Tourney Halloween "Zombie Resurrection" idea (1 Viewer)

Going with this image for my poster balloon.jpg
 
Has anyone hosted their zombie game yet? I just filled my 20th seat! Looking forward to hearing how others games go.
 
Mine is scheduled for this Saturday, I only expect to be 6 handed though. I'll try to get a post up on Sunday.
Well it looks like I jinxed myself with this post. Had two cancellations in two days leaving me with just 4 confirmed players including me! Might be no zombie poker round these parts :(
 
Well it looks like I jinxed myself with this post. Had two cancellations in two days leaving me with just 4 confirmed players including me! Might be no zombie poker round these parts :(
That's very sad news
 
That's very sad news
Yeah it's not great. We're only a small group as it is and it's hard to get us all together at the best of times, some work weekends, some work away, then there's the usual kids and family commitments. This month has been especially difficult to organise with birthdays and holidays thrown into the mix.

That said, the consensus so far seems to be that we will still meet up and play a small four way, winner takes all, tournament. It's far from ideal but some poker is better than no poker. Hopefully that hasn't jinxed me further! :nailbite:
 
Yeah it's not great. We're only a small group as it is and it's hard to get us all together at the best of times, some work weekends, some work away, then there's the usual kids and family commitments. This month has been especially difficult to organise with birthdays and holidays thrown into the mix.

That said, the consensus so far seems to be that we will still meet up and play a small four way, winner takes all, tournament. It's far from ideal but some poker is better than no poker. Hopefully that hasn't jinxed me further! :nailbite:
After trying to get a game going for a couple months I swore I was going to sell my table b/c I was so frustrated with all the people "ya I will be there" literally would not even call to cancel. Finally with tons of hard work and networking, I've got a solid 10-12 committed degens. Hopefully this zombie thing goes great and I can keep a few more of the 20 interested in playing more often. We shall see! Mines on the 27th.
 
Just goes to show that you always have to keep recruiting. I really hope it works out for you, @Blind Joe, with all the work you put in. With four players, perhaps have 2 or 3 faster tournaments? And any zombie rules you have in play can be adapted after each tourney in case a rule felt either insignificant or too aggresive.
 
After trying to get a game going for a couple months I swore I was going to sell my table b/c I was so frustrated with all the people "ya I will be there" literally would not even call to cancel. Finally with tons of hard work and networking, I've got a solid 10-12 committed degens. Hopefully this zombie thing goes great and I can keep a few more of the 20 interested in playing more often. We shall see! Mines on the 27th.
Yeah it's not easy is it :banghead:

I've been hosting every other month or so, only got 4 under my belt so far, the Zombie tournament would be my 5th. I've managed to introduce a few new faces to the group but a few others seem to have lost interest. I'd say I only have 9 players who are fully on board and will definitely come if they can make it, and as I said above with so many having weekend commitments it's hard to get them together. I had 8 last time which was a real achievement lol.

It's frustrating to have people cancel on you, thankfully most of my guys will only confirm if they know they can definitely make it and would only cancel if it couldn't be helped. That's the case for one of my cancellations this week but the other is a guy who is so flakey he is infuriating. I stopped inviting him early in the year after he flaked on several poker and non poker events last minute, then he asked me if he could come to this one only to cancel a few days before. He's not getting invited back :mad:
 
Blind Joe's Zombie Outbreak Tournament

FB Event - Zombie v2.png


Held my tournament last night, so here is a round up of how the night went.

Summary

First, we were only 4 handed after a difficult time recruiting and some late cancellations but as they say "the show must go on!" We had a lot of fun nonetheless, the other guys were very positive about the zombie concept and would be up for doing it again.

It wasn't difficult to follow, nobody had trouble remembering to post an ante along with their SB and when a human was turned by losing to a zombie at showdown (see 'Spread' below) the zombie was very quick to point this out even if the human wasn't completely aware (I think it was seen almost like a cashless bounty of sorts, or at least a badge of honour).

Details and rules

Buy in: £10

Starting Stack: 10K (100BB)

Rebuys: 10K + 5K zombie bonus¹ for £10, maximum 1 per player, available at 2,500 or below during levels 1—6. You must surrender any remaining chips if not bust.

¹A player who is already a zombie (see 'Spread' below) can only rebuy for 10K

Zombie Outbreak

Outbreak: any player who rebuys is ressurected as a zombie with an additional 5K in chips. In the event of no rebuys having been purchased by L6 the first player to lose a hand (or have the lowest ranking losing hand) while the Ace of Spades (aka the 'Death Card') is on the board will be turned into a zombie.

