Who are you talking to?

Whoever was discussing Thunder's weekly tournaments

Is it not OK to change the subject?

I agree that TV has some work to do with their big tournaments, but despite their flaws the HPT Main Event was a blast to play in. Could it be better? Absolutely. But where else in the Sacramento Area can this type of tournament happen?

Thank you. My point as well.

So funny. Tvc has added tables every series for last 2 years and every series has had an increase in attendance. Sorry they didn't start two years ago by filling up the ballrooms with 100 tables and only filling 15 of them. You grow with time and get better. That's the best we can hope for.

I love Chris and his events are some of the best around. But GSR numbers have been declining steadily and they aren't even making their guarantees last few series. Thunder on the other hand is blowing away their guarantees. It's hard to complain about.

I hate smoke more than anyone. While in Vegas I heavily weigh my playing decisions based on smoke and whether an event is in a closed area.

It's probably top of my wish list for thunder. But it's obvious a ballroom is needed for the larger tournaments and shrink the cash room back down to normal size.

This will solve smoke and noise for all tournament players. Maybe glass for poker room in future as well.

The decline of Reno is due to a variety of reasons, but one of those reasons is because of Thunder Valley. The majority of the people that play in Reno and in Tahoe live in Northern California. These people have no reason to travel all the way to Reno when they can get their fix at home. They do this out of convenience, not necessarily for any other reasons. If you're playing slots or BJ Thunder is superior, but as far as poker goes? No. Let's do a little compare and contrast, using Grand Sierra since you brought them up.

Grand Sierra runs their tournaments in a separate room, on temporary tables. I have never been placed on an alternate list at GSR. Chris is a top professional Tournament Director and has been doing so for years. He not only runs GSR but also helps out at the WSOP every summer. Chris is highly respected in the community for running top-notch tournaments with top notch structures. The only problem Chris has is that he's in Reno , which can't compete with places like Thunder Valley as well as other Reno Casinos. But this isn't because they're doing anything wrong! There are around 10 million people that live within a 2-3 hour drive of Thunder Valley. If you don't include Sacramento in Reno's range, then they can barely crack 1 million in a 2- 3 hour radius. Numbers don't lie.

Thunder Valley isn't beating up on Reno for tournaments because they're better run. There isn't a TD in Sac that can hold a candle to Chris. Thunder just has waaay more people in the area. Chris and GSR go out of their way to make the players experience as good as possible for the Pot of Gold events. They listen to player feedback. They provide ample room and ample tables (no sitting around for 4 hours to get a seat). They stick to TDA rules. They have informed dealers and floor men. They manage to keep the poker room running at full capacity during tournament series. Thunder Valley does none of these things. Yet, Thunder absolutely crushes GSR's fields.

For some reason, NP916, you seem to think that all these things mean that we should give Thunder more credit. You think that doing everything you can to piss off your player base, yet reaping endless profits from doing so, should be rewarded, even rejoiced! That mentality is cancerous to this industry! The reasons I stated previously are exactly why we get soooo mad at Thunder!

Were coming off a week where they had back to back 500+ player fields in a single series. They had an 800k prize pool in the 1st ever 1500 event they held, and look how many simple things were ****ed up?

Can you imagine what that place would be like if Chris Spears were running the show? Do you think he would oversee a tournament with such an incredibly high number of basic elementary blunders? Tournaments being run in a poker room at a casino that has a piano hall available? Bagging chips at the end if the night taking over an hour for 9 tables! No real professional TD would associate themselves with such Tom-Foolery!

Is it too much to ask to expect a series to be run to that level? No! No it isn't! They make enough goddam money to afford to be competent. If they want to run big time tournaments and expect big time players to compete for big time prize pools in big time fields, it's time for some big-time changes.

And, again, we also have to take into consideration the fact that, uhhh, you work there?! Of course you're going to have good things to say about the place! But look at the things myself and other professionals on this forum have to say about Thunder. Do you think it's a coincidence that we all say the same things? We make the same complaints? We all praise guys like Chris Spears and condemn elementary tournament practices at Thunder Valley? It's not a coincidence. We're not whiners, were just right.

I'd just like to say that CJ speaks for me and probably everyone else that we play with on a regular basis. It's a crime Ben doesn't beg people like CJ to sit down with him and tell him what to fix and why.

Have to agree with CeJeh. GSR runs some great series and I would play most of the their tournaments because they are well run and have a great structure. But the main reason I don't is because I'm 2.5 hrs away and I would probably need to stay there at a hotel, which can be hard when you're working full time.

Thunder Valley is in a great location but the fact they have so many alternates is beyond frustrating. Their structures are only good when you pay over $300-$400. Any $100-$150 and under tournament is crap there. Add the smoke and its unplayable.

Everything he has said is a common sentiment and nothing ground breaking. I'm sure Ben is aware of all the complaints. He obv doesn't really care since more and more people are playing there regardless. It's what happens when you have a monopoly. Look at time warner cable and the like. They will have no real urgency to change until enough people start voting with their wallets.

You are correct Chris's numbers have declined a bit lately but his buy in's have not increased
$260 for 100k
$380 for 200k

$20 room rates and smoke free + great dealers

Does TVC even give a room rate?
It may sound like I'm bashing TVC but Ben has been to the LAPC and WSOP and he should know what to expect! like you said every series TVC has had it has grown so there should be no excuses for sending players away or making them wait 4 hours as an alternate.

Everyone I talked to from out of town this weekend was staying at mediocre hotels 5+ miles away. Thunders rooms are expensive. I've never been offered a deal on a room that cost less than $100 for a weeknight.

