Important, yet often ignored strategy question

[ike]

I don't really know what the right answer to this question is, but I don't disagree thats its probably pretty important. The fact that this is important is pretty pathetic though.
With as much money involved as there is, major tournaments should be run in such a way that there aren't ways to get a significant edge over the competition other than by playing better poker. Table assignments should actually be random. Levels should be a set number of hands not a set number of minutes. And there should be WAY more security to prevent cheating. Things like the extra chips in the WSOP last year shouldn't happen.

[sketchy1]

justin i think you answered your own question in the post, but brought up an important concept about being a tournament director. how do you really make it random? it's not random as is, because as you said, it makes a difference when you sign up as to where you are assigned. i think the very fact that this type of discussion comes up means that they need to invest time and money into finding a way to make it more random. a simple solution would be to not assign players a table until the tournament starts, then the TD or someone randomly assigns tables to every player. maybe when you sign up for a tournament, instead of getting a table assignment, they simply give you a number. then when the tournament starts, they assign numbers to table/seats. for larger tournaments, this might sound like a logistical nightmare (WSOP for example). however you could break tables down into groups (like quadrants at the WSOP), and then give players a group # and player #. that way it's not as chaotic.

obviously the exact method for drawing players to tables could be computerized and you could simply put up a display when the tournament starts in each section of tables. the screen that already shows the blinds/etc could simply have this information available on it until the tournament starts. then maybe after the tournament is underway, they could reserve one screen to hold all of that information for late arrivals.

i think if they would put a little effort into doing something like this, tournaments would be much more "pure" like they are online. instead of having some non-random table assignment procedure like they have now, it's truly random and fully automated.

[sketchy1]

[ QUOTE ]
Levels should be a set number of hands not a set number of minutes.

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i couldn't disagree more, i think that a) it's impossible to do this during the early rounds anyway and b) in the long run it all balances out. some tournaments, you get assigned to a table with slow bastards, sometimes you are assigned to a table full of people who play super fast.

maybe you are onto something that they should do during the later rounds in bigger tournaments, however. i could see doing this at the WSOP main event final table, for instance. find the average number of hands per level in said tournament, then say that is the number of hands per level instead of minutes. but in the end i think it's probably so insignificant i don't know if it would be worth the effort.

as for the extra chips and cheating, obviously they should have RFID or something in every single chip and they should be tracking tournament chips at all times. i think given the amount of money casinos make daily on poker, they should be investing in some form of chip tracking. they should be able to, at any given time, tell you exactly how many chips of every denomination are in play, IMO.

[BigAlK]

[ QUOTE ]
a simple solution would be to not assign players a table until the tournament starts, then the TD or someone randomly assigns tables to every player. maybe when you sign up for a tournament, instead of getting a table assignment, they simply give you a number. then when the tournament starts, they assign numbers to table/seats.

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A small casino I sometimes play at in NE Nevada uses this exact method for their tournaments although they are relatively small fields (75-80).

[Clayton]

[ QUOTE ]
Every tournament I've been in have given me a seat assignment card that are in a random pile or else a computer generated seat assignment.

This is true for tribal casinos, wsop, Bellagio, you name it.

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Turning Stone gave me a random seat assignment when i regg'd late-ish and lo and behold i was at a table with kush, exitonly, some guy who folded queens on a rag flop, and basically no fish.

ZJ is onto something.

[berya]

One thing is for sure if there is a line make sure you are standing next to people who you think are weak players because you never know when the casino will screw up.

[1p0kerboy]

From a non-tournament player:

It would make sense to buy-in during the peak of the satellites then, no? This would probably mean the night before the tournament?

[1p0kerboy]

I think this post shows that some casinos really need to implement some changes.

[deadcat3x]

i know alot of people missed out on the Barcelona tourney
because their is a cap on entry's and they never rang to check ahead then got their and where turned away. one went all the way from oz to Spain without checking-DOH.

[mikeymer]

at foxwoods if you register late they group you all together, it isn't random at all.