Note: the latter was a contingency I introduced due to the low turn out in fear that nobody would rebuy, but it was a fear I need not have had.

Zombie Decay: all zombies must post an ante equal to the small blind whenever they are in the small blind position.

Spread: any player who loses to a zombie at showdown will be infected and the outbreak will spread. NB: infected players are eligible for a 5K add-on for £5 within one orbit of infection.

Note: None of our players who were turned by infection took this option but once the tournament was over and they had suffered the increasingly brutal zombie ante they acknowledged that purchasing the add-on might have been a better tactic. Two of the infected zombies went on to purchase the £10 10K rebuy.

Blinds schedule

Tournament Schedule - Zombie Outbreak v2 (A3, white, 300dpi).png


As well as only being 100BB deep as opposed to my usual 200BB the schedule I used had steeper increases in the first few levels. All of this was to promote the 'Outbreak'.

Note: it worked. I was the first to rebuy (and thus become a zombie) at around L3 or 4 (unfortunately I forgot to save my log from Poker Timer so I'm a bit hazy on the actual specifics)

Starting stack

16/11/5/6

I had originally planned on 12/12/5/6 but for some reason thought I would alter it just to get a few more chips on the table as we were short handed.

I should have put more thought into this as there was no need for so many T25s with them being removed after 3 levels. T100 was the real work horse for the bulk of the tournament so this should have been reflected in the starting stacks.

Bonuses

IMG_20191020_113418.jpg


3x £5 bonuses. All three were collected, Grave Digger (win with spades) and Head Shot (win with an ace) were cashed in almost immediately, so in hindsight I should have perhaps made at least one of them more difficult. Night of the Living Dead (infect the last human) was the one I initially thought might go uncollected but being 4 handed that, too, became much easier to collect, though it did so later in the tournament.

We also had a scratch card bounty on the last tournament winner (me) to be collected if and when said played is eliminated.

A few photos of the night

Set up
IMG_20191020_105248.jpg


In play
IMG_20191020_115526.jpg

We used zombie cards from Bicycle to indicate who was a zombie. The cards started off face down, when your card was turned it meant you'd turned.

Hand of the night (that I can remember :tdown:)

IMG_20191020_105122.jpg

Player A flopped the nuts flush while player B flopped a set. At this point they went all in and Player B only saw a disappointing :2c::3d: on the turn and river rather than pairing up the board for a boat or better that he'd hoped for

Four zombies
IMG_20191020_104213.jpg


Blind Joe's Poker Shack bar
IMG_20191020_105323.jpg

Nothing to do with zombie* poker but I wanted to show off my work in progress. Many improvements to make but it's getting there. The counter top is made entirely of pallet wood (as are the frames for the A3 posters you can see dotted about in the photos).

*I drank so much I now feel like a zombie :vomit:

The winner
IMG_20191020_105058.jpg

After busting me in the early levels and doubling up to become chip leader my friend here never let go of his lead, only wavering at heads up when his rival evened things up a little bit. Throughout the night he eliminated all 3 of his opponents, cashed two bonuses and and took my scratch card bounty (from which he won £10). So from a £10 buy in he came away with £75. Good night for him! His first tournament win as well.

Thanks for reading :)
 
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Yes, each player was allowed 1 rebuy and 3 of 4 players purchased one (me being first). The guy who didn't never found himself anywhere near needing one.
I'm pushing for more rebuy side. Allowing unlimited with 20 players. My hope is people realize they can rebuy but should they with example only 15BB coming back in. Of course early it makes sense but deep into it rebuys would just be donations in my mind.
 
Also Joe with my format what's your opinion on how many rebuys I should put down for a format on blinds. Usually in a regular rebuy game we see only a couple with say 12 players. I'm thinking this will be more like 20 rebuys, but have no idea.
 
It's difficult to call and a single 4 handed tournament doesn't really give you much to go on. The main thing I think we can take from it is that reducing from 200BB to 100BB and having early aggressive increases will probably lead to more rebuys than usual.

Edit: the reason I always limit my rebuys to one each is because some players don't like the idea of players who can afford to play BINGO and keep reloading for chance after chance.
 
It's difficult to call and a single 4 handed tournament doesn't really give you much to go on. The main thing I think we can take from it is that reducing from 200BB to 100BB and having early aggressive increases will probably lead to more rebuys than usual.

