upset by this. But Vegas, and maybe Atlantic City, are the only places that just give away alcohol. All of the casinos in this part of the country charge for alcohol. Some of them do offer free booze in their High Roller areas. The Ohio casinos are also cutting off alcohol at 2:30am, which follows state law. This is also standard in this part of the country. I know that the Detroit casinos have "Last Call" at 2am.
Also following state law is the smoking policy, which is No Smoking anywhere in the casinos. This is not normal. In fact, I'm not aware of any casino in the country where you can't smoke in certain areas of the casino, like the Pit. I'm actually expecting this to change before Opening Day for one simple reason. It's bad for the casino operators.
If a smoker is having a bad day at the Slots, they would normally just stay in the Pit and chase their losses hoping for that one Big Hit. But in Ohio, they would have to leave the Pit, and go outside for a smoke. While outside for five or ten minutes, they can think about their losses, and realize they are better off just going home, and try again next time.
And from the logistical perspective, will the casinos allow a huge crowd to hang around right outside the entrance? Or are they gonna build some designated Smoking Areas that are outdoors? For those who live in Northeast Ohio, how many people are going to hang around outside in the middle of January, instead of just stopping by for a quick visit before heading home?
The age for gambling in the Ohio casinos is 21, which is standard for most of the country. I understand this is because of alcohol, but I disagree with it. In Ohio, you only need to be 18 to play the State Lottery. So why not allow them to also play Blackjack or Poker?
There is one issue that hasn't been discussed yet, and that's Parking. Currently, there is no such thing as Free Parking in Downtown Cleveland. They're planning on opening up a temporary casino right on Public Square. Since it's temporary, that means we will have to use whatever parking we can find. Currently, every place that charges for parking has flexible rates, depending on what is happening Downtown. It's is usually up to $20 or more for special events like a ball game. So how much will they gouge us on a Saturday night? How many people are willing to pay $10-$25 for parking to go play poker on a Saturday night.
In Atlantic City, you have to pay $5 to park in any of the casino parking garages. This is somewhat balanced by the poker rooms only charging $4 max rake. Do you really think that the Ohio casinos will only have $4 max rake? The national "standard" is $5 max rake, and Detroit has $6 max rake. For those that take poker seriously, these extra expenses really add up over time.
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