Party Snowball Tournament - A Joke

[MicroBob]

I previously didn't think this program was a very good idea.

After this thread I may more seriously consider sigining-up.

How does one sign up for this tournament?

[StellarWind]

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Another table had 2 players who were there and 8 who weren't. These 2 players worked out a deal so that they would take turns stealing the blinds of the away people.

Another table had a simular arangement between 3 players.

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Party apparently conducted a tournament in which open collusion occurred on more than one table. Please don't say this is a victimless crime:

1. An agreement to evenly split the proceeds instead of having a random split based on normal competition is +EV for the colluders and -EV for everyone else. This is standard theory for MTTs with multiple prizes.

2. The collusion undoubtedly allowed hands to be played much faster. That's an unfair advantage over players who divided up the dead money through honest play. The colluders get to mop up their tables quickly and move onto other tables where dead money is still present.

3. Most important, open cheating makes a mockery of online poker.

The organizers have an obligation to find a way to clean this up.

[scrapperdog]

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The organizers have an obligation to find a way to clean this up.

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Yep I agree, but remember this was the first tourney they ran. SNAFU's like this are gonna happen. My solution would be that if you sign up to play and dont show that makes you inelligible for next months tourney. This would require more work from rtr to find out who did not show but would stop a lot of the no shows.

I finished 4th in that competition, netting $400. Very nice and quite unlucky to lose my stack to a steal with 75o when I had AJ in SB, then having to go all in pretty much next hand with T9s. Such is final table play.

But anyway... I was also on the OP's table - I assume you're who I think you are. And yeah, it was pretty bad this month with the short notice and then other players effectively having a free ride to the final table. I wasn't best pleased at the time, especially when I got to final table at the 2nd smallest stack.

However, never minding all that, here's some advice: if there's one thing I would have liked, it's a far flatter pay structure. Yes, I did well this month (YAY!) but then with a flatter pay structure more people will be rewarded for playing through the scheme, meaning more incentive for those who don't usually play tourneys and need to get far luckier than those used to such play. So if that's possible, I think a lot of people would be far happier.

[AAAA]

You raise some valid complaints, so don't think I am downplaying the importance of your comments. I am in no way associated with the people who ran this tourney, but it seems that their intent was to get money back to the players.

That being said, I remember when BetHoldem tried a similar tourney. The first week was a mess, but they fixed it right away. Your comments cause hard feelings and can actually be counterproductive to your own goals. Kind of like cutting off your nose to spite your face. I understand you are frustrated, and do not feel that you had a fair chance. Do you understand my point that it might work better for you if you if you used a bit of honey, instead of vinegar? There are a few more cliches I can think of, but you probably get the idea.

Give them a chance to fix it instead of making a public complaint.

[Mempho]

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I previously didn't think this program was a very good idea.

After this thread I may more seriously consider sigining-up.

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[D.H.]

[ QUOTE ]
I previously didn't think this program was a very good idea.

After this thread I may more seriously consider sigining-up.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I think it sounds OK, but I have some problems with it. It seems that there could be huge value in this for people who don't play very much if some high volume players sign up and generate lots of rake each month.

So if you want to attract the high volume players I think you would have to split it into several tournament with different qualifying criterions. Would this be possible, Jessica?

Also, on the website you mention WSOP packages as possible future prices. I don't see any reason to have tournament packages instead of cash prizes.

[Jessica1]

Thanks for the input guys

Again things will change as time goes on.

Higher volume players are supposed to get an additional kickback from Party directly through their VIP service. So the Snowball is just an extra perk instead of signing up directly.

As time goes on and we get more players and therefore a definite split between higher and smaller players we will be able to offer separate tournaments which reward a players input in to the scheme

We have mentioned to Party about preventing thoss that dont turn up from playing. We cannot as someone suggested ban them from the following month as you can never know the real reason they didnt turn up...family emergency etc...

Anyway all your posts are fantastically helpful towards helping us improve it....

And just so we pre-empt next month's posts...we probably wont get it 100% right this month either, but dammit we'll try....

Jess
RTR

[StellarWind]

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We have mentioned to Party about preventing thoss that dont turn up from playing. We cannot as someone suggested ban them from the following month as you can never know the real reason they didnt turn up...family emergency etc...

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At BetHoldem prequalified players must register shortly before gametime to play in the weekly high-volume player freeroll. That effectively limits seating to people who are actually playing. If the infamous Prima platform can support this feature it's not a lot to ask Party to keep up.

[One week recently they didn't do this for some reason and it was a mess similar to OP, but that's beside the point. It works well when they do it.]

I do not play in the BetHoldem freeroll for the money. I would be much better off at the limit ring tables because I'm a NL newbie. I participate for the fun and experience of playing against a good field without having to pay for the privilege. Any money I luck into is a bonus.

I'm sure a lot of other players view online freerolls the same way. Poker is supposed to be entertaining. Most players are losers and a few extra bucks of EV doesn't mean anything to a high-paid professional who is wasting his leisure time on a farce.

That's the real evil of the current format. Allowing large numbers on nonparticipants to be seated ruins the poker. Party is in the entertainment business. As soon as poker is only about money there will be no more poker.