I fully expect Stars to buyout the CPT within the next month or two to get the NAPT really launched in Canada. Its either that or they go directly to the casinos on the CPT roster that they want, and work backroom deals with them individually as the CPT doesnt have long term contracts with the casinos anyways.
i know for a fact Stars approached the CPT about a multi million buy out last year but got shot down.
the release of this article strikes me as a bargaining ploy by Kelly to perhaps get more out of stars because the lines have been open for quite some time and if they actually had something solid hammered out, they wouldnt risk scuttling a deal by announcing communications with other sites.
I agree with Phil and Kai. My guess/vote is PStars. The NAPT is kinda lacking at the moment and adding some if not all the CPT events would bring a lot more to the tour in one easy step!
PokerKai, you definitely have a read on the industry, was just looking at Expo thread too. That you know River Cree and Stars situations, makes me wonder how you are so in touch? Either way, I agree with you, but there are a few other things I catch here and there that make me wonder if it isn't someone else? I am not affiliated with the CPT anymore by the way, but I love Canadian poker.
The hardest part for me to grasp in all this is how a major site will help for live events in Canada? With BC, Quebec and the others looking to regulate their own sites, and gaming regs prohibiting Casino's to have direct affiliations with offshore sites, how is this gonna help the game? I need to get the AGLC stuff uploaded, I know the other provinces follow suit for the most part.
PokerKai, you definitely have a read on the industry, was just looking at Expo thread too. That you know River Cree and Stars situations, makes me wonder how you are so in touch? Either way, I agree with you, but there are a few other things I catch here and there that make me wonder if it isn't someone else? I am not affiliated with the CPT anymore by the way, but I love Canadian poker.
The hardest part for me to grasp in all this is how a major site will help for live events in Canada? With BC, Quebec and the others looking to regulate their own sites, and gaming regs prohibiting Casino's to have direct affiliations with offshore sites, how is this gonna help the game? I need to get the AGLC stuff uploaded, I know the other provinces follow suit for the most part.
You wonder if Im someone else??? Your gonna have explain what you mean before I can give you any sort of meaningful answer. As for being "so in touch" ...well, its just a matter of being friendly and asking the right questions. Im just kinda lucky in that I get to be in a lot of places with people who have answers.
The provinces starting their own sites is going to be a tricky thing depending on whether they plan on freezing out other sites altogether or if they are merely offering a locally based alternative for players. It will really come down to whether they will allow events to be televised and broadcast with .net branding. I do think that if Stars does end up buying the CPT, the ability to get satellite qualifiers into events will greatly increase turnout and prestige of the tour as a whole.
So we don't know who the potential buyers are...or who released the press release? Hmm...maybe Mr. Kellner is creating some "interest" on his own....just food for thought.
It could also possibly be Victory Poker. The CEO Won a couple CPT Events and has mentioned in his CEO discussion on a certain 2p2 website (Victory Poker subforum) that they are in talks of negotiating an advertisement/sponsorship deal. Who knows if this has transformed into an ownership deal.
We will be sponsoring some of the Canadian Poker Tour events but until I have contracts signed I can't say when/where. We've advertised in their magazine in the past/currently and will in the future, and I just did an article for their current issue with Lacey Jones on the cover after winning 3 events in a row including their $2,500 main event a few months ago.
Their is potential for satellites and promos but I really love the C.P.T. and what they're goals are for poker in Canada, so its a bigger deal that we're looking to do, which takes alot of planning and coordination.
PokerKai, nothing more than curious, I am just trying to say from what I myself have heard you are very in touch. Honestly though, nobody knows for sure because the answers are always changing. Even those closest to the powers that be don't have a foggy clue for sure. Only the godfather does. He is a smart man. I take it all with a grain of salt. I have seen a lot of Press Releases from HDUP come together just as I was about to call bullshit, so I am not doubting it. The time lines can be a little off though. But it isn't all public info (like an alleged stars bid) so I just wonder if you work in the industry or are an investor? Actually I think I mentioned it once in a thread, but that could have been a rumor too. 888 has a strong relationship but something to do with Harrah's somewhere? Party is tight with the CPT and Cake has been in the past to, although I think I just read that skin/network is facing some instability rumors? It is unusual for a lot of players to be this in touch, unless they have an interest in what goes on behind the scenes. I hope to hell it goes well, I have 10,000 shares of HDUP, not much, but hey I wouldn't mind cashing in.
