UK festival poker....non added-value festival poker...the future...

[Royal Flush]

 I see the South of England Championship in Southampton this Bank Holiday weekend has been cancelled.
 Is this down to lack of runners? It certainly doesn't help that Blue Square refused to run any sats for it .....like they did last year.
We all know how big and sucessful the GUKPT is but please lets find a way of keeping other mini festivals running.

As i understand it all the non gpt festivals are unlikely to run due to lack of runners.

I also believe there will be a lot more GPT events next year (replacing the old festivals)

[tikay]

Bigger is neccesarily better, I'd probably play more a few more events if the fields were smaller....

Did you exclude the word "not" there Patrick?

Personally, I adore the smaller fields, 40, 50, 60, seem to suit me better, & I do better. I guess less folks to beat!

It's more comfy, not all squished up, the atmo seems friendlier, everyone on first name terms. Horses for courses I guess.

[tikay]

Just a note about "added money"

303 runners in brighton i believe.

303 x £50 = £15,150

'added money' = £10k + £3k seat.

Not exactly great value is it! I do not play the GPT because of the 'added money'

I actually think £13k of added money is excellent. (A dozen times a season....). Every little helps....It MUST be a step in the right direction, surely? In effect, they are reg fee free.

[tikay]

 I see the South of England Championship in Southampton this Bank Holiday weekend has been cancelled.
 Is this down to lack of runners? It certainly doesn't help that Blue Square refused to run any sats for it .....like they did last year.
We all know how big and sucessful the GUKPT is but please lets find a way of keeping other mini festivals running.

I agree 100%, they (mini-fessies) are just the ticket.

[Wardonkey]

Bigger is neccesarily better, I'd probably play more a few more events if the fields were smaller....

Did you exclude the word "not" there Patrick?

Personally, I adore the smaller fields, 40, 50, 60, seem to suit me better, & I do better. I guess less folks to beat!

It's more comfy, not all squished up, the atmo seems friendlier, everyone on first name terms. Horses for courses I guess.

Yup, missed the 'not'...

I only play 2 or 3 £500+ events a year. I don't mind travelling to pay £300-£500 to an event that I know I'll enjoy and that I think I have a reasonable chance in. That reasonable chance is reduced once the field swells much over 100 runners. If I played more live that wouldn't be as much of a factor, but these tounaments are expensive in terms of time and money and a few in row without a cash really hurts the bottom line.

[Ironside]

personally i aint going to travel anywhere in the country anymore for a 1k event (i have in the past) but i would be more willing to play a 300 or a 500 2 day event the same weekend as another casino is holding a 1k or 3k event

so if 2 casinos are holding festivals or major events the same week 1 needs to go for the lower end of the market make events like 100 freezeouts and a smaller main event to encourage newer players to play this will also encourage the pros who get knocked out early in the bigger buy in event to try and make it as they know that some hobby players and dead money like myself will be turning up and making it more profitable that all the sharks in the big 1-3k buy in events

[tikay]

I believe that Aspers scheduled their festival before the Brighton dates had been announced.

Chris, the cardroom supervisor said that he was "devastated" when their week got counterfeited.

I must add that after a few days up there I was really impressed by Aspers and I'm sure that they'll have many successful festivals in the future. It has friendly locals, a huge comfortable cardroom in pleasant surroundings and excellent staff.

I will definitely visit again.

Agreed Ralph, it's a super venue, with great staff & players.

Last week must have cost them a bomb in wasted Dealer costs, & they won't wanna repeat that in a hurry. I genuinely feel sorry for them, they really tried, but it just went wrong somewhere in the planning or diary.

Personally, I love Tournament Poker if it's well structured & well-organised, in nice Venues, and when I sense it's under threat, especially the Fessie part, it concerns me muchly. Remember, if these guys pull the plug, we have a problem.

The Tours are quite splendid, no doubt about it, & the sell-outs time after time prove that, but to me, the Fessies are the backbone of our circuit. But we'll always have mid-value "specials" here & there I believe. (Well, I hope).

[tikay]

 I see the South of England Championship in Southampton this Bank Holiday weekend has been cancelled.
 Is this down to lack of runners? It certainly doesn't help that Blue Square refused to run any sats for it .....like they did last year.
We all know how big and sucessful the GUKPT is but please lets find a way of keeping other mini festivals running.

