Imperial Palace Tournament Review

I have to give credit where credit is due. This weekend there was a 100K BJT held at the Imperial Palace (IP) in Biloxi. The registration fee was 299.00 for people like me, who had never been to the IP. For their rated players it was 199.00 and I believe some of their Elite players may have had the full entry fee comp’d.

Registration was on Friday from 5-9 and there was a LONG line. Upon registering all participants received a complimentary short sleeved silk shirt with embroidery on the front: Imperial Palace 100,000 Blackjack Tournament. It was a very nice shirt. The staff seemed a bit overwhelmed but they had the written rules ready to go. In the lobby they had a welcome reception for the BJT guests with a live band, food, etc..

The tournament was a TBJT. The difference is that the BJT was held in their convention area and NOT on the casino floor. While at first I thought this a bit strange I actually liked this set up. The staff of the IP had 10 players BJ tables with 6 per table. There were plenty of other tables on the side for observers/guests/players not playing. In fact they had a cash bar there and the whole region was nicely decorated to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

The first round had 2 people advancing with re-buys available for $50! The 2nd round has 2 people advancing also. In the semi-final round it was a single person advancing and they had a wild card drawing right to the final table.

The staff was very nice and personable – there was some good ole Southern Hospitality. They were very clear about the rules and strict about the betting.

What impressed me what the prize fund and the buy-in and the number of players that registered – over 300. In fact I believe that IP was surprised at the response that they had to the event. They shouldn’t have been. With a very reasonable buy in, a good format, low re-buy and high prize pool this is the recipe for success.

This, in my opinion, is the correct way to hold these BJT. There were several things that IP did right:
1. A fee that allows plenty of participation.
2. Comping the players that the casino wants and allowing outside participation in order to get “new faces” into the mix.
3. Providing the shirts was a nice touch
4. Having the BJ tourney with areas for observers – in their conference region was very well thought out

As a player who hadn’t been to Biloxi before I would be very inclined to return. The only suggestions that I would make to the IP staff: have some “background” music in the tournament region – it was TOO quiet. Have some wild-card drawings into the semi-final round too. There were only 4 people per table. You could have had 5 people – therefore 5 wild card drawings and it would have sweetened the pot for the attending players.

Having the tourney over a Sat and Sunday, in my opinion, is the SMARTEST way to do this. Why? It increases the possible number of players coming to play. Let’s face it when you come to play and the tourney is a two-day event what are you going to do AFTER your 1st round? Plus you get players who are NOT retired. Yes, it’s great for retired people to have less competition but this TBJ needs new blood. I’m sorry but when I’M one of the youngest players something is definitely wrong. Look at poker. It’s DOMINATED with younger players and lets face it once you’ve played poker or BJT it can get kind of habit forming.

I would HOPE that any tournament director would look at how the IP handled this tournament as a template in how to host an event. This is my personal opinion but there are several things that I look for when picking and choosing which event to attend:

1. Convenience – have it over a weekend. One or two days preferably.

2. Good prize pool – 30,000 minimum. Over 50,000 is preferable.

3. Friendly people/staff who make the registration process fast, easy and enjoyable.

4. Great value. By staying at the IP I spent over 8 hours at their tables. I gave them plenty of side action. During my time at the tables several dealers made comments about how it was “extra” crowded that weekend.

5. Gifts/Promotions. Now this may sound stupid but the silk shirt was a really nice touch. In fact I would be more likely to wear it at the next BJT that I attend in order to make THAT establishment aware of what’s taking place out there.

After talking to my wife and discussing the various tournaments that I’ve played in this year we both agreed that this was the best value for our money spent. In fact she was a little perturbed because she said, “you went to Aruba, spent 2,700 and had to PAY for a shirt. Here you go to Biloxi, pay 299 and they GAVE you a shirt.” Hmmm, makes one wonder.

I know that I said I was not going to post for a month but in this case I felt a shout out needed to be given to the Imperial Palace for a job well done. In fact I would like to see them hold this event on a semi-annual or a quarterly basis. Given the facilities that IP has this could become a premier event in the Southeast Region and with proper promotion could eclipse the $250,000 event held at the Horseshoe in Tunica.

At a time when Biloxi is attempting to “return to normal” after Hurricane Katrina this BJT, in my humble opinion, is a great step in the right direction.

I'd give this 4 1/2 stars out of 5

On a side note: Barona changed THEIR UBT qualifier from June 8-10. This is a perfect example of STUPID MARKETING. I read earlier where TedinNaples had made flight plans to be there and now it's changed. I too was about to make flight plans to go for the weekend. Now I find it's changed. This is the second time that Barona has done this, the first being in April so it wouldn't overlap with The Palms event.