I actually asked my own question on how this will help Canadian Poker to a few people lately and I see now what I was missing in the big picture. Basically it was explained that there is nothing stopping an online site from purchasing up all the seats and the casino's are basically just cross promoting themselves. I think I get it.
I am 50/50 whether the provinces will push out competitors, but it really defeats the purpose if the revenues still end up in Costa Rica bank accounts doesn't it? Am I crazy? Dennis seems to +1 this.
As I was typing I noticed tilters post pop up, You might be on to something. Fleyschman loved the Hard Rock events, did quite well for himself playing. Antonio is pretty tight with the CPT and rumors of "who's your daddy" owning significant amounts of stock come from sources I trust. And he would be the guy to take a chance. There is more on that than I would post publicly. However could Victory be considered a "Major site"? I do think they are going places, Dan has done incredible job of everything always from what I read and see.
Oh and the .net changes nothing. I was trying to sell advertising for the Poker Atlas to a casino I had ins with, they loved the product but we ended up with AGLC problems....for your perusal gonna try the upload again
Too big. Fuck. Anyways, it says "advertising must not be directly or indirectly associated with on-line gaming sites (free or pay)"
1.15.8 Basic Principles (AGLC Advertising)
1.15.4 reads "Casino facility licensees are not permitted to:
a)advertise on or conjunction with any online gaming service provider or promoter, including but not limited to a play for free site or a play for money site or
b) advertise on a site with a direct link to an online gaming site (free or play)
Notice there are no online affiliations on canadianchampionshippoker.com? or canadianpokertour.tv (where the events and results are listed)
But Canadian Poker Player advertises online right? But that isn't the poker tour, it just talks about events and it isn't an online site.
CanadianPokerPlayer.tv has links to online, but no event listings.......
coincidence? The Canadian Poker Tour is a points tracking system, not the actual events. Those are run by each casino. The Canadian Open is run under a totally different name and remember the shit hitting the fan over the over dub of 888? And no cameras because of it? So what is the incentive to an online site like stars as the bigger events are in Alberta? Are BCPC and Fallsview sanctioning the CPT here forward?
That is a few pieces. Party is defiantly after the other 2 big sites. I heard they also bought WPT to take away a Full Tilt asset/ally. They could have burned WPT to the ground and it still would have been a good business move. Gaining Canada would definitely slow the NAPT down.
That is a few pieces. Party is defiantly after the other 2 big sites. I heard they also bought WPT to take away a Full Tilt asset/ally. They could have burned WPT to the ground and it still would have been a good business move. Gaining Canada would definitely slow the NAPT down.
I agree that Party could be one of the potential suitors for the CPT but I dont agree with your interpretation of the evidence. The fact that the WPT had prior relationships with RiverRock and Fallsview actually makes it LESS LIKELY that Party would buy the CPT. Think about it. They dont need the CPT to get a foothold into Canada...theyve already done it in the past. Why pay multi million dollars when youve already had a previous exclusivity agreement with the big 2 casinos in Canada? They dont really have a history of buying out local tours and re-branding them under the parent company like Stars does. They just kind of take one premier venue from a country and run a tournament there. Like the Grandprix de Paris, or WPT Venice. It just doesnt seem to fit their business model.
The fact that PokerStars is having a hard time getting into either makes it more likely that they would be the ones to buy the CPT. They dont have the relationships so they need the CPT infrastructure to get their foothold. They also seem genuinely interested in fostering local tours underneath their big tours. The WPT isnt interested in small tournaments in Edmonton or Regina. But look at what Stars does. They run their HUGE EPT events in Europe in the major cities...but at the same time have bought out the local tours to run smaller buyin events like the UKIPT and the IPT and those run in smaller towns.
