Poker Players Need Information

