Why weren't you in Laughlin?

That's easy to fix - line the chips up in the rack, take white out down the side - presto instant lines for less than a buck!

 

Flake off

That's actually not a half-bad idea, except that white-out will flake off.
A small $2 +/- bottle of paint from a hobby shop might do the trick, and those usually come equipped with a tiny brush.

 

Once againa RK you have excellent points. I've delayed post my .25 on this because I wasn't there and not for any of the above listed reasons - they were personal (NOT political).

I think that like the taped UBT shows fiasco sometimes rumors get out of control and BAM stuff like this happens. People expect 100 people and only 1/3 of that shows up so the event is deemed a failure. Far from it, in my opinion.

Less people means, as Bluelight pointed out, better chances for advancement. I'm sure Dr. Bass wouldn't say the event was bad! Or how about Tammi Brown making 2 final tables?

The question you have to ask yourself is this: Why are I going to these (TBJPA) events in the first place?

If the answer is: to make lots of money - sorry wrong answer
If the answer is: to play TBJ with good people, have fun, enjoy a few days and possibly win some funds - right answer.

Any tournament that has the higher expenses that the fledgling TBJPA has, along with a non-guarenteed prize pool will NEVER be a +EV situation. To think that it would be is ludicrous.

Now the suggestion about pre-TBJPA arrival satellites is a great idea in that it would encourage more local participants to join in. How about the entry fee(s)? Were they a significant barrier to those who DIDN'T go? If that was a problem with the locals then maybe it needs to be adjusted to the market. Some markets bare higher fees/limits than others. Only time and experience will tell.

The most encouraging thing that I've read is simply this: Except for the less than anticipated attendance there really weren't any complaints were they?

The chip rule was well received
The tournaments were executed according to schedule and in a timely manner I assume?
No one got "thrown out" or 86'd/prevented from playing did they?
All players got free rooms and probably comp'd meals?
Players got paid right?

So the biggest beef was not enough players? Point taken and the solution lies with 1. The tourn promoter (need more advertising in the future) and 2. If you liked it bring a friend to Seattle.

As for the suggestion about having the TBJPA held in a larger venue, like Vegas. WHY? Doesn't Vegas have enough mini-tournaments? Isn't the whole purpose of the TBJPA to establish a base line or "gold standard" in BJT rules for EVERYONE to play no matter where they go?

I agree that Laughlin is off the beat and path and it wouldn't be MY first choice but when you start out you gotta take what you're given. Have the River Palms cut a deal with the weekly tourneys so that first place gets an entry to the next TBJPA event as a +EV.

Why not make Tulsa the center of TBJPA? How about Biloxi or Tunica? It all comes down to getting the opportunities and making the best of what is available.

Is the glass half full or half empty? It's YOUR choice. Now on to bigger and better events...

 

Laughlin

is the second largest gambling center in Nevada, after Vegas, it offers more tables and slots than Reno does -

the Laughlin market - both locals for tbj, and the tourists - are middle class elderly - this market taps out at about $20 entry fee - for tbj - for a special tournament - with good advertising - they might go up to $50? - some of them? - but maybe just $30/$40 tops - so - satellites for the month before the tourneys - may work -

better yet - get the River Palms to offer TBJPA Certified tourneys - on a regular basis - say two or three times per week - hold back a little from the entries each tourney - have a free roll for the regular tourney winners just before the TBT tourneys - with the free roll winners getting an entry -

hopw about extending the TBJPA tourneys for a couple of extra days - starting and ending wityh some $50 tourneys - give the early arrivals and late leavers something to do - and - maybe these could be marketed to the locals and tournists

many things that can be done -

but - its not just about raw ev - bottom line - if I can be crass - is ev depends a lot on how well you play - if you have a 50% edge - you can have a positive ev in a tourney with a base negative 15% ev - if you play with a -50% edge - even if a tourney is positive 50% ev - you have a personal negative ev -

and it is not all about ev - I fopund the first set of TBT tourneys a great learning experience - and actually have seen an increase in my edge since then - may be just a fluctuation - but I think may also be because I had opportunities to play tables with Ken Smith and other very good players - and could learn by watching what they did -

also - it was fun - it is ok to have fun, you know

 

Trust me, I have suggested all the above.

I have been trying to get the River Palms to host weekly events that would be a feeder tournament into the TBT events. However they haven't try to host them yet.

I have also tried to get Tulsa to host some TBT events as well (which since I designed their format you would think would have been an easy sell).

I have a few ideas and concepts I am working on to try and build up the TBJPA events, but don't think we're going to start hosting $100,000 tournaments anytime soon.

The TBJPA was designed to offer affordable blackjack tournaments, open to all and with the best possible rules and format (at least by the majority of tournament players).

I am hoping to add a few more locations, but it isn't up to me, I have to get the casinos to agree to host our events.

The problems I am having selling the casinos is for years certain players have complained and cause so much trouble over every little issue. Beside the complaining most of these players don't offer any side action to the casinos either.

Now on the other side, there worried about advantage players coming in playing the regular tables. I've told them that any players that don't want playing the tables, simply tell them or tell me and I'll tell them abd they won't play the regular tables and if they do there out.

I am not going to let one or two players ruin what I am trying to build up and neither will any of the TBJPA members.

 

I couldn't have said it better myself. All too often many players, myself included analyze and over-investigate things to death.

If you're a "pro" player - i.e., one who makes a majority of their income with BJT (I only know of Mariachel and Leah) then sure look at the EV factors - but for the rest of us - it's really ok to have a good time, laugh and have fun - just my personal opinion

 

TBJPA mostly for non-pros

I agree with fgk and FK completely here.

Rich you need to mention that the $40 vig is going to fund, hopefully a high dollar tournament, next May. I saved that much and more just on Air and motel discounts which you have provided for Seattle.

tgun

 

My sideline observations

I was over to Laughlin on Monday right after the events. I wandered through the River Palms that morning and saw the rules still being displayed...all 39 of them.

Maybe they have been consolidated the best they can, but certainly they could be broken down into catagories with headings and more white space to ease finding a specific rule. How about a light for the easel too?

*****


****
Golden Nugget-L got 100 entries for their October event a couple years ago that I did. They collected $250 entry for their $25k tourney. But this included two weekend nights and they fed us twice.

The Pioneer's tourney is $200+20, $100 rebuys.

Laughlin locals are used to the Avi minis and the defunct Edgewater tourney that had an overlay.

 

perspective

maybe we need to put things into some perspective -

we are expecting a $300 entry fee tourney to attract players from all over the world in large numbers, apparrently

but even if we get 100 or so players - with a $50 holdback - we are talking maybe a $50,000 prize pool -

the Viejas tournament offers $50,000 for a $100 entry - only a two hour drive from Yuma, one hour from San Diego - I definitely will be making all of these - but - I haven't seen Ken Smith there - nor the St Louis mafia - nor our friends from Seattle - a $50,000 tourney is a regional draw - not a national draw - I am not real sure if even putting two $50,000 tourneys together are a national draw - based on prize pools -

maybe Rick needs to focus these tourneys on the local/regional markets - instead of looking for bjters to travel accross country for them - appreciate when he can draw some traveling players - and try to build up to a national circuit with a very few major national events - and a lot of smaller regional events? and the regional events need to focus on major metro areas - Phoenix, maybe Seattle, Southern California - etc - and be well advertised to the local players -