As i understand it all the non gpt festivals are unlikely to run due to lack of runners.

I also believe there will be a lot more GPT events next year (replacing the old festivals)

Noooooo! Say it aint so!

I am 100% supportive of the big Tours, & Jon Raab has done a splendid job, all credit to him, but the thought that our traditional Fessies are under threat (if your understanding is indeed correct) is just horrible, imo. I do hope you are wrong! But if Grosvenor were to call a halt to their Fessies - & I can see why they may, (to better concentrate on their flagship GUKPT) then I guess other Venues would run them. They need to synchronise Diaries though, to avoid the Aspers debacle. I honestly believe the demand for Fessies is still there. But it must also be noted that here is only so much money to go round, & if the Major Tours soak most of it up, we do have  problem.

In the long run, the laws of supply & demand will prevail.

[tikay]

personally i aint going to travel anywhere in the country anymore for a 1k event (i have in the past) but i would be more willing to play a 300 or a 500 2 day event the same weekend as another casino is holding a 1k or 3k event

so if 2 casinos are holding festivals or major events the same week 1 needs to go for the lower end of the market make events like 100 freezeouts and a smaller main event to encourage newer players to play this will also encourage the pros who get knocked out early in the bigger buy in event to try and make it as they know that some hobby players and dead money like myself will be turning up and making it more profitable that all the sharks in the big 1-3k buy in events

I don't think it's "sharks" so much, as guys to whom the money matters less. The sponsored boys (& good luck to them) are playing with other peoples money, freerolling, so they can afford to take more risks, play looser & lairier, as can the very considerable "nipping brigade". For the rest of us, we need to manage our bankrolls, & that CAN affect the way we play. And that's maybe one of the reasons why I seem to do better in the small field, £100 to £500 range - the big boys are not so interested in them.

[Indestructable]

personally i aint going to travel anywhere in the country anymore for a 1k event (i have in the past) but i would be more willing to play a 300 or a 500 2 day event the same weekend as another casino is holding a 1k or 3k event

so if 2 casinos are holding festivals or major events the same week 1 needs to go for the lower end of the market make events like 100 freezeouts and a smaller main event to encourage newer players to play this will also encourage the pros who get knocked out early in the bigger buy in event to try and make it as they know that some hobby players and dead money like myself will be turning up and making it more profitable that all the sharks in the big 1-3k buy in events

Agreed in terms of the buy in. It's not that i can't afford a £1,000 entry, just that I am too sensible to gamble this sort of money (whether on poker or any other gambling). I would like more £100 freeze outs and at the time of day that some one working can take part in. Something that winds me up is when they have satellites to festivals starting at 3pm on a work day. 

[tikay]

personally i aint going to travel anywhere in the country anymore for a 1k event (i have in the past) but i would be more willing to play a 300 or a 500 2 day event the same weekend as another casino is holding a 1k or 3k event

so if 2 casinos are holding festivals or major events the same week 1 needs to go for the lower end of the market make events like 100 freezeouts and a smaller main event to encourage newer players to play this will also encourage the pros who get knocked out early in the bigger buy in event to try and make it as they know that some hobby players and dead money like myself will be turning up and making it more profitable that all the sharks in the big 1-3k buy in events

Agreed in terms of the buy in. It's not that i can't afford a £1,000 entry, just that I am too sensible to gamble this sort of money (whether on poker or any other gambling). I would like more £100 freeze outs and at the time of day that some one working can take part in. Something that winds me up is when they have satellites to festivals starting at 3pm on a work day. 

Excellent Post. There is a demand for such comps, run at sensible hours too.

[Karabiner]

personally i aint going to travel anywhere in the country anymore for a 1k event (i have in the past) but i would be more willing to play a 300 or a 500 2 day event the same weekend as another casino is holding a 1k or 3k event
  . Something that winds me up is when they have satellites to festivals starting at 3pm on a work day. 

