Tourney Tourney ideas to mix things up and stimulate action. (1 Viewer)

[Larold]

We've got an adventurous casual poker tourney crowd, mostly NLHE players. I'm always looking for ways to liven up the action / loosen up the play / get more chips into the game.

I'm contemplating trying a few different things (no more than 1-2 ideas per trial run tourney), and I'd be curious what you have tried. Feel free to offer thoughts on my ideas - remember, this is for fun, and not at insanely high stakes.

Idea 1: Insurance re-buys: Do my usual tourney which includes a re-buy period ending with an optional add-on. But at the start of the event, folks can pre-purchase re-buys at a discount. (Sell them tokens each good for one re-buy.) Not sure if I want the discounted tokens to all cost the same, or incentivize by making them cheaper the more you purchase. Random example: If re-buys cost $20 once the tourney gets going, offer re-buy tokens before the start - $16 for 1, $26 for 2, $33 for 3, etc. Haven't figured out what I want to do with unused tokens:
-- Could make them worthless after re-buy period. Might psychologically cause players to make big moves in an attempt to get a big chip haul, and if they bust, they at least "get their money's worth" by using a token
-- Could figure out a way to apply them to the add-on
-- They're good for $X if they stick around to start a side game
-- They're good for $X if they don't place in the money. (Of course, $X would be less than the purchase price.)

Idea 2: Trivia + Poker
- Up until a stopping point (half-way, 3rd break, whatever), as each hand is being dealt, the big blind gets a question, X seconds to answer. Get it right, the bank posts your big blind.

Idea 3: Bomb Pots
- Finally figured out what these are - gotta' come up with a way to integrate them that doesn't shred the integrity of the tournament.

Idea 4: Kill pots (up to a certain point - would be treacherous close to or in the money.)

Idea 5: Highest hand so far in any shown-down (per table) is given a special token. If someone shows an even higher hand, token moves to them. At each level increase / hour / break / whatever, the bank pays X chips or X big blinds to whoever holds the token (has the highest hand so far.)

Idea 6: Trying to come up with something fun to incentivize, just a little bit, straddling.

I hope it goes without saying I'm not attempting these all at once. They're just ideas floating around that I'm going to test run at various points.

Would love to hear ideas you've conceived, and especially the ones you tried and how they went.

 

[Labrat]

Don't try to mix in cash game concepts with tournaments, IMO.

 

[rjbf65]

I saw that The Lodge had a tourney where checking was not allowed. My be an idea to try out if you are looking for some variety. At times the correct move would be to open fold.

 

[NotRealNameNoSir]

I saw that The Lodge had a tourney where checking was not allowed. My be an idea to try out if you are looking for some variety. At times the correct move would be to open fold.

I hate this. Takes a huge part of the game away, I'd allow some gimmicks to stimulate action or antes but this is bananas.

 

[rjbf65]

I hate this. Takes a huge part of the game away, I'd allow some gimmicks to stimulate action or antes but this is bananas.

They also had a deuces wild tourney. I thought the no checking allowed tourney sounded more interesting.

But honestly I'd rather just try other variants of poker in a tourney format. 7 Card Stud, PLO, 2-7 Single Draw etc... But very difficult to get one of those going.

 

[Larold]

I hate this. Takes a huge part of the game away, I'd allow some gimmicks to stimulate action or antes but this is bananas.

Agreed - this is a nasty one. Poker is already a game where late position dominates. This would just magnify the effect; pretty much removes any deception from early position play and allows late position to just absolutely pummel the rest of the table. And also diminishes the value of check-raising, because now it's bet-raising.

 

[Larold]

They also had a deuces wild tourney. I thought the no checking allowed tourney sounded more interesting.

But honestly I'd rather just try other variants of poker in a tourney format. 7 Card Stud, PLO, 2-7 Single Draw etc... But very difficult to get one of those going.

The mixed-format tourneys can be really fun, but you're right - they're difficult to find a lot of people for. I've seen dealers-choice hold'em / omaha work fairly well. (Or one round of the table for each game.)

 

[bmacpoker]

Agreed - this is a nasty one. Poker is already a game where late position dominates. This would just magnify the effect; pretty much removes any deception from early position play and allows late position to just absolutely pummel the rest of the table. And also diminishes the value of check-raising, because now it's bet-raising.

Yeah, I don't even know where the strategy would lie with this. Forcing donk bets and open folds doesn't sound action stimulating to me, if anything it might narrow ranges for anyone not on the button.

 

[TheRealStephen12]

Would just a bounty help? I haven't played for money or in a tournament, but from what I've seen that makes the most sense to me.

 

[SlowPokeTony]

Your first idea is a pretty common one. Everyone gets a starting stack and a rebuy chip. When you bust out you get to cash in your rebuy chip for another stack. If you still have it at the end of the rebuy period it becomes an add on. The rest of them I don’t like. Too gimmicky for a tournament. I noticed one of your ideas said until “3rd break”? How long in between breaks? It seems like a long tournament for a home game. Sounds to me your best idea is to play a quicker tournament and then play a cash game to use these ideas.