Someone asked me recently if I thought increasing the UKIPT buy-ins for Season 3 up to 750 GBP or Euros was a good idea. I'm not sure if that's because this is happening or not but I thought it was worth some discussion.

My personal view is that most of the stops should stay at 500. With the current financial climate, a lot of recreational players will feel that paying 750 pushes it beyond what is reasonable to spend to have a bit of fun. The numbers of entrants have been the highest for any national tour of it's sort and that's because the price of entry is pitched just right. It suits a lot of players that would happily and do play higher because there is so much value to be had. Increase the price and the value will drop out and the numbers will go down.

I've got the feeling the price will go up, but if it isn't broke, why fix it?

Gonna be tough for Praz - the other table has more than twice the number of chips that his does.

According to Marc Convey they're pretty much all tez though.

Wish I was that tez !!

We all do. I think we can take Mr Convey's words with a pinch of salt.

Or trust his word given that he's watched that tournament consistently for the last three days.

Always amuses me when poker updaters call players tez, while they are walking around with pen & paper in their hands instead of cards.

+1 updater's should update not comment on standard.

Meanwhile....ONE TIME PARKER!

I don't know I got involved in this but feel I need to comment.

Tikay, we've probably said ten words to each other our entire lives so how you have the opinion that my words should be "taken with a pinch of salt" I do not know. I also think you'd be hard pushed to find someone in the industry who has a bad word to say about me so I don't think you can be taking the words out of the mouth of someone else.  So I do not take kindly to you having any options about me and my character.

Flushy, you were only to happy to banter with me on the rail at the PPT Final about the shocking standard of play there. I don't remember you telling me that, as a live updater, I should keep my opions to myself. And your statement that "If my entire life bankroll was the buy in of this tournament, I'd still play" is a lot more degrading and out of place to anything I've ever said about the standard of play at a tournament.

My opinions about either event were not posted in a blog, were just mentioned in passing conversations to friends. I stand by what I said to Homer about the 6-max and Praz and Peter Gould will, I'm sure, agree.

Marc

Hi Marc,

Thank you for taking the trouble, & being honest enough, to openly respond.

I think you have misunderstood my point here, & I'm going to explain why.

Before I do, you referred to me having "options" about you, & I assume you mean't "opinions". Either way, please just re-examine what I said, & to whom.

Floppy suggested the players were "tez", & backed that up by saying those were your words, not his.

Now, you need to know that I'm "fairly old", & I expect you are of "normal" age. My generation have a default setting of respecting people, a stance which sits oddly in a modern world where everyone disses others.

So, in over a decade of poker, whenever I have seen players described as donkeys, muppets, fish, tez, it sits uncomfortably with me. I just don't like insulting fellow players in that manner, except in individual specific cases where they deserve it. And this is "my" forum, upon which I have tried to impose my, admittedly Victorian, moral standards. To describe half of the remaining field in a Bracelet Event as "tez" troubled me, to be honest. Not to the point of being upset, but it just sat wrong with me.

So, quite politely, I responded to the insult on these "tez" players by trying to give some balance, & suggesting that perhaps that description, uttered by you, "should be taken with a pinch of salt".

It was not a barb aimed at you. It was not rude, it was not an opinion on the integrity of your view. It's simply what I do on this Forum, always, since it started - try to dilute, gently, unfair criticism of individuals. When threads got hot on here, we used to say "weather been grand today, eh?" as a means of cooling things down. "taken with a pinch of slt" was just balance, because I just felt those "tez" players, on maybe the greatest moment of their lifes, (truly), deserved a little more respect. That's all.

"Unfair"? Well, they may wel, be "tez", & I won't argue with you. They might be complete donkeys, in fact. But they might also be players who are experiencing the very highest moments of their poker "career" - on the very edge of a WSOP Bracelet Final Table, & perhaps even a Bracelet. I'd rather like to rejoice in that wonderful moment, whoever wins, rather than just say "pah, he was tez".

Now I happen to think, for those guys, that that's rather "nice". And I know, I know, "nice" is pretty uncool these days. But I like nice, it makes me feel all warm & cooey-wooey. Dissing & denegrating folks, insulting fellow players by suggesting they are "tez", makes me shudder. I know, I don't really belong in poker, where insulting all & sundry is the order of the day, but I make a good living from poker, so I'll hang in a little longer.

That view is not confined to you, or to Flops, it's to everyone. Elsewhere on this thread a guy got described as a "fat american arsehole". Why? because he had the temerity to bust "our man", Praz Bansi, who is a friend of mine, as it happens. Our "fat" friend went in ahead, mind you, but got himself insulted because he busted "our man". That's never, ever, going to sit comfortably with me. In fact, I hated that description. Because I just don't think we should show such lack of respect to our fellow players, thats all. If the "fat arsehole" was you, or your Dad, would you be happy to see him so described? I don't think so.

It's a generation thing. I do respect, as almost everyone of my age does. But the internet has almost killed respect. Play Online Poker, & see decent people called all sorts, & have death or cancer wished upon them. Because they won a hand of poker. It's puerile, & it's disrespectful.

