Yup. This is the time of the year you can get Biltmore rooms for 60 bucks. It's not surprising though, it's CAZ after all.

Please do, it's been too long.

RE: Phil Hellmuth appearance fee
At our shift meeting this past evening we were asked to pass along the following information to players who asked:
(paraphrased)
Regarding the source of any fee or costs associated with the appearance of Phil Hellmuth at the Arizona State Championship Event:
The fees were paid for/provided solely by the marketing department. No funds from either the tournament prize pool or the Players Promotional Fund ( PPF/BBJ) were used in any form.

Thank you for clearing up the issue!

Can we install more Tournaments with structure similar to the AZ State Champ please on the regular?! Would love to see Sunday tournaments hosted at CAZ

When is ariZona going to realize that they need some kind of poker series throughout the year, like California does? I love playing during series out here in so cal. Arizona is so behind, and it's a shame since CAZ has the room for it

They don't have room, they have an allotted number of tables (and that includes poker, blackjack, paigow, etc). To run a tournament series, they have to shut down the cash games (and lose in rake for sure) or convert some of their blackjack etc tables for the duration (not gonna happen obvs)

Should they put in for something like a seven day exception to the maximum number of tables they are allowed by the state, to last one week in August (so they can run a proper series a la LAPC)? Probably, unsure if they have or haven't. They also may have a dealer shortage to contend with if they added extra tables for a week+...

And that's what separate California scene to Arizona's... Don't they have conference rooms they can use for a tournament area, and hire extra staff for the time being? The tournament I just played in at the bike had over $128,000 in rake for just one tournament... There is money to be made

Sure, but what are they gonna do about the state-mandated limit on the number of tables they are allowed to have? Convert blackjack tables? They, and anyone that has a clue what the take from table games looks like, will laugh at the 128k "profit" to be made.

I'd love for it to happen, but it's not gonna w/o an exemption from the State.

I mean you say this as a biased tournament player. While the lack of tournies may be the difference between here and LA for you, the difference for me is caz has friendly players/friendly staff, there's no shenanigans for getting on waitlists, the rake is way cheaper, the casino is in a nice safe part of
Town and the hotel is twice as nice as commerce for
Half the price.

For me, these are all more important than having a tourney series

That's you..but most above avg poker players want a tournament that awards the more skilled players than the ones on a brief heater during the midst of skipping blind levels. 1 or 2 tournament series a year with proper slow structure would make this place way better...and also convince out of towners to travel to come here as well.

Also, IMO, I am a good tournament player that suffers from no selection of good tournaments within my home state. My only way of playing a higher-skill based tournament is to travel out of state, which is in essence higher rake to me just to attend.

Or they just want cash games

A time back I played in one of the single table shoot-outs, cash not for T-entry. Got down to 3pl and I called the clock on a guy I was in a hand with, after about 3.5 minutes. Floor took 3 minutes to arrive, clock running. He gets there is told what's going on and says OK go ahead. My questions were answered with "well there really is no time limit" and "well if it becomes a problem" etc. 7 minutes later the guy was allowed to fold with as much time as he wanted. I think of different incidents as this when I read competent floor. I won the table but wont play one again which is a shame good EV in those.

Who wants more above average poker players visiting?

Read back what you just said and think about it. One single experience( That didnt affect you) and you "wont play in one again", EVEN though its "good EV in those".

well said thx

Minor nit point, my friend. Maybe my experience with the casino host staff will be different after jonboy hooks me up with his host.

Very clear distinction, that I def agree with you on. Of course it's probably the best thing in the world for me since I won't even play pit games here because I've been comped so poorly. I'll just drive to Vegas like you. Hopefully it works out for you with your host as we would all much rather have your company here than Vegas.

But he has learned that the tournament floor are incompetent. Even if he wasn't affected this time, it could be different next time. Any amount of positive EV can be wiped out by a bad ruling.

So by quitting( playing a positive EV tournament ) now he makes sure he never experiences the chance that he might, sometime in the future experience a bad ruling that could negatively affect his EV. (because that never happens at any other room).
ok.

Making a generalized statement that "the tournament floor are incompetent" based on a single incident is pretty unfair.

These run from the board and when a floor is called its a live shift floor, as was the case for this. 15min clock/steep blinds driven format was completely lost on this individual. Any of the tournament staff would have walked up and given a countdown. Explanations from me didn't connect with him and an entire level was lost to one hand. There was a tourney going. I kinda felt like shouting out hey check this out-guy being given 13minutes to make a decision! It was comic after a few minutes.

You have a legitimate gripe about that specific situation.

My other commentary was focused more on the fact that you make such a rush to judgement and change your entire focus based on one incident.

Did you approach the shift manager and discuss the situation? i promise you they are willing to listen and speak with the "offending" floor person so that it doesn't happen again.

I've always gotten along with and enjoyed talking to everyone associated with running the tournaments. That being said, they are desperately in need of someone taking over the current staff. Floor rulings, enforcement of penalty scenarios, and the lack of enforcement on collusion between the regulars late in tourneys near bubble time all needs attention and improvement from the TD.

I have never liked the pay structures for the bigger stuff, as paying so many spots the same amount is pretty silly, but the final table payouts always seem pretty standard. I think someone new in charge can help fix the actual tourney structures for many of the tourneys that skip levels, and that dont have antes. Granted, the daily tourneys are comparable to many other smaller tourneys offered in most cardrooms, and probably dont need to have the levels changed much due to the fact that they want them to end in a reasonable timeframe. I think that keeps the daily regulars happy that they can be home for dinner. The nightly and weekend tournaments should all 100% have solid structures with antes and that don't just skip huge levels deep.

The way they still collect cash at the table for the "add-on" is just a plain bad idea. All cash should be handled at the cage. That includes all up front fees and addons, as well as any tipping that occurs during payouts. They did well to move the tip jar to the cage, but Im not convinced all those funds are used for dealers and floor staff alike. Charge the buy-in and service fee together like everyone else, and if you need to disclose 1-3% of that total buy in goes to staff, then do so. Then make sure to include dealers in that. Players can still make their personal decisions how they want to tip on top of all that after they cash, but I prefer to take care of the dealers on my own, vs hoping that the tips and service fees allotted for the dealers actually goes to the dealers.

I have shared some of this with floor in the past, but as it has been mentioned in the thread, now is the time that some of these changes can actually take place as someone new comes in.

Off my tournament soap box, for now. I do hope someone gets in and helps the overall situation for tournaments soon.

Yeah I'm over it Ubin no worries. Was a good point you made though. I saw some comment earlier somewhere about the floor it made me think of that one deal and several others.

T-payouts make me cringe Rossi. They teach us that finishing 11 is no more of an accomplishment than 15th. Or that 29th should feel exactly the same as 21st. Well it just doesn't feel the same and takes up far more of your time. Getting paid the same stings more again. Tracking who had the bigger stack on same hand knock-outs takes a bit of attention sometimes. I get that. Entering different digits into a field in the software is most of what it would take. Give a nod to advancing, and if only a bit more cash too.
Post the payout percents in print and online prior to each tourney. Although they are the same events over and over and over and over. We all know about how many players there will be and about how much first will be but post it anyway. cuz ya care...

If every spot in a tournament paid an escalating amount, every spot. The T-staff could do something like number served tickets or plaques. Dated and unique to that event, only redeemable that day. Like a seat card numbered 1st thru last and all the floor would have to do is hand the card to the knocked out player who redeems it for the money at the cage. Carry around the relative hand full and service the players as it rolls down. Or not.