Tourney Blinds for late arrivals? (2 Viewers)

[TexRex]

Grebe, that gives one player effectively 2 opportunities per round to be the button, and possibly even 3. It gives another player, the one to the left, the worst position 2x per round. For over half the tournament, not all players truly have an equal chance. That assumes a planned 4 hour tournament with a registration ending 2 hours in, which is our typical tournament. In a small tournament, why would a host who actually understands the impact, give the same player a huge advantage for half the tournament? The smaller the number of players at the table, the bigger the advantage. Those blinds are not actually fair game. One guy has a lot better shot at them.

 

[GenghisKhan]

we blinded them out through something like L4.

Everyone gets a full stack when they get there, as long as it is within the first hour.

I'm assuming here past L4 or the hour, player is out?

Our situation may be more of an exception than the norm I guess.

We blind you out for the first 4 levels, which equals an hour. After that you forfeit your stack and know not to show up. (I mean if they call and are another 10-15 that's fine)

Our table is all very good friends. They voted on a relaxed blind progression so the first 1.5 hrs is pretty chill. Everyone should still be in up to that point. Well, maybe 1-2 out of 10 may be out.

We noticed consistently that when the same late arrival, who is NOT a good player by any means, would arrive 1.5 to 2 hours late, he would always finish in the money. And usually win. (10 players, top 3 pays)

Show up on time, he's often gone in 30 mins. Realizing his success on late arrivals, he started always showing up 2 hours late.

The guys started noticing, due to our relaxed structure, that when he arrived he would have a chip advantage over half the table even if we were blinding him out.

I always go with the majority. Guys suggested & voted if you can't make it in a hour, you're out.

Plus, being all good friends who just want to hang out and talk, we could invite another player if you can't make it in the first hour.

From then on if someone was certain they could not make it in 60 mins (they'd be 1.5-2hrs) we'd replace them before the game even started.

Fwiw if someone thought they'd make it in an hour and we blinded them in, and they call to say they'll be an extra 20 mins or so, the guys have always said no problem.

We just don't want 2 hour late shows anymore when we have a waiting list of other friends who can show up on time.

 

[ekricket]

??? With all this chip management.
Do you charge people more or less entry $$ for being on time or late? If a guy comes late into a shorter stack that’s been blinded off shouldn’t he pay less to enter because he has less chips and less playing time?

Just give them a stack when they show up. If there’s no seat don’t give them anything.

 

[grebe]

Grebe, that gives one player effectively 2 opportunities per round to be the button, and possibly even 3. It gives another player, the one to the left, the worst position 2x per round. For over half the tournament, not all players truly have an equal chance. That assumes a planned 4 hour tournament with a registration ending 2 hours in, which is our typical tournament. In a small tournament, why would a host who actually understands the impact, give the same player a huge advantage for half the tournament? The smaller the number of players at the table, the bigger the advantage. Those blinds are not actually fair game. One guy has a lot better shot at them.

I agree with this...but if you are putting chips on the table, they should be in play. Life is not fair, and poker favors the bold. Same could be said for getting a bad table draw in a tourney, where your table is a bunch of TAG's and the other table has 6 rebuys in the first hour.....when you combine tables you are fucked.

If the money is paid and the chips are on the table, they should be up for grabs. Just because somebody gets a better shot at them than others does not constitute a rules change, IMO. I would also NEVER remove these chips for a no-show....he paid, those chips stay, no refunds. If he makes the money by never playing a hand, so be it. Those that fight for those chips will be rewarded for their willingness to go for it. Those that don't will bitch about it.

Now, please understand that you are the host and you can run your game however it suits your players. There are surely home game rules I disagree with more...but here I think that once a player pays for his stack, it is in play. Fairness be damned.

 

[grebe]

not all players truly have an equal chance.

lolz....yup. God bless poker

 

[SlowPokeTony]

The guys started noticing, due to our relaxed structure, that when he arrived he would have a chip advantage over half the table even if we were blinding him out.

He’ll always be starting with a lot less big blinds than everyone else started with. and he’ll have a below average stack when he begins play. I could see if you were paying top 3 and he joins with 4 players left, but you’re saying he’s sitting with 8-10 players still in the game, starting with less chips than average, and still consistently winning?

 

[DeeVee8]

We have registration open for the first 5 levels (approx 90 min). Late arriving players can buy in when they arrive. I found this really helps with starting on time.

