blonde poker forum

from Andy Ward's blog and Poker Pages

"Today's no limit final will be 10 handed instead of the usual 9 because, according to Pokerpages :

"The obvious focus will be on Phil Hellmuth, who is in the hunt for his record 12th bracelet. ESPN made the unusual decision to stop play last night while there were still ten players, so they could guarantee another appearance of The Poker Brat on their broadcast. "

"You can't just wish the bubble away because you want a famous player in the final, that's blatant favouritism. Would they have stopped it if Hellmuth (who is the 2nd shortest stack) was chip leader?

"What I like about poker is that there usually isn't any of this crap to deal with. It doesn't matter who you are, the rules are the same, the buyin's the same, if you have the buyin you can sit down and play on an equal playing field with anyone. As long as ESPN aren't involved, it seems"

They've got form for this - did exactly the same thing for a PLO final in 2005 when Hellmuth was shortstacked when it got to the final ten.

I think this is the worst WSOP issue I've read about so far this year - although the feedback seems to be negative in many areas.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=10803779&an=0&page=0#Post10803779

Edit: misread OP Andy W is criticizing ESPN not Harrahs.

Although this is wrong, I actually don't think this cock up was down to Harrahs it was actually down to ESPN. I read somewhere last night - probably on pokernews - that they stopped it at ten players so the ESPN film crew could film Hellmuth breaking T.J's record for most final table appearences and have T.J in the audience for a ceremonial handshake etc. I believe there wasn't a film crew on hand when they were ten handed the night before.

Doesn't make it any better, but for once I believe this wasn't down to Harrahs

Are there people who actively avoid the WSOP rather than put up with that kind of nonsense (as well as the double stacks/double structure scam)?

Tony G has just posted on his blog that this will probably be his last year of it because he's just bored of the whole thing now.

I'll be there for a few weeks, & I'm somewhere between undecided & unlikely to play a WSOP Event.

But I'm quite clear on one thing - I ain't gonna play WSOP Poker in a sweltering, humid, tent.

But I guess they'll manage very nicely without me.

Reading between the lines and following several players blogs (Rob Sherwoods a good example) about their WSOP experiences it seems that clued up players are using their feet this year. Many it seems, are playing in better strcutured tournaments at The Venetian,The Bellagio and Binions rather than brave some of the inconsistencies at the WSOP.

P.S Tikay good move, Eskimo Clark nearly popped his clogs in the Poker Sauna.

Yeah, saw that on 2+2. And the blonde One reported that he's had not one, but TWO strokes since the WSOP started. Though I don't think we can blame Harrah's for that.

I'm quite looking forward to playing some of the Bellagio Cup, and at Binions (I'm Played One, Finalled One there), Wynns, and wherever. The Rio seems, to me anyway, to lack a certain atmo, but that's more me than them, I'm not into huge fields.

I posted this in the blondpedia  thread in response to a post by Tikay (in response to a post by Flushy) about WSOP double starting stacks this year. Somehow it seems to fit here better:

There's a excel spreadsheet called Poker Tournament Formula developed by Arnold Snyder, called Poker Tournament Formula PAtience Factor - you put in the blind structure, level length and starting stack and it gives you a number on how long it will take you to blind off if you don't play a hand (above 10 is good, GUKPT = 49.81, Stars Million = 14.48, turbo sng 1.45)

So I ran some numbers for the $1500 WSOP Events in 2006 and 2007 (purely as i'm playing the last one this year and was intrigued)

A $1500 event last year (starting chips 1500, blinds 25-25, 25-50, 50-100, 100-200, one hour levels) has a patience factor of 14.06 - blind off time 3.75hrs

A $1500 event this year (starting chips 3000, blinds 25-50, 50-100, 100-200, 100-200/25) has a patience factor of 14.93, blind off time 3.86hrs.

However the real bite, apparently, is coming at the FT with them lasting approx half the time (did someone post this on blonde from 2+2 or do i read too many fourms?)

FWIW if you put the structre for the Venetian DeepStack's $330 thru the tournament formula gizmo (40 minute levels, 6000 chips, 25-50, 50-100, 100-200, 100-200/25 etc) it's patience factor is 14.79.

Now considering the Venentian's $1000 deepstacks (and $500?) give you 10,000 chips and one hour levels it's not hard to see why many players are heading there.

Dino, as the T/D for the gukpt I would be very interested in seeing this spreadsheet to see if i can use it to improve any of my other comps is there any chance I can be cheeky and ask you to email it to me.

regards

miike clark

Nice one Mike, exactly the right way foward if I may say so. See also my Post on the blondepedia comp thread, in response to dino's exellent Post.

thanks Tikay I am always lookingf for ways to improve what i can offer.. in poker..

PM sent

Sweltering and humid tent its not, its so air conditioned and cold, that I had to buy a sweatshirt cos it was freezing.

Everybody was complaining it was too cold

Claerly not everyone agrees - see "forced to play WSOP in a 100 degree Tent", where the evidence seems fairly damning.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=10803779&an=0&page=0#Post10803779

cheers dino, sorry I did not reply earlier been at work

Sounds a good tool, do you have a link?

Interesting to see how the APAT structure compares both live and online

This temperature thing happens over here. We left Southend River card room a few weeks ago wrung out to dry as the air cond wasn't working and it was extremely hot. Bern has a heart condition and it wasn't good as his blood pressure was way too high due to the temp.

On sat we played at Gutshot - i was in tourney so Ok - the cash games downstairs was like a sweat box.I went down there to collect  my winings and couldn't believe the temp or conditions. If the players had been pets the RSPCA would have closed the place down and prosecuted.

I'm sure there is nothing to protect the players but surely there must be health and safety issues for staff both here and at WSOP?