An Alternates List

[DrClaw]

Background: My unraked homegame is finally off the ground. People just meet at my place for an uncapped $1/1 NL game and I provide the beer, cards, chips. I organize it every 2-weeks through email.

Problem: It has become popular, and I have only 1 table to accommodate people. So when 10 people email me to reserve a seat, the rest go on an alternates list. How do I run this list? Friends and friends of friends come from all over the city to meet at 7 for the game. Do I tell people on the list to just come and sit on my couch until somebody busts? If a player cancels I can send word right away to the next alternate, but how do I tastefully deal with these people who want to play? Plus, if a guy busts, then I call the next guy on the list, it might take him an hour just to get over to my place, so he loses playing time, and we lose a player. Thoughts? Is there a standard way to deal with this stuff?

[Small Fry]

Get another table?

[pismeyer]

[ QUOTE ]
Get another table?

[/ QUOTE ]

Um...You might need another table?

P [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Lottery Larry]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Get another table?

[/ QUOTE ]

Um...You might need another table?

P [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Ummm... maybe he doesn't have ROOM for another table, or it's not practical to wedge one in somewhere?

C'mon, you two- you know better than THAT. Answer the question asked, not supposition the easy answer..

[Lottery Larry]

[ QUOTE ]
So when 10 people email me to reserve a seat, the rest go on an alternates list. How do I run this list? Friends and friends of friends come from all over the city to meet at 7 for the game. Do I tell people on the list to just come and sit on my couch until somebody busts? If a player cancels I can send word right away to the next alternate, but how do I tastefully deal with these people who want to play?

[/ QUOTE ]

First, congrats on running a game that has developed room problems.

There is no "good" way to deal with this, when some people may have to travel a fair distance to make an alternate list work. If they're rational, and you explain things unemotionally, they'll accept the limitations.

Some suggestions:

1) Be clear that the reason people get a seat is because they respond on time.

2) Establish a threshold ("by X time on X date") to respond. Anyone falling outside of that has no arguments.

3) If most of them fall inside the threshold, do NOT firmly establish a first come first serve basis. Instead, rotate the list between the people that apply within the timeframe. Some members of your group may always have first access to RSVP by email. You shouldn't "punish", and therefore likely lose from the group, people who are making a reasonable effort.

Put yourself in their place and I think you'll get my intention.

If people can't accept that they have to take turns on the alternate or "next game" list, then you might not want them around anyway.

4) Anyone who is on the alternate list gets bumped up to a higher level at the next game (or gets some leeway on the deadline). Anyone who actually ARRIVES as an alternate and doesn't get to play AUTOMATICALLY locks a primary seat at the next game that they choose.
Any alternate who responds to a last-minute call and props up the game, also gets bumped up on the list for the next one.

In short, support and help those people who are supporting and helping the game (and group) as a whole.

5) Conversely, people who don't show, after reserving a seat, get temp-banned at the bottom of the list. If you can't call an hour or so beforehand, saying something's come up and you can give my seat away, you had either be
a) dying
b) helping save someone's life
c) collecting the lottery jackpot to share with the group.

6) Repeatedly being late on RSVPing starts moving you farther down the list of alternates


(translation: the group all has to contribute and sacrifice to make this work, if an alternate, bigger location can't be found to accomodate everyone who wants to play.)

Some people will weed out over time and people won't be able to make every game, so there will be some natural seat openings available. YOU have to make sure there are people to fill them.

[pfapfap]

Larry's got it, but I would't be overly complex with it. Try to keep it casual and friendly. Over-engineering can turn people off.

If you have the room, certainly, try to get another table going. Congrats on having a popular game. Having two tables is the surest way to keep it vibrant.

[Bad Beat Maker]

I smell an underground casino a-brewin'! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Small Fry]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Get another table?

[/ QUOTE ]

Um...You might need another table?

P [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Ummm... maybe he doesn't have ROOM for another table, or it's not practical to wedge one in somewhere?

C'mon, you two- you know better than THAT. Answer the question asked, not supposition the easy answer..

[/ QUOTE ]

You're right. But I didn't really have a good suggestion so I just thought I'd bump his post with a smart a** comment.

ps. I may have just done it again..... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[DrClaw]

Excellent, these are the kind of rules I was looking for, thanks for the help. I think I will give players who show up on the alternates list priority for the next game in the way that you have suggested it. Although, I think I may also downplay the methods that I use to give priority based on pfapfap's suggestion.

It took some time to get the game healthy, and there were a few sessions where we played 4-handed and I thought it was going to die. I guess I've found that the mailer that I send out has to go to about 3 times as many people as you need to fill your game, otherwise you don't get enough.

[DrClaw]

It might be time for a second table, but I don't want to turn this into an underground casino. Do people find that even with 2 tables going that it still feels like a fun home game? Or does it turn into a more serious feeling poker situation?

I haven't played online at all since the ban, so I go to the riverboats to play $500 max games when I feel like playing seriously. I started the home game as a $1/1NL so that I could have fun, and get trashed while I played relaxed poker after work WAY inside my bankroll (I've gone broke once or twice). I wouldn't want to ruin that feeling, as that's the whole reason I worked so hard to get the game off the ground in the first place.