Modern Day Ninja

Thursday, September 15, 2011

From highs of Remo to the lows of Iwf

Just a quick blog on this, mainly because it's tilting the balls off me! Had great time in San Remo and was unlucky to run my AK into AA right after I had just won a flip with AJ v Elio Fox 66. Was kinda tilting especially getting the slight slowroll on top of the loud screaming chanting when the guy won the pot, it really didn't phase me all that much I was just crushed that I could of been sitting top 10 in chips with 70 players left. I would of felt at home with that stack and would pick ppl off for sport but enough dwelling ay. Defo will be back again their next year, was even more delighted to get phone call like 3 days before to say I could fly. Made all the difference and felt like I was on a life freerole. Also lobster in San Remo was epic! Overall great experience.

Back home and straight up next was Iwf, Now I say all this in the slight hope ppl at Paddy Power will listen and take my points to whats exactly wrong with their tourny's even if I do and will come across annoyed by the hole experience.

I had won a package for this back in August so was pretty happy remembering that on flight home. When I arrived for day1 and with high expectations it just was the same old back in the day theme with paddy power set ups. All the things wrong with events is in this tourny and this is why they are down on numbers (I think there actually oblivious to this). I'm gonna list a few ridiculous faults, this is 2011 poker tourny and seems pp are always 3 years behind the rest of the world, it's quiet shocking as these are the ppl that hold our 2 biggest tournys of the year, what's portrayed really makes me easily see why ppl are not bothered traveling to this event from around Europe. It would be like me going to Cork or somewhere for same structured pub game!
1. How you can have all the late reg players put on the one table as they que up is ridiculous and at the Irish Open when I late regged same thing happened and they had the neck to tell me this was completely random??? I was so infuriated and quiet blank refused to go on same table as 5 top English pros, 1 or 2 top Irish pros and decent Scandis. I got the old snotty treatment and indeed waited, 5 mins later I got my much better table draw. It just shows huge unprofessionalism right before players even get to sit down. Not good.
2. Starting stack, my god like 15k was acceptable back in 07-08 maybe but it's 2011 get with the times already, you are representing Irish poker!!! It's insulting and ridiculous. As if it didn't take you long enough to change Irish open to 20k from a whopping 10k, not 1 casino game gives ppl a 10k stack and you want Europes best to come play this game??? It's sheer madness your asking players who can afford this buy in to loose most of their chance at outplaying weaker players as you are playing so shallow and 1 hit can kill your chances altogether. If you guys can sort this you will get the likes of Europe's top players coming back to these games in drones. As of now it simply goes against every fiber of their body to hop on a plane to give up loads of equity just to play this game...why would they like? They won't!
I'll give an example of how damaging shorter stacks may be, you have limited options facing big bets from amateur players, floating is out of the question which is probably a huge part of top players game, so effectively you have confined good players options down to near same level as an amateur who probably didn't know pr how to use these options effectively like a pro would. In essence their chance at winning is hugely decreased. I have few more points on that matter but I hope you get what I am trying to show you. At least increase it to 20k,(personally I'd like to see more) it might seem small amount but it's huge in terms of options for competent players.
3. The bet sizing rule, again it's like been back in 07 and that's politely putting it. Raising the last bet not the last raise has so many things wrong with it that it's tilting. Now again good players are limited, this time with their 3betting options and again pots get more bloated which once again decreases a good players chance at winning this tournament! Instead of having great last few tables with all top players which would publicize your event greatly by this happening, you will now be left with just few top players because quiet simply no matter how good you are you cannot beat these sort variables unless you run pretty dam good. It's just not good for the future of poker in Ireland that this is the message being sent from Irish poker. It's gamble early, spin up or hit the bar for drinks. Just not good and I'm not slightly over exaggerating this. The future of Irish Poker on a big stage is probably in your hands Paddy Power!

I've spoken to many many top players on their views about this and all these 3 points I brought up are on the top of the list of things they would sort if they could. Just ask anyone of them.

I will leave on good note, your publicity of the event and online qualifiers is brilliant and you deserve a hats of for that, also the sole survivor was brilliant introduction top notch.

Just plz fix these huge issues and I'll be the first to put my hand up and acknowledge the drastic improvements! This was no personal rant just business, it is of course made to look like a rant in hope ppl talk and this gets back to somebody who can and is willing to change things.

If i wasn't outspoken on the game I love well what sort of a person would I be then. Hope the right ppl appreciate this.
Good luck to the future of Irish poker!

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