So in this case, because he's likely to arrive after reg closes, I'd buy in your late player during the break after level 5, then start blinding him off. If the player didn't show up, I'd continue to blind his stack until his chips are gone, and never offer that option to him again.

 

[DoubleEagle]

I'm assuming here past L4 or the hour, player is out?

Cannot buyin after the first hour.

 

[Poker Zombie]

TCA Rule:

8: Alternates, Late Registration, & Re-Entries A: Alternates, players registering late, and re-entries will be sold full stacks. They will randomly draw a seat and table by the same process and from the same seat pool then in place for new players and are dealt in except between the small blind and button.

It's black and white.
Everybody that answered "yes" is wrong. Stop screwing your players. Blinding a stack is an angle-shoot because the host is never late.

 

[GenghisKhan]

This makes me realize 2 things:

-I was thinking of this question wrong.
-We've never discussed to blind or not to blind.

I guess what we really voted on was late reg finishes at the 1h mark.

I don't think we ever even discussed to blind the late reg or not. We just did.

Huh. Something to bring up to the group.
Thanks.

 

[SlowPokeTony]

TCA Rule:


It's black and white.
Everybody that answered "yes" is wrong. Stop screwing your players. Blinding a stack is an angle-shoot because the host is never late.

Home games can have their own rules though. You can’t say someone is “wrong” for how they run their game.

 

[Poker Zombie]

Home games can have their own rules though. You can’t say someone is “wrong” for how they run their game.

Sure... if you want to say that a straight is better than a flush in your game, that is in your prerogative.

However, I can absolutely say that they are doing it wrong. That's why there are world-wide established rules. When someone does it wrong, you can point to the written rules of tournament poker and say "that's wrong".

 

[SlowPokeTony]

Sure... if you want to say that a straight is better than a flush in your game, that is in your prerogative.

However, I can absolutely say that they are doing it wrong. That's why there are world-wide established rules. When someone does it wrong, you can point to the written rules of tournament poker and say "that's wrong".

Not even close to the same thing at all. Hand rankings are standard, rules among card rooms and casinos aren’t.

 

[ekricket]

Sure... if you want to say that a straight is better than a flush in your game, that is in your prerogative.

However, I can absolutely say that they are doing it wrong. That's why there are world-wide established rules. When someone does it wrong, you can point to the written rules of tournament poker and say "that's wrong".

Trips would beat straights in early poker rules

“It is curious how unstraightforward was the introduction of the straight. The 1864 edition gives the hands as: one pair, two pairs, straight sequence or rotation, triplets, flush, full house, fours. It adds ‘When a straight and a flush come together in one hand, it outranks a full’ - not fours, be it noted, in defiance of the mathematics, and probably for the following reason. Without straights and straight flushes, the highest possible hand is four Aces (or four Kings and an Ace kicker), which is not just unbeatable but cannot even be tied. Traditionalists clinging to the unbeatable four Aces of Old Poker were opposed by innovationists, who found the game more interesting with straights. In this light, the acceptance of straights ranked in the wrong order may be seen as a temporary compromise. As late as 1892, John Keller defended his view that the straight ‘should be allowed. My authority for this is the best usage of today, and my justification is the undeniable merit of the straight as a Poker hand.’ He clinches this with the moral argument that has prevailed ever since - namely, that it is unethical and ungentlemanly to bet on such a sure thing as four Aces. If the best hand is a royal flush, there is always the outside chance that it may be tied. However minute that measure of doubt, it has to be morally superior to betting on a certainty.”

 

[Poker Zombie]

Not even close to the same thing at all. Hand rankings are standard, rules among card rooms and casinos aren’t.

Every casino that uses TDA rules, the rules are standard. That was the purpose of the TDA.

 

[SlowPokeTony]

Every casino that uses TDA rules, the rules are standard. That was the purpose of the TDA.

I agree that every casino using TDA rules is playing under those rules…but lots of them aren’t using tda rules. Wsop doesn’t last time I checked. And for sure local card rooms aren’t using them. There are even rules within the tda rules that say casinos who adopt tda rules should still use any house rules they and their patrons are comfortable with.

 

[TexRex]

Grebe, more details about our game may help. Genghis, we have another approach that has worked well for us for you to consider, but I’ll also tell you other things I’ve tried.

I generally agree with Zombie! I think he is citing the TDA rule (not sure what TCA is, but he may know something I don’t know). The WSOP rule is the same. We have written rules generally based on WSOP and TDA rules. I’ve never played in a casino, but the TDA does have room for house rules. The WSOP rules are more comprehensive with fewer house rules. We do vary some of them precisely because we are a home game and not a casino. When our rules vary from their rules, I can explain why they vary.

