blonde Live Updates - your opinions needed please.

[tikay]

As to dtd Fessies, we have an agreement with them for 2007, which was not activated due to the delay in opening, & I'm meeting them on Sunday to discuss it further. My wish would be that blonde, because of it's close & historical ties with dtd, will cover any & all dtd Fessies. I imagine a dtd Live Update would be seriously well-received by the blonde community, as the overlap is huge.

It's not only blonde who would benefit from updates from dtd events.  dtd would benefit too, as they would gain greater exposure and attract additional custom to the club.

It's one of those 'no-brainers'.

Let us hope so, but we shall see. Rob, & DTD, have been more than generous towards blonde, they owe us nothing, whatever happens, but we will try & get it together.

[Karabiner]

I prefer if just the Uk based ones were covered, not really bothered about the EPT, WSOP ones.

That's the feedback we have had from many peeps already.

May I ask what makes or attracts you to reading a (UK based) blonde Live Update?

I want to be one of the first to know who I have a chance of nipping....

Seriously now, I want to know how my friends, fellow blondes and acquaintances are getting on, not some mateyboy.

[snoopy1239]

This argument of there being no famous names on the final table in Prague doesn't rub with me and totally assumes that there has to be familiar faces present at the end for us to receive big hits. This is not true as although they may not be familiar to us, they may well be to our European viewers. The Scandinavian EPT this year, for example, was hugely popular (check out the hits), much more so, than say a Blackpool GUKPT or the recent Walsall Midland Masters, and, apart from perhaps ElkY, it was a more unfamiliar final table than the one currently undergoing in Prague.

Imo, it's impossible to truly guage an accurate idea of the situation by only asking those who post on our general discussion board as there are plenty of blonde viewers (many ept fans) who don't. The sample size is naturally going to be biased.

However, the costs remain big for the EPT, and the hits aren't large enough to warrant 11 flights, hotel, etc a year.

[tikay]

This argument of there being no famous names on the final table in Prague doesn't rub with me and totally assumes that there has to be familiar faces present at the end for us to receive big hits. This is not true as although they may not be familiar to us, they may well be to our European viewers. The Scandinavian EPT this year, for example, was hugely popular (check out the hits), much more so, than say a Blackpool GUKPT or the recent Walsall Midland Masters, and, apart from perhaps ElkY, it was a more unfamiliar final table than the one currently undergoing in Prague.

Imo, it's impossible to truly guage an accurate idea of the situation by only asking those who post on our general discussion board as there are plenty of blonde viewers (many ept fans) who don't. The sample size is naturally going to be biased.

However, the costs remain big for the EPT, and the hits aren't large enough to warrant 11 flights, hotel, etc a year.

Agreed. But do these Scandies & European viewers ever tune in again, or become part of the blonde "community"? I'm assuming - correct me if I'm wrong - that they tune in for the (free) Updates now & then, & that's all. Which is not exactly why we do them!

[GlasgowBandit]

As to dtd Fessies, we have an agreement with them for 2007, which was not activated due to the delay in opening, & I'm meeting them on Sunday to discuss it further. My wish would be that blonde, because of it's close & historical ties with dtd, will cover any & all dtd Fessies. I imagine a dtd Live Update would be seriously well-received by the blonde community, as the overlap is huge.

It's not only blonde who would benefit from updates from dtd events.  dtd would benefit too, as they would gain greater exposure and attract additional custom to the club.

It's one of those 'no-brainers'.

Let us hope so, but we shall see. Rob, & dtd, have been more than generous towards blonde, they owe us nothing, whatever happens, but we will try & get it together.

Can you sort out the next Blonde Bash at DTD - anytime after March suits for me as Celtic will have been pumped out the CL by then

[GlasgowBandit]

This argument of there being no famous names on the final table in Prague doesn't rub with me and totally assumes that there has to be familiar faces present at the end for us to receive big hits. This is not true as although they may not be familiar to us, they may well be to our European viewers. The Scandinavian EPT this year, for example, was hugely popular (check out the hits), much more so, than say a Blackpool GUKPT or the recent Walsall Midland Masters, and, apart from perhaps ElkY, it was a more unfamiliar final table than the one currently undergoing in Prague.

Imo, it's impossible to truly guage an accurate idea of the situation by only asking those who post on our general discussion board as there are plenty of blonde viewers (many ept fans) who don't. The sample size is naturally going to be biased.

However, the costs remain big for the EPT, and the hits aren't large enough to warrant 11 flights, hotel, etc a year.

Agreed. But do these Scandies & European viewers ever tune in again, or become part of the blonde "community"? I'm assuming - correct me if I'm wrong - that they tune in for the (free) Updates now & then, & that's all. Which is not exactly why we do them!

Would it make sense to perhaps restrict what the newbies can see on the live update before making so many posts?  Then that way I guess they are sort of forced into becoming a part of blonde, and to be honest when you go blonde you just can't go back!  Its like an addiction.  its sad but most of my time spent on the net is on blonde   If not on here then certainly in the card room where I have done my bollocks in the last few days!  Boom and bust poker woooooooooo!!!!

[77dave]

Have you asked Hinge and Bracket there opinion on this yet?

I think you already know the answer to your own question here Tikay. You know what Blonde is!!! The show will go on. You know what Blonde can cope with. If doing the EPT's isnt gettign a high enough traffic per £ spent then it may be hard to do but you may need to bring the axe down.  As b4matt says there are plenty of other festivals these days the calendar has changed more this past year than prob any other year previous. Blonde can still do the Vic EPT and the Grand Final but personally id leave the rest of them alone.

