Can someone give me some insight to the quality of this tournament(how well it's run,non-tornament play,Tunica casinos overall). I have never been there before but from reading trip reports through the years it seems full of plopies and rooms can be hard to find on short notice.I guess a car rental is a must. Tunica might be a good spot with all the big boys(and girls) in LV.Also can I fly in on Sat. morning or will I need to get there on Fri.Any professional opinions or general BS would be greatly appreciated. Oh,that reference to big had nothing to do with anybodys physical apperance
Head down, you'll love it. You're talking about the Grand Tunica event held on the same weekend as the Las Vegas Hilton finals. This should be a great opportunity as you note, since many players are in Vegas instead. The Grand runs a fine event, and you'll be pleased with the way it is handled. I'm unsure of the format this time because the materials state that it pays to 30 places. Still, I think it's elimination-style, with some prizes awarded for getting to the semifinal round. For non-tournament play, there are some great games in Tunica, but you won't find them at the Grand. (I'll be posting a Grand conditions report at http://www.blackjackinfo.com/bb/ later this afternoon.) For the best games, try Fitzgeralds and Horseshoe. A car rental from Memphis is a necessity. There's another big Tunica event later in May at the Gold Strike as well.
Both are good tournaments Both the grand and the gold strike are good tournaments to play at. The gold strike is a different format (hybrid). First you play two rounds and the top 35 highest combined scores advance to an elimination format. If you don't like one of your scores in a round you can rebuy and only the top two session scores are counted to the total. There are prizes for finishing with high scores in each qualifying round. $5000 for first down to $1000 in thousand dollar increments to 5th, $500 for sixth and $250 from 7th to 10th. Rebuy session is lower since buyin is half of regular $500 entry fee. Top prize is $50,000 at final table. If you make it to past the qualifying rounds you also win $500. I haven't gotten my papers yet from the grand so I don't know if they have changed anything, but I believe it is strictly an elimination format. With both tournaments they provide rooms for two nights (Friday and Saturday) and I think both have welcome banquets on Friday night although play doesn't start until Saturday with finals on Sunday. Other meals are not provided, but you can get comped from play at regular tables fairly easily, plus at the gold strike I remember they had coffee and rolls in the mornings. The Gold Strike tourney is in their conference area, while the grand plays in one of their pits. With a lot of the top tourney players in Vegas, it is a good time to play at Tunica.