There aren't THAT many UBT circuit events available and now Barona f****s up another one with their scheduling. That 10,000 buy in for the 1,000,000 prize is begining to look like a good EV event. Hey Mr. Rubin, please talk to the IP people PLEASE. Or at least have your scheduling department get their act together.

 

post

This Is A Great Post
Very Good Points On How You And Most All Us Players Who Are Not Retired Or Have Large Bankrolls Feel About Tournys- Wish I Could Have Been There Maybe Next Time
I Hope You Sent The Ip Your Thoughts Also:d :d

 

Great post...

FGK. When you get a chance to participate in a TBJPA I bet it will knock your sox off. Hint Hint.

 

Nice, Very Nice

Very good post fgk42. I knew you could make a posting without pictures. Ya, I know it was tough but you did not succumb to temptation.

There are plenty of things one could comment about in your post but I'll just address one:

First of all, don't let this worry you, you don't look your age. Yes, few are under 60 but you blend in well. In another 5 years when you reach that golden level you'll be at home. :laugh:

Enough HA, HA. In my opinion, the reason for the lack of younger players is two fold - time and money:
1) Younger players holding down a 9 to 5 simply don't have the time. With raising a family, a spouse that says "you don't spend enough time with me", job requirements, minor home improvements (a job for toolman anyway), etc., free time is very limited. What little free time is available is usually best spent relaxing instead of rushing to and from an airport and all the other hassles of traveling. A older retired player has all the time in world. They have the time to do all that.

2) Money. Yes it always comes down to money. Most younger players simply do have the extra funds to travel, pay for food, pay entry fees, possible hotel costs, gamble some at live games, etc.. Also, they simply do not have the resources, in great numbers, to give the casinos the level of play needed to get the good invites. If you talk to the older players you will find that most are retired and financially secure. This is their hobby, their entertainment if you will. They have the financial resources to partake in this venture.

So to summarize:
In my opinion, Blackjack Tournaments will never attract a large following of younger players. The nature of the game just doesn't permit it to happen. I would like to see an increase in younger players but it ain't gonna happen.

 

Barney at 25 % he might also lose his shirt in addition to his socks :laugh:


Joep

 

Lil'joey

Ill tell you what. I know deep down, as I do you had a hand in the Venetian May tourney, you want to play in Laughlin this weekend because this format is your wheelhouse. The charge isnt 25% as you so easily exaggerate, its 16%. But here is the deal of your lifetime. I will pay your 40$ membership fee. If you show up for the Sunday game I will pay the 40$ fee. You pay the house 15$. I pay the 40$. But thats not all, if you final table you pay me back the 40$ . If you dont show I will be at Pioneer June 2 and will pay your 20$ house fee there. So, come to Laughlin this Sunday and I have 2 twenties for you. Come to Pioneer on June 2 and I have a twenty for you. Talking about a deal.

 

Godfather Part 4

As Don Corelone was famous for saying "I made him an offer he couldn't refuse"

Well Barney I must admit you have made me an offer that might be hard to refuse,but I will have to check with my co-workers in the Venetian tournament office to see if they would be OK with me attending Sunday's tournament.

Now I will tell you that your offer is not the first I have received concerning a trip to "beautiful" Laughlin this Sunday.

One other tournament player who is a member here offered not only to drive me to Laughlin but he will also buy me lunch if I went.

All these offers Money, Food, Transportation................. What shall I do?

I would hate to find out when I get there, that I'm not welcome.

What shall I do ?

Joep

 

40 + lunch

That comes to about fity dollars! Man, if bet21 could buy FGK off for a few days you should be easy pickinz:joker: My goodness, maybe I should just send FGK the 40 to pay some of that" bet21 deposit bonus" bet off for you

 

Suggestion for Joep:

When in doubt put it out.

Nothing ventured. Nothing gained.

No guts. No glory.

There is a free lunch.

There is a free scenic ride. And out and back that alone is a stress reliever.

Down side.:

You're accepting Money from Barney. Does he get points?

The Casino says you can't play. Just add em to the list.

 

Fwiw

Im having to pay Mrs Stone over 10 times what I have offered Joe. She wants compensation for me playing BJT on Mothers Day for cripe sakes.

Im on my way- River Palms or the tow yard!

 

You can not buy points in the All In Player Ranking system. You only get points by earning them. All points are awarded based upon a semi-final appearance or higher and as long as the event has been sanctioned by All In and the host casino is willing to report accurate tournaments results. No exceptions will be made.

So Barneys attempt to "Bribe" "Influence" "Sway" or otherwise coax me into spending a day in Laughlin will not earn him any points with All In or for that matter the "House of Pane".

Now Noman if you are offering cans of Tuna and a carton of Twinkies to out do Barneys offer I'm all ears.