Edit: the reason I always limit my rebuys to one each is because some players don't like the idea of players who can afford to play BINGO and keep reloading for chance after chance.
In my head this reminds me of zombie warfare though. The zombie will need to push more in my game, his starting stack is the same as normal stack with the bleed in play. Zombies get knocked down and get back up
 
In my head this reminds me of zombie warfare though. The zombie will need to push more in my game, his starting stack is the same as normal stack with the bleed in play. Zombies get knocked down and get back up
I get what you are aiming at with unlimited rebuys, but it absolutely guarantees that the richest player will win the tournament. That may not be the most profitable, but they cannot lose if their funds are unlimited. Since most people only carry so much with them as they go out for the night, the host is at a distinct advantage.

Now you may say "but they may not win the most money, and may even lose money". Sure, this is correct. However, the ability to reload forever gives the player a notable and distinct advantage in play against the player that only has a little expendable income, as they can always shove with 50% equity hands, and the player with limited funds may always have to fold with 50% equity.

Unlimited rebuys are inherently unfair.
 
Blind Joe's Zombie Outbreak Tournament

View attachment 355327

Held my tournament last night, so here is a round up of how the night went.

Summary

First, we were only 4 handed after a difficult time recruiting and some late cancellations but as they say "the show must go on!" We had a lot of fun nonetheless, the other guys were very positive about the zombie concept and would be up for doing it again.

It wasn't difficult to follow, nobody had trouble remembering to post an ante along with their SB and when a human was turned by losing to a zombie at showdown (see 'Spread' below) the zombie was very quick to point this out even if the human wasn't completely aware (I think it was seen almost like a cashless bounty of sorts, or at least a badge of honour).

Details and rules

Buy in: £10

Starting Stack: 10K (100BB)

Rebuys: 10K + 5K zombie bonus¹ for £10, maximum 1 per player, available at 2,500 or below during levels 1—6. You must surrender any remaining chips if not bust.

¹A player who is already a zombie (see 'Spread' below) can only rebuy for 10K

Zombie Outbreak

Outbreak: any player who rebuys is ressurected as a zombie with an additional 5K in chips. In the event of no rebuys having been purchased by L6 the first player to lose a hand (or have the lowest ranking losing hand) while the Ace of Spades (aka the 'Death Card') is on the board will be turned into a zombie.

Note: the latter was a contingency I introduced due to the low turn out in fear that nobody would rebuy, but it was a fear I need not have had.

Zombie Decay: all zombies must post an ante equal to the small blind whenever they are in the small blind position.

Spread: any player who loses to a zombie at showdown will be infected and the outbreak will spread. NB: infected players are eligible for a 5K add-on for £5 within one orbit of infection.

Note: None of our players who were turned by infection took this option but once the tournament was over and they had suffered the increasingly brutal zombie ante they acknowledged that purchasing the add-on might have been a better tactic. Two of the infected zombies went on to purchase the £10 10K rebuy.

Blinds schedule

View attachment 355334

As well as only being 100BB deep as opposed to my usual 200BB the schedule I used had steeper increases in the first few levels. All of this was to promote the 'Outbreak'.

Note: it worked. I was the first to rebuy (and thus become a zombie) at around L3 or 4 (unfortunately I forgot to save my log from Poker Timer so I'm a bit hazy on the actual specifics)

Starting stack

16/11/5/6

I had originally planned on 12/12/5/6 but for some reason thought I would alter it just to get a few more chips on the table as we were short handed.

I should have put more thought into this as there was no need for so many T25s with them being removed after 3 levels. T100 was the real work horse for the bulk of the tournament so this should have been reflected in the starting stacks.

Bonuses

View attachment 355335


3x £5 bonuses. All three were collected, Grave Digger (win with spades) and Head Shot (win with an ace) were cashed in almost immediately, so in hindsight I should have perhaps made at least one of them more difficult. Night of the Living Dead (infect the last human) was the one I initially thought might go uncollected but being 4 handed that, too, became much easier to collect, though it did so later in the tournament.

We also had a scratch card bounty on the last tournament winner (me) to be collected if and when said played is eliminated.

A few photos of the night

Set up
View attachment 355336

In play
View attachment 355343
We used zombie cards from Bicycle to indicate who was a zombie. The cards started off face down, when your card was turned it meant you'd turned.

Hand of the night (that I can remember :tdown:)

View attachment 355337
Player A flopped the nuts flush while player B flopped a set. At this point they went all in and Player B only saw a disappointing :2c::3d: on the turn and river rather than pairing up the board for a boat or better that he'd hoped for

Four zombies
View attachment 355339

Blind Joe's Poker Shack bar
View attachment 355345
Nothing to do with zombie* poker but I wanted to show off my work in progress. Many improvements to make but it's getting there. The counter top is made entirely of pallet wood (as are the frames for the A3 posters you can see dotted about in the photos).

