So I was in Vegas this week and decided to go to LVH and get my suited blackjack to qualify for their next tournament Jul 5-7. I asked the pit boss what exactlly I had to do and he said that they were no longer taking qualifiers. I then was directed to the next pit critter (a higher-up?) named Russ Cito or something like that. I asked him the same question and he told me it has been cancelled. He even showed me on paper on his clipboard that it was cancelled. I am not surprised, as there were a total of 3 people playing blackjack at on one table and seven other dealers standing around. There were a total of about 8 people in the entire casino...it was DEAD!!! I will leave it up to the pros to get to the bottom of the story...I didn't cancel it in the event calendar.
Correct Info Mo Mo's above post is correct, the LVH July 5-7 100K BJ tournament has been canceled, I confirmed it after she informed me Tuesday 04/24 the information she was given by the day shift Casino Manager, Russ. The LVH September 100K BJ tournament is still scheduled to date but qualification to participate will be based on each player's prior theoretical history not by receiving a suited blackjack during casino play. theoretical not
Well, this news certainly sucks. That was the last event on the calendar where we could enjoy meeting up with other national-level BJT assassins, something I truly enjoyed. Meskwaki's has been gutted, LVH's is now a memory, nobody has shown any interest in running something anywhere close to the Winstar monster of just a few short years ago. Things aren't getting better, they're getting a lot worse. I keep waiting for some smart casino to realize that they can run these like a poker tournament and make their $$$, but it just isn't happening. :cry: It sure was fun while it lasted. Wish I'd stumbled across this BJT thing 20 years sooner.
This does truly suck. I have been trying to get down to one of these for a while now (life keeps getting in the way) and finally have reasonably firm plans in place to go to the $100k in Sept. Any chance that there will be a buy in? It might still be worth the experience if the room is still comped.
I am an Idiot Just got a phone call from my host. He was very apologetic. He just found out from the VP this morning that Rookies information was correct. The July tournament is cancelled. I wouldn't worry about September because I doubt very seriously that anything in the future will happen there. Sorry for the bad information.
dear lvh; what a classy operation you have (or lack of an operation). just put the chain and padlock on the door today. nice knowing you.
Some Tournament players must bear the guilt Players have bragged to me during previous LVH 100K events they were dealt a suited BJ within an hour or less which qualified them for the next tournament and planned to stiff LVH the remainder of the trip. They perhaps erronously felt they were Advantage Players losing 50 to 100 dollars while gaining an invitation to the next 100K BJ tournament that included three nights free lodging. This same type of player also caused cancellation of the LVH 100K Craps, Pai Gow and 3 Card Poker tournaments when 5 hours of play during those tournaments qualified them for the next three 100K tournaments. These "smart guys" discovered they could play a penny slot machine with one spin every 15 seconds or so for 5 hours over 3 days and qualify for three 100K tournaments including free lodging. Their maximum financial risk to qualify for three 100K tournaments including 9 nights lodging was $75 to $100. I'll guess the LVH table tournament events were creating a financial deficit as the LVH monthly 75K slot tournaments have not been canceled, in fact the prize fund is being increased to 100K. Lack of casino side play by tournament players destroyed open (paid entry fee) blackjack tournaments and evidently killed this "Goose that laid a golden egg". I'll quarantee if LVH was making a reasonable profit with their 100K BJ tournaments, the July tournament would not have been canceled.
I understand what you are saying Rookie and agree completely. I don't think that they played fairly though by increasing the amount required on the suited blackjack from $10 to $25 until several hundred people have qualified and then to cancel the tournament. I have sufficient rated play that I can play any tournament that LVH offers, and I didn't get it playing pennies. Once they did away with the five hour rule, with which I concur, they should have kept their agreement with those who qualified at $25. It is ridiculous that marketing and a senior host did not know anything about this cancellation until this morning. Really tough on those customers who have already made vacation and travel arrangements.
