2 replies to this topic

[HarryDemetriou]

Maybe I'm just getting a little cynical in my old age but I really do not get very good feelings about the current tournaments going on at The Rio.Firstly despite having had plenty of time to prepare they seem to have squeezed 12 or so tables into a corridor that leads to the Penn and Teller theatre. (NB The tables are SQUEEZED together in a small area). The chairs are also pretty low imo for the tables but at least the table surface and tables themselves seem quite nice.As if that wasn't bad enough they haven't even sectioned this area off so spectators can stand right behind players despite them being asked to remain at least four feet back and lest not forget that these are supposed to be non smoking areas too.The remainder of the tables are by the poker room which is next to the sports book but this is a couple of hundred yards away.The tables are broken down from the poker/sports book area but the chips are carried by the players in a rack and not by the staff (as in the WSOP events last year) to the other tables which imo is not very satisfactory especially as the players are not supervised when doing this.Next we had the shambles of registration as they had problems with their computers on the day before the first tournament on Sat 12 March which meant having to return at 8-00am on the day of the first tournament to register and enter.Next we find that the tournament chips that we are using are the same ones that we used in the WSOP events at Binions last year and that there are no plans to issue new ones for this years WSOP events. I know that buying chips is expensive but if they get 6600 players they are going to surely need more chips so why not make new ones to prevent possible ill doing especially as in the WSOP events you get the buy in as your starting bank for your chip stack which basically means that the chip values = their cash value to the player. In these current ones you get 2000 in chips for a 1000 buy in tourney 2500 for a 1500 buy in and 3000 for the 2000 buy in so in effect they are a cheap source of chips.Along with the players carrying their own chips this imo can lead to serious security issues such as chip passing and stealing for future tournaments.My final comments concern the wearing of logos. It would appear that you can wear logos at all tables including the final ones as long as they do not have .net or .com on them. However you cannot wear a logo unless your name is on a list given to the tournament directors at the start of the tournament.eg if you are a relative unknown and have no sponsor then you cannot wear a logo or accept an offer from anyone (eg an online site) once you have reached a final table. To wear a logo at that final table your name must have been already submitted.eg Full Tilt will give a list of names to the tournament director prior to the start of play as would Party Poker, Ultimate Bet and Poker Stars etc etc.The moral then is that if you wish to have a chance of sponsorship I would suggest that you go around finding the reps of all the online firms prior to the start of play and make sure that they put your name on the list of player names submitted to the tournament director. Your name can be on as many lists as you like but if it is not then you cannot wear a sponsors logo or get any money from such potential sponsors (seems more than a little unfair to me to the lesser known players who may be fortunate enough to get to a final table).Overall I cannot help feeling that despite previous events such as this and them having sufficient notice and time they have prepared very badly and not given enough thought to this series of events. (Incidentally the event schedule was also changed to one of just limit and no limit events with the stud and omaha ones being cancelled).I sincerely hope that they get things rght for the main WSOP events in June and July as I understand they are/have converted a ballroom into a luxurious poker room. However numbers are going to be capped at 6600 for the main event (or so I am led to believe) but to from current experiences they seem to me to have a long way to go before I and presumably a lot of other players will be satisfied.I await with eagerness to see what they are going to do this Sunday when the 10000 event commences because quite frankly from what I have seen so far there is a great deal of room for improvement.Just some of my personal thoughts and concerns on this current series taking place.

[HarryDemetriou]

The statements I have made in this post are based on things said to me by tournament officials during this week of tournaments and are presented along with my own personal views.

[alexquigley]

Seriously, I hope it's taken care of by summer. Thanks, Harry.