Thanks to PCF - successfully ran my first 2 table tourney (1 Viewer)

[dazoki]

Ran my first two table poker tournament last night and as i was looking around the room - realized it could not have happened without this forum.

Here are some items used and player reactions.

Barrington LED Table for the final - “this is a nice table we should buy another one - love the lights”

Topper for the barrington - “yo - i don’t even have to stand up to deal - i am bouncing cards against the rails - we should have a competition later”

Broken Arrow Bridge Size Cards - “these are the best cards i have ever played with - they were slippery last time - perfect this time”

Poker Timer IOS app using remote - “…that was the best addition - that b*itch (female voice announcer) kept us in check all night - was awesome to see it on the big tv”

Starting stack tubes - “this is the best idea ever”

43mm web mold Tina Mirage Tourney - “…these chips are so clean - love shuffling them”

80mm Mirage Dealer buttons “..where the eff do you even find these - they are huge”

Pokerstore seating cards “…these cards saved lives - especially when we had to build the final 8”

Some non-item learnings from endless forum searches

50/30/20 payout structure - “…didn’t even think of splitting 1st/2nd”

T25 20k starting 20 min blinds - “…love being able to feel out the table in the early blinds”

Blind structure - “…worked out great - didn’t feel any significant jumps - all made sense - tourney ended exactly when you said it would”

Color ups/breaks (Manzoni style)- “…..wow - came back to my seat and it’s done”

First to exit the tourney prize - “…that was funny giving that player a deck of Broken Arrows for being first out so he can practice the game at home”

Shuffle behind - “…i can’t believe we have not been doing this for years”

Needs some work

Rebuys - unlimited rebuys before the first break created an all in situation with 4 players at one table - only 1 player was able to cover everyone but didn’t win the hand so was super short stacked - we let him surrender and buy back in - but need to figure this one out.

Playing and Directing - even with all the tips found on this forum - i felt i was constantly on the move leading up to breaks and color-ups - got worse when i setup the cash game - def distracted me from playing - drawing dead all night didn't help either.

Complaint Department

• “these cupholders are useless”
• “Chairs feel like i am sitting on a concrete slab”
• “Yo…this shuffle behind shit sucks”
• “..why are these cards so small - can’t afford the bigger ones”
• “..ever hear of palsons ( yes he said PALsons) ? - you should get those chips”
• “…dude - you gotta buy a shuffler - wtf how much is it?!!?”

Thanks to all that have been heavy contributors to this forum. Super-helpful on many levels.

Special thanks to the mods and admins for keeping PCF orderly - much appreciated.

 

[Colquhoun]

Sounds like a great night! congrats.
If you're thinking of getting another Barrington, the LED is currently on sale at Walmart for $199 delivered, and the standard one is $179.

Rebuys - unlimited rebuys before the first break created an all in situation with 4 players at one table - only 1 player was able to cover everyone but didn’t win the hand so was super short stacked - we let him surrender and buy back in - but need to figure this one out.

Not sure I understand, did you set up multiple side pots?

 

[ef28]

Pics or it didn’t happen. lol. Same here, learned a lot from the forum to help run my own tournaments. It gets “easier” the more you host.

 

[dazoki]

Sounds like a great night! congrats.
If you're thinking of getting another Barrington, the LED is currently on sale at Walmart for $199 delivered, and the standard one is $179.

Not sure I understand, did you set up multiple side pots?

Yes - exactly that - had main pot and 2 side pots - everyone turned into an accountant - would love to learn how to avoid situations like - where playas panic and everyone goes all-in to not be short stacked in the next blind cause rebuys are over.

 

[sleepyhead]

Yes - exactly that - had main pot and 2 side pots - everyone turned into an accountant - would love to learn how to avoid situations like - where playas panic and everyone goes all-in to not be short stacked in the next blind cause rebuys are over.

Offer an add-on option open to everyone at the rebuy cutoff. Depending on what your blinds are at that point you could do half the starting stack for half the buy in cost or some variation of that. I do 10K for 25 bucks. Gets players about 10 extra big blinds at the blind level after the break but you can tweak it according to what you want to accomplish.

 

[Bronson]

Ran my first two table poker tournament last night and as i was looking around the room - realized it could not have happened without this forum.

Here are some items used and player reactions.

