Author Topic: How do I run a tourney not knowing how many will show up?  (Read 2482 times)

xiipack

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How do I run a tourney not knowing how many will show up?
« on: September 20, 2012, 08:14:54 AM »
I been using the software for 4 years now, and may been doing things the hard way.  I do well running home games, I am being asked to "Help" out events using the software on my portable touch screen PC.

Anyways, do I have to have templetes built for every number of people in a tourney?   I just want to be able to sign in players as they walk in and with the seats created have them sit, without having to load a 20 player game, opps now 22 showed up, now 23.   How do the real experts do this? 

I will have blinds setup and tables already done, but I will not know how many players will be there or prizes yet.   I just want to type names in as peeps come in (buy them in), then sit all players random when done or sit players as they come in randomly.  Can I do this with out having to create templets for every player count?

Thanks for the help guys in advance :)

Stuart Murray

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Re: How do I run a tourney not knowing how many will show up?
« Reply #1 on: September 20, 2012, 08:41:31 AM »
The "Normal" way for any cardroom to run an open poker tournament with any software is (times are an example):

1)  19:00 Load software and set up Game (buy-in, starting stack etc etc), & Structure - Open Registration ~ Register Players
2)  19:45 Close Registration (usually with a 10-15 minute period between Registration & Start of Tournament))
3)  19:46 Knowing the amount of players registered, set out cards, buttons, chips, ensure seats are available and all tables ready for use.
4a) 19:50 Seat Players on the software - if you have late registration available during the game, and once you have a feel for how many latecomers you usually get, you will normally start all your tables short handed for additional players to arrive, so for example on the TD software, wth 10 seat tables I would seat 7/8 players at each table from the start, using the "add tables" option
4b) 19:51Place out seat cards/Seating Tickets if applicable.
5)  19:55 When the cardroom is ready for your players, call them using the Casino PA/Software Announcement and display the seating chart on the extended display
6)  20:00 Start tournament & re-open registration for late entries/re-entries*
7)  21:00 once re-buy/add-on/re-entry &/or late reg period is finished*, confirm prize money and display prizes to players.

*where available

P.S. Using the software in the way you describe requires a commercial licence.

Regards
Stuart
« Last Edit: September 20, 2012, 08:46:05 AM by Stuart Murray »
Stuart Murray

jodybingo

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Re: How do I run a tourney not knowing how many will show up?
« Reply #2 on: September 20, 2012, 11:30:06 AM »
I have been using TD for several years now and for Canada's largest card room as well. It became easier to set up after a while as we were able to guess how many people would show up based on the day of the week/month, weather and other events in the area.
However you should be able to make a guess within 10-15 players when you expect less than 200 players. For more than 50 players I recommend opening up 2 more tables than you expect. Once you get to an average of 7 players per table open up an additional table. It is easier to open up additional tables and collapse them if needed. Once you are beyond late registration you can balance your tbles as needed

xiipack

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Re: How do I run a tourney not knowing how many will show up?
« Reply #3 on: September 20, 2012, 11:56:48 AM »
Thanks for the assistance, no money is being made off this event and is actually a charity game. The reason I am assisting is because most of the players are on the software. Just adjusting tables helps me get around this and I never tried so thanks again.


jodybingo

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Re: How do I run a tourney not knowing how many will show up?
« Reply #4 on: September 20, 2012, 11:59:31 AM »
I have run more than a dozen tournaments in the past 3 years with TD that had over 200 players and a few times with over 300. Open up more tables then close if you need.

Stuart Murray

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Re: How do I run a tourney not knowing how many will show up?
« Reply #5 on: September 20, 2012, 12:29:14 PM »
Best advise I can give you for using TD3 for larger events is only use the player movement suggestions for the initial seating draw, as per TDA RROP rules etc, you will be balancing by taking your Big Blind from tables, using the software to electronically track players movements is time consuming and cumbersome.

Once I have the registration done, and the seating chart is no longer required the names on the system no longer matter to me, so I just use the "bust any player" method to keep the plasma display player count/average chip count correct, everything from there on in is manual, and you can put the correct names back in later on when you get close to the money.  I have did a 180 player event where we tracked every movement, but that had a Gaming Inspector operating the PC whilst a Floor Supervisor or TD did the balancing, radioing through the movements to be kept up to date, that takes quite a few staff, whereas doing it manually requires only one person to run the floor, even when there is 200-300 people participating, which I have done a fair few of in my time, I do also have a very good system where I use laminated seat cards with the table and seat number on them, the cards get handed in when a player busts, and then I simply keep them in front of the computer and they tell me what needs balanced, what needs collapsed and how many players are still in.