I got a room on Thursday night for $149 + resort fee, the room was nice.

Going to Jason Aldean concert Oct 11th (Friday) and a room at TV is $350. Even Vegas isn't that expensive wtf.

I need to make a trip to Reno for one of these events. It's hard though with a senior and freshman in high school. They have so many activities during the week and on the weekends it's hard to get away. I keep trying to convince my wife that poker could pay for college, but she won't bite

Supply/Demand

First off we have to clear some things up... I am not a TVC employee. Never have been and never will be. I am a tournament poker player. Employees cannot play at Thunder Valley unless its at 3am. It was a joke started by someone in this forum and now the employees at Thunder Valley are asking me why I am trying to pass as one of them. Hilarious. I need to clear that up with them too.

Secondly, ALL tournament structures and schedules have been adjusted as of TODAY. I guess we should all be looking for a major announcement on the web and the poker blog as soon as the HPT info clears the pages.

So before you start knocking the $100-$150 events take a look at whats new. More chips, more levels, more money guaranteed, same buy ins!

The $40 dailies are not going to become HPT events. The demographic for the daily tournament is NOT the same as the WPT 10K events. Of course you all know that although that didn't stop me from asking to change those. It is the rec guy who wants a couple of hours (not 8 hours) of fun and drinking before going back home or back to his real job. So don't expect EVERY single day to have a killer tournament. They are still going to cater some smaller buy in events to the rec player.

The other tournament that is already SOLD OUT every time and may not see too much adjustment is the holiday events. Again the demographic of that is not the tournament grinder but the local rec guy who has the day off and is getting his chance to play in a larger field event. I thought going from $125 to $250 would be fun but not going to happen.

BUT, there will be some additional larger tournaments on a regular schedule. MORE deepstacks. More televised events, more tournament series, more fun.

I am the first one who brought up GSR because it is the GOLD standard in our area. I am not trying to say Thunder runs better events, I was simply pointing out that the numbers are HUGE and this is where tournaments are happening. They are doing the best they can as quickly as they can to make it an enjoyable place for every player.

I've never seen a casino give as much control and extremely valuable space to a poker room manager before. It is remarkable and for THAT they should get some credit. All of you have heard stats on what a slot machine makes so if they move ONE machine for more tables it is worth celebrating.

I understand ALL the complaints and I am not arguing with them.

I feel like we should take this out of the SACRAMENTO area thread and start a THUNDER VALLEY thread since they do deserve their own thread... barber.

No but seriously I should start a thread and then lists ALL of the VARIOUS improvements and changes that HAVE been made in the last 30-60 days and that will be put in place in the next 30 days if they haven't already.

Some things will be barely noticeable others will only be noticeable when you make the money (so for some it will take longer to appreciate than others). OUCH.


So just understand there are serious efforts being made even if it is in the background and takes time to be noticed. Thanks for being patient.


Last note to BARBER, your complaints were all noted and recorded and reported to Ben just as we have been discussing over the last year. By the time I presented them to him 50% of the complaints in the note had already been addressed... the other 50% are being worked on.

Stay classy San Diego...

.

^^^^^

First Saturday is now a 40k guarantee at thunder valley.

Friday 5pm deep stack no longer canceled during this event.


1st Saturday $40,000 Guaranteed Deep Stack
Every Month at 11AM
Next Event: Saturday, Oct. 5, 2013
No Limit Hold 'Em Deep Stack
Buy-in: $300 - $15,000 in chips to start
Mega Satellites offered on the Friday prior to each 1st Saturday Special Event at 11AM and 8PM
Registration opens 1PM the day prior to each special event. Our daily scheduled 11AM poker tournament will be cancelled during these events. See Poker Room for details.

That's good that you're not an employee, NP, even though saying things like thenorcaljew quoted does not make you sound like you aren't an employee...

That's great that changes are coming, but the whole behind-the-scenes subtle change thing is really meh. It's the big things that count here!

Get rid of the line rule and run the tournaments in piano hall or some other conference room ( non idea how many they have I'm only in the poker room or food court there). But that's it! Those 2 things are all we really want. Oh and the education of dealers/floor men on how tournaments should be run is a must. Everything else we can deal with, but these 3 things are the deal breaker.

Or just ****ing ask your players what would make them happy and do that. I want to make a players union so badly after experiences like this.

ORLY

"our staff"? "We will run (the game)"?

Why would someone who has never worked for TVC post a teaser about an upcoming "big reveal"?

Yeah I can kinda see why everyone - TVC staff included - believes that you are trying to come off as an employee.

Hey np916, can you post the structure sheets and how long the blind levels are for all the tournaments? I'd like to see the major changes since I don't want to just go there to see the structure sheets and emailing them is usually not informative. I don't really care for the $40 weekdays and I guess Im not a rec player for the holiday tournaments. I get players don't want to be playing for a lot of hours but there are things you can do to fix structures so its not so slow at the beginning and not so fast towards the end.

And its nice that so many changes are going to happen but if you don't fix the big changes, none of it really matters.

I can confirm NP916 is not an employee and he was just being funny, being that he is the only one defending TVC in this forum.

In other good news, the lung that Ive been coughing out since my 3 days in voluntary smoke inhalation torture has now cleared up. I've been assured that its not early stages of Emphysema, so I'm dropping the class action law suit as of now, but if I can't get the smell out of my fine polyester, I might try a new approach. I'll keep you all posted.

I agree about giving Thunder Valley a thread under the "Poker Venue" sub forum, but I don't want to start it and have me name forever attached to it.