http://www.goldennugget.com/LasVegas...poker_2012.pdf

Anyone ever see the movie based on this series, staring Woody Harrelson? They play winner takes all for 10 million.

Beware of 194+46 juice events.

Hopefully they can get better dealers this time around, last year's were pretty bad from what I saw.

It looks like the same mistake happened again (like last year) with the PLO8 MTT. Would Golden Nugget management (such as John Colville) consider changing it like they did last year? I think they will get a larger number of runners if it's not conflicting with the WSOP event.

WSOP's $1500 PLO8 is on 6/26.
Golden Nugget is running a $230 MTT at the exact same time (6/26).

Poker manager said to me he'd email structures to me last weekend. I'll follow up and post if I get anything.

They really should have made their 1k on the same day as the ante only wsop event instead of clashing with a 1500

now that would require someone who works there to do some research and decent planning.

Oh yeah they need to change this or the gn $1k is gonna get crushed! Hopefully they change this, there's still plenty of time

Any idea when registration is open?

Make sure they advertise their staff bonuses or refuse to pay it

Anyone have the structures? Played in one event last year, easily cashed. Very soft competition until the last two tables. The dealers were bad but the structure was great. Deepest event I've ever seen for $200 or less. Hoping for big fields and a decent rake. My event had just under 200 runners. One more note, juice on wsop deep stacks are pretty bad too...105+30, 195+40 etc. if anyone has low rake alternative tournies they should post em.

It's higher than that even. They take 3% plus the hidden staff fee. I believe its. $194+46 for most events.

This is at least correct for the non holdem events. The Binions Classic events are mostly 35 minute levels and are 20% or less juice instead of 23.7%.

blind structures http://www.goldennugget.com/LasVegas...Structures.pdf

This is the best structure for any of the summer tourney series that offers a tournament for under $300. I played several events last year, I WILL beat my 2 final tables and 6 cashes from last year. Only complaint about this tourney series is the dealers, they are the worst!

Just to answer a few of the questions about GPS 2012:

1. drinks are free for players at the tables. After eliminated though, then cash bar is open.

2. dealers: this is my biggest challange every year; becasue of the time of year. This year though, we have a larger core of special event dealers that have been working all year and that helps a lot. Also, this year we have opened somewhat of a school for those that we think need work. and this will go on for a month before we start, we ahve never been able to do that in the past. this time of year i would safely say up towards 2,000 dealers get put on temp assignment to all the various casinos' poker series; thats a lot to come up with. but again, should and will be a lot better this year.

3. Juice/Vig: always, no matter what a tough issue. but just to compare:

2011 Ventian NLH $300+40+10 staff bonus chips + -3%; Caesars 2012 NLH $200+ 40 + -3%; 2010 thru 2012 Golden Nugget NLH $200 + 25 + 10 staff bonus chips + -3%. All pretty darn close. i am sure there are plusses and minuses to each, I feel we all do some things very well and somethings always need work. I like our price points, structures and chips, i think is very good play and comparable value. and i also actually will play one or two of the other joints events ( if have time).

the thing with the vig/juice is every one wants more chips, more structure and more play. i get it, I want that too when I play. And fact is to give more it does cost more to host. Poker events are labor heavy and advertising can be pricey as well.

figure you sign up for a NLH event and house vig/juice is $25 and dealer bonus (which is optional) is another $10; that's $35. Let's say its a 12 - 13 hour event and you maybe last mid-field at 6 hours. thats $35 divided by 6 hours = $5.80 per hour of which the house gets $4.10. now maybe you had a beer or a coke, i will tell you that i am charged $1.75 per drink, could be coke, beer, whiskey, water, coffee , whatever. now that $4.10 goes down. And there is also licensing, labor, equipment, all kinds of stuff that all costs money. it does add up. so we have to charge to play, especially in these days of deep stacks and long structures. If we give more, if it takes longer, it costs more to host.

Now please understand, we love poker and love poker events. They bring a lot of people to our property and that gives us a chance to show off and create new steady customers. But the poker series tournament fees, though they do suck for player are needed and simply just have to happen.

as a player i do not like it either, and as a bussiness man i listen to the complaints. but the fees are here to stay. i can only suggest you look for the best value for you and for whats important to you. and also get the best personal customer service you can find.

There are a ton of poker players but there is also a ton of rooms wanting your bussiness; make sure where ever you go that you have access to the decision makers, get treated with respect and are appreciated for chosing to spend your money where you go.

I hope this helps clear up some questions. where ever you choose to play this poker season, best of luck to you.

Thank you,

John Colville
Director of Poker Golden Nugget

I see the poker rate at the bottom of the schedule...are there any ways to get comped for rooms during the week or so for extended stays? I mean, 40/night if you stayed 1/2 a month somehow that's more than a cheap rental somewhere else. Also, it says all events are at noon. So when the schedule lists two events, they both start at noon, or does it mean only NL events start at noon and the mixed game ones later somehow? Lastly, are all "other" game mtts limit unless otherwise specified?

Very lastly, Alan Kessler...can I become your shadow and follow you around to learn everything I can about gambling/Vegas/be your roomie?

EDIT: How do prizepools compare for a 230 mixed event and a 125 NL event? Are the mixed events still full of a ton of donks and basics will be good enough to hang?

I played in one of these last year (a $235) and got third. It was a decent event but we had some brutal dealers pulled from the blackjack pits.

I played one of the first events last year, room is nice, staff was nice, structures were good and fees were avg. The only thing that was not good were the dealers. After that first event I decided to play at the rio the rest of the week. I'll give the GN another shot this year and I really hope it improves because like I said everything else was good.

Thanks for posting John - can you give us a bit of info as to how the single table sats work?

The website simply says $28 SnG sats from 9am. Are these $20+8, $25+3, something else? Are they 10 or 9 seat and is there a structure sheet that you can post? Also, I assume they're winner take all? How are they paid out? Do GN have their own tourney lammers, or would it be GN casino chips?

Thanks

Is the $45 poker rate for EVERY single day including the weekends?

John would you consider changing the date for your main event? I'd really like to play it, but there is no way that I'll skip a $1.5k WSOP Bracelet event to play the GN Main. I can pretty much guarantee that the vast majority of poker players in this price range feel the same way. I'm afraid that you will have trouble getting over 75 players on this date being up against a similarly priced WSOP event.

If you spelled my name right, I might let u follow me for a day

lol fail^