Viejas question

[parade]

Anyone played the Viejas tournaments in the San Diego area? I am assuming that it has a fast blinds structure like most casinos around SD, but am curious how fast.

[Xargque]

Yeah, they're very fast.

Levels are 15 minutes long. Buy-ins vary from $12 to $60. Some have re-buys & add-ons for the first hour (if there's an add-on you must be below the initial buy-in amount to make the add-on). You can get a schedule from the floorperson.

You get T2500 for your buy in. Blinds start 25/50, then double every 15 min until they are 200/400. Then switch to 500/1k and keep doubling every 15 until the end.

At each tournament, you can get an extra T500 for $2.

Many of their non-rebuy tournaments have something called "bounties" which come out of the prize pool. You get $5 cash for eliminating a player. I think this is to speed the game up even more by encouraging long-draws and more all-ins.

One other oddity: they always stop play when they are down to 4 or fewer players. At that point, chips are counted and prizes awarded based on current chip count: they do not play to the end.

The structure & payout schedule completely dictates a chop when you get down to about 12 players. If you get to that point in any: chop (unless it's one where they play to the end, then it might be worth playing).

Every month they have a ~$200 buy-in tournament (last Sunday of the month @ 5pm). This one is much more reasonable. No re-buy, no "bounties", if you can afford the extra $2, you get T5000. Blind schedule is the same as the others, but levels are 20 minutes instead of 15. This tournament plays down to the last player (no stop at 4 crap). I've decided this is the only one worth my time as the live NL and 4/8 games are pretty good.

Only other house rules are: button always moves (sometimes button has to post a blind depending on which positions got eliminated the previous hand) and when they color up, you always round up. So your single T100 chip is worth T500 if you have it when they color up to pink.

If you join the rewards program, you get 1 voucher for $12 off any tournament. If you want, I will happily sponsor you as that gives us each an addition $12 voucher (only usable if we play in the same tourney -- I will be there Sunday at noon playing either 4/8 or 1/2/NL). You also get a $12 tourney voucher for every 3 hours of live play (max of 4 vouchers can be earned this way).

I'm the guy with a shaved head & the mirage craps die protecting my cards (name's DJ).

-X