When we have re-entries (or rebuys), they get the full stack plus bonus chips as their second stack, but they either have to be felted or turn in their remaining stack.

Zombie may not agree with the way we do our early bird bonus. I get that some might think this as semantics, but it is a bonus for helping us start on time, not a penalty for being late. It’s OK to do it differently if players have notice of the rules.

It is appropriate for home game rules to be somewhat different than TDA and WSOP rules. Here are 6 ways the TDA and WSOP are different than most home games.

• The TDA and WSOP are selling you a dream. That dream is to win a large amount of money, or something bigger like a bracelet or championship. They are not selling you a good player experience. For them, the playing experience only has to be tolerable in relation to the dream they are selling you. I’m not selling players something because there is no profit for me. What I offer is a good experience for players willing to come and play. It’s fun, relatively relaxed, but competitive poker with a pleasant group of people.
• TDA and WSOP rules are designed to help maximize profit. They put on tournaments to make a profit. I, and other home hosts, are not doing this for profit. We are a home game doing this for the fun of playing.
• To TDA and WSOP, poker tournaments are a business. They are professionals at it, making at least part of their living hosting tournament. I’m doing this for the fun of playing and to let others come and have a good experience in a friendly atmosphere. This is a fun hobby to me, not a business. I do run it like a business in some ways, but I have no profit motive.
• Some rules, like the giving out a full stack to late registrants, simplify game management and thus make tournaments more profitable. That works for home games too, but instead of more profit, it saves time and makes game and chip management easier.
• The TDA and WSOP pay professional dealers to handle things like blinding. They really don’t care about things like a player getting an advantage every round, and some of their tournaments are so long, they view it as very minor anyway. Their registration periods may vary, but I doubt they ever last as much as half the anticipated tournament time like ours does. I set our registration at 2 hours to accommodate players who are still willing to come and play, and to get their money in the prize pool. But I do not make any profit whether they show up or not. Their money being in the prize pool makes for a better tournament because there is more money to win, but no more for the host. Obviously hosts set different registration ending times for whatever they think works best in their situation.
• The TDA and WSOP treat those who have paid as players in almost every sense of the word. “Invisible” players have stacks on the table and those chips are in play, unless the player hasn’t arrived by the end of registration. Then, whatever is left in that stack is removed from play. They are a player until then, but then no longer treated as a player. If they no-show, they are just pure profit to them and dead money to whatever from the entry fee is paid as prize money. The casino wins and the in the money players win. Only the no-show loses. If you think about it, they could just blind that entire stack out, and maybe they do sometimes, and treat that prepaid registrant as a player if he still has a stack left. If that stack happens to get in the money, great. We treat those present and playing as players. If we have a prepaid registrant who doesn’t come, they were never a player and never treated as a player. Their money is never in the prize pool.

Because of these reasons, I do not follow all of their rules. I use the TDA and WSOP as a guide, not a how-to. I make changes where it makes sense for home games.

I do everything reasonable to give players that early bird bonus if they are there on time, technically meaning by the time we start drawing seats. I do see it as a bonus for being on time. I don’t like blinding stacks. Even the WSOP and TDA treat prepaid stacks differently than just late registrants. For us, the main objective is to help us start by the announced time. That has worked well for us; YMMV.

Blinding non-prepaid stacks is really not fair because they are already starting play with fewer BB than others started with. You could have a hard and fast rule – don’t show on time, you don’t play. That’s not unfair if everyone knows the rules, but it’s not what most people want to do.

We have 20-minute blinds. Registration is open through round 6 (or 7 in some longer games). Just after round 6 (or 7), we take a 15-20 minute break. Once play starts after break, it’s too late to get in. Regular tournaments are designed for 4 hours of playing time. Our blinds are aggressive, with steady increases until later in the tournament when they slow down slightly. While designed so that about 90% of the players should still be in at the break, in most tournaments, all players are still in at the break. On average though, it’s pretty close to that 90% still in. We have 10 games that are freezeouts and players start with an identical amount of chips, except for early bird bonus chips. In 2 of the 4-hour games, we either have an additional bonus, but it’s not a huge amount.

Four special events either involve more chips, a possible rebuy, or both. Two of those games have a participation bonus in addition to the early bird bonus.