If you are doing late reg like Jody says, open 7/8 handed and when you get a queue of 7 or more put the whole lot straight onto a new table.  The hardest part of running any tournament is getting everyone registered and sat down, the rest is simple enough providing you don't attempt to over complicate it.

EDIT: One thing I did just consider is that perhaps you meant you usually have the tables set up on the software before registration.  It's faster and easier to use the add tables feature to create the amount of tables you require with the amount of seats you require once you have done registration, Auto Seating players during registration for an open event is pretty nonsensical in my eyes, and it only takes an extra few minutes to get every one seated, by generating a random draw after registration has closed, which get's everyone seated from the number 1 seat on each table - for example if you have 60 entries with late reg to come, click add tables, number of entries 60 seats per table 7 number of tables required 9, gives you 9 tables, 6 with 7 players and 3 with 6 players, and your number 8-10 seats will be empty on tables 1-6 and your no 7-10 seats will be empty on tables 7-9, leaving you 30 spare seats to manually fill during late reg.

Regards
Stuart
« Last Edit: September 20, 2012, 12:42:12 PM by Stuart Murray »
Stuart Murray

xiipack

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Re: How do I run a tourney not knowing how many will show up?
« Reply #6 on: September 20, 2012, 02:44:42 PM »
Awesome, I don't care either where people sit they draw there seat why they get their chips. I but I want chip average and I will move people manually to even tables. I will try a simulated game to learn this. Thanks again!

jodybingo

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Re: How do I run a tourney not knowing how many will show up?
« Reply #7 on: September 20, 2012, 02:54:52 PM »
I am assuming this is a self-deal type of tourney. My experience with these is that friends will sit with friends. This is generally not good for the game as there is very often collusion of some sort, even if it is a charity event. If you are not afraid of collusion then the best option would be to give seating cards (as Stu mentioned laminated cards with a table and seat number) and have their starting stack prepared in advance and keep them at the registration desk. When they pay give them their chips and seating card.

Stuart Murray

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Re: How do I run a tourney not knowing how many will show up?
« Reply #8 on: September 20, 2012, 03:10:49 PM »
I think I've been misunderstood, you register players on the software, do a seating draw on the software once the reg closes, then you balance manually when your up and running, the seat cards are laid out at the tables for the players sitting down, and they provide the continual manual balance after the initial seating draw by the software as the players simply report "man down" and hand in the cards to the floor - that's the way most credible cardrooms in the UK do it.

Using the software to suggest player movements is not in the best interests of a poker tournament, and that's why it's not suitable for use after the first seating draw (with the exclusion perhaps of total redraws), not withstanding the fact every rule book worth mentioning requires the player who is due to be big blind of a new hand be moved to balance the tables to the worst position available, there's no software in the world at the moment (apart from one in development in the UK) that can handle MTT's and who is the BB etc.

Stu
Stuart Murray

xiipack

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Re: How do I run a tourney not knowing how many will show up?
« Reply #9 on: September 22, 2012, 09:15:11 AM »
Now that I am at a real pc no auto-correct sorry if it read bad in previous threads.  When people sign in and pay, they will grab a chip bag and it will either have a seat number already assigned on a card in the bag.  If we fill up and need more seats, then as suggested will add a table and fill extras at that table.   So in the software before we start I will have a blind structure setup, chips, background created.  What I believe you suggest is as people come in I create tables as they fill up.  So my table software will have one table (9 players) and when I get over 9 create another table as sign-ups continue. I Agree,  I am not tracking names and having the people moved by software, I will do this manually. So after start I would ignore where the software says where people are (they will already be at a random seat), and just hit X and bust out anyone as people get knocked out (just to keep chip average). 

I will have 2 people help me out with signups, and level tables out.   I think I got what I need, because all I wanted to use TD for is blind calculator and chip average. 

Thanks again all for the advice, good luck in your games as well.


Stuart Murray

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Re: How do I run a tourney not knowing how many will show up?
« Reply #10 on: September 22, 2012, 09:38:51 AM »
Not quite, perhaps you could answer the following for your first event and then we can give you more clear instructions

Will you have late entry and re-entry? Or will it be a fixed reg period with no late entry?
Stuart Murray