Joep

 

Tournament thougts

[/quote]In my opinion, the reason for the lack of younger players is two fold - time and money:
1) Younger players holding down a 9 to 5 simply don't have the time. With raising a family, a spouse that says "you don't spend enough time with me", job requirements, minor home improvements (a job for toolman anyway), etc., free time is very limited. What little free time is available is usually best spent relaxing instead of rushing to and from an airport and all the other hassles of traveling. A older retired player has all the time in world. They have the time to do all that.

2) Money. Yes it always comes down to money. Most younger players simply do have the extra funds to travel, pay for food, pay entry fees, possible hotel costs, gamble some at live games, etc.. Also, they simply do not have the resources, in great numbers, to give the casinos the level of play needed to get the good invites. If you talk to the older players you will find that most are retired and financially secure. This is their hobby, their entertainment if you will. They have the financial resources to partake in this venture.

So to summarize:
In my opinion, Blackjack Tournaments will never attract a large following of younger players. The nature of the game just doesn't permit it to happen. I would like to see an increase in younger players but it ain't gonna happen[/quote]

Dear Toolman,

What a difference two (2) years makes. Thanks to archived links posted by the site owner it was interesting to see you “early” posts – see thread about chips. (http://www.blackjacktournaments.com/bb/showthread.php?t=946) Back then you were making suggestions about how to improve the attendance at BJT. Now you seen more resigned to just accept things as they are.

You bring up two very valid points, especially point #1 – TIME. That was why I posted my review of the IP Tourney. Very few BJT are held on the weekends. By holding the tournaments during the week you several restrict the player pool to: local players, professional players and retired individuals. Now I understand that weekends are the busiest time for any casino so to hold an event during the weekend may seem counter productive but I would venture to suggest otherwise.

On the weekends people who work during the week have a choice between family time, if married, and other recreational activities. During the week, except for the hard core and retired, playing in BJT isn’t really an option. During a weekend hosting a BJT is actually GOOD for business and good for the overall BJT world and here is why.

Most weekend tourneys can start at 9:00 and run most of the day until 4-6 pm. Hosting 6-10 tables of 6-7 players means that you can have anywhere from 100-300 players in the tournament. (Assumptions: 1 hour/round, min 6 tables up to 10, 6 or 7 players/table and rebuys).

With a format suggested by the TBJPA (2 people advance/table, etc.) with a 300 player tourney it can be finished by 6 pm. So basically done during the day shift. Now however imagine that you break it down over two (2) days. The BJ players, at least those who advance are captive audiences for the night. Throw in wild card drawings for the semi-final and 1 final table and probably 80% of those players stick around.

What does this have to do with time? With the above format a TBJ player can take their family and stay at the host casino. Playing during the day and family time at night – it opens the door for many, many more people.

Your second point is money. Yes this is ALWAYS a sticking point as there never seems to be enough. However when I venture into any casino I see LOTS of people with money to buy chips. It’s rare to see empty BJ tables on a Friday or Saturday night. The problem, in my opinion not so much the fees but the VALUE that people perceive. Let me give you an example of someone very dear to me – my wife.

She loves those slots and I hate them. She chooses to play the video ones because of the “cute” video segments. What’s interesting is that when I watch her (yes I play them too since she spends time with me at the BJ tables) and I see others playing the penny machines a maximum bet can be anywhere from 2.00 up to 5.00! On a penny machine! Now my mother-in-law does the same thing. When I suggested that they play the $1 machines with better payoff tables, etc. I was told, “no way am I going to play $3 or $5 a pull. I stick to my penny machines because it lasts longer”

Now she’ll put $50 in a penny machine and play for a few hours but that same $50 in a $1 machine can be over in a matter of minutes. Which machine has the better payout? The $1 slot for sure – over the long run. That’s what leads me back to perceived value. When players go to a poker tourney they can play for hours, and feel like they got their money’s worth. On the other hand with a BJT they could be out very early and feel they got “ripped off”. That’s’ why, in my opinion the starting bankrolls, along with min and max bets, need to be raised. Give people 20,000 in chips with a $100 to $15,000 or $20,000 max. It does two things: (1) Introduces players to a whole new arena of chips and amounts that the average red and green chipper never experiences and (2) gives people the feeling of more value. I mean getting 20,000 in chips for a $299 buy-in is a bargain!

The second part about the financial side is the buy-in. while it’s nice to see 200,000 and higher prize pools the reality is that until there is a bigger TBJ player pool it isn’t going to happen. I agree with you Toolman that BJT are a hobby for most players. Therefore the buy-in amounts should reflect that and range from 99-499, depending upon the casino and the type of patrons that they are trying to attract. In essence make it close to greens fees.

With respect to having younger TBJ players – I think it can be done. Look at poker and the wide range of players – from the seniors, Doyle Brunson to the youngsters (Jamie Gold). I just think it is the PERCEPTION that exists and with tweaks here and there is can be changed. What are some of those changes…to be continued?