Poker Superstars II and Player boycott?

#1 09-19-2005, 12:35 PM

I'm not sure if this has already been posted or discussed. If it has someone please direct me to it.

When watching the Poker Superstars Invitation II, I couldn't help but wonder where my favorite players where. Cloutier? Ivey? Lederer? Hansen? Most of the players from the first season didn't stick around. Then today i was reading a post that brought up a players' boycott of the show, but I couldn't find more info on it.

Anyone know what happen?

benfranklin · #2 09-19-2005, 01:09 PM

The available details are sketchly, but I believe Daniel Negreanu talked about it on his web site. Apparently something like 14 top players got together to try to pressure Fox to put more money in the prize pool. They said that with the pool as announced, they would lose money from other earnings by playing in the tournament. Fox said too bad and invited other players.

As I remember, Daniel said in his blog that after it happened, he thought that he had acted hastily, but it was too late for him to play, as Fox had already committed to the new players.

#3 09-19-2005, 01:34 PM

thanks

Kevmath · #4 09-19-2005, 01:41 PM

In Daniel's latest blog entry, he says he made a mistake, and has signed up for Poker Superstars III. The timing of the event (during Bellagio's 5-Diamond Poker Classic as he was in a battle for Player of the Year) didn't help matters.

gowing19 · #5 09-19-2005, 02:56 PM

Perhaps it was the format. Or the ridiculous blind structure.

Dynasty · #6 09-19-2005, 04:57 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Perhaps it was the format. Or the ridiculous blind structure.

[/ QUOTE ]

It was not. Most comments from the players about the tournament and blind structure have been positive. They liked it.

DDH · #7 09-19-2005, 07:00 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Perhaps it was the format. Or the ridiculous blind structure.

[/ QUOTE ]

It was not. Most comments from the players about the tournament and blind structure have been positive. They liked it.

[/ QUOTE ]

And as I think about it, I can see a lot of the pros liking the format. None of them are playing for the money, and when that's the case, with something like this, I think fun is big factor in it, and this seems like it would be a fun format to play. Yes, it kind of sucks to watch, but it seems like it could be a fun way to spend a few days playing cards.

WhiskyRiver · #8 09-19-2005, 07:22 PM

The whole entry is worth reading, actually, for DN's comments regarding poker/poker players and a business mindset.

http://tinyurl.com/7mos5

MicroBob · #9 09-20-2005, 03:08 AM

Of course they're playing for the money (at least partly).

Do you think they would be there at all if there was NO money involved and ALL they got was TV exposure and the glory of bring the champion of fox-Sports poker?

It's a free tourney for them with a shot to win a semi-decent amount of dough.
While for some (like Greenstein) the publicity is likely more valuable than the money...but for others, winning $15k is still nothing to sneeze at.

Hell, Kathy Liebert won her seat to the WSOP on Interpoker (and was playing a lot of the $1k single-table satellites while I was there) and TJ Cloutier supposedly won his main-event seat via the STEPS on Party.
Most COULD afford to pay their own way in of course...but if they can avoid having to throw $10k around indiscriminantly then they won't turn away the savings.

It would probably be similar to you or I being invited to play one of these with about 1% of the prize-pool.
If it happens to be convenient (in my backyard for example) and it won't take TOO painfully long then I'll give it a shot.
If I win a round 2 and get $150 it's not exactly going to change my life but I'm not going to turn it down either.
something like that.

Yeah...it's kinda pocket-change for some of these guys so it's kinda close as to whether it's even worth their time or not.
But free-money is free-money so many of them take the opportunity.