[tourney guy]

People have this perception that running a poker tournament is so difficult. It is not. It is checkers. If someone can run a computer program to execute a tournament, how hard can it be. I love it when people say "Jack McClellan could run a tournament better than Jack Effel, or anyone else for that matter."

Jack McClelland, to my knowledge, has never run a tournament with 3,000 people in it. He never had 8,000 people converge to a single 6-window cage in a 12-hour period. Just exactly how would Jack handle these items is a mystery for sure.

I am guessing, but I have to think MGM-Mirage would never allow the abortion that happens at Rio to happen at one of its properties, but one never knows.

The real issue here, I think, is whether or not Jack Effel has the people and customer service skills to handle an event like WSOP.

The answer is not even close. Look, in year 3 of the explosion, all the overflow issues should be handles. When an event is listed to start at noon, and it starts at 2:30, it means you got the deer in the headlights syndrome. That pisses off players and Jack has no answers for that.

When players like Dan Druff talk about playing in a tent that is either 100+ degrees or about to tumble in the wind, and the players want answers, you need to give it to them, not the political crap like Jack offers.

When there are still color up issues happening - no leadership.

The TD should be the most knowledgeable person on the floor - he is not.

He should provide the best customer service, he does not.

He should at least have a minimum level of customer service skills - he has less.

This is the 2nd year in a row where the Tournament Director is like the 8th or 9th best tournament authority in the room.

Remember last year, when Prahlad Friedman and Jeffrey Lisandro almost has a fist fight when the tournament was nearing its end???

The thing that struck me was how there was no sight of Bob Daily or Jack Effel. A floorman had to do the work of the Tournament Director. HOW IN THE WORLD CAN A TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR, IN CHARGE OF ADMINISTERING AN EIGHT-TWO-MILLION PRIZE POOL, not be on the floor when the event is down to 30 players?????

It is because the last guy, Daily, and the current guy Effel (who was there last year) are totally weak.

Grooms was there from start to finish, as was Savage, as was McClelland. That is what a good TD does, not sit in an office and stiff the players.

Sorry ENEPrincess - I have been in gaming longer than you have, for sure, and Effel is horrible.

He is not horrible because of the items listed at the top of the post, that fault lies with HET. He is horrible because he is invisible when the real heat (pardon the pun) comes down, which is the worst customer service I have ever seen.

He is no Johnny Grooms, that is for damn sure.