Letter: Open World Series of Blackjack to all Re: The World Series of Blackjack, which was filmed last week at the Las Vegas Hilton to air on GSN, the Network for Games (Jeff Haney's betting column, March 6) ... If this competition is truly going to be a World Series of Blackjack, then there should be opportunities for all the best players to play. What is wrong with satellite tournaments, like the World Series of Poker has? They could be held the week of the tournament at the Hilton or wherever the location is. This would give an opportunity to all of the best players - not just the invited guests and the show's buddies. Yes, there were so-called qualifying tournaments, but they were held at obscure places and did not take into account that some of the world's best blackjack players are in Las Vegas. I just hope someday that this becomes a true World Series event and the world's best players get to shine. The operators need to wake up and allow it to become an open event. Steve Reed, Las Vegas
It's a game show! BJFAN4 I hear what you're saying, but you wouldn't stand a chance of winning your argument in a debate. Joep I think he hit his thumb more then the nail. The WSOB events are opening up more now then ever before and for larger payouts (Prize money double every year for the pass three) and your upset because qualifiers are in obscure locations? Eighty-five percent or more of the players from this site have to travel to play all the time. So your obscure location agrument doesn't hold water. Now look at the UBT, their first OPEN event is going to be held in Aruba! I could drive to most any of the passed qualifiers quicker than I can fly to Aruba, does that mean I won't go? No, if I get the chance I'll be there in a heart beat. If you love what your doing then the travel isn't a problem. I am not trying to be a smart-ass but I wonder why so many of the top "PLAYERS" from Las Vegas didn't travel to these OPEN qualifiers? And whats worst is all those top players that did, how come they didn't win a seat? Looks like locals shined at most of the qualifiers this year. Mmmm, maybe that is why you want them held in Las Vegas. Your agrument makes it sound like the top players from Las Vegas can't win unless it is held in their own back yard and that just isn't fair to all the other players around the country. You also have to remember that the WSOB is a game show with blackjack, not a true blackjack tournament. It is designed to be entertaining on TV the same with as the UBT events. Like the formats or not, it is what they have to do for TV. Hey anything to help promote blackjack tournaments and offer me a chance to win BIG BUCKS I'll support 100%. As far as awarding a top player or "Player of the Year" award it has to be open to all players, old and new. It can't be only players with a proven track record. How can someone that won 7 majors events and none within the passed four years be concidered the current top player over some new guy has won twice this year? I want to have a system in play where we all can win and that includes the casinos too. Only then can we have fair open events for all of us and all around the country and possibly then have a system for grading or ranking the players so one day we maybe able to award a "Player of the Year" award out.
Jeez, where were you during all the qualifiers for WSOB 2006? Wake up out there! Oh, I see, you KNEW about the qualifiers, but decided they weren't worth participating in. I'd say you don't have a leg to stand on here. I challenge you Steve, and anyone else out there, to play as many qualifiers as I plan to play for the WSOB 2007 event. As soon as they are announced, you can bet I'll be booking flights to get there. Bottom line: Get off your lazy asses and hit the tournament trail. Anything less just tells me you don't want it bad enough.
Perfect Ken "DITTO" to what Mr Smith said, i play tourney's every single day, i am by far NOT the best player but getting alot better day by day & i went to 4 qualifier's. ROCKNROLLDARRELL the hardest working tourney guy.........
WTG Ken Wow. It’s great to see that our administrator let’s off a bit of steam once in a while...lol Andy :laugh:
Ken S And Rick J Good Show Guys Tell Them How The Cow Its Cabbage You Want To Go To Big Show You Will Have Travel- I Know I Did 3 Times And Willing To Do So Again For Next Year
I can see both sides I can see both sides to this discussion and both have merit. As a casual tournament player, I have to say that I was extremely disappointed in the qualifying opportunities presented by GSN for WSOB 2006. Very few of us can afford the time and money to travel to the remote locations for a chance to qualify for another tournament at a later date which then leads to the actual WSOB seat. When GSN said “open qualifying” last year, I had hoped that it would mean qualifiers in traditional casinos all over the country (ie. Tunica, Kansas City, St. Louis, etc. as well as Las Vegas). Ken went to a couple of qualifying tournaments where the seat was awarded at the end of a weekend’s tournament but there weren’t many awarded that way. Those didn’t fit into my schedule but I sure would have liked to participate and I absolutely will support whatever opportunities exist for WSOB 2007. We have to all remember that GSN’s television shows are not here to crown our definition of a “true champion”. What a fantastic opportunity for those of us who did get to play and we need to be grateful. I am waiting anxiously for the next “big tournament” to get off the ground and am hopeful it will be one that we can all participate in. Gayle
If Done Right Next Year Will be Better What we have here is a failure to communicate.First off Rick BJFAN 4 did not say these things he just copied and pasted an article that appeared in Jeff Haney's column on March 6th. Rick you need to read the post a second time before you blast away. The point I believe he was trying to make was that if it is to be considered the World Series Of Blackjack and players are invited, then to leave some big name players off the invite list is just not right and it takes away from the tournament's luster. Let's all agree here that yes there were satellite's to qualify for this tournament but where were they.Can you say Ute Mountain, who ever heard of Ute Mountain prior to their holding a tournament to win a seat to the WSOB. Would the World Series Of Poker not hold a satellite in Las Vegas ,Atlantic City or on the Gulf Coast. If you want it to be a major event you need to hold qualifying tournaments in major venue's.Where players from all over the country can try to qualify not just in remote locations that are a chore to get to .Some players after flying in to the nearest airport still had to rent a car and drive 6 hours. Lets all hope that since the Las Vegas Hilton is now the host of the WSOB that they will now host satellite's to qualify for next years WSOB .After all they have casinos not just in Las Vegas but in Atlantic City.It will be interesting to see if they do and if they allow all players to play in their qualifying tournament's am I opening up another can of worms In closing you want to make this fair, invite no one and let everyone earn they way on.It might make for boring TV and less than great play but then no one can bitch. If you want to make for good TV invite 40 top players and have 40 spots to be earned through a qualifying tournament and then you have a better shot of having a optimum played tournament and good TV all rolled in one nice package
