…in tournament poker is getting pulled off my table to start a new table with late registrants! I HATE this, and yet, it is the current system in place at two of my favorite places to play tournament poker. The system came about because of the concern over players registering together and colluding at the same table. The solution they’ve come up with, however is a poor one, and one that I feel compromises all the work I’ve put in to both profile, and strategize my current table. UGHHH!!!
I understand that tables breaking and adjusting to your new table of competitors is a natural part of the game of tournament poker. I get it. However, this should be done out of necessity of losing players, not gaining them! Specially to accommodate those who can’t, or choose not to, show up on time!
The current system works like this; When there are more than a few players that register late and there are no more seats in which to sit them, they simply start a new table. Except, they populate that table with at least half the people from various tables that are already playing. This is done as said, to assure a more random mix so those signing up late don’t all sit together and prevent possible collusion. Thus, the tournament staff walks around and just starts plucking players who are next to take the big blind and move them to the new table. They say there’s a systematic way of doing this, however I’ve been in many tournaments where there seems to be an inordinate number of players being plucked from a particular table. Whether that be convenience, or a timing thing, I’m not sure. By the look on the face and wandering eyes of the floor men, I suspect that it has to do with the timing of the end of the hand, coupled with it being a full table, that makes it ripe for the picking. I play all the time and am not sure what the system is, even though I’ve asked to have it explained. Whatever the details of the system are, it should be made public and available to all the players at a moment’s notice. I plan to reach out and ask for a copy of the procedures and see if they are even in print.
Look, as soon as I sit down, I go to work. I ask what the table breaking order is, and if they have one, so I can plan accordingly. I then go to profiling my opponent’s and developing strategies and counter strategies in which to use as the tournament progresses. Now, quite suddenly I’m plucked out of my seat and have to start all over again? Come on man! If I’ve lost some chips, I’m now starting at a new table with a double disadvantage. That being one of the lowest stacks along with not knowing any of the players. If I’ve won some chips and am in the groove, my tempo and timing is suddenly ruined. This sucks even more!
Proponents will say these factors all balance out. You can get plucked from a sucky table and be put in a better spot than you were. Yet, I don’t buy it. I think the negatives far out weight the postive. Furthermore, when they pick up the players from the established tables, the new table is never ready! Now we’re missing hands. Oftentimes they still have to check in the new players. Verifying their seat and ID and giving them their chips, etc. So, those being moved have to sit and wait and sometimes miss a number of hands that we normally would have gotten to play.
Late players come in with a full stack, having very little penalty for entering late and just disrupt the flow of the event. Sometimes for hours. Since when is being tardy or late to an event not being penalized? In the business world, can you just show up to a business meeting an hour late with no consequences?
Imagine you’re a golfer and you’re going through your pre-shot routine. You’re mentally ready to play the hole and perhaps have even tee off. Then the Marshall suddenly comes over, picks your ball up and says, no you’ll be playing a different hole now because we have more players who want to play.
I don’t believe in complaining without offering a solution, so here’s mine.
Differentiate between tardiness and lateness. Tardy is after the tournament started but within the time limit of the first round. Late is any time after the first round. Tardy players can be seated by the method I used when I was directing tournaments. We held out one seat at each table, (usually the 5 seat) in which to fill in the tardy registrants. The tournament staff should have started with enough tables in which to gauge this accordingly and be within a few spots of having full tables by the end of the first round.
Those who register late should be penalized in my opinion. I understand the reasons for not blinding out stacks anymore, so I suggest a different type of penalty.
The natural penalty for someone registering late should be-they have to wait! The wait would be up to the conclusion of the current round in which registered. Players who register during subsequent rounds would then be randomly selected to sit in any open seats or at a new table; beginning at the start of the next round! This system would prevent players knowing they would be seated together and should alleviate the fear of potential collusion; Thus, it would protect the integrity of the tournament, while not being overly disruptive to the players already playing.
Here’s an example: A tournament has 30 min rounds. Player A signs up 15 mins late and is deemed tardy. So they fill one of the empty seats at a current table. Now, should all the seats be filled, the tardy player would have to wait until either a new seat opens up, or to the conclusion of the first round; whichever comes first. At the conclusion of the first round, all tardy players would then make up a new table and begin play. Only if less then six players would players will be drawn from the current tables to make up a full table. Late player would not be allowed to fill in the remaining seats or the empty seats vacated by the moved players until the conclusion of the round in which they register. That may sting a little bit, but hey, better they feel the sting than the players who showed up on time. That same process would repeat until the end of the registration period. The maximum time penalty for a player showing up late would be equal to the time of the round.
I’d really be interested in any comments, suggestions or ideas in which to make an official proposal to the venues that carry this system. Perhaps together we can come up with a better way of starting new tables to accommodate those Late players entering a tournament.
Thanks for listening to my rant and tournament pet peeve. I don’t do it often, but man this BUGS me!
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