You make great points and this thread is turning into alot of fun. Stars did with the BCPC's too. The turmoil in the USA and the PPA running out of aces is gonna make things interesting. I only know little tidbits I find here and there, we need a poll make this even more fun. Before we put it up, I think a few more people should take stabs at the answer. Almost a little bet on it's own. I think +1 on that it will be sold in 6 months tops.
Soooo. I went for a beer with the man. PokerKai seems to be the closest. But nobody in this thread is wrong. PokerStars best fit. Party could....the big question is does Full Tilt want either of these 2 to take some of the last available land based venues/events?
Soooo. I went for a beer with the man. PokerKai seems to be the closest. But nobody in this thread is wrong. PokerStars best fit. Party could....the big question is does Full Tilt want either of these 2 to take some of the last available land based venues/events?
Gonna be an interesting year.
Im not sure Full Tilt is interested in getting involved in the tournament game and certainly not in Canada first before establishing something in the US. Theyre marketing plan revolves around their huge stable of pros and their continued visibility in big tournaments. Launching their own tour and forcing their pros to choose between smaller full tilt events versus more established big televised events I think would hurt them.
On another note, I wonder how motivated the CPT is to sell right now. It seems theyve hit a sort of rut with possible revenue streams. They dont have any televised events on tap. Theyve stopped publishing the magazine. They are no longer pushing the CPT memberships. They dont know how the provincial sites are going to change the landscape. I just think without an online site component, the CPT isnt a viable independent entity. Id be curious to see what your thoughts are on this Jon and what the odds are that CPT rebuffs all offers and tries to make a go of it on its own or in conjunction with the new provincial sites.
It will not be full tilt, only poker stars and party poker go after Canadians so it will be 1 of those 2 if something happens, only other one is maybe ultimate bet.
Pokerkai, I'll start off by saying, these are only my opinions and while I have worked with the CPT and may do so in the future again, I don't work for them. I like you have had the opportunity to be around a lot of inner circle situations, but am also trying my best not to say anything that maybe considered a secret. I don't work in the industry as a full time job, more of a hobby with perks. I meet great people, get to be a part of things I never could have imagined aka, the corporate world. That said, I don't understand much of it nor will pretend too. But like the game it's self, my eyes are opening to things, that make me double fist palm my eyeballs and go, holly f@$k did I have that wrong! Things move pretty damn fast and I have seen people in positions I thought were untouchable get their legs kicked out and the direction shift sideways in an instant.
There is no doubt that has been some shortcomings, some major, no one involved can deny that. The magazine is still running, a new team is going to handle it. And now they really have no choice but to hit the targets as All-in, Poker Pro Canada and Bluff move in. The pressure is on. I myself am involved currently with one of them. The funny thing is, at any moment any one of them could join the CPT. Not saying that would happen, but so many alliances have been made in the past, nothing is unthinkable when you are talking the kind of deals that could play out here when multi-billion dollar sites get involved. Stars owns All-in from what I gather and they have their own Pokerstars "Canadian Guide" on magazine racks now. Only the guys at the top of the ladder know what plays out and is discussed, not even the CPT's CEO's right hand man knows the scoop. The players card it's self has a business model behind it, the Head's Up Entertainment site explains it well. As far as pushing the membership, there just isn't enough people to be everywhere at once, so the website needs to be brought up to speed as does the outreach. A lot is being invested into that right now.