Barrington LED Table for the final - “this is a nice table we should buy another one - love the lights”

Topper for the barrington - “yo - i don’t even have to stand up to deal - i am bouncing cards against the rails - we should have a competition later”

Broken Arrow Bridge Size Cards - “these are the best cards i have ever played with - they were slippery last time - perfect this time”

Poker Timer IOS app using remote - “…that was the best addition - that b*itch (female voice announcer) kept us in check all night - was awesome to see it on the big tv”

Starting stack tubes - “this is the best idea ever”

43mm web mold Tina Mirage Tourney - “…these chips are so clean - love shuffling them”

80mm Mirage Dealer buttons “..where the eff do you even find these - they are huge”

Pokerstore seating cards “…these cards saved lives - especially when we had to build the final 8”

Some non-item learnings from endless forum searches

50/30/20 payout structure - “…didn’t even think of splitting 1st/2nd”

T25 20k starting 20 min blinds - “…love being able to feel out the table in the early blinds”

Blind structure - “…worked out great - didn’t feel any significant jumps - all made sense - tourney ended exactly when you said it would”

Color ups/breaks (Manzoni style)- “…..wow - came back to my seat and it’s done”

First to exit the tourney prize - “…that was funny giving that player a deck of Broken Arrows for being first out so he can practice the game at home”

Shuffle behind - “…i can’t believe we have not been doing this for years”

Needs some work

Rebuys - unlimited rebuys before the first break created an all in situation with 4 players at one table - only 1 player was able to cover everyone but didn’t win the hand so was super short stacked - we let him surrender and buy back in - but need to figure this one out.

Playing and Directing - even with all the tips found on this forum - i felt i was constantly on the move leading up to breaks and color-ups - got worse when i setup the cash game - def distracted me from playing - drawing dead all night didn't help either.

Complaint Department

• “these cupholders are useless”
• “Chairs feel like i am sitting on a concrete slab”
• “Yo…this shuffle behind shit sucks”
• “..why are these cards so small - can’t afford the bigger ones”
• “..ever hear of palsons ( yes he said PALsons) ? - you should get those chips”
• “…dude - you gotta buy a shuffler - wtf how much is it?!!?”

Thanks to all that have been heavy contributors to this forum. Super-helpful on many levels.

Special thanks to the mods and admins for keeping PCF orderly - much appreciated.

Sounds like great night! Remember; you can’t makes everyone happy so I wouldn’t take those complaints into account.

Bear in mind every next session will be better and more polished.

Keep the cards sailing!

 

[dazoki]

Offer an add-on option open to everyone at the rebuy cutoff. Depending on what your blinds are at that point you could do half the starting stack for half the buy in cost or some variation of that. I do 10K for 25 bucks. Gets players about 10 extra big blinds at the blind level after the break but you can tweak it according to what you want to accomplish.

…i like the half-stack add-on option - some players will still shove to pick up 30k at the break - lol - helps with payouts - funny to watch people in one hand go from limp calling pre to multiple all-in raises when the 1 minute alarm goes off

 

[Josh Kifer]

Good work putting it together. Pcf didn't do it, you did it, by using the search function!

 

[Jaxen]

Experience is something you never get until after you need it.
Sounds like waaaaay more good feedback then bad, and most of the bad came from people who would never help themselves, they just want to offer criticism rather than suggestions (fixing blame over fixing problems).
You did great, and the next one will be better.

 

[BPTDirector]

Great job of organizing things - and yes, starting stack tubes are among the best things, but so are a lot of other things you chose to do. Keep it up, you’re going strong! Congrats!!

 

[dazoki]

Here is the 20min blind structure i used - beginning was purposely small and incremental for fun factor - 400bb (8/8/4/7/2) start. Finished at 20k/40k (expected) took about 6 hours - some breaks took longer then the alotted 15min hence the longer time.

Criticisms are most welcome

25/50
50/100
75/150
100/200
150/300
Break - color up
200/400
300/600
500/1000
800/1600
1200/2400
Break - color up
2000/4000
3000/6000
5000/10000
8000/16000
12000/24000
20000/40000

 

[Jaxen]

some breaks took longer then the alotted 15min hence the longer time.

Yeah if there aren't dedicated dealers ready to pitch cards the moment the clock ends the break, you get "lemme finish this cigarette" or "lemme go to the bathroom" and 15 mins turns into 25. It may have been you played for 100 minutes, that's quite a while for a home game. I've found 4 levels (80 mins) is a sweet spot, then set a 10 min break for it to be 15 unless it's a dinner break.
I get spacing the breaks around color ups (I have a structure that wraps a level around a break to do that). Maybe add a 400/800, and after break 2 go 1K/2K, 1500/3K, 2K/4K, etc. The 2400->4k / 24K->40K BB jump seems harsh to me. If time is an issue, consider going to 15 minute levels starting with Level 10. You've played 3 hours on the clock and that point, at least with my 14-18 player events, you're down to the final 5 or 6 and the hands go faster and you'll likely get the same number in in 15 you would with a full table at 20.
But like said before, sounds like your maiden voyage went smoother than most of ours.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

Bunch of apes! Well done, sounds like a great night. The apes will whine about anything, they hated the plastic cards I brought but now love them.

Now just keep refining and building for the next few decades and you'll be set.

Cupholders - definitely upgrader. Cheap fix somewhere on here, I'm not handy but did it just fine.

Shuffle behind - call it clean-up-your-mess. People are more incentived to do it. They'll still whine but its an easy way of making them remember.

 

[dazoki]

you get "lemme finish this cigarette" or "lemme go to the bathroom" and 15 mins turns into 25.

..yo !!! - were you at the game - this is exactly what happened.

