Let's make a tournament deal--after I bust!

[bav]

In a tourney today, when it was down to 6-handed the monster chip leader proposed "give everybody $800 and play winner-take-all for the rest". An even split at that point woulda given everyone a bit over $1000. Everybody agreed and immediately the table play opened up and chips started moving around again. In short order it's 3-handed with the original chip leader still leading, me in second, and trailing is a fellow who's being a little wild. I finally bust him and he goes off happy to collect his $800. We play about 3 hands of heads-up and I take the chip lead and suggest we just split evenly. Fine, deal is done. But...

We wander over to collect our winnings and the 3rd place guy is complaining. "I didn't know it was for this much! I wouldn't have played like that if I knew there was this much money left over for first. How about we just split it 3 ways? That's fair." The other player I was splitting with actually said he would agree to that. I politely declined.

Hint: Don't bust out, and THEN try to make a deal. I imagine we coulda come to some terms other than winner-take-all while it was 3-handed if someone had spoken up while he still had chips. Ya kinda lose bargaining power once you're out.

[highlife]

what casino was this at?

[youtalkfunny]

Heh, nice story.

[MicroBob]

I think there is some serious EV in smaller live-tourneys just from idiot deal-makers/accepters.

Obviously you lose some EV compared to online-tourneys from higher entry-fee as well as an obligation to tip (much of the time anyway).

But the deals can just be so ridiculous that they make up for that.


Three examples from my extremely limited experience in live tourneys:

1. Single-table satellite at WSOP (my first ever).
Winner take all ($1070 I believe...mostly in entry-chips but they're practically as good as cash since you can sell them anyway).
We're 3-handed.
I think table-leader has 7000, 2nd place has 1700, I have 1300.
2nd place guy proposes we do a $200 save. It's so ridiculous I almost laugh out loud. Chip-leader however thinks it's a fine idea.

Great!!
We all lock up our $200 on cash and we're playing for the remaining $470 (which chip-leader is still able to win of course).


2. 65 player tourney in Tunca (it's something like $35 buy-in with $15 rebuys, $4k for 1st, $170 for 9th).
We're down to 10-handed and only top 9 pay.
We're on a break and 10th place player is going to be all-in in the big-blind. Convinces the group that making the final-table deserves something. Nobody cares that this is player is likely one hand from elimination. Table agrees to just give $100. (I was last to agree and didn't want to rock the boar. Money comes out of 1st place prize...and I was in 8th anyway).


3. Same tourney. I get knocked out in 9th and leave. I'm in the elevator later that evening and some guy who was on the rail recognizes me from the final-table. Asks if I heard the deal they made. Evidently, the final 4 players agreed to an even split even though the chip-leader had about 80% of the chips (and the other 3 had even-sized short-stacks).

Prizes were probably something like $4000, $2400, $1700, $1000. So probably about $2300 cash for each of them.


Because I've played so few tourneys and have already seen deals THIS bad I have to imagine that such things happen ALL the time.

[Bishop22]

One of the many reasons I was so into live SNGs was the +ev aspect of splits. You can resist splits when the other remaining players are terrible and split with good players thus saving time, increasing $$/hr.

[youtalkfunny]

I was once playing in a very small tournament. Three players left, I've got about 85% of the chips. Prize structure is $250, 150, 75.

I'm at the opposite end of the table from the other two, who seem to have reached an agreement, and now propose it to me: "OK with you if we each take $100, and you take the rest?"

Of course, that was fine with me. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

The floor vetoed it. [censored] Randy. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

[MadTiger]

That fool lost his mind.

Did you give him a piece of cheese to accompany his whine?

[MadTiger]

[ QUOTE ]
I think there is some serious EV in smaller live-tourneys just from idiot deal-makers/accepters.
<snip>
But the deals can just be so ridiculous that they make up for that.
<snip>

3. Same tourney. I get knocked out in 9th and leave. I'm in the elevator later that evening and some guy who was on the rail recognizes me from the final-table. Asks if I heard the deal they made. Evidently, the final 4 players agreed to an even split even though the chip-leader had about 80% of the chips (and the other 3 had even-sized short-stacks).

Prizes were probably something like $4000, $2400, $1700, $1000 . So probably about $2300 cash for each of them.


Because I've played so few tourneys and have already seen deals THIS bad I have to imagine that such things happen ALL the time.

[/ QUOTE ]

Did they put out a warrant for 4th place's arrest?

He was chillin' like a villain.

[Mr.K]

Not sure if the Aladdin still runs sit & go tourneys on Sundays, but if they do you see some absolutely retarded deal making there as well. The SnGs pay top two as I recall, and you'll often see deals with four players remaining where two or three of the players have miniscule stacks left and will likely be all in for the BB within an orbit or two. I managed to get a 3-way chop in one of these while holding 9% of the chips on the table.

[sternroolz]

Agree about the deals.

My best one.....small buy in tourney at the bike. With 6 players left I have about 80% of the chips. First place is $1200. The other 5 players do not want 5th or 6th place money. So they give me first and divide the rest. How could I refuse?

I actually saw one table like this where first DID refuse. Idiot said he wanted the experience of winning a tournament. Yeah there is something to be proud of..winning a low level crapshoot. Dummy got knocked out 4th and the remaining 3 immediately chopped.