I’ve gotten several e-mails and calls about my last post...LOL. Get over it, were not pro's, who out there makes a living at playing (just) Blackjack tournaments? The players that like and want to be called pros, then whine when they get barred from a casino...DUH! I don't want to be a so-called "Pro", I like getting to go into every casino and playing. Remember most of the tournaments and marketing personal at these casinos don't even know how to play the games, they have a degree and listen to some high roller "Bitching" about how they got beat by a pro. What their mad about is they just screwed up and want to blame it on something else. But anyway the Marketing or Tournament Director hears Pro or team and bar's the player(s). I played my first tournament in 1985, at the Desert Inn. The tournaments now are as different as night and day. It was nothing to have 450 to 600 players at $300-$500 entries and $600 live money buy-in's. Now look at the tournaments, maybe 275 for a big tournament, look at the Hilton for a MILLION Dollars and they didn't even sell out but once this year (200 players). Those of you that know me know how hard I am working at trying to get the bans lifted off the players at some of the casinos and bringing new players in to the mix as well so that we can again have the bigger tournaments again. I did the format for the Stardust for May, I told them point blank “Your Pissing off your players†treat the players right if you want to get them back, as the name says “Come on Back†BJ tournament. I had them guarantee reentries, advance a minimum of two from each table, no wild cards pass the quarterfinal round, and lowered the price money from $100,000 so more players could win money other then just the top prize. This is also an OPEN tournament so it is your chance to get your foot in the door for further Stardust tournaments, which are by invitation only. The May tournament will not host their normal pre-tournament banquet, since the Hilton will be hosting one on Saturday night. The rooms will cost $49 per night and by giving them some action should be picked up for you, it’s very simple; you don’t play you pay. I don't blame everything on the casinos, I also blame a lot of the players who took advantage of the freebies and never gave the casinos action. They’re in business to make money (and they do, a lot of it) but why should they host tournaments for us if we don't play at there joints? The Stardust is giving us a chance to run a tournament the way we keep saying we want one run, let not blow it. This could be the start of building the tournaments back up again and possibly getting barred players, unbarred! I love the fact so many new players have tried at the Hilton this year. Maybe some of the other casinos will stand up and take notice that these so call pros have been getting their ass kick by first time players. Like I said in my last post, you got to have luck, skill can’t beat better cards or bigger bets when the dealers busting. Actually the Hilton scares me this year because of so many newbies. As a tournament player, I would rather play a table of very good players then a table of rabbits any time. One or two rabbits (fast starters) are fine, but a full table "HELL NO" because in most case's one or two of them are going to be winning and my style of play I can get in a big hole fast.