As far as the relationships go, we can look at River Cree as you mentioned and say not good. And you are right to the best of my knowledge. Something will need to be done to get them back on board. But how much attention does that venue divert to events? How popular are the events? Was the CPT getting value in return? What about Casino Edmonton? They seem pretty damn happy. And they are competing venues, so how does one lay in both beds and keep both pleased. Did River Cree meet in the middle in regards to structures and buy-ins? Does the CPT have any influence with anyone that could rekindle that? I don't think bridges are burnt lightly, especially when one may find it is needed when the opposing forces push you back to the river. But for every weakness they have a strong alliance as well, look at Venues like the Grey Eagle, (who are expanding with a new sister property in the east) and Cash Casino that provides some of the biggest prize pools in Alberta. Look at Alberta period. They have many friends from the start who would not easily be swayed, unless significant "backroom" deals were proposed. as you mentioned. But the damn industry is so huge in money but small in people behind it, even globally everyone seems to be connected through minimal degrees of separation. If the offer isn't big enough, that chance is blown because someone will find out and the next guy has time to make a counter move. And the guys running the shows on both sides are all very experienced in big business. (Happy to be a blue collar most of my daily work life here, course I don't have all their nice stuff either.)
I don't think they will sell for less than they are perceived they are worth. They won't beg. They won't be too greedy either, investors are involved. While Ontario seems to be left out of the loop, there where 103 sanctioned events as compared to 130 in Alberta. And Ontario sold out most of it's capped events. Atlantic events had huge prize pools when held. We can look at Fallsview and RiverRock, but both have worked with online companies and then took a stance like a vampire looking at a crucifix. The whole issue hampering the CPT with these bigger more popular venues from my understanding is the fear that in someway online may get involved, because of the complications in Alberta, although technically A loophole was used and gaming was pissed. The first question in any negotiations with venues I have heard of since, even away from CPT is who is gonna be involved regarding online and the flags are thrown on the field if any are mentioned.
And this is precisely why I am so freaking confused. But those that know all the legalities and benefits are not and ironically the first people the provinces are expected to turn to when they do launch their sites is the very people the put up walls against in the past. And I am talking so many more companies than just CPT and HDUP. Again, there is very few places you can look were one guy doesn't know a guy, even on opposing teams. Especially in Canada. What these companies can prove and provide is that the following they do have is made up of precisely the target audience that the provinces need. Or hte online sites. Real Money players who generate way too much money in rake. Looking at rake back stats, it is easy to see that even a small group of the right players turn's into huge numbers fast.
They won't dump it and as weak as they may seem at times, they are holding quite a few cards. What is easier for everyone? Cut a big freaking check and save the headaches. Especially if you have the money. In theory and on paper anyway.
Interestingly enough when Dave was mentioned in the hope fulls thread, it turns out he started the CPT and CPP and the magazine in 1997. So 13 years later, millions in infrastructure and man hours later, you have today's tour. Who the hell want's to go through that again? The US isn't looking very stable for these big dogs as far as online revenues go and Canada is poker crazy.
That's all the lunatic insight I have. Loving the talk, please sort it out.
I don't really care who buys the CPT, but what I do care about is that there are several events a year from coast to coast showing a true commitment to CANADIAN poker not Alberta poker or BC poker or even Ontario poker. From sea to shining sea please or don't bother.
The CPT won't be flipped tomorrow by any means, and the Events website has been revamped 100%. Expect a lot more news and interactive features such as a social community very shortly. CANADIAN POKER TOUR The old database for previous results is also being tied back in. Once the most important thing is intact and fully functional, the players points standings, events, new, and results then the last phase will be to get the magazine 100% online as well, though print won't stop.
I have worked a lot personally on this upcoming issue which will be complete in less than a week and shipped to locations, and I see no problems with the current team of hitting print dates every 2 months.
Everyone looking for coast to coast events will want to get familiar with the website too, I try to post them up, but it can be a lot to keep up, that's why things are getting more automated and we will use a news feed. You might be surprised, PEI an d Nova Scotia, New Brunswick all get sanctioned events, just not as often, unfortunately that is where the work with the casinos come in. I also figured out the PDF thing uploading to adobe.com in the intern so I can recap 2009 prize pools by province and some stats on average by in and field size.
Its not a new CPT by any means, but concerns are being heard and addressed.