In our written rules, you are not a player until you show up to play. Prior to you appearing to play, you are either [1] a registrant who hasn’t paid or [2] a prepaid registrant. If you haven’t registered but show up to play, you are a late registrant. Players who haven’t paid don’t receive a stack until they arrive and pay. They receive a full stack but not the bonus chips.

To get the entire bonus, the prepaid registrant [1] must pay prior to the game and [2] be on time. If he pays, but isn’t on time, he doesn’t get the entire bonus. When a stack is blinded, what is really happening is the prepaid registrant paid for bonus chips that required him being on time get the entire bonus. If he’s not, he doesn’t get as much in bonus (leaky bonus -- it starts leaking if not there on time). That doesn’t affect other players. He does get the bonus chips he showed up in time for, but he not actually a player until he arrives to play. He’s not really in and his chips aren’t really in, until he shows up to become a player.

Empty seat stacks do not receive cards. Prepaid registrant stacks sit there leaking chips until they show, and if they don’t show, the stacks are removed from play. That’s not a rule change. Those are our written rules.

Prepaid registrants either paid me before the game, or they sent their money with someone who is on time.

My Experience with Players Not Showing Up Without Notice
Before I started the early bird bonus, I had more no-show no-notice players. I’m honestly not sure there is a connection. I just suspect those people don’t really consider that a commitment to play affects others. Those players just got removed from the invite list.

I’ve not yet had a prepaid registrant not show up. Some have prepaid if they know they are running late because of the amount of the bonus. If I did have a no-show though, I’d remove the stack from the table. I’m pretty sure that’s what casinos do eventually. I’d wait until I talked to the player to figure out what to do. No-show no-notice registrants are rare for us. When they do happen, here’s some of the reasons why:

• Family emergency -- child suddenly sick or injured; spouse suddenly sick, injured, or in a car accident with unknown consequences or spouse stranded quite a ways off (actually that was the reason a player left the game).
• Player in car accident. Even a minor accident can take quite a lot of time depending on several factors.
• Player getting ill at last minute or injured and in the hospital.

In all of those cases, the player let me know when it was reasonable to do so, but usually it wasn’t that night. All of those are more important than a poker game and I consider all of the above to be a legitimate reason to not only not come, but to qualify for their money back. I’m not a casino. I’m not losing a profit because they paid but didn’t show because I’m not making a profit. I’m not paying anyone to run the tournament, so I’m not out any money because they didn’t show. I do pay dealers, but it’s by the round, not by how many players, and it’s a very nominal amount. My worst case scenario is I set up for 2 tables and that no-show resulted in only needing 1 table. It’s a few extra minutes of setup and takedown. The worst for players is they play for the money of those players who showed up. Players know you have to be there to play to be a player and have your money in the game. I do this now 16 times a year, so in the big scheme of things, it’s not a big deal.

Since I started the early bird bonus, I did have one registrant who became a no-show no-notice. He admitted he just decided last minute to do something else and didn’t bother letting me know. He wasn’t prepaid, but I told him the next time he qualified for the bonus, he wouldn’t get it as a penalty for the lack of notice, and I expected it to never happen again. Had he been a prepaid registrant, I would have kept the money and put it toward something that would benefit all players. His pathetic excuse might have, in some games, caused him to not get invited back. If he pulls it again, he knows he won’t be invited back. He is the one no-show no-notice that didn’t have a good reason for not being there.

 

[Poker Zombie]

Grebe, more details about our game may help. Genghis, we have another approach that has worked well for us for you to consider, but I’ll also tell you other things I’ve tried.

I generally agree with Zombie! I think he is citing the TDA rule (not sure what TCA is, but he may know something I don’t know). The WSOP rule is the same. We have written rules generally based on WSOP and TDA rules. I’ve never played in a casino, but the TDA does have room for house rules. The WSOP rules are more comprehensive with fewer house rules. We do vary some of them precisely because we are a home game and not a casino. When our rules vary from their rules, I can explain why they vary.

When we have re-entries (or rebuys), they get the full stack plus bonus chips as their second stack, but they either have to be felted or turn in their remaining stack.

Zombie may not agree with the way we do our early bird bonus. I get that some might think this as semantics, but it is a bonus for helping us start on time, not a penalty for being late. It’s OK to do it differently if players have notice of the rules.

It is appropriate for home game rules to be somewhat different than TDA and WSOP rules. Here are 6 ways the TDA and WSOP are different than most home games.