*I drank so much I now feel like a zombie :vomit:

The winner
View attachment 355344
After busting me in the early levels and doubling up to become chip leader my friend here never let go of his lead, only wavering at heads up when his rival evened things up a little bit. Throughout the night he eliminated all 3 of his opponents, cashed two bonuses and and took my scratch card bounty (from which he won £10). So from a £10 buy in he came away with £75. Good night for him! His first tournament win as well.

Thanks for reading :)
I like so many things you did here, it's hard to just click "like".
  • Good structure
  • I like 16 x T25s. 64 chips is not a lot to me, especially when you have the elbow room.
  • The bonuses
  • The spread
Very well done! Even though the size makes it difficult to draw a lot of information from, I'm looking forward to my 2020 October game.
 
@Poker Zombie I understand you think I'm angling, but I actually hold the game at my parents. I'm not sure how it would be an advantage anyway as I don't keep cash at the house. Every player knows it's unlimited, so I'm assuming they will bring as much as they can lose. As far as the rich player playing bingo, I'm not sure how that will "guarantee him a win"? The rich player may have a advantage knowing a reload isn't as painful but I don't see it as auto winning. All the chips he spews just makes it that much harder for him to overcome the odds. I will take pics and notes. I'm not saying it will be perfect, but I do think it will work. 1 week away we shall see.

@Blind Joe it would be cool to see what you change for next year. Also what do you think about a questionnaire for the players after they get head shot? (Quit reloading) To see what they like and what they would change.
 
Spitballing here.

What if in addition to the bleed, zombies got a small bump at the start of each level... Sort of a revitalization feasting on a brain, to help sustaiin them...

And then think I'm moving to the camp that rebuys are zombies (no random event to determine if you rebuy as a human or zombie). But you can't make the zombie penalty too great or no one will rebuy. There has to be an advantage to being a zombie (an obvious one, more so than the potentially extra pots from being forced to be more aggro).
 
But you can't make the zombie penalty too great or no one will rebuy.
A "prebuy" could perhaps solve this. An automatic rebuy is included in the buy in, that way you can make the penalty as you like. (Whether it translates into an add-on after X levels or works as a auto rebuy during the whole tournament is of course another question.)
 
Spitballing here.

What if in addition to the bleed, zombies got a small bump at the start of each level... Sort of a revitalization feasting on a brain, to help sustaiin them...

And then think I'm moving to the camp that rebuys are zombies (no random event to determine if you rebuy as a human or zombie). But you can't make the zombie penalty too great or no one will rebuy. There has to be an advantage to being a zombie (an obvious one, more so than the potentially extra pots from being forced to be more aggro).
In my format the buy in is $50, with 20 players. The incentive is to not rebuy b/c the bleed penalty of the rebuy. If you find yourself with a zombie option, its only $20 rebuy to get back in. Id say $20 for a $1000 prize pool would be quite delicious? I dont want the zombies to have an advantage, they lost their stack and now have to climb over lots of bodies to get to the top.
 
As far as the rich player playing bingo, I'm not sure how that will "guarantee him a win"?
Let's sit down at a meet-up someday. We will play heads-up. I will be allowed to rebuy an unlimited number of times, you will be permitted to rebuy a limited number of times - you can set the limit, but there will be a definite "X" to indicate that you brought less money than I.

If you don't see how this is a problem, I would like to buy a mansion und a yacht.
 
I like so many things you did here, it's hard to just click "like".
  • Good structure
  • I like 16 x T25s. 64 chips is not a lot to me, especially when you have the elbow room.
  • The bonuses
  • The spread
Very well done! Even though the size makes it difficult to draw a lot of information from, I'm looking forward to my 2020 October game.
Thanks @Poker Zombie :)

The thing with so many T25s is that they were largely redundant because they were only used for 3 levels.

In contrast, the T100s which were used for 10 levels. Now consider all the double SBs a zombie has to pay. For example, for 300 + 300 he can't just use 2 chips (T500 + T100) like he was posting the BB, he has to use 6 chips. When the SB is 400 its 8 chips.
 
Fwiw, "unlimited rebuys create an unfair advantage for the rich" is an unsubstantiated myth. In reality, it simply isn't true, at least not in the (literally) dozens of unlimited re-buy tournaments that I've been involved with as either a player or organizer.

Maybe Zombie's group is different, or perhaps he's just speaking theoretically vs citing real-world data.
 

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