And there is more, but to be announced, can not yet
Now its time for Canadian Poker to really make some noise http://ca.news.finance.yahoo.com/s/25052010/34/biz-f-business-wire-canadian-poker-tour-expands-management-team-adding-directors.html
This was this twist I spoke of. Steve Spindler is very experienced and well liked by all. His industry contacts are endless.
Brian Kessler has been around for awhile and BSPT adds 3000 LIVE events and tens of thousands of potential entry level players into the pond.
Combined, this team has the potential to do huge things.
Both Steve and Brian are based in BC and Brian has helped with the BCPC's on several occasions, built tables for PokerStars and has great relationships with both Edgewater and RiverRock
Comments
http://www.pokerforum.ca/f7/pokerstars-napt-21353/index2.html
i know for a fact Stars approached the CPT about a multi million buy out last year but got shot down.
the release of this article strikes me as a bargaining ploy by Kelly to perhaps get more out of stars because the lines have been open for quite some time and if they actually had something solid hammered out, they wouldnt risk scuttling a deal by announcing communications with other sites.
The hardest part for me to grasp in all this is how a major site will help for live events in Canada? With BC, Quebec and the others looking to regulate their own sites, and gaming regs prohibiting Casino's to have direct affiliations with offshore sites, how is this gonna help the game? I need to get the AGLC stuff uploaded, I know the other provinces follow suit for the most part.
You wonder if Im someone else??? Your gonna have explain what you mean before I can give you any sort of meaningful answer. As for being "so in touch" ...well, its just a matter of being friendly and asking the right questions. Im just kinda lucky in that I get to be in a lot of places with people who have answers.
The provinces starting their own sites is going to be a tricky thing depending on whether they plan on freezing out other sites altogether or if they are merely offering a locally based alternative for players. It will really come down to whether they will allow events to be televised and broadcast with .net branding. I do think that if Stars does end up buying the CPT, the ability to get satellite qualifiers into events will greatly increase turnout and prestige of the tour as a whole.
This.
When it comes to $$$, governments are notoriously averse to competition . . .
^^ posted on March 19th
I actually asked my own question on how this will help Canadian Poker to a few people lately and I see now what I was missing in the big picture. Basically it was explained that there is nothing stopping an online site from purchasing up all the seats and the casino's are basically just cross promoting themselves. I think I get it.
I am 50/50 whether the provinces will push out competitors, but it really defeats the purpose if the revenues still end up in Costa Rica bank accounts doesn't it? Am I crazy? Dennis seems to +1 this.
Oh and the .net changes nothing. I was trying to sell advertising for the Poker Atlas to a casino I had ins with, they loved the product but we ended up with AGLC problems....for your perusal gonna try the upload again
1.15.8 Basic Principles (AGLC Advertising)
1.15.4 reads "Casino facility licensees are not permitted to:
a)advertise on or conjunction with any online gaming service provider or promoter, including but not limited to a play for free site or a play for money site or
b) advertise on a site with a direct link to an online gaming site (free or play)
Notice there are no online affiliations on canadianchampionshippoker.com? or canadianpokertour.tv (where the events and results are listed)
But Canadian Poker Player advertises online right? But that isn't the poker tour, it just talks about events and it isn't an online site.
CanadianPokerPlayer.tv has links to online, but no event listings.......
coincidence? The Canadian Poker Tour is a points tracking system, not the actual events. Those are run by each casino. The Canadian Open is run under a totally different name and remember the shit hitting the fan over the over dub of 888? And no cameras because of it? So what is the incentive to an online site like stars as the bigger events are in Alberta? Are BCPC and Fallsview sanctioning the CPT here forward?
A couple key pieces:
Poker News: Niagara Fallsview Casino Will Play Host to October WPT Event
Previous relationship with Fallsview for WPT...check
WPT | About Us | WPT CANADA? LAUNCHES TODAY WITH COAST TO COAST POKER CHAMPIONSHIPS AT RIVER ROCK CASINO RESORT
Previous relationship with River Rock..... check
Who has had a hard time getting in either.....check
Who bought WPTE?
