Tourney Best or easiest way to break tables (1 Viewer)

[Mr Winberg]

I'm always looking for ways to streamline the different tasks in my tournaments, for example rounding up instead of chip raising when coloring up, etc. How do you guys break tables? Do you have any neet tips for me on how to handle it fast and effortless? Thanks!

 

[DoubleEagle]

Each table is numbered such as 1, 2 3, & 4. I break tables in reverse order. Each player draws a seat card at the start of the tournament. Since we don't have dedicated dealers, each player keeps his/her seat card at their playing position. When a players busts out, they bring me (TD) the seat card. If playing 9-handed tables, when I have 9 seat cards from players busting out I know it is time to break a table. I don't try to count the players that are left, I just count the cards that have been given to me for the bust outs. If it is table 4 that is breaking, I then remove all the table 4 cards from my stack of 9 bust outs and take the remainder to table four and give one to each player. You should have exactly one card for each player left at the table. I then collect all the remaining table 4 cards.

 

[Chippy McChiperson]

Flying elbow from the top turnbuckle

 

[Mr Winberg]

Flying elbow from the top turnbuckle

"ECW! ECW! ECW!"

 

[Saoliver]

Flying elbow from the top turnbuckle

Came here for this, but was disappointed.

 

[Gobbs]

Bubba! Get the table!!!

 

[Mr Winberg]

So when a player gets eliminated I usually handle it something like this

I can't help thinking that we might get in more hands per hour if I didn't have to climb the cage each time. Then again, what fun is poker without the cage?

 

[Mr Winberg]

Sorry for derailing, but I'm not sure I'm going to hand out seating cards (but thanks for the detailed explanation, @DoubleEagle!). I have seating chips which double as bounty chips, so handing out seating cards as well might seem like overdoing it. Especially when there's only one table break since we're usually 3 tables (the final table is redrawn).

Is there some other hack on how to conveniently solve this? I'm thinking perhaps having seating cards ready, grabbing the ones representing empty seats and randomly handing them out to the moving players.

Now, back on track:

Spoiler

 

[Chippy McChiperson]

If you get tournament director, as long as you make sure to knock out people when they're eliminated, it will balance tables for you, and break them when necessary.

 

[Chippy McChiperson]

Bubba! Get the table!!!

Umm Devon always got the tables

 

[Mr Winberg]

as long as you make sure to knock out people when they're eliminated

Sometimes they get knocked out, sometimes they walk away. Are you saying I should finish them off?

So when a player gets eliminated I usually handle it something like this

 

[Gobbs]

Umm Devon always got the tables

I know, but it was Bubba Ray in the picture. (Or was it Bully Ray? )

 

[TexRex]

Here is how we do this. My games are limited to 3 tables at my home. Tables are numbered T1, T2, and T3. T1 is the “main” table. We break down tables in reverse order, so T3 is the first to go.

We use 10 players to a table. We have seating chips that players draw, labeled T1-3, and Seat 1-10 (or 1-8 with 2 dealer chips). We now have a seating cards at the table. They match their seating chip to a card. The card stays at the table. When a player is knocked out, he (or she) brings the seating chip to the tournament director. Those are added to the collection of unused seating chips. When the total chips equals 10, it’s time to eliminate one table. T3 players come draw chips between T1 and T2, and take those empty seats.

When we go to the final table, we redraw all seats.

This same procedure will work for an unlimited number of tables. You just repeat the above process more often. The Tournament Director must remove the seating chips from a table that is no longer in use. Then when he gets 10 (or 9 or 8, depending on your table sizes), it is time to break down another table.

 

[WedgeRock]

Is there some other hack on how to conveniently solve this?

Use your bounty/seating chips the exact same way @DoubleEagle uses seating cards. Cash out the bounty at the time of bustout (as opposed to the bounty winner holding them all and cashing them in when he busts out) and when you have 9 cashed out bountys, it's time to break a table.

EDIT:. Instead of cashing out the bounty, give them a $5 (or whatever the value of the bounty) cash chip. When they bust out of the tournament, they can cash the cash chip bounties in... But it might encourage them to sit down for some cash too. Just a thought.

 

[toynoob]

Here is how we do this. My games are limited to 3 tables at my home. Tables are numbered T1, T2, and T3. T1 is the “main” table. We break down tables in reverse order, so T3 is the first to go.