• The TDA and WSOP are selling you a dream. That dream is to win a large amount of money, or something bigger like a bracelet or championship. They are not selling you a good player experience. For them, the playing experience only has to be tolerable in relation to the dream they are selling you. I’m not selling players something because there is no profit for me. What I offer is a good experience for players willing to come and play. It’s fun, relatively relaxed, but competitive poker with a pleasant group of people.
• TDA and WSOP rules are designed to help maximize profit. They put on tournaments to make a profit. I, and other home hosts, are not doing this for profit. We are a home game doing this for the fun of playing.
• To TDA and WSOP, poker tournaments are a business. They are professionals at it, making at least part of their living hosting tournament. I’m doing this for the fun of playing and to let others come and have a good experience in a friendly atmosphere. This is a fun hobby to me, not a business. I do run it like a business in some ways, but I have no profit motive.
• Some rules, like the giving out a full stack to late registrants, simplify game management and thus make tournaments more profitable. That works for home games too, but instead of more profit, it saves time and makes game and chip management easier.
• The TDA and WSOP pay professional dealers to handle things like blinding. They really don’t care about things like a player getting an advantage every round, and some of their tournaments are so long, they view it as very minor anyway. Their registration periods may vary, but I doubt they ever last as much as half the anticipated tournament time like ours does. I set our registration at 2 hours to accommodate players who are still willing to come and play, and to get their money in the prize pool. But I do not make any profit whether they show up or not. Their money being in the prize pool makes for a better tournament because there is more money to win, but no more for the host. Obviously hosts set different registration ending times for whatever they think works best in their situation.
• The TDA and WSOP treat those who have paid as players in almost every sense of the word. “Invisible” players have stacks on the table and those chips are in play, unless the player hasn’t arrived by the end of registration. Then, whatever is left in that stack is removed from play. They are a player until then, but then no longer treated as a player. If they no-show, they are just pure profit to them and dead money to whatever from the entry fee is paid as prize money. The casino wins and the in the money players win. Only the no-show loses. If you think about it, they could just blind that entire stack out, and maybe they do sometimes, and treat that prepaid registrant as a player if he still has a stack left. If that stack happens to get in the money, great. We treat those present and playing as players. If we have a prepaid registrant who doesn’t come, they were never a player and never treated as a player. Their money is never in the prize pool.

Because of these reasons, I do not follow all of their rules. I use the TDA and WSOP as a guide, not a how-to. I make changes where it makes sense for home games.

I do everything reasonable to give players that early bird bonus if they are there on time, technically meaning by the time we start drawing seats. I do see it as a bonus for being on time. I don’t like blinding stacks. Even the WSOP and TDA treat prepaid stacks differently than just late registrants. For us, the main objective is to help us start by the announced time. That has worked well for us; YMMV.

Blinding non-prepaid stacks is really not fair because they are already starting play with fewer BB than others started with. You could have a hard and fast rule – don’t show on time, you don’t play. That’s not unfair if everyone knows the rules, but it’s not what most people want to do.

We have 20-minute blinds. Registration is open through round 6 (or 7 in some longer games). Just after round 6 (or 7), we take a 15-20 minute break. Once play starts after break, it’s too late to get in. Regular tournaments are designed for 4 hours of playing time. Our blinds are aggressive, with steady increases until later in the tournament when they slow down slightly. While designed so that about 90% of the players should still be in at the break, in most tournaments, all players are still in at the break. On average though, it’s pretty close to that 90% still in. We have 10 games that are freezeouts and players start with an identical amount of chips, except for early bird bonus chips. In 2 of the 4-hour games, we either have an additional bonus, but it’s not a huge amount.

Four special events either involve more chips, a possible rebuy, or both. Two of those games have a participation bonus in addition to the early bird bonus.

In our written rules, you are not a player until you show up to play. Prior to you appearing to play, you are either [1] a registrant who hasn’t paid or [2] a prepaid registrant. If you haven’t registered but show up to play, you are a late registrant. Players who haven’t paid don’t receive a stack until they arrive and pay. They receive a full stack but not the bonus chips.

To get the entire bonus, the prepaid registrant [1] must pay prior to the game and [2] be on time. If he pays, but isn’t on time, he doesn’t get the entire bonus. When a stack is blinded, what is really happening is the prepaid registrant paid for bonus chips that required him being on time get the entire bonus. If he’s not, he doesn’t get as much in bonus (leaky bonus -- it starts leaking if not there on time). That doesn’t affect other players. He does get the bonus chips he showed up in time for, but he not actually a player until he arrives to play. He’s not really in and his chips aren’t really in, until he shows up to become a player.