WPT, Party Gaming Officials Discuss Acquisition
Read last line of interview.....check
Who signed Kara Scott?
Kara Scott Previews High Stakes Poker Season 6
Read what she says about playing the CPT
Need more?
A word from Kara Scott the brand new PartyPoker sponsored player
Who has worked with the Canadian Open in the past:
Party Poker Holding Exclusive Satellites for Canadian Open Poker Championships
That is a few pieces. Party is defiantly after the other 2 big sites. I heard they also bought WPT to take away a Full Tilt asset/ally. They could have burned WPT to the ground and it still would have been a good business move. Gaining Canada would definitely slow the NAPT down.
I agree that Party could be one of the potential suitors for the CPT but I dont agree with your interpretation of the evidence. The fact that the WPT had prior relationships with RiverRock and Fallsview actually makes it LESS LIKELY that Party would buy the CPT. Think about it. They dont need the CPT to get a foothold into Canada...theyve already done it in the past. Why pay multi million dollars when youve already had a previous exclusivity agreement with the big 2 casinos in Canada? They dont really have a history of buying out local tours and re-branding them under the parent company like Stars does. They just kind of take one premier venue from a country and run a tournament there. Like the Grandprix de Paris, or WPT Venice. It just doesnt seem to fit their business model.
The fact that PokerStars is having a hard time getting into either makes it more likely that they would be the ones to buy the CPT. They dont have the relationships so they need the CPT infrastructure to get their foothold. They also seem genuinely interested in fostering local tours underneath their big tours. The WPT isnt interested in small tournaments in Edmonton or Regina. But look at what Stars does. They run their HUGE EPT events in Europe in the major cities...but at the same time have bought out the local tours to run smaller buyin events like the UKIPT and the IPT and those run in smaller towns.
Gonna be an interesting year.
Im not sure Full Tilt is interested in getting involved in the tournament game and certainly not in Canada first before establishing something in the US. Theyre marketing plan revolves around their huge stable of pros and their continued visibility in big tournaments. Launching their own tour and forcing their pros to choose between smaller full tilt events versus more established big televised events I think would hurt them.
On another note, I wonder how motivated the CPT is to sell right now. It seems theyve hit a sort of rut with possible revenue streams. They dont have any televised events on tap. Theyve stopped publishing the magazine. They are no longer pushing the CPT memberships. They dont know how the provincial sites are going to change the landscape. I just think without an online site component, the CPT isnt a viable independent entity. Id be curious to see what your thoughts are on this Jon and what the odds are that CPT rebuffs all offers and tries to make a go of it on its own or in conjunction with the new provincial sites.
There is no doubt that has been some shortcomings, some major, no one involved can deny that. The magazine is still running, a new team is going to handle it. And now they really have no choice but to hit the targets as All-in, Poker Pro Canada and Bluff move in. The pressure is on. I myself am involved currently with one of them. The funny thing is, at any moment any one of them could join the CPT. Not saying that would happen, but so many alliances have been made in the past, nothing is unthinkable when you are talking the kind of deals that could play out here when multi-billion dollar sites get involved. Stars owns All-in from what I gather and they have their own Pokerstars "Canadian Guide" on magazine racks now. Only the guys at the top of the ladder know what plays out and is discussed, not even the CPT's CEO's right hand man knows the scoop. The players card it's self has a business model behind it, the Head's Up Entertainment site explains it well. As far as pushing the membership, there just isn't enough people to be everywhere at once, so the website needs to be brought up to speed as does the outreach. A lot is being invested into that right now.