We use 10 players to a table. We have seating chips that players draw, labeled T1-3, and Seat 1-10 (or 1-8 with 2 dealer chips). We now have a seating cards at the table. They match their seating chip to a card. The card stays at the table. When a player is knocked out, he (or she) brings the seating chip to the tournament director. Those are added to the collection of unused seating chips. When the total chips equals 10, it’s time to eliminate one table. T3 players come draw chips between T1 and T2, and take those empty seats.

When we go to the final table, we redraw all seats.

This same procedure will work for an unlimited number of tables. You just repeat the above process more often. The Tournament Director must remove the seating chips from a table that is no longer in use. Then when he gets 10 (or 9 or 8, depending on your table sizes), it is time to break down another table.

I'm curious if you have 10 @Beakertwang 's (nits) and on table of @toynoobs (LAG's) and 5 bust off the LAG table that's only 5 cards you don't balance the tables? You let one table run out of players to heads up potentially?

I look at the table position compared to where the dealer button is and grab that same position off the other table to balance the tables. Maybe I'm not understanding what you are saying.

 

[WedgeRock]

I'm curious if you have 10 @Beakertwang 's (nits) and on table of @toynoobs (LAG's) and 5 bust off the LAG table that's only 5 cards you don't balance the tables? You let one table run out of players to heads up potentially?

I look at the table position compared to where the dealer button is and grab that same position off the other table to balance the tables. Maybe I'm not understanding what you are saying.

Balancing tables and breaking tables are two different concepts.

In a 2TT, whenever a table has +2 seats, you balance. So when two full tables of 10 are down to 15 players, it plays 7- and 8-handed and continues until the final table forms.

For us, we start the final table at 9 (rather than 10), that way each table is playing 5-handed before the final table.

 

[Mr Winberg]

Use your bounty/seating chips the exact same way @DoubleEagle uses seating cards. Cash out the bounty at the time of bustout (as opposed to the bounty winner holding them all and cashing them in when he busts out) and when you have 9 cashed out bountys, it's time to break a table.

I'm not sure that will work. If one player busts everyone, I'll never get any cashed bounty chips and never break any tables. (Extreme example, but hopefully you see my point.

Also, it doesn't allow me to easily assign new seats. Knowing when to break tables is easy, it's the process of assigning seats that I want to make more efficient.

 

[WedgeRock]

I'm not sure that will work. If one player busts everyone, I'll never get any cashed bounty chips and never break any tables. (Extreme example, but hopefully you see my point.

No. Seat 1 busts seat 2. Seat 2 gives his bounty to Seat 1 and it is immediately cashed in. So you have the seat 2 bounty/seating chip and seat 1 has the bounty cash. Repeat for the other 8 seats. That's why I say cash them in as soon as they are earned.

 

[Mr Winberg]

The card stays at the table. When a player is knocked out, he (or she) brings the seating chip to the tournament director. Those are added to the collection of unused seating chips.

Thanks.

Since my seating chips double as bounties, I won't be receiving any chips from eliminated players. Not until the player who eliminated them is eliminated and cashes out the bounties.

I would have to use seating chips/cards asw well as bounties, which I am trying to avoid.

 

[Mr Winberg]

No. Seat 1 busts seat 2. Seat 2 gives his bounty to Seat 1 and it is immediately cashed in. So you have the seat 2 bounty/seating chip and seat 1 has the bounty cash. Repeat for the other 8 seats. That's why I say cash them in as soon as they are earned.

Aha, gotcha! I misunderstood at first!

 

[WedgeRock]

Since my seating chips double as bounties, I won't be receiving any chips from eliminated players. Not until the player who eliminated them is eliminated and cashes out the bounties.

...unless you cash them in right away.

Or, use cash chips as bounties in addition to seating chips.

 

[TexRex]

I only use bounty chips once a year. That tournament, it is not possible to split a bounty. In our other bounty tournaments, it is possible to split a bounty between 2, 3, or 4 players. For that reason, we track those bounties on paper.

There is nothing wrong with cashing them right away, but that can take unnecessary time.

 

[Schmendr1ck]

Pretty good options in this thread already. On those rare occasions when we have a third table and need to break it, we usually just pull cards from a deck and let the players at the breaking table draw.