So there you go. If you think I was insulting you, I gladly & unreservedly apologise. But I assure you, I was not. Check on my last 1,000, or even 10,000 Posts. You won't find me insulting too many folks. I don't actually know if I know you - & it matters not. I had no wish to insult you, & I don't think I did. It's just how I try to stem the ever-rising floodtide of insults against individuals. And it's why I shall soon abandon Forums, because these day, everyone thinks its fine to insult anyone & everyone. In my little world, it's not.

I wish you a successful WSOP, & I hope to see you there shortly.

You can take my comments with a pinch of salt, too, if you wish.

Have a nice day. Which means exactly what it says. 


.

Thanks for taking the time to respond in a detailed way Tikay. It has helped to put your thought process behind what you said in to context. One line comments in the written word can easily be taken out of the context that was meant.

No hard feelings and we'll talk about the great standard of play I've seen so far over a beer when you get out here. You're buying though, lol.

Flushy, you were only to happy to banter with me on the rail at the PPT Final about the shocking standard of play there. I don't remember you telling me that, as a live updater, I should keep my opions to myself. And your statement that "If my entire life bankroll was the buy in of this tournament, I'd still play" is a lot more degrading and out of place to anything I've ever said about the standard of play at a tournament.

First of all i was not picking on you or your comment in particular, more the habbit of updaters to cast comments onto their updates when they probably have no clue about the specific table dynamics or meta implications of a hand. Obviously updaters should have opinions i just dont think they should be the centrepiece of the updates.

You and me in France were 2 friends talking i think you would agree that you would not post the stuff you were saying as an employee representing a company, it really pisses me off sometimes when updates on blonde have stuff written by an updater expressing their personal opinion about a player/play as if it was their own blog.

Ironically this debate has stemmed from a comment which was not posted anyway! To which i have no problem with the comment, as long as you don't put it into print.

Fair play Flushy, you make some good points. There needs to be a balance for sure in updating.  My 'real' personal views at rarely make it on to blogs at the type on standards tournaments we're discussing. Very hard not to be editorial at times though!

Gonna be tough for Praz - the other table has more than twice the number of chips that his does.

According to Marc Convey they're pretty much all tez though.

Wish I was that tez !!

We all do. I think we can take Mr Convey's words with a pinch of salt.

Or trust his word given that he's watched that tournament consistently for the last three days.

Always amuses me when poker updaters call players tez, while they are walking around with pen & paper in their hands instead of cards.

+1 updater's should update not comment on standard.

Meanwhile....ONE TIME PARKER!

I don't know I got involved in this but feel I need to comment.

Tikay, we've probably said ten words to each other our entire lives so how you have the opinion that my words should be "taken with a pinch of salt" I do not know. I also think you'd be hard pushed to find someone in the industry who has a bad word to say about me so I don't think you can be taking the words out of the mouth of someone else.  So I do not take kindly to you having any options about me and my character.

Flushy, you were only to happy to banter with me on the rail at the PPT Final about the shocking standard of play there. I don't remember you telling me that, as a live updater, I should keep my opions to myself. And your statement that "If my entire life bankroll was the buy in of this tournament, I'd still play" is a lot more degrading and out of place to anything I've ever said about the standard of play at a tournament.

My opinions about either event were not posted in a blog, were just mentioned in passing conversations to friends. I stand by what I said to Homer about the 6-max and Praz and Peter Gould will, I'm sure, agree.

Marc

Good luck to my best friend Dag.............NOT!

Julian Thew is OUT. A limp from Marc Convey's favourite player, Dag Palovic, Julian made it 800, and just Dag called.



Dag checks, Julian bets 1,700, Dan sets him in for another 5k. Julian eventually makes the call with Aces. Dag has pocket Sixes and shouts, "No Ace! No Ace!". He gets his wish after the bricky and turn and river.

You're going to get me killed Homer. He has mafia connections you know!

Really upset to see Dag Palovic bottom of the pile.......NOT. He's one of the biggest egit's in poker.

Homer - Is he still wearing his self proclaiming, I am brilliant, shirt?

Snoopy, he's evil, don't support him.

Yes, the lucky D shirt is still on.

And now he's out.

I'm shedding a tear as I type!

Really upset to see Dag Palovic bottom of the pile.......NOT. He's one of the biggest egit's in poker.

Homer - Is he still wearing his self proclaiming, I am brilliant, shirt?

Snoopy, he's evil, don't support him.

Well done Homer and goodluck. Same to Jen and Julian.

Updaters, I know it's a hard slog ahead but keep up the good work. Personally I'm happy to have a week off.

Dana - not too much stalking of Trond!

Marc

Stephen Bartley doesn't do tournament reports, he's a writer. At the beginning of each day he gets all the players together and tells them EXACTLY what the f#ck he feels like writing and that is EXACTLY what happens.

I was really impressed with the way you held yourself in Dublin. Much respect for other players and still on form after going out in a harsh way. I really enjoyed having a few drinks with you after and listening to yours and William's stories. Hope to catch up in Amstertam or beyond.

Marc