Tourney Would these antes tilt you? (1 Viewer)

[Trihonda]

my weekly tourney changed its format drastically the last couple weeks...

Last week, the tourney lasted much long than normal, so the interim TD changed the Antes to crazy levels to “speed” things up...

The antes/structure used to be
SB. B.B. An
1000/2000/100
1500/3000/200
2000/4000/300

Now they go

1000/2000/300
1500/3000/500,
etc...

Are the antes too high? With 10 Players, the antes equal 5k, and the BB is only 3k. Just seems wrong to me...

 

[BGinGA]

Reasonable, but pointless. There are better ways to speed up an event. Antes usually slow 'em down.

 

[ekricket]

Just make it mandatory that at the beginning of each hand the short stack has to go all in.

 

[JustinInMN]

If you look at major tournament structures 1/5 - 1/3 the sb seems pretty standard.

 

[Pokerdweebz]

The new antes are definitely better than the old ones imo

 

[ilovegravy]

Reasonable, but pointless. There are better ways to speed up an event. Antes usually slow 'em down.

Button ante FTW. But yeah, if they are trying to speed up the tourney, just make the levels shorter.

 

[DoubleEagle]

my weekly tourney changed its format drastically the last couple weeks...

Last week, the tourney lasted much long than normal, so the interim TD changed the Antes to crazy levels to “speed” things up...

The antes/structure used to be
SB. B.B. An
1000/2000/100
1500/3000/200
2000/4000/300

Now they go

1000/2000/300
1500/3000/500,
etc...

Are the antes too high? With 10 Players, the antes equal 5k, and the BB is only 3k. Just seems wrong to me...

Standard antes are now 33% of the small blind, sometimes rounded down to 25% based on chips in play. So your new antes are not crazy.

However, in a home tourney you will waste a lot of time collecting antes, trying to figure out who didn't put thiers in and making change. I suggest you try the big blind ante method to speed things up. The big blind posts an ante equal to the big blind. No one else posts. It works very well.

 

[DoubleEagle]

Reasonable, but pointless. There are better ways to speed up an event. Antes usually slow 'em down.

Big blind antes do not slow things down.

 

[Gobbs]

Standard antes are now 33% of the small blind, sometimes rounded down to 25% based on chips in play. So your new antes are not crazy.

However, in a home tourney you will waste a lot of time collecting antes, trying to figure out who didn't put thiers in and making change. I suggest you try the big blind ante method to speed things up. The big blind posts an ante equal to the big blind. No one else posts. It works very well.

While I like the concept since it does speed things up and is easier, I'm not a fan of the Big Blind posting the ante for everybody simply because it can have a direct affect on strategy. If I'm UTG with a mediocre hand and a smaller stack, I may or may not shove (depending on many factors including the knowledge I'm posting a BB next hand), but if I'm UTG and know I'm going to basically be posting a double BB next hand, I'm far more likely to shove.

The ideal solution is to have a dealer who can control the game to ensure antes are posted timely without slowing play (and/or players who pay attention and/or no antes at all), but that is not always realistic. Therefore, what about the button posting the BB? It seems that may affect play a little less, but I've never tried it???

Oh, and regarding the OP, antes seem reasonable, but the increase probably did little to speed up play, if anything.

 

[JustinInMN]

While I like the concept since it does speed things up and is easier, I'm not a fan of the Big Blind posting the ante for everybody simply because it can have a direct affect on strategy. If I'm UTG with a mediocre hand and a smaller stack, I may or may not shove (depending on many factors including the knowledge I'm posting a BB next hand), but if I'm UTG and know I'm going to basically be posting a double BB next hand, I'm far more likely to shove.

In truth this really isn't a fairness problem so long as it applies to everyone. And your utg stack in this case would have x antes more that it would have had you been anteing individually since the last big blind.

While I like the concept since it does speed things up and is easier, I'm not a fan of the Big Blind posting the ante for everybody simply The ideal solution is to have a dealer who can control the game to ensure antes are posted timely without slowing play (and/or players who pay attention and/or no antes at all), but that is not always realistic.

It's starting to sound like even the top rooms are starting to embrace this.

https://www.pokernews.com/news/2018/01/big-blind-antes-pros-cons-29848.htm

 

[DoubleEagle]

Therefore, what about the button posting the BB? It seems that may affect play a little less, but I've never tried it???

The problem with the button posting the antes is when there is a "dead button" and no antes are posted. Big blind antes solve this problem as there is always a big blind.

 

[Ronoh]

The problem with the button posting the antes is when there is a "dead button" and no antes are posted. Big blind antes solve this problem as there is always a big blind.

If it’s 2000/4000 with a 4000 table ante and the BB only has 4000 left does he put in his BB (no antes) or does he put in his ante (which means he can only win back his own chips with 0 profit)? I recall some pros having this complaint, don’t know what the official ruling is.

 

[DoubleEagle]

If it’s 2000/4000 with a 4000 table ante and the BB only has 4000 left does he put in his BB (no antes) or does he put in his ante (which means he can only win back his own chips with 0 profit)? I recall some pros having this complaint, don’t know what the official ruling is.

There has been a lot of discussion about this, but most places where it is being used follow the BB first strategy, primarily for the reason you pointed out that if the short stack only has enough to cover the ante then the best they can do is break even.

 

[JustinInMN]

It would also make sense to me to just skip the ante on the dead button situation for the same reason. Also this mitigates the advantage of effectively being the button two hands in a row.

 

[BGinGA]

It all really boils down to why antes were first added to the game at all -- to promote action and supply 'dead money' in the pot with forced seed chips. They were first added to stud and draw games, to provide incentive to play.

Forced blind bets serve exactly the same function in button games. There is no valid reason to add antes on top of the already forced bets.

And finding a 'solution' to individual players posting antes is pointless -- none actually work very well, all have drawbacks, and none are needed (in button games). Just drop 'em altogether and be done with it.

 

[abby99]

Some players already complain about being the bb in consecutive hands because of a table merge. Imagine the ruckus if the game also had a big-blind ante!

I have no problem with antes in tournaments with blinds, although I agree with @BGinGA that they're unnecessary. In a self-dealt tournament, they are probably more trouble than they're worth.

 

[Schmendr1ck]

It all really boils down to why antes were first added to the game at all -- to promote action and supply 'dead money' in the pot with forced seed chips. They were first added to stud and draw games, to provide incentive to play.

Forced blind bets serve exactivly the same fuction in button games. There is no valid reason to add antes on top of the already forced bets.

And finding a 'solution' to individual players posting bounties is pointless -- none actually work very well, all have drawbacks, and none are needed (in button games). Just drop 'em altogether and be done with it.

Agreed 100%.

I avoid antes like the plague in my self-dealt (NLHE) home games. It's hard enough to get players to pay attention and manage the hand when they're dealing. Posting and collecting antes just adds more unnecessary complexity.

 

[Frogzilla]

If you’re going to use antes to up the dead money, which in turn should open up ranges and promote action, might as well make them meaningful. I prefer the newer bigger antes you posted. Total table ante should be at least a big blind.

 

[Gobbs]

Should have said upfront, my personal preference has always been to not have antes.