Harrahs World Series of 21

If you go the the Harrahs website and look under Harrahs AC, you will see a listing for a World Series of 21 tournament at Caesars AC on June 30, July 1 with a $2 million prize fund (based on 207 participants). This is an open tournament with a $10k entry fee. They will also be running $300/$30 satellites for this tournament at all of the AC casinos in the three months leading up to this tournament. The tournament format is not specified.
More info is supposedly available at their WSO21 hot line 800-942-7724.

 

Bits and Pieces of Information

From what I've been able to glean from various second hand sources is
that the satellites are going to be structured for 49 players. One player will advance to the satellite finals from each of 7 tables. The winner of the satellite final gets a seat in the big event with cash prizes for others based on number of entries. I don't know what happens if fewer than 34 players show up for a satellite. I've heard 25 hands bandied about as a round length.

 

Pending Lawsuit

How long before GSN has a law suit against this tournament.The World Series Of Blackjack is the same as the World Series Of 21.I believe GSN has the rights to that name.If you ask someone where the 21 tables are I bet you they will point you to the blackjack tables.Because 21 and blackjack are one in the same .

 

From what I know...

When ACJohn started posting over a month ago he told me about the WSO-21. He asked me not to post (or say anything until it until it became offical) He had just summited it to the AC gaming control.

From what I was told it will be 7 players per table and only one adavnce. The entry will be $300 + $30 fee and no re-buys. They want to play 6 to 10 tournaments (per day) over a 12 week period.

Six to Ten tournaments per day? Think they maybe just a little off on their estimate?
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As far as any lawsuit with GSN, their isn't one unless Harrah's try's to show their tournament on TV. Just calling their event WSO-21 is within their rights.

 

What You Own Can Not Be Taken Away From You

This would have nothing to do with if it's televised or not, the name is owned by GSN and no one can use it without their permission.So under your theory, would that mean that you can steal my car TEX as long as you were not going to use it :laugh:

 

six of one. a baker's dozen of another.

NORM! Now you join British Petroleum in parsing etheral terms. Check any trademark(tm) or copywrite(c) and they are specific to the "phrase."

Just as on-line sites are distinguished by 21, or Blackjack, regardless of what those in the know, know, they are seperate sites.

For your other endeaver: Party Poker. Poker Stars. Pacific Poker. Poker Winners. Poker Losers, ad in finitum. Just cause "Poker" is in the name doesn't give the site exclusivity.

 

The word from GSN

I was told they could use the name, but no TV. This was from GSN.

 

Wso21

WSO21 is now on WSOP site
http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/wso21.asp



John

 

Some Details

25 hands
10K in chips
unlimited betting
$100 minimum/required wager

Satellite
7 tables 1 winner each game advances to final table
Final table winner (34 players minimum) 10k seat at Caesars plus $200
less then 34 plays as cash tournament
over 34 addtional places will be paid cash prizes

Thanks
John

 

Harrahs WSO-21, the first night of qualifiers

Last night they started the qualifiers at Park Place. Qualifiers were scheduled for 7pm,8pm,9pm,10pm, and 11pm. They had 16 players at 7pm. The tournament people suggested not running the 7pm qualifier since
there weren't enough people for them to award a seat, and combine the 7pm players with the 8pm players, running just the 8pm session. I asked how many players had registered for the 8pm session. The answer was,
"None, yet." They held the 7pm session with 16 players. The 8pm session was cancelled. I checked just before the 9pm session, and was told that they had five players who wanted to play, and they were going to combine the 9pm and 10pm sessions. Just before the 10pm session was due to start, I was told that they had 6 players and 1 maybe. They had decided to cancel the 11pm session. I didn't hang around to see whether they actually
ran a one table tournament at 10pm. When they get less than 34 entries, the prize distribution is 70% to first, 30% to second.

There were no written rules provided to the players. Minimum bet was $100, no max bet with $10k starting stack. You played 25 hands with no
formal chip countdown, but players were supposed to keep their chips stacked by denominations for all players to see. There was no secret bet.
You could not bet odd quarters except for on the final hand.

If this is the turnout on a Friday night at Park Place, I wonder what it will be on a Tuesday afternoon at Showboat or a Wednesday afternoon at Caesars. Next up is a Sunday afternoon at Harrahs.

My Park Place host was able to get hold of an internal memo which had some comments about the $10k finals structure. It refers to the possibility of 30 games with up to 7 players. Advancement is by winning your table, but all players will have an opportunity to play 2 rounds. The minimum number of rounds will be 4, and Caesars may elect to advance more than 1 player from each table.