I appreciate the comments - will tweak that a bit. Surprisingly - nobody complained about that jump - i had them well trained up to that point =)

 

[dazoki]

Bunch of apes! Well done, sounds like a great night. The apes will whine about anything, they hated the plastic cards I brought but now love them.

Now just keep refining and building for the next few decades and you'll be set.

Def apes - the whole lot of them - they know it too - first 3 minutes was full of jokes “how much is the green chip again”.

I have seen the cup upgrade - thats not me - i’ll mess it up and probably break tools in the process. I would go for a modular rail that i could screw on/off. Always worries when i store the table that i’ll ruin the cushion somehow.

 

[MC_CPA]

25/75 (just to make it consistant)
50/100
75/150
100/200
150/300
Break - color up
200/400
300/600
500/1000 (this way it is easier can just do 1 chip)
500/1500 (this way it can be easier can just do 1 chip and 2 chips)
1000/2500 (this way it is easier can just do 1 chip)
Break - color up
2000/4000
3000/6000
5000/10000
8000/16000
12000/24000
20000/40000

I edited your quotes with my comments.

You can also just play 100/100 for the first 3 levels and skip having to color up. Would also save on chips as you can scrap all the T25s.

 

[dazoki]

I edited your quotes with my comments.

You can also just play 100/100 for the first 3 levels and skip having to color up. Would also save on chips as you can scrap all the T25s.

Love it - thx for taking the time

 

[Jaxen]

were you at the game - this is exactly what happened.

Because it's universal! Same reason I say 3:30 to get cards in the air at 4, I put in a 10 min break to make it 15.
Even at 80 minutes playing before breaks I still have guys in that 4th level leaving for a hand or 2 to pull a vape/take a call/"go for a walk"

 

[dazoki]

The apes abused me about a 7pm time with cards flowing by 7:30 “…nobody gonna be there by 7” - suprise - everyone showed up and i was getting yelled at by 7:15 to get started - first time for them - so i guess adrenaline was there - i am sure in the future people will be showing up an hour later before rebuy expires.

 

[Colquhoun]

The apes abused me about a 7pm time with cards flowing by 7:30 “…nobody gonna be there by 7” - suprise - everyone showed up and i was getting yelled at by 7:15 to get started - first time for them - so i guess adrenaline was there - i am sure in the future people will be showing up an hour later before rebuy expires.

You could offer a bonus, say 10-15% extra chips for those that arrive on time.

 

[RadicusScout]

I have seen the cup upgrade - thats not me - i’ll mess it up and probably break tools in the process.

 

[Colquhoun]

I have seen the cup upgrade - thats not me - i’ll mess it up and probably break tools in the process.

I have the Barrington and I bought the hole saw, and the large cup holders on Amazon…just haven’t buckled down and done it yet.
Maybe I’ll swing by with the drill and a 6-pack and help with yours when I’m done.

 

[dazoki]

I have the Barrington and I bought the hole saw, and the large cup holders on Amazon…just haven’t buckled down and done it yet.
Maybe I’ll swing by with the drill and a 6-pack and help with yours when I’m done

…what if there was a barrington in your driveway with a six pack on top of it - would the cup holders magically be upgraded in a few hours?

 

[HiveKueen]

Congratulations! Ditch the ingrates!

 

[Isorg]

looking to start hosting home games my self. the big problem.... the level of WAF (wife acceptance factor) is very very low.

 

[RadicusScout]

I have the Barrington and I bought the hole saw, and the large cup holders on Amazon…just haven’t buckled down and done it yet.
Maybe I’ll swing by with the drill and a 6-pack and help with yours when I’m done.

I could have sworn you had already upgraded your table based on how much you've already contributed to the Barrington thread.

You gotta do it.

 

[Colquhoun]

I could have sworn you had already upgraded your table based on how much you've already contributed to the Barrington thread.

You gotta do it.

 

[LotsOfChips]

“Yo…this shuffle behind shit sucks”

Instant uninvite...

 

[triton]

I have the Barrington and I bought the hole saw, and the large cup holders on Amazon…just haven’t buckled down and done it yet.
Maybe I’ll swing by with the drill and a 6-pack and help with yours when I’m done.

Bring the table and the saw. Mass production is the way to go with that project. @sethwanab and I did 4 tables in under 2 hrs

@dazoki congrats on the successful event!

 

[munchiees]

Bring the table and the saw. Mass production is the way to go with that project. @sethwanab and I did 4 tables in under 2 hrs

View attachment 1597806

@dazoki congrats on the successful event!

Did you guys just have to cut the wood part with the hole saw? I've been reading around today and wasn't sure about that. Would imainge the pleather and foam etc would get all thrashed around if it hit the bit?

From what I gathered the steps are:

1) Use heat gun/hair dryer to heat the adhesive off and pop out the old ones.
2) Use the hole saw to cut through the bottom wood.

I've read some people did an offset if they used bigger cup holders. Did you guys just use the same diameter but just deeper holders? Thanks in advance!