WinStar has put out their info for the River Main Event Poker Series. Disappointingly, they are keeping the $1M guarantee for first place. It really wrecks the payout structure of the tournament. If they wanna do that, they really need to have a higher overall guarantee, and bust ass to get more players in. Instead, they look to have less Megas than ever.

Link here: https://www.winstarworldcasino.com/w...16-8x11R-2.pdf

Structures: https://www.winstarworldcasino.com/w...Structures.pdf

Rules: https://www.winstarworldcasino.com/w...ries-Rules.pdf

Some good stuff, a $400 with 300k guarantee, an $1100 6max turbo with $500 bounties, an $1100 Survivor with $500 bounties and 8 $2500 seats added, that basically will pay $2500 seats to 20% of the field plus 8 more players, and the traditional $1100 turbo with $500 bounties that runs on Day 2 of the Main. The Megas also do have 8 seats added, so $20k tossed in is nice. Run more Megas!!!

I was up there yesterday and got told that the single table satty' won't be starting for another month. I'm sorry but they just don't get it. They should be trying like crazy to get as many people in these events as they can and yet they aren't.

BTW, that bounty tournament they have on Friday is pretty decent. Got four bounties and finished 6th so it was a nice day.

will not play Main this year regardless of how many seats I win in the megas....Sucks they used to run 3 additional Megas before series starts for the locals....They usually have 8 megas total and now only 5.

Been trying to tell them to drop the buyin for the $1k plo to a $330 with reentries to get more casual players at the lower price point. I also wish they would make it a mix plo-plo/8 tourney. They always have a mix 1-2-5 plo-plo/8 cash game on weekends so why not cater to this crowd.

Ya the mix idea sounds like a great idea, as does the lower price point for PLO. Or even a nlh/PLO mix at $330 price point would get people to try PLO. They had it one year in a mini river event and was quite fun. Excited to see them trying new events, but a 1k KO 6-max and a bounty survivor which is basically another mega are both lame.

Less megas and keeping the awful pay structure in the main will keep me from entering megas or the main. I hope to be there playing in the juicy cash game action though.

The $275 10% Super Sattys are new right? They throw in 2 2500's on those.

they had the super satty last year on a Friday but they didn't add any seats like they are doing this year.

they ran 7 Mega's with 8 seats added last year. They are only running 5 megas but the other 16 seats added are put into the 4 super satty (2 each) and the 1k survivor (8 seats added)

were alot of people buying in multiple times to the main last year?

Yes

If you win multiple megas, can you transfer the seats? If so, and you win a few and want to sell a seat at a slightly discounted rate, lmk, will buy.

you get lammers.

How can Choctaw consistently put together good tournament series, and Winstar be so fing clueless on anything to do with tournaments? I mean the 1mill gty for first place is so ridic awful. Puts players in an uncomfortable situation of either trying to deal or playing for 600k+ heads up. It really seems this property is clueless when it comes to tournaments IMO.

I will play the 400buck 300k gty just because its such a good value, but I try to avoid playing tournys here whenever possible.

Do they facilitate the chop and fill out adjusted tax forms at least?

because they refuse to bring in outside dealers....

the brain trust that make the decisions for this tourney really have no clue what the players want...they could really rival or even exceed the choctaw series if they just let a professinal tourney director come in and run this series...and bring in outside dealers...the poor winstar dealers are so stressed during the series...i feel bad for them during the series due to being over worked

this place has so much potential!!! and yes the milly guarantee is so ridiculous...oh lord...but i still play it every year...lol

I agree completely.
But to be honest I don't think Winstar really cares. Yeah they make money, but they make so much money elsewhere they don't want to deal with it.
Only one I'll play is the $400.

I'm not completely sure, but I think last year they facilitated a chop.

Is there a poker rate or discount code for the hotel?

Unfortunately no. Also they have a PBR event that weekend which is killing availability and driving up rates. There aren't great options in Gainesville either but try Hotwire or hotels.com in Gainesville. I got a state rate room at the Gainesville La Quinta which is fine.

^^^BA beat me to the punch....

Everybody ain't rich like you sir some of us have to look for motel 6 prices.

It is perplexing to me that they do such a poor job of promoting their tournaments. The river they at least promote a bit, but all their mini-river events are very poorly marketed.

Choctaw pretty much sold their soul to host the Cardplayer\WPT\WSOP\Poker Night series. Those tournaments are pretty well run, but the Choctaw room in general, and their weekly tournaments, are inferior to Winstars. I just wish Winstar would put more effort into their biog tournaments, and would make their daily tournaments all re-entry tournaments.

They won't though. They don't really make money on the daily tournaments, they do them to drive the cash games.

Would you guys recommend any particular nearby hotels? The current room rates are a little higher than what i'd like to pay. Preferably a place that's within a 5-10min drive to Winstar.

Super 8 in Gainsville which is south of Winstar. Or any other hotels in Gainsville.

For reasons of sanity and diversification I would agree on not staying at Winstar. You would be suprised on how much a little distraction/perspective can clear your mind and help your play when playing in a series. Especially since Winstar isn't exactly a healthy atmosphere. So if you can save money and NOT have to stay there I highly recommend it.