Well said indeed Mr. Smith!! Amen brother Smith - this whole thing reminds me of the old joke.....What is the difference between a new born puppy and a tournament player? After a while the puppy will open his eyes and stop whining!! The Count
one additional advice ..Please post the schedule of the WSOB IV EARLIER rather than LATER!!!! Oh ya, try not to Cancel these events during the week of (Casino del Sol). Sidekick:laugh:
Casino Suit What is the difference between a new born puppy and a tournament player? After a while the puppy will open his eyes and stop whining!! Sounds like something a casino employee would say :joker: :joker: :joker: You are on the wrong board you need to go to Casino Suits .com where they specialize in sweating the money and being petrified of advantage players and Tournament Pros
Clarification Actually Joep, what BJFAN4 posted was a letter to the Las Vegas Sun from Steve Reed published March 8. To save you the trouble of going back "to read the post a second time" Here's the pertinent part: In case anyone is interested in reading the column referred to here it is: Las Vegas Sun There's an interesting mention of a "knockout feature" introduced by GSN this season. Looks like UBT's patent has not been granted yet
What Did I Miss Thats what I said it .It was not written by BJFAN 4 .It appeared in the Las Vegas Sun in regards to Steve Haney's column on the WSOB.Lets not take our eye off the ball here.The major problem is the access to the WSOB by all players . Quoting Jackaroo " Looks like UBT's patent has not been granted yet " Is that True Jackaroo ?
Actually, Joe, your recent message sounded like you attributed the comments to Jeff Haney... "First off Rick BJFAN 4 did not say these things he just copied and pasted an article that appeared in Jeff Haney's column on March 6th." What did you miss? The fact that it was a letter by Steve Reed. Of course, that doesn't change the rest of the conversation here.
Good Stuff And a good and intersting conversation it is. Im sure it has the potential to get even better .This is what makes this site the :bomb: BOMB
UBT patent Joe, I don't know the status of any UBT patent but apparently the Elimination Hand is a significant part of it. My source was a post by Bradley Peterson over at LVA on the subject. In fact, I don't even know if the "knockout feature" described by Haney actually occured in this years WSOB:laugh:
I have the same knowledge as you, Jackaroo As I wrote, and you quote, "from what I recollect, the scope of the patent submitted by the UBT officials...." etc. As I am not a UBT official, a Nevada Gaming Control Board Employee or associated with the United States Department of Patents and Trademarks, I couldn't tell you either and as I am old and feeble, with far fewer brain cells than the original substandard set I possessed in my youth, I couldn't say with certainty if my "recollections" are accurate. As to the latter, this event titled as the knockout feature, all of us that were at the event for at least one show know that it existed, or was at least filmed.
Finally... I tried to repond earlier but my internet connection was messing up. Joep I see others have already come to my aid, but I never said BJFAN4, nor you said it! I posted "I hear what you are saying" in reponce to ya'lls posts. BJFAN4 titled his post "Well said" and you said "He hit the nail on the head" so I was assuming both of ya'll agreed with Steve Reed's letter. It is very simple we can all start working to improve the blackjack conditions or we can sit on our ASS and complane about how bad everything is. I choose to remind positive and try and support any efforts anyone is trying to do positively to promote blackjack tournaments. Now saying all of that the 2006 WSOB and UBT are not real BJ tournaments or not traditional format BJ tournaments anyway so actually neither would be a true test as to who the best BJ tournament player would be. The 2006 WSOB version and UBT are really both game shows with blackjack involved, but with twists. I don't have a problem with this, it give us a chance to play for BIG BUCKS and helps promote BJ tournaments to new players. Now as far as better players for better TV, I don't buy that either. Other then tournament players not that many regular veiwers watched the WSOB I or II. If they had GSN wouldn't have changed the format and UBT wouldn't have done they new format either. It was changes made for TV and their viewers, not for the players. If anything these changes level the playing field between the TOP PLAYERS and NEWBIES. Now how to rank players? We have to have OPEN events around the country so they are accessable for all the players, not just in Las Vegas or Tunica. Try traveling and going out the extra expense of travel and lodging added into the tournament cost like over 80% of us do everytime we play in a tournament. That needs to be a big concideration. Also it is who is winning now, not who has won in the passed. We are only as good as our how we did in our last tournament. Ranking has to be based on current performance whether you are a veteran players or newbie. And luck plays a big part of what happens, if a top player doesn't get the cards they can't win, while a newbie can catch every card and win. To truly rank players it has to be over a period of time, in most sports it is a year so lets go with that. I am doing my best to build something like these out. Hopefully it will be soon, but I am working with casino's so who knows how long it may take...LOL. Last if the qualifiers are not convenant for you then TOO BAD, get up off your ass like the rest of us and go play where ever they are or stop your bitching.
