Mass Lottery $10 Million Holdem Tourney

kdog · #1 03-29-2005, 08:29 PM

Home > Business Today > Business News

$10M Hold'Em tourney starting from scratch
By Scott Van Voorhis
Tuesday, March 29, 2005 - Updated: 08:47 AM EST

Hold'Em Poker, meet the Massachusetts State Lottery.
State lottery officials today will unveil a new scratch ticket - one that aims to capitalize on the Texas-sized-and-styled poker craze sweeping the country.
This $10 scratch ticket comes with a big twist - a Hold'Em Poker tournament in which hundreds of players will take to the felt for the chance to win prizes ranging up to $10 million.
While other states have rolled out poker-themed scratch tickets, the Bay State is the first to offer a full-fledged card tournament as well.
Lottery officials will detail plans for the new game - and the card contest - at a press conference today at the Sports Depot in Allston. Howard Lederer, a champion poker player and New Hampshire native who is best known as the ``professor of poker,'' will offer his blessing of the new lottery ticket and contest.
The crown jewel of the new Hold'Em Poker game will be a $10 million prize - the largest instant ticket jackpot ever offered in the country, lottery officials said.
``When this game is finished, one lucky player will win $10 million, and make lottery history,'' said Joseph Sullivan, the state's lottery chief.
The move comes as lotteries across the country are forced to spruce up their offerings, said Clyde Barrow, a gaming industry expert and public policy professor at the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.
``One of the things lotteries have (found) all over the country is that games do go stale,'' Barrow said. ``You have to start churning games,'' he said.
The new game will have two tracks.
Ticket buyers can win a range of prizes - from $1,000 to $4 million - by scratching off the poker hands on their card in hopes of beating the house (lottery) hand.
But the grand, $10 million prize is reserved for players who take part in a giant Hold'Em Poker tournament to be overseen by the lottery.
All told, more than 68,000 players who scratch a box on the bottom of the ticket and get a WPT symbol, qualifying them to collect a World Poker Tour merchandise package. Of those, 560 will be selected to take part in the grand prize tournament.

Fraubump · #2 03-29-2005, 09:06 PM

While kinda cool, this seems dicey and to have some backfire potential. Like if I won a prize in a lottery and then had to play, say basketball or hockey or chess to actually get any money, I might feel ripped off. What if someone mentally handicapped won that prize? I hope they have some sort of opt out choice, though I suppose it can be argued that you should know what you are getting into when you enter the lottery.

kdog · #3 03-29-2005, 10:00 PM

[ QUOTE ]
While kinda cool, this seems dicey and to have some backfire potential. Like if I won a prize in a lottery and then had to play, say basketball or hockey or chess to actually get any money, I might feel ripped off. What if someone mentally handicapped won that prize? I hope they have some sort of opt out choice, though I suppose it can be argued that you should know what you are getting into when you enter the lottery.

[/ QUOTE ]

True but you gotta figure out of the 560 selected, how many have a clue about how to play? Maybe 10%? I buy a couple of tickets a week anyway, think I'll buy this kind now. If I get to be one of the 560....

Yobz · #4 03-29-2005, 10:05 PM

[ QUOTE ]

True but you gotta figure out of the 560 selected, how many have a clue about how to play? Maybe 10%? I buy a couple of tickets a week anyway, think I'll buy this kind now. If I get to be one of the 560....

[/ QUOTE ]

If any 2+2'er gets into that tourney, you know who I have my money on...then again, do they only pay 1 place? Thats a lot of luck...

GrannyMae · #5 03-29-2005, 10:08 PM

greatest.promo.EVER

state funded holdem is amazing step

CountDuckula · #6 03-30-2005, 12:47 AM

I just read the rules on the Mass Lottery site, and it's not a real Hold 'Em tournament. Plus, there are instant prizes in the scratch game, in addition to the chance to enter the "tournament".

The way the tourney works is pure chance; there's no betting at all. The 560 players are divided into 80 tables of seven, and each player gets two hole cards. Then a flop, turn, and river are "dealt" (they're actually pre-determined). At each table, the player making the best hand will advance to round 2, while the 420 eliminated get $2000 each. The 80 winners are divided up into 16 tables of 5, and the same procedure is used to determine the round 3 players, while those eliminated in round 2 get $10,000 each. The final 16 are divided into 4 tables of 4 players, etc.; those eliminated in round 3 get $50,000 each. Then the remaining 4 players "play" the Championship round (same procedure), where the winner gets $10,000,000 and the 3 runners-up get $1,000,000.

-Mike

pokerrookie · #7 03-30-2005, 12:50 AM

Just like online poker, its rigged!

Yobz · #8 03-30-2005, 01:24 AM

Imagine getting dealt pocket rockets in the last round and some fish sucks out on you with J2o. That would be me on tilt...although the million $ wouldn't be bad.

jon593 · #9 03-30-2005, 01:33 AM

[ QUOTE ]
greatest.promo.EVER

state funded holdem is amazing step

[/ QUOTE ]

especially since we have no casinos here.

ok just read the site its not a real tournament

CountDuckula · #10 03-30-2005, 01:21 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Imagine getting dealt pocket rockets in the last round and some fish sucks out on you with J2o. That would be me on tilt...although the million $ wouldn't be bad.

[/ QUOTE ]

The cards are just window dressing. They might as well number each seat from 1-N (where N = the number of seats/table in that round) at each table, and then draw a number and declare that everyone in the corresponding seat at each table wins the round. There's no question of fishiness; the J2o will have no opportunity to fold, and the AA will have no opportunity to raise him out of the pot.

-Mike