[bobby1]

I know this might be a little unpopular but I think the live updates are not as good as they were. The problem with them is that in a lot of places they arent really tourney updates at all, they are updates of selected mates and Blondes. I have a feeling that the updaters have got to know  % of the UK players that play most of the comps and these players seem to account for almost all the updates.There is also a big lack of current chip counts for most of the night. Without these the updates are more of a compillation of hands and quotes from the aformentioned group of players than tourney updates.

I know that getting chip counts can be very tricky in a lot of places but without constant and current chip counts it lacks a little. The best one ever was the comp that ended with a heads up between big Barry and DC in Manchester I think it was, it had player comment, hand description,chip counts galore and updater comment in bundles instead of page after page of photos and general comment.

Sorry but thats just my view.

[kinboshi]

I know this might be a little unpopular but I think the live updates are not as good as they were. The problem with them is that in a lot of places they arent really tourney updates at all, they are updates of selected mates and Blondes. I have a feeling that the updaters have got to know  % of the UK players that play most of the comps and these players seem to account for almost all the updates.There is also a big lack of current chip counts for most of the night. Without these the updates are more of a compillation of hands and quotes from the aformentioned group of players than tourney updates.

I know that getting chip counts can be very tricky in a lot of places but without constant and current chip counts it lacks a little. The best one ever was the comp that ended with a heads up between big Barry and DC in Manchester I think it was, it had player comment, hand description,chip counts galore and updater comment in bundles instead of page after page of photos and general comment.

Sorry but thats just my view.

...and two players that everyone knew.  Would it have been as good if it had been Morgen Heinrikersson against Stronson Stronsonson heads up?

[bobby1]

I know this might be a little unpopular but I think the live updates are not as good as they were. The problem with them is that in a lot of places they arent really tourney updates at all, they are updates of selected mates and Blondes. I have a feeling that the updaters have got to know  % of the UK players that play most of the comps and these players seem to account for almost all the updates.There is also a big lack of current chip counts for most of the night. Without these the updates are more of a compillation of hands and quotes from the aformentioned group of players than tourney updates.

I know that getting chip counts can be very tricky in a lot of places but without constant and current chip counts it lacks a little. The best one ever was the comp that ended with a heads up between big Barry and DC in Manchester I think it was, it had player comment, hand description,chip counts galore and updater comment in bundles instead of page after page of photos and general comment.

Sorry but thats just my view.

...and two players that everyone knew.  Would it have been as good if it had been Morgen Heinrikersson against Stronson Stronsonson heads up?

Its a good point but a good tourney update early in the comp would have chip counts for a wide range of players, then when the final came around we would be far more familiar with the players and their ups and downs, not just the players that we know.

[RED-DOG]

The problem with them is that in a lot of places they arent really tourney updates at all, they are updates of selected mates and Blondes. I have a feeling that the updaters have got to know  % of the UK players that play most of the comps and these players seem to account for almost all the updates


Exactly as it should be IMHO Phil.

I WANT updates that focus more on fellow blondes, mates, and regular circuit players. and I want loads of photographs.

[bobby1]

The problem with them is that in a lot of places they arent really tourney updates at all, they are updates of selected mates and Blondes. I have a feeling that the updaters have got to know  % of the UK players that play most of the comps and these players seem to account for almost all the updates


Exactly as it should be IMHO Phil.

I WANT updates that focus more on fellow blondes, mates, and regular circuit players. and I want loads of photographs.

Fair enough Tom. The updates from the current comp highlight the problem for me, in the day one threads there is barely a mention of chip counts but plenty of pics and chat, now that the final table has a reletive amount of unknown players it has a feeling of 'disappointment' for want of a better word. If the early updates did have plenty of chip counts we would have already got a kind of history with these players. After all a tourney update should be entertaining and fun but it should also give an update of the tourney?

[AndrewT]

Chips counts ≠ Tourney updates.

As a reader I want something entertaining which still keeps me informed. If Snoopy, Floppy or whoever have a choice between spending ten minutes writing an entertaining, humourous description of a hand they saw, or spending ten minutes counting the chip stacks of random mateyboys I'd want them doing the interesting writing.

If I just wanted 'Player X has 20,000, Player Y has 15,000 etc' all day there are other sites I could go to.

[GlasgowBandit]

The problem with them is that in a lot of places they arent really tourney updates at all, they are updates of selected mates and Blondes. I have a feeling that the updaters have got to know  % of the UK players that play most of the comps and these players seem to account for almost all the updates


Exactly as it should be IMHO Phil.

I WANT updates that focus more on fellow blondes, mates, and regular circuit players. and I want loads of photographs.

Fair enough Tom. The updates from the current comp highlight the problem for me, in the day one threads there is barely a mention of chip counts but plenty of pics and chat, now that the final table has a reletive amount of unknown players it has a feeling of 'disappointment' for want of a better word. If the early updates did have plenty of chip counts we would have already got a kind of history with these players. After all a tourney update should be entertaining and fun but it should also give an update of the tourney?

i'm not sure what the logistics are at these big events but it seems like a crazy number of people to go through to get the chip counts. 

Whats the point in updating counts for mateyboy that nobody has an interest in?

I think the benefit of the interatcive thread is that if there is a player you want to know about you can ask and the guys do their best to get the count for that particular player, also looking at day 1 it seemed like it took an age for the event organisers to get a full player list out to the updaters, this only stands to make their job harder.

[DaveShoelace]

I check Pokernews for the 'majors' just to check for how Doyle and Negreanu are doing.

I come to Blonde because its great for UK centric blogging, so I can see how my mates are getting on.

So for me, the whole appeal of Blonde is the community focus, so keep it UK.