What your not missing

[stupidsucker]

I just returned home from Binions to check out the action.

Truth be told, you arent missing much, as a matter of fact those of you at home are actually more informed then anyone there live. The only thing your missing is when someone gets busted at the featured table(which Gus Hanson just did)

There is no information available to you there. The screens tell you the blinds/ante/level and time remaining fot hat level. Nothing more.

I had the luck to be asked to sit up in the bleechers(It was packed at the time) You could hardly get a glimps of the action... You could see the board cards and nothing more. It was hard to even see who was in the hand. At the end I thought they would show us the outcome, but they didnt. They just push the chips to the winner and you dont even get to see the showdown cards.

I was hoping there would be an automated list of who was at which table and a rough chip count. There was nothing of the sort. I could look around and spot Gus here, Jesus over there.. etc. but there is hardly anyway to see whats really going on.

I was hoping to get to see where Greg was playing.(I dont know him, but I have great respect for him because of his reputation. If I could have seen where he was I would have shaken his hand and let him know of all the support he has here.

I am not complaining, only disapointed that I wasnt able to bring you any blow by blow moves that went on.I thought about shouting ... "GO 2+2"... but I didnt think that would be a good representation of the community. Besides, I waited in line for 45 minutes to get in... they had guns, and I didnt want to be frisked.

When they get down to the final table I will go check it out again. Hopefully I will be able to know who is who, and with any luck and good 2+2 play we can have at least 2 represent at the final table.

/shrug I am just a rookie. The only thing My visit realy did for me as make me want to play some serious cards.

In summary.. You get a better idea on whats going on through online updates rather then anything you can see live.

[Gomez22]

I'm sure they don't let visual aid devices in, right? What I'm talking about would be binoculars, etc.

The reason I ask is that people would be able to see the board more easily, but it could also allow someone to cheat, I guess....

[stupidsucker]

The board is easy to see. Its up on a huger screen. You can barely see players, you cant see who is or isnt in the pot without bobbing your head around.

When the hand is over, you dont get to see the pocket cards. I expect them to not show while there is play, some stupid tourist could give away a hand. When there is a showdown you dont get to see who had what.

The action is the fun part for me. seeing those bets and raises, all ins and folds... Then when there is a showdown I like to see just what all the fuss was about.... All you get to see is who gets the chips, and thats only if you turn your head around to see the birdseyeview of the whole table.

They allowed digital cameras in which have a nice zoom. but the angle makes it tough to see anything on the table at all.

Granted... I didnt expect to be able to see much action, but I was hoping for some better upadates as who had what amount of chips etc... all they had was last nights end posted. That was the ONLY information available live. You can get more on the internet, which is sad imo.

I think an awesome set up would be to put the featured table in its own room, surrounded by 2way mirrors. This would be less distracting for the players, because they cant see the people watching them. Maybe then with some good security they would alow us to see the action a little better. Have a screen with chip counts and names/seat#'s. I dont expect to see any pockets that the other players dont get to see, but it would be nice to see the showdown cards, and maybe even a run down of what the betting is like.

Perhaps I am being unreasonable, and just a young brat who doesnt appreciate the game for what it is. I have a hard time staring at a screen with the board cards and knowing nothing else. It only makes me want to play myself.

[garyg1]

secret to enjoying being a spectator is to go to the smaller tournaments earlier in the month. too much going on at main event for binion's to worry about spectator's needs. we arrived at binions at 6pm a couple weeks ago and found Annie Duke going head to head to win her first bracelet. was inches away and could see how every hand was being played. plenty of space in bleachers or standing on rail for all these preliminary tournaments. very few spectators and binions even turned bleachers around in opposite direction for us so we could sit in bleachers to see action at later event. ended up spending over 8 hours there the first day watching the master, helmuth and virtually all the pros you see on tv competing in a pot limit holdem tournament. really got to see their personalities come out, got to talk with the wives, girlfriends', mothers, etc of several players. the master was constantly flirting with the cocktail waitress and buying water bottles for us spectators to drink everytime he bought himself a Corona to drink. Hellmuth was sitting at table directly behind the master so those two were ribbing each other all the time. the final 3 tables of 27 players included 9 who were pros you see on world poker tour tv tables all the time. great free entertainment. went back the next two days for similar fun.

[PAUL-IN]

a 2 way mirror is glass.

[Sloats]

[ QUOTE ]
I thought about shouting ... "GO 2+2"... but I didnt think that would be a good representation of the community.

[/ QUOTE ]

Proper representation would have required 2 more buddies and standing in the bleachers, shirtless, each with a letter written on it. But still, no one would have screamed anything because you don't want to disrupt any players focus.

[smudgex68]

If they played on bigger tables, perhaps the spectators could see more.

[daveymck]

I feel that poker is like golf in respect of specatators I cant understand why people go watch it. PLaying is fine, watching on TV where you get the full action I can watch, but I cant understand being there.

I can understand to get the atmosphere etc but watching people throwing chips in the middle to me seems as interesting as watching paint dry.

[jedi]

[ QUOTE ]
a 2 way mirror is glass.

[/ QUOTE ]

What the hell are you talking about?

[Ghazban]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
a 2 way mirror is glass.

[/ QUOTE ]

What the hell are you talking about?

[/ QUOTE ]

Someone's just being a smartass; the original poster probably meant one-way glass which is a mirror on one side and transparent from the other. A 2-way mirror would just been a normal pane of glass as you could see through it from either side.

[NoTalent]

[ QUOTE ]
If they played on bigger tables, perhaps the spectators could see more.

[/ QUOTE ]

have them use oversized cards. That would be funny

[Sundevils21]

I agree with you garyg1, I went to watch some of the earlier tournaments. They were probably much more entertaining than the Main Event. I watched the tournament where DanNeg, took all those rebuys then finished 3rd. and a PotLimit Omaha tournament as well. I obviously couldn't see the hole cards, but at a showdown(during the final table) the announcer would tell everybody what each of the players had. I sat on the bleachers for like 4hours just watching DannyN, PaulPhillips, John Juanda, and Mike Matusow battle it out on the final table. It was cool! As much as I want to support Fossilman, I don't think he would even know I was there rooting for him. It's not like sweating somebody on party I imagine. Too many people and not enough information. If Greg makes the final table, I might have to go watch though.

[Prickly Pete]

[ QUOTE ]
have them use oversized cards. That would be funny

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually I heard that for the final table, they'll be borrowing a deck of cards from Card Sharks.

[JonCheng]

Oh, yeah. Just what already paranoid poker pros need - MIRRORS set up right behind them!!!! LOL!

[nolanfan34]

[ QUOTE ]
Actually I heard that for the final table, they'll be borrowing a deck of cards from Card Sharks.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nothing makes me laugh like a reference to Card Sharks. Excellent! /images/graemlins/laugh.gif