Whats Fair? Leilahay, I don't disagree with you, it's unfair to those that risk $25 or more per BJ hand specifically to qualify for the July LVH 100K BJ tournament and then discover post casino play the tournament has been canceled. I believe the cancelation occured due to the LVH recently being managed by a Bankruptcy Court appointed receivership. They as they should, look only at the bottom line in best interest of identified secured and unsecured debtors. During Bankrupcy of any Corporation many investors receive $0.00 or penny's on their dollars invested, I believe the decision to cancel the 100K BJ tournament was made by the individual appointed by the court as the prize fund for the monthly slot tournament was simultaneosly increased $25,000 to $100,000 evidently viewed as being more profitable for LVH and/or creditors. Perhaps if you and/or the other several hundred pre-qualifed participants as you stated complain about a gambling loss and request reimbursement for losses specifically attemting to acquire entry into the LVH July 5-7 100K BJ tournament, you may become whole or cause the tournament be reinstated.
I don't have a dog in this fight since I couldn't attend the last LVH BJT so hadn't "earned" an entry into the July event. But as per usual I'll stick my two cents' worth in. Rookie and Leilahay are both right. Rookie is correct since I also know of many players who did the bare minimum to get the entry, then badly stiffed the casino for further play. Some abused the 5 hour rule horrifically then bragged about it later (as Rookie pointed out in an earlier post). Some played BJ until they got the suited hand, then stiffed the casino. I have personal knowledge of a large group being invited to one of these BJT's not long ago, given the same deal as if they'd earned the entry in the usual fashion. The majority of this group did not give anywhere near an appropriate level of side action considering the value of the gifted package although it was discovered later that there was a large glitch in LVH's tracking of play by members of the group. I could have been viewed by the table games staff as being guilty of the hit-and-run because I'd play until getting the needed hand, then cash out. However, that was due to my personal distaste for table play on a casino floor - I spend many hours banging away at their video poker back in the sports book. With a casual cruising speed of 1,000 hands/hour @ $1.25 per hand, I'll run roughly the same action per hour as a $25/hand BJ player at a full table. $40K to $50K in total action was the norm. If they only counted table play, then I'm likely lumped in with the other vultures, but that would be a seriously skewed conclusion. Leilahay is right because it is despicable to entice players with the promise of a comped entry into a $100K event by playing $25 per hand, then cancel the event after the entry is earned. All players earning that entry got a slip of paper acknowledging same. That slip did say that the tournament was subject to cancellation but doing so is a public relations disaster - every player holding one of those slips now feels cheated, and every one is likely to tell dozens of friends and acquaintances about how the LVH screwed them. Note to LVH staff (and I know that you have people monitoring this forum) - Suck it up and run the July BJT, honoring entries already earned by the $25 players, then change future events however you feel necessary. Your customers will understand your changing of the requirements to get into future events, but simply canceling the July event will cause hundreds of your guests to feel like you cheated them. Is that what you really want?
I too spend more time on video poker than table games although my particular vice is the ten play quarters ($12.50 a spin 500 per hour) so I give serious action. I did spend several hours at the BJ tables qualifying on our last trip and made a few hundred. I just don't like playing with bad rules and worse players. LVH is compounding the public relations nightmare with lack of communication. As recently as yesterday afternoon an acquaintance here called and made reservations to buy into the non existent July tournament for $499. While I am sure that most who deal with a host will be notified at some point of the cancellation, what about the many people who don't have a host, who qualified, and are still planning on going? The casino needs to make a concerted effort to notify people. Good luck. They have opened a huge can of worms. I will be there twice in the next month but will have to seriously consider if I should play there at all. Without the major tournaments, they have little to offer me.
NO Class Why couldn't they at least email everyone that had qualified for the tournament......People that have already booked airfare are stuck into a trip to Vegas on 4th of July weekend with no room. This seems to be truely and end to an era, Phil and Jennifer my hats off to you and please find jobs with a casino with some sort of clue to marketing.......there is a great unfulfilled gap for great tournaments and you would think some smart company would capitalize on this need.
