Quote:
Originally Posted by Black Aces 518
Some would say BBA is player-friendly, some (like you) would say it is not. Some (like akashenk) would say fast structures are player-friendly, some (like chainsaw) would say slow structures are.
Save "not player-friendly" for things like increased rake, decreased amenities, etc., rather than personal preferences.
I’m glad you finally agree that BBA is entirely a matter of preference and not some sort existential benefit to the game.😀
Anyhow, I don’t believe I have ever said that fast structures are player-friendly. What I have said is really slow structures are not rec-friendly. I think this is sort of by definition since rec players do not have as much time to devote to poker.
And “fast” is a relative term. Some people think anything short of hour long levels is fast. That’s fine. I just disagree. There’s no reason a happy medium can’t be found which provides for plenty of “play” early and late in an event and gets things over with within three days. For me that means 40-50 minute levels day one.
I also believe the notion that the longer an event is the better it is for “skilled” players is vastly overstated. There is definitely a structure out there that is optimum for skill. I do not believe the slowest structure possible is the one.
There are basically two reasons I feel this way. 1) If player A is more skilled than player B, it means they are more likely to make a better decision at any given point in time. It does not mean player A will make every decision better than player B. And given the increased importance of the concept of risk of ruin in tournament play, and the fact that players have to make many more decisions in lengthy events, it just leads to more opportunities to make the wrong one.
And 2) it’s not skill that is a good predictor of poker success, but rather the relative skill of the people you’re competing against. Slower tournaments tend to attract higher-skilled players. I’m quite certain their real “EV” (if such a thing were even calculable) in these events is significantly lower than if they were playing a looser-structured event with more recreational players in it. This does not mean that skilled players (or at least players who think they’re skilled) should be chomping at the bit to play 20 minute level events. But there’s a equilibrium out there. And the super long tourneys we will see at the WSOP this summer are no closer to ideal than the turbos many “skilled” players scoff at.