Fallsview Classic Needs Improvements
I am by no means a tournament director/organizer but after playing in the Fallsview Classic for 3 years now I've realized one thing's for sure - this tournament series is in need of some improvements. I'll start the list. Feel free to add to it (or criticize it) and hey, maybe someone will listen!
1) Scalping - this should not even be an issue. Stop this immediately. When you register for an event the ticket should have your name and seat number printed on it.
2) Registration - open registration up 1-2 weeks prior to the tournament(s). It should be as easy as going to the cage and registering for an event. This will help with the line up of players registering for a tournament right before start time.
3) Tournament start time - if the tournament starts at 12pm then that is when the cards should be dealt. Not a minute after. #2 will help with this.
4) Player field size - don't cap these events at 600 players. Is there another conference room? Are there more tables? If not, have multiple starting days.
5) Host more events - WSOP circuit events are great for this - they host tournaments at the $300-$600 buy-in level. $1000, $2500, $5000 is a lot of money for most people. I'd love to see some smaller buy-in tournaments in between the main events (and not just satellite tournaments).
6) Tournament structure - for the main events this needs to be changed. Increase start stack, add in a few more levels, increase time on levels or do whatever you have to do to make it less like a turbo tournament.
7) Payout structure - standard payout is top 10% not 8%.
8) Public relations - advertise these events more, especially to our American friends. And I personally like to read about player chip counts and what is happening in major tournaments. Jon Duhamel is playing in all 3 events this year = great publicity! Hire someone to take notes and give updates.
9) Electronic devices - why does the WSOP allow them but Fallsview doesn't?
10) Cash games - why is the cash game list a mile long during the Fallsview Classic with empty tables? Dealers should be on stand by.
I know that not all (if any) of these things will change for next year but Fallsview Casino should definitely take a closer look at this. Niagara Falls is located 1 hour from Toronto and right beside the US border - This tournament series has the potential to draw massive crowds to come play poker... And to enjoy Fallsview Casino, which is the idea, right?
1) Scalping - this should not even be an issue. Stop this immediately. When you register for an event the ticket should have your name and seat number printed on it.
2) Registration - open registration up 1-2 weeks prior to the tournament(s). It should be as easy as going to the cage and registering for an event. This will help with the line up of players registering for a tournament right before start time.
3) Tournament start time - if the tournament starts at 12pm then that is when the cards should be dealt. Not a minute after. #2 will help with this.
4) Player field size - don't cap these events at 600 players. Is there another conference room? Are there more tables? If not, have multiple starting days.
5) Host more events - WSOP circuit events are great for this - they host tournaments at the $300-$600 buy-in level. $1000, $2500, $5000 is a lot of money for most people. I'd love to see some smaller buy-in tournaments in between the main events (and not just satellite tournaments).
6) Tournament structure - for the main events this needs to be changed. Increase start stack, add in a few more levels, increase time on levels or do whatever you have to do to make it less like a turbo tournament.
7) Payout structure - standard payout is top 10% not 8%.
8) Public relations - advertise these events more, especially to our American friends. And I personally like to read about player chip counts and what is happening in major tournaments. Jon Duhamel is playing in all 3 events this year = great publicity! Hire someone to take notes and give updates.
9) Electronic devices - why does the WSOP allow them but Fallsview doesn't?
10) Cash games - why is the cash game list a mile long during the Fallsview Classic with empty tables? Dealers should be on stand by.
I know that not all (if any) of these things will change for next year but Fallsview Casino should definitely take a closer look at this. Niagara Falls is located 1 hour from Toronto and right beside the US border - This tournament series has the potential to draw massive crowds to come play poker... And to enjoy Fallsview Casino, which is the idea, right?
Comments
I also don't understand the rationale for the cash game list. I figured all the tables were full so this is why the list was so long. I would just drive over the Seneca and avoid all the hassle.
Wishful thinking I guess
Welcome to Pokerforum Steve.... I assume you are the Steve H. who won the 1K last year? It's Jeff C. here...
P.S. definitely agree with most of your comments... Certainly most of them are within Fallsviews control and should have been done before now... I don't think you'll find too many dissenters here...
Thanks for the comments Jeff. Yup, it's me... even nits like myself can bink a turbo tournament every now and then
lol, nobody is more of a nit than me... Trouble is nobody believes me..
Stick around here once in a while... Might be able to teach the regs a thing or two..
I agree with you 100%. This could be a great event if it were run properly.
Played the 2500 yest and had the 70+ year old female winner of the 1K on my table to start. She played very well and was super nice so i am glad she won.
I was dissapointed to see the 2500 event didn't have as many players as last year.
The $2500 event at Fallsview had 452 runners down like 20% from last year, I'm very curious to what numbers we will have for the $5k tomorrow. I also think the 1k tournament took much longer to sell out compared to years before. People are just not interested in playing these as much anymore.
My experience so far hasn't been that great, I hate how they do a dealer change, plus a deck change and a wash every 30 minutes to slow down the game. I hate how they don't provide us with a meal for dinner break (but they do provide drinks and snacks throughout), yesterday I tried to go to the deli for meal break and I was in line for 25 minutes so I gave up (dinner break was only 45mins). I hate when tournaments start 45mins late, the days are long enough. My friend told me they played down to 66 players yesterday (16 away from the money), why would you force 16 players now to pay for a room on a Friday night in niagara if they don't even cash?
I assume a bit over 1000 players came out to play this series (this is including people that just played satellites but never made it) and with the payout structure being ridiculous, I'm estimating only around 50 players made any decent money after the series. I assume if 1000 players went to play table games and 950 walked out a loser everytime, the casino would be bankrupt because no one will come back.
Could have played 3-4 of em.....