Matt:

Given that the field size for this event has decreased to the point where having enough space on Day 2 is no longer an issue, could you please give some consideration to making the Day 1 levels at least 75 minutes next year?

Also, sorry I wasn't able to make it out this year, I canceled my trip at the last second to stay in New Jersey and help deal with my sick dog.

Bah... then I'd have to wait 4-5 hours for a seat in my 20/40 or 40/80 game instead of 2-3 . Probably not even gonna play today because I hate being all cramped up in the rest/banquet area elbowing a guy at another table.

BTW, I hope Taylor Raines takes it down... would be nice to see a local reg win this thing.

Matt, great job as always running this thing.

very well run tournament matt next time can you make sure your dealer doesn't brick my royal flush draws . . . . go jaka,dan obrien,bkice

I haven't missed a Bay 101 event since the first time I played it in 2006. Great event, thanks again Matt. Some observations:

Ignore Todd Terry, 60 minute levels on day one are awesome, esp when you're essentially playing two hours at 200/400 due to the inclusion of the 250/500 level, etc.

One thing I'd like to see change is the color-up-the-green situation, which I'd like to see coordinated with a normal break. At both NAPT (and EPT) events and at Bay 101 (prob Commerce too), there was an additional mini-break added to do the colorup. Imo it would be cool if the ante structure was made a little more aggressive so we could get to 300/600/100 (especially doable with the 250/500 level!).

One other thing that I (and Kingsofcards, who also complained about this) would like to see implemented as a universal dealing procedure in all tournaments and all card rooms: Bets should not be brought in unless one of the players in the hand asks for it. This should 100% be the standard procedure when it's just one raise to the blinds. It's really brutal when you make it 2700 to go at 600/1200 and the dealer brings in the 1200s into an already big pot, effectively saying, "look how cheap it is to get in this pot!" Pretty sure that was Tom Marchese's major complaint wrt dealing as well.

Oh yes and good luck to Takeover, BKice, the dude who looks like me (Elon) and whoever else I'm forgetting.

Agree 100%, this seems to be a new trend but they are doing it everywhere now.

+1 for not bringing in the bets unless it is specifically requested. In addition to creating confusion, it slows down the game and leads to mistakes.

i agree too!

I actually think the 60 minute levels work on day one here because of these three factors.

1. It is a 4 day tournament with limited space (btw this could change in 2011 as well as NL cash games!)....Commerce is a 6 day event with unlimited space.

2. There is a 75-150, 250-500-50 (next year could be 250 500-75 thanks Shaniac)

3. 1 hour levels, 90 on day 2 and 2 hours of 6 max on day 3 actually make the structure better and really deep. (Going into today we are 82BB's deep and it will get deeper today.


I used to have a 300-600 100 and may indeed take that idea in tournaments that don't fall right on the break as 250-500-75 does indeed still work. I have always done my color ups on a natural break and not sure why I missed this one.


The dealers have always been instructed to bring in the raise amounts EXCEPT for the big blind difference. I apologize if that dealer did that and even made a point to mention it at the meeting.

As always I appreciate your input Shane!

Yes, he does look like you but I never really noticed it until KEVMATH MADE A MISTAKE and said you were on the live streaming table and it was actually Elon Diamond.

Actually it has ALWAYS been done but should never be done off the big blind. I am not opposed to changing this one though as it does sometime add confusion and could actually induce action. I will send this one to the TDA Members for a vote and see what happens.

As I said, I think given the smaller crowds limited space is no longer an issue, correct? Back when this event sold out you needed to eliminate 1/2 the field on Day 1, that's no longer necessary. As for the 4-day nature of the event, is there any reason it can't be a 5-day event?

no brainer... all dealers need to know this...hope becomes a new standard everywhere

No, except for the space issue but most guys actually like it the way it is and the locals all gunning for the $5,000 bounties keeps the fast paced day 1 very interesting.

Really need to figure out how to get more star bounties in this tournament

I have to admit that when I looked around and saw players like Schulman, Little, Griffin, Cantu, Cassidy, Alaei, Madsen, Seiver, BoostedJ and many others without $5,000 bounties on them it was a bit embarrassing for me. I do not have the final say on who are the stars but I do have influence.

Of course everyone in poker these days is a star so maybe the best way to do it is open it up to an all star ballot process.

Agree! I wish this were the case with cash games too.

At Borgata, we do not bring in bets unless a player in the hand asks...wastes time and can change the way a hand is played. When I see a dealer bringing in the bets w/o being asked, it drives me nuts and they will be councilled.

The bringing in the bets thing is something I used to like and was a way for competent dealers to make things simpler and more quick.

But since the main problem with this has become the one-raise-to-the-blind situation, the procedure should be scrapped completely because too many dealers won't properly make the distinction.

that's where the confusion and lack of uniformity of the rules comes from. Most players used to prefer the dealers bringing in the bets, but now they don't... time to re-think this and re-train the dealers, uniformly...

random aside, but whats up with the dealers not cutting the cards when they take them out of the automatic shuffler? i think bay 101 is the only casino i've ever seen where they deal straight from the automatic shuffler without cutting onto the cut card.

We talked about this at my day 1 table--Why should they cut the cards? I don't even understand why it's part of the normal dealing process to begin with really. Like I get why we have burn cards, but I don't understand the reason for cutting the deck.

in the normal shuffle it makes a lot more sense, it's definitely not impossible to catch a glimpse of a card in the middle of the deck or lower such that you can be sure it wont come up in the hand, or if you follow a card and realize it's on top or something

doesn't the cut allow for a greater probability that someone will be able to view a card in the middle and track it?

btw, Bay 101 has auto shufflers.

yeah I know I was just answering for the 'normal dealing process'

and no, i think its way easier to see a card during the riffle than during the cut, since the cards are necessarily turned upwards a little bit

With auto shufflers it is not necessary and there is not deck manipulation by the dealers at all.