Empty seat stacks do not receive cards. Prepaid registrant stacks sit there leaking chips until they show, and if they don’t show, the stacks are removed from play. That’s not a rule change. Those are our written rules.

Prepaid registrants either paid me before the game, or they sent their money with someone who is on time.

My Experience with Players Not Showing Up Without Notice
Before I started the early bird bonus, I had more no-show no-notice players. I’m honestly not sure there is a connection. I just suspect those people don’t really consider that a commitment to play affects others. Those players just got removed from the invite list.

I’ve not yet had a prepaid registrant not show up. Some have prepaid if they know they are running late because of the amount of the bonus. If I did have a no-show though, I’d remove the stack from the table. I’m pretty sure that’s what casinos do eventually. I’d wait until I talked to the player to figure out what to do. No-show no-notice registrants are rare for us. When they do happen, here’s some of the reasons why:

• Family emergency -- child suddenly sick or injured; spouse suddenly sick, injured, or in a car accident with unknown consequences or spouse stranded quite a ways off (actually that was the reason a player left the game).
• Player in car accident. Even a minor accident can take quite a lot of time depending on several factors.
• Player getting ill at last minute or injured and in the hospital.

In all of those cases, the player let me know when it was reasonable to do so, but usually it wasn’t that night. All of those are more important than a poker game and I consider all of the above to be a legitimate reason to not only not come, but to qualify for their money back. I’m not a casino. I’m not losing a profit because they paid but didn’t show because I’m not making a profit. I’m not paying anyone to run the tournament, so I’m not out any money because they didn’t show. I do pay dealers, but it’s by the round, not by how many players, and it’s a very nominal amount. My worst case scenario is I set up for 2 tables and that no-show resulted in only needing 1 table. It’s a few extra minutes of setup and takedown. The worst for players is they play for the money of those players who showed up. Players know you have to be there to play to be a player and have your money in the game. I do this now 16 times a year, so in the big scheme of things, it’s not a big deal.

Since I started the early bird bonus, I did have one registrant who became a no-show no-notice. He admitted he just decided last minute to do something else and didn’t bother letting me know. He wasn’t prepaid, but I told him the next time he qualified for the bonus, he wouldn’t get it as a penalty for the lack of notice, and I expected it to never happen again. Had he been a prepaid registrant, I would have kept the money and put it toward something that would benefit all players. His pathetic excuse might have, in some games, caused him to not get invited back. If he pulls it again, he knows he won’t be invited back. He is the one no-show no-notice that didn’t have a good reason for not being there.

Oddly, I don't have an issue with the early-bird bonus. It is also acceptable by TDA rules.

The point being that if you are running late, you missed one bonus. 1 minute or 45 minutes, you missed. Once you know you missed the bonus, you can slow down and drive safely.

 

[vanislander]

Fun update from the OP: player who was planning to be late informed me mid day he can't make it at all. Was going to let him buy in for full amount when he arrived. Next game I'll implement the on time bonus.

On a related note I've had another 2 cancel in the last 24 hours. Both have bailed on little to no notice before. Neither will be invited again.

6 handed game starts in 2.5 hrs... Unless more cancel. Upside is I moved the spare fridge to the shop today so no more icy cooler. Classing the joint up.

Thanks for the input everyone, I've learned far more than I thought I would by starting this thread.

 

[TexRex]

Vanislander, I think you will like how the on-time bonus works. As for those who bail with little notice, if they give you notice, I wouldn't drop them for that. As for a no-notice, I personally would give them one warning, unless they knew their dropping would keep someone else from playing. I've seen changed behavior from a warning.

Good luck. I'd like to know how the on-time bonus works for you.

 

[Szczesnk]

I'm hosting a T2000 starting stack tourney this weekend. 8-9 players. One of the players will be 1.5-2hrs late. Should I post small/big blinds from his stack until he arrives?

Background: $20 buy in, Friendly game, still building a regular roster, most of the group is relatively new to poker. Blinds start at 5-10. Will be 30-60 at the 2hr mark. I don't have a cut off time for rebuys, blinds up every 20mins and eventually make rebuy impractical.

Player told me to blind him in, though my initial reaction was to not. In the back of my mind I fear if he doesn't end up showing up, we ll have dusted a buy in worth of chips into random pots.

I wouldn't allow someone to show up 2 hours late because as you stated; odds are they probably wouldn't show up. Especially if blinded out and on top everyone has to worry about taking care of the late show stack every hand.