For instance, if T3 has six players that are moving, I'll grab A,2,3 black (T1) and A,2,3 red (T2). Players draw and fill seats in position order starting with the ace. It works fine if you don't have seating chips or cards, and it's pretty quick.

We used to consistently have three tables, and we did it this way with no problems. But our player base has really dropped off since nineteen ninety eight when the undertaker threw mankind off hеll in a cell, and plummeted sixteen feet through an announcer's table.

 

[ekricket]

Thanks.

Since my seating chips double as bounties, I won't be receiving any chips from eliminated players. Not until the player who eliminated them is eliminated and cashes out the bounties.

I would have to use seating chips/cards asw well as bounties, which I am trying to avoid.

I don’t see a way to break a table and move more than one person to another table without some kind of seating designator to tell the different players where to go. Unless you let them choose their seat, and if you do that you may as well throw out any other things you do to maintain order in the game, which I don't think is happening in your game. If you use cards from a deck use a deck in play otherwise you run the risk of someone drawing a red card, taking it with them to their new table, and throwing it on top of the red deck. Never underestimate the tenacity of an idiot.

 

[DoubleEagle]

Never underestimate the tenacity of an idiot.

 

[Mr Winberg]

Unless you let them choose their seat, and if you do that you may as well throw out any other things you do to maintain order in the game, which I don't think is happening in your game.

What I do is I break the table one elimination earlier than I have seats for, meaning there's one less seat than players, so whoever's last forfeits their chips and goes home. It has done wonders for keeping up the pace!

Never underestimate the tenacity of an idiot.

 

[Mr Winberg]

I don’t see a way to break a table and move more than one person to another table without some kind of seating designator to tell the different players where to go.

How about this, would this be acceptable or would you as players object?

Let's say I added to my rules that the player on the BB on the table breaking up is moved to the table with fewest players (or lowest table nr if equal) at the free seat which will earliest be the BB. The next player to the left from the broken table is moved to the table next in line according to the same criteria and to the next free seat according to the same criteria. Rinse and repeat until all seats are filled.

It's not random on the spot, but since a specified process is followed there's still a randomness to it, it's just that the randomness is partly the initial draw and partly the point in time when the table is to be broken.

No seating cards or chips are needed and experienced players will be able to move right away without instructions.

I'm just thinking out loud here. Thoughts?

 

[ekricket]

How about this, would this be acceptable or would you as players object?

Let's say I added to my rules that the player on the BB on the table breaking up is moved to the table with fewest players (or lowest table nr if equal) at the free seat which will earliest be the BB. The next player to the left from the broken table is moved to the table next in line according to the same criteria and to the next free seat according to the same criteria. Rinse and repeat until all seats are filled.

It's not random on the spot, but since a specified process is followed there's still a randomness to it, it's just that the randomness is partly the initial draw and partly the point in time when the table is to be broken.

No seating cards or chips are needed and experienced players will be able to move right away without instructions.

I'm just thinking out loud here. Thoughts?

I’m thinking herding cats towards a fire would be easier.
Seriously a bunch of people moving at once trying to get around, and one of them decides to run to the bathroom while he’s up, so they skip him, then he comes back, meanwhile somebody wants a new drink, now no one is even sure who was at the first table to start with, then they want to redraw.
Even with the table number and the seat number written on it and them holding in their hand will not guarantee they get it right.

 

[DoubleEagle]

Even with the table number and the seat number written on it and them holding in their hand will not guarantee they get it right.

It actually works very well. Our players gather up their chips and go straight to their new seat. Never been a problem.

 

[TexRex]

One thing we used to do, and it worked, was have the person in the small blind go to the first open seat to the left of the small blind at T2, then each player in turn going next. When T2 was full, the next player went to the first open seat to the left of the small blind at T1. That worked, but it wasn't as fast as them redrawing seating chips.

We also take a short break when we break table, 5-7 minutes, including the time to get new seats.

I have seating chips, and that's easy. Cards could work for up to 5 tables without issue. Paper could work as well.

The most important thing is having a system to it.

I'm hoping Mr. Winberg's musical chairs suggestion was a joke. It would be very unfair to the elderly chip leader who couldn't get to the farthest table to get knocked out.