Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

How exactly do they go about selecting players for the featured table? Is it a random selection? One superstar or interesting player with a random selection of others? Or just a hand picked table?
I jus think that this would not be fair to someone like Marcle Luske who is now on his second stint at the featured table. Is he not playing a tougher feild of players than others who are randomly seated?
I would hope that they simply find the most interesting, randomly picked table, and make that table the featured table.
Someone enlighten me, or some thoughts?
-$LL$

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

I would think they just pick one of the randomly populated tables which ESPN thinks will be the most entertaining.

-SmileyEH

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

The tables are randomly assigned. ESPN then picks an "interesting" table to be the featured table.

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

Thats what I thoguht, but then I read tht yesterday people were being taken from their original table(raymer i belive) and moved to this featured table, not based on a normal table break, but simply just moved there?
And Marcel Luske was just put on that table again? Just hope that their isnt any "influence" on who gets put on the featured table against who, based on "good tv potential"...i guess that was my point...thanks
-LL

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

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Thats what I thoguht, but then I read tht yesterday people were being taken from their original table(raymer i belive) and moved to this featured table, not based on a normal table break, but simply just moved there?

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Where did you read this??

Seat assignments have always been randomly determined by the WSOP, and ESPN then looks at the assignments and picks the table that they want at the featured table.

I can't imagine that anything like this could happen without a major uproar from the players. The bloggers and websites providing coverage would be screaming about this.

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

cardplayer has a video update where the way they chose the ESPN table is explained.

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

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cardplayer has a video update where the way they chose the ESPN table is explained.

[/ QUOTE ]

Now, this is exactly the sort of post that needs a link...by the way, how do we put links and pictures in our posts here? [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

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[ QUOTE ]
cardplayer has a video update where the way they chose the ESPN table is explained.

[/ QUOTE ]

Now, this is exactly the sort of post that needs a link

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Since you asked for it: How ESPN picks the feature table

To put up an image, click on the image code, and paste the url in the window.

Kevin...

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

sorry bout that, half assed help by me... [img]/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
cardplayer has a video update where the way they chose the ESPN table is explained.

[/ QUOTE ]

Now, this is exactly the sort of post that needs a link

[/ QUOTE ]
Since you asked for it: How ESPN picks the feature table

To put up an image, click on the image code, and paste the url in the window.

Kevin...

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks (for the link and the info) [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

By the way, according to taopoker.blogspot.com, they've changed the ESPN feature table again, and Luske is still there! According to Card Player, it's not helping much, he's only at about 13k.

Kevin...

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

I played on the ESPN feature table for around 4 hours. At the break the tournament officials told us we were moving to
the TV table. I vehemently protested to no avail. The only reason our table was moved was because Phil Helmuth
was the key player. I thought being on the TV table was
a big disadvantage for me personally. I had to sign a bunch
of papers for ESPN, I had to change shirts because my shirt
had PokerStars.com on it, and I had to wear a microphone.
I also was told at least a dozen times to move my chips because they were blocking the cameras on the table. I did
not mind the crowd, but I hated the hot bright lights shining on me. It was hot in the tournament area to begin with and it must have been 20 degrees hotter with the lights. We also started about ten minutes late, because
we had to sign papers for ESPN and be hooked up with the mikes.

Bruce

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

The tables are populated randomly, but of course, they pick which one will be the TV table based on who is there.

When they need to fill a seat, they high card for it at the next table to break.

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

Clearly unfair.

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

My entire table was moved at about 9:30 PM on Saturday, to join Marcel Luske, who was sitting there by himself. It was obvious to me that the reason that we were being moved was because of the presence of a very boisterous and personable bloke by the name of Simon who was at our table. He has myriad admirers and there seemed to be a fair amount of consultation before they actually pulled the trigger on the decision. You cannot tell me it is random.

Anyway, this was a terrible thing for me (as I am generally camera shy), but I figured it was not open to discussion.

Long story short, it's boiling hot, there's a bunch of mugging for the cameras, you get maybe half as many hands dealt, and it just generally sucks.

I got there with 35K in chips and finished the night at the feature table with 41K in chips, so I cannot complain too much, but the whole thing was a drag.

But compared to the way I busted out today, the feature table was the highlight of my existnce, a shining, happy time with bunnies and a hapy talking flower and then some more bunnies.

But this is the wrong place for that story.

Bottom line: If anyone tries to sell you on the notion that the feature table draw is "totally random," punch them n the face, because they are either lying or ill-informed, and therefore require a punch in the face.

Guess I'll go post my bustout hand now. Oh, the humanity.

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

As I am re-watching the WSOP right now, can someone give me the odds of Dan Harrington getting moved from the TV table only to be replaced by Eric Sidel?

Rigged.

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

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As I am re-watching the WSOP right now, can someone give me the odds of Dan Harrington getting moved from the TV table only to be replaced by Eric Sidel?

Rigged.

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You realize how many hours of footage they have from the day? They aren't going to show nobody's entering the table.

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

Right.

And when a seat opened at ours, it was miraculously filled by...Glen Hughes, who had plenty of airtime last year.

These are...coincidences?

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

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As I am re-watching the WSOP right now, can someone give me the odds of Dan Harrington getting moved from the TV table only to be replaced by Eric Sidel?

Rigged.

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You realize how many hours of footage they have from the day? They aren't going to show nobody's entering the table.

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Sitting in the same seat? I am pretty sure it was one replaced for another... not "hours later".

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

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Right.

And when a seat opened at ours, it was miraculously filled by...Glen Hughes, who had plenty of airtime last year.

These are...coincidences?

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Yeah, sure, there's proof.. who doesn't want to tune in to ESPN to see Glen Hughes play poker? Get a grip, man.

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

I have a grip, man. Don't be a monkey--I'm still tilty from busting out.

My point was that there is nothing totally random about the feature table selections when it comes to filling the seats as they become available. And while your point is obviously valid, your desire to ridicule me seems to have clouded your reasoning.

There were 2000 players remaining when they filled that seat. How many of the remaining players would you say are recognizable in any way whatsoever? You've been in the room, I'm sure--are you telling me that you didn't notice that 99% of the field is cookie cutter logo cap/jersey/sunglasses guys?

For instance, it's pretty cool that Mizrachi and Flack both got there from separate tables. It's...an Unexplained Mystery!!

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

Didn't mean to pick on you when you were down, but Glen Hughes just seemed like a funny way to try and prove your point (no disrepect to Glen, either).

My point is, there are a ton of poker personalities these days that ESPN would like to show. Just because 2 or 3 of them happen to be at the same table doesn't prove anything is rigged. I mean sure, if Marcel Luske is drawn to be moved to another table, they may move the entire table over to him to make things easier for the ESPN folks, but I'd say that's the extent of the 'rigging'.

Re: Featured Table selections fair or unfair??
 

With a couple hundred name players in the room, and seat moves / breakups happening all the time, there are bound to be coincidences.