 

Modifications needed

After talking to AC John a few months back, I suggested some modifications on his format.

Daily multi-tournaments held hourly may work for poker, but with AC's format for blackjack will not work without several changes.

He needs to lower the entry fees for mulitple tournaments and advance 2 players from each table. He will find that the blackjack players are different then the poker players.

I hope his tournaments work (as I do with all BJ tournaments), but the structure just isn't right, it is close, but without some major changes I can't see it working (long term anyway).

 

Hope it is working, but...

How did the second WSO-21 go over at Harrah's AC?

I don't want to assume, but since nothing has been posted about it I am thinking the turnouts were low again.

I know they are going to host another one today at Showboat AC. Hopefully we will hear something about these events later tonight or tomorrow.

Locations and times in AC are:

Schedule: CasinoStarting---EverySession--- TimesEnding
Bally’s-------- March 31--------Friday 7 pm --- 11:30 pm June 16
Harrah’s------ April 2----------Sunday 12 pm--- 4:30 pm June 18
Showboat----- April 4----------Tuesday 3 pm --- 7:30 pm June 20
Caesars------- April 5----------Wednesday 3 pm - 7:30 pm June 21

The concept is good, it is the tournament format that needs adjustments. Once that is done this could be one of the best BJ events around. At least make it where two players advance through out from each table and add a maximum bet for a little more strategy to the format.

As far as the 10% fee, I have been in favor of adding fees for BJ tournaments for years. However if they are going to try for multiple tournaments daily I think they may need to lower the entry fees to $100 + $10 instead of $300 + $30 and add more locations to build up the championship prize pool.

 

Showboat 4/4 WSOB Tourney

I entered the Showboat session on 4/4.
There were only 5 of us for the first session, so they decided to wait another hour for the next session.
By then there were only 6 of us, so they decided to run 3 tables of 2, with the winner from each table going to the final table.
I went to the final table with two others for a 70%/30% split of the $1800 pool.
We started with $10K, min bet $100, no max, for 25 hands. (Final hand secret bet).
(I had 2nd place locked, so I did not chase the leader & jepordize second place.
As it turned out I made the right decision).
There were supposed to be 3 more sessions, but when they only got 4 more entrants, they cancelled the rest of the sessions & shut down.
Let's see if they fix it.

 

I really hate to hear that, but...

Thanks for the WSO-21 update Mikel. I wish the tournaments were going over better, but knowing blackjack tournament players the way I do I didn't figure the format would be going over very well with them.

The players will support a tournament if they fill they have a fair chance, but the current format is as bad as some of the VIP blackjack tournaments.

The difference in why players play the VIP events and not these WSO-21 events is the VIP events are fully comp-ed for the players from entries, hotel, and food.
When a player is asked to pay an entry (plus a tournament fee beside) they expect a better format and rules.

I hope AC John doesn't give up on hosting these
blackjack events, only that he makes the necessary changes to make them successful events.

 

Further Update

I showed up just before the 7pm qualifier at Park Place tonight. It looked
like they were going to have 7 or 8 players. I passed, and came back at 9pm when it appeared that they were giving up for the night. The director did indicate that although they hadn't had enough players in any qualifier yet to award a seat, they did have better success at both Harrahs and Caesars. They apparently had about 30 players in a qualifier at Caesars and over 20 at a qualifier at Harrahs.

 

im thinking about entering in one of these qualifier tournys, but what happens if only say 30 people show up. you mentioned this happened at ceasars, so basicly the winner only gets money and no awarded seat? sounds lame especially after hearing mikes account of the tourny, risking 300$ to win 240 profit? might as well go play at a table

 

Split if less than 34 players show Up

If they get fewer than 34 entries, it is simply a cash tournament with first place getting 70% of the prize pool, and 2nd place getting 30%. For example, if they get 20 entrants, the prize pool is 20*$300 = $6000.
In that case, first place would get 70% of $6000 or $4200, while second place would get $1800. Harrahs keeps the $30 per player administrative fee in all cases.

The only guarantee that Harrah's is making in the WSO-21 is the $1 million first prize. I have no idea under what circumstances Harrah's can cancel the WSO-21. It would seem to be easier for them to cancel it if they haven't given away any seats in the qualifiers, but it wouldn't surprise me if they have given themselves some sort of an escape clause anyways, so that they might not even be sticking their neck out with the $1 million first prize guarantee.

 

I have not seen it offered at any Mississippi casino, it could be the MS. gaming laws, they could only change a tourney or promotion with MS. gaming agency's written permission and once an events starts it can not be changed or canceled.