As far as the relationships go, we can look at River Cree as you mentioned and say not good. And you are right to the best of my knowledge. Something will need to be done to get them back on board. But how much attention does that venue divert to events? How popular are the events? Was the CPT getting value in return? What about Casino Edmonton? They seem pretty damn happy. And they are competing venues, so how does one lay in both beds and keep both pleased. Did River Cree meet in the middle in regards to structures and buy-ins? Does the CPT have any influence with anyone that could rekindle that? I don't think bridges are burnt lightly, especially when one may find it is needed when the opposing forces push you back to the river. But for every weakness they have a strong alliance as well, look at Venues like the Grey Eagle, (who are expanding with a new sister property in the east) and Cash Casino that provides some of the biggest prize pools in Alberta. Look at Alberta period. They have many friends from the start who would not easily be swayed, unless significant "backroom" deals were proposed. as you mentioned. But the damn industry is so huge in money but small in people behind it, even globally everyone seems to be connected through minimal degrees of separation. If the offer isn't big enough, that chance is blown because someone will find out and the next guy has time to make a counter move. And the guys running the shows on both sides are all very experienced in big business. (Happy to be a blue collar most of my daily work life here, course I don't have all their nice stuff either.)
I don't think they will sell for less than they are perceived they are worth. They won't beg. They won't be too greedy either, investors are involved. While Ontario seems to be left out of the loop, there where 103 sanctioned events as compared to 130 in Alberta. And Ontario sold out most of it's capped events. Atlantic events had huge prize pools when held. We can look at Fallsview and RiverRock, but both have worked with online companies and then took a stance like a vampire looking at a crucifix. The whole issue hampering the CPT with these bigger more popular venues from my understanding is the fear that in someway online may get involved, because of the complications in Alberta, although technically A loophole was used and gaming was pissed. The first question in any negotiations with venues I have heard of since, even away from CPT is who is gonna be involved regarding online and the flags are thrown on the field if any are mentioned.
And this is precisely why I am so freaking confused. But those that know all the legalities and benefits are not and ironically the first people the provinces are expected to turn to when they do launch their sites is the very people the put up walls against in the past. And I am talking so many more companies than just CPT and HDUP. Again, there is very few places you can look were one guy doesn't know a guy, even on opposing teams. Especially in Canada. What these companies can prove and provide is that the following they do have is made up of precisely the target audience that the provinces need. Or hte online sites. Real Money players who generate way too much money in rake. Looking at rake back stats, it is easy to see that even a small group of the right players turn's into huge numbers fast.
They won't dump it and as weak as they may seem at times, they are holding quite a few cards. What is easier for everyone? Cut a big freaking check and save the headaches. Especially if you have the money. In theory and on paper anyway.
Interestingly enough when Dave was mentioned in the hope fulls thread, it turns out he started the CPT and CPP and the magazine in 1997. So 13 years later, millions in infrastructure and man hours later, you have today's tour. Who the hell want's to go through that again? The US isn't looking very stable for these big dogs as far as online revenues go and Canada is poker crazy.
That's all the lunatic insight I have. Loving the talk, please sort it out.
Ahh Jon boy...my thoughts here are that we aren't going to see a move to a major online site..but possibly an opening to investors..
I have worked a lot personally on this upcoming issue which will be complete in less than a week and shipped to locations, and I see no problems with the current team of hitting print dates every 2 months.
Everyone looking for coast to coast events will want to get familiar with the website too, I try to post them up, but it can be a lot to keep up, that's why things are getting more automated and we will use a news feed. You might be surprised, PEI an d Nova Scotia, New Brunswick all get sanctioned events, just not as often, unfortunately that is where the work with the casinos come in. I also figured out the PDF thing uploading to adobe.com in the intern so I can recap 2009 prize pools by province and some stats on average by in and field size.
Its not a new CPT by any means, but concerns are being heard and addressed.
And there is more, but to be announced, can not yet
http://ca.news.finance.yahoo.com/s/25052010/34/biz-f-business-wire-canadian-poker-tour-expands-management-team-adding-directors.html
This was this twist I spoke of. Steve Spindler is very experienced and well liked by all. His industry contacts are endless.
Brian Kessler has been around for awhile and BSPT adds 3000 LIVE events and tens of thousands of potential entry level players into the pond.
Combined, this team has the potential to do huge things.
Both Steve and Brian are based in BC and Brian has helped with the BCPC's on several occasions, built tables for PokerStars and has great relationships with both Edgewater and RiverRock