You working stiffs should be able to afford the direct buy-in 

[Wardonkey]

personally i aint going to travel anywhere in the country anymore for a 1k event (i have in the past) but i would be more willing to play a 300 or a 500 2 day event the same weekend as another casino is holding a 1k or 3k event

so if 2 casinos are holding festivals or major events the same week 1 needs to go for the lower end of the market make events like 100 freezeouts and a smaller main event to encourage newer players to play this will also encourage the pros who get knocked out early in the bigger buy in event to try and make it as they know that some hobby players and dead money like myself will be turning up and making it more profitable that all the sharks in the big 1-3k buy in events

Agreed in terms of the buy in. It's not that i can't afford a £1,000 entry, just that I am too sensible to gamble this sort of money (whether on poker or any other gambling). I would like more £100 freeze outs and at the time of day that some one working can take part in. Something that winds me up is when they have satellites to festivals starting at 3pm on a work day. 

Excellent Post. There is a demand for such comps, run at sensible hours too.

There may well be a demand for such comps but any comp that is aimed at employed people with 'normal' sleep patterns is by neccesity a crapshoot if it has more than 50 runners.

[Djinn]

There may well be a demand for such comps but any comp that is aimed at employed people with 'normal' sleep patterns is by neccesity a crapshoot if it has more than 50 runners.
[/quote]

Wardonkey is entirely right.  The more popular these 'small' comps are, the worse they are in terms of play.  I can't see it being financially viable for casinos to cap them at the numbers a few of you seem to like - 50-60 - either.
____________________________

Someone mentioned all the advertising at the WPT - yes there were logos aplenty, they toasted the victor with "The official Beer" and everything, but I saw no benefit to the players themselves in any of this.  A terrible final table after five days of the best tournament in the world.  Shocking - surely some of this advertising revenue could be used to cover the $1,000,000+ costs quoted as arising over the course of the WPT series (and given as an excuse for the eventual 15 minute levels).  Financial constraints involved in filming a final table where they're playing for multiple millions, to which is attributed the bad end structure are a joke with this much interest from the public and advertisers alike. 

[tikay]

There may well be a demand for such comps but any comp that is aimed at employed people with 'normal' sleep patterns is by neccesity a crapshoot if it has more than 50 runners.

Wardonkey is entirely right.  The more popular these 'small' comps are, the worse they are in terms of play.  I can't see it being financially viable for casinos to cap them at the numbers a few of you seem to like - 50-60 - either.
____________________________

Someone mentioned all the advertising at the WPT - yes there were logos aplenty, they toasted the victor with "The official Beer" and everything, but I saw no benefit to the players themselves in any of this.  A terrible final table after five days of the best tournament in the world.  Shocking - surely some of this advertising revenue could be used to cover the $1,000,000+ costs quoted as arising over the course of the WPT series (and given as an excuse for the eventual 15 minute levels).  Financial constraints involved in filming a final table where they're playing for multiple millions, to which is attributed the bad end structure are a joke with this much interest from the public and advertisers alike. 


[/quote]

Wardonkey is entirely right.  The more popular these 'small' comps are, the worse they are in terms of play.  I can't see it being financially viable for casinos to cap them at the numbers a few of you seem to like - 50-60 - either.

Not necessarily so. Cardiff run a lovely £250 Freeze once a month, on a Sunday, it starts at 4pm & generally finishes around 1am, (earlier for most....) & it has a lovely (all things considered) structure. It's cost effective for the Venue, too. 40 runners at £25 Reg fee covers the cost of the 4 or 5 Dealers needed, after allowing for some extra gaming table income.

But of course any structure's integrity is a function of the time "allowed" to play it. Thus one day comps can never be as good as 2 day-ers, etc.  That's just a fact of life, & the only alternative is Online, where the much faster pace of play (almost zero dealing time, limited time to act, & 5 minute max breaks rigidly adhered to) allows better structures.

As to the point that sponsorship & TV money is still not always finding it's way to the players, I agree entirely, it's astonishing that Poker has allowed this to become the norm. It amazes me even more that "outside interests" (Hole card TV Table coverage etc) actually delays play, interferes with the game's flow, & causes Blinds to be accelerated. How on earth did we allow THIS to happen, without so much of a squeak from the players? As long as we allow it though, it will happen. And it will happen until Poker gets itself properly structured & organized. It just will.

Fortunately, we have seen a good bit of added money reach UK Tourney Poker in the current 12 months - probably £250,000 or more in total from Blue Square/Grosvenor, Gala & APAT. The start of a trend, one can but hope.