Author Topic: Lock Player Seat Problem  (Read 2331 times)

JackTheDog

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 13
    • View Profile
Lock Player Seat Problem
« on: May 15, 2010, 12:27:46 PM »
I just ran my first multi table tournament using TD to seat and move players. As TD and banker, I want to remain in seat 1 at table 1, so I lock myself into this seat on the table tab. Before busting a player I set the dealer buttons at each table, bust the player, then let TD reseat players. About 25% of the time it tries to move me to another table even though the table screen says I'm still locked in to T1-S1. When we get down to the final table it always tries to move me to a different seat. Is there something else I need to do to disqualify myself from moving?

Also, when I select F4 I would like to have a list of tables and players displayed in large type similar to the F5 player movement screen rather than the default table diagrams, which are small, hard to read and don't match my tables well. Is there an easy way to do this or am I into building something custom?

Thanks, Jeff

Stuart Murray

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 540
    • View Profile
Re: Lock Player Seat Problem
« Reply #1 on: May 15, 2010, 12:48:22 PM »
Hi Jeff,

The problem of specifying the buttons forces the TD to move the players you specify in relation to button use so therefore it is not surprising you have issues with the lock as this is interfering with the movement you have have specified so therefore TD cannot pick another player.

You will have some issues, to be honest I think your best option would be to manually take the next big blind from tables to balance and then drag and drop them onto their new seat.  (would this not be quicker than setting the buttons on the screen anyway?) With regard to final table make sure you specify that table 1 is placed in the 'collapse this table last' in the collapse order under tables.  You can also specify not to randomise seating at final table, but you are still going to need to randomise seating so running the randomisation and then dragging yourself back to seat 1 which will then swap the players round seems to be the best idea.

If you are wanting to fully automate seating that is fine but as you are playing in the tournament this is always going to cause problems for the software as conflicts will always arise where the software cannot make balances/consolidate without attempting to move you.

Regards
Stu
Stuart Murray

Corey Cooper

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6216
    • View Profile
Re: Lock Player Seat Problem
« Reply #2 on: May 15, 2010, 09:54:55 PM »
Well said, Stu.

The software will try to honor seat locks unless it just really has no other choice, as far as it can tell.  And I'll be the first to admit the table balancing algorithm isn't perfect.  But it does do a fairly good job.

Most of the time, table balancing involves moving a single player, or collapsing a table (and thus moving several players, but typically to the same table).  When the software attempts to move you, is it collapsing your table, or moving just you?

Here's a scenario: There are 4 tables of 10 seats.  There are 37 players left, so tables have 10, 9, 9, and 9 players.  If someone busts out at the table with 10 players, nothing needs to be done, as the tables will now be 9, 9, 9, and 9.  However, if a player busts out at one of the other tables, you'll have 10, 9, 9, and 8.  To balance this, a player must be taken from the table with 10 players and moved to the table with 8 players.  That's the only choice.  So you have an option to move one of 10 players.  If you have the dealer buttons set, that further reduces the choice to a single player (whomever is in the same position as the busted player, with respect to the button).

I just verified in this scenario, the software will always pick the same player (the player who is sitting in the same position wrt the dealer button).  I also verified that if that player is locked, the software will choose a different player at random (from the same table).  So I guess I'm not sure what's going on in your case, unless the software is collapsing the table you are sitting at.

JackTheDog

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 13
    • View Profile
Re: Lock Player Seat Problem
« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2010, 09:48:10 AM »
Thanks Stu for your response. That makes sense that I'm giving TD conflicting information by setting the buttons and then asking not to be moved if I'm in the same seat relative to the button. I figured it would just ignore me and select the player to my left, which is what I will do manually unless an alternate solution comes up. It doesn't take much time to set the buttons and do the move, and players bolt for the restroom/kitchen whenever I stop the clock anyway, so no one complains about the time spent.

Corey, I'm sitting at table 1, and I have my table set last to collapse (i.e. it's the final table), so my table never collapses. Unchecking the "automatically randomize final table" stopped TD from trying to move me when the final table is set, so that's resolved.

I've run several test tournaments and TD still tries to move me even though I'm locked. It's not a big deal, it's easy enough to do as Stu suggested and manually drag the player to be moved to his new seat (using TD of course, not actually dragging him). Nobody wants to be moved, and having the computer select and reseat a player is just one less thing for players to complain about.

On the other topic in my OP, do you have any thoughts on displaying player seating as a list and not graphically?

Thanks, Jeff

Stuart Murray

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 540
    • View Profile
Re: Lock Player Seat Problem
« Reply #4 on: May 17, 2010, 06:53:09 AM »
Jeff,

Playing seating as a list is already available in the layout - other properties - seating chart screen, at the moment it is only one vertical list of players by the name format you specify but in 2.6 which will be released in the next few months it will include columns of player names and table/seat numbers which will be fantastic for MTT's

Im surprised you pause the clock to do balancing, this adds so much time onto the tourney - under no normal tournaments would I ever consider pausing the clock, the blinds have to keep moving  and the standard for moving players is always the next big blind to the worst position available at the new table, which is quite a quick way of moving players anyway.  I've run tourneys with excess of 100 players and never stop the clock - the most common time for me to pause the clock is when at hand for hand on two/three tables but there is still a residual change or run before the pause.

Best Regards
Stuart
« Last Edit: May 17, 2010, 07:00:31 AM by stuamurr »
Stuart Murray

JackTheDog

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 13
    • View Profile
Re: Lock Player Seat Problem
« Reply #5 on: May 17, 2010, 08:51:34 AM »
Stuart,

Thanks for the tip on the player seating list, I didn't think to look on the layout screen. Good advice on the clock, right now I'm at two tables, next week three, so it isn't a big time loss yet. As I get quicker at making the changes I'm sure the clock won't be stopping.

Thanks,
Jeff

Corey Cooper

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6216
    • View Profile
Re: Lock Player Seat Problem
« Reply #6 on: May 17, 2010, 12:13:05 PM »
Jack, if you get a free moment, send me a saved tournament where you're seeing this issue (locked player being moved).  If this is a bug, I want to address it.  support@thetournamentdirector.net

jjschoon

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 5
    • View Profile
Re: Lock Player Seat Problem
« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2010, 09:05:43 PM »
I am having a different locked player problem.  I have dedicated dealers at my multi-table tournaments, when we go to 1 table, the dealer at that table is no longer locked and gets randomly placed at the table.  I usually just swap him with however is put in seat 1, since once the final table starts, there will be no more balancing of the tables.

Stuart Murray

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 540
    • View Profile
Re: Lock Player Seat Problem
« Reply #8 on: May 31, 2010, 10:35:54 AM »
jjscoon,

I read it as non-playing dealer's, if that's the case why do you want to list them on the tournament screen?

Unless it is a playing dealer in which case yeh, he will need to be randomly seated at FT unless you turn off RANDOMISE SEATING AT FINAL TABLE, then you could click the randomise seating and use the include players locked in their seat option

Regards Stuart
Stuart Murray

jjschoon

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 5
    • View Profile
Re: Lock Player Seat Problem
« Reply #9 on: May 31, 2010, 07:33:15 PM »
Yes it is a playing dealer, but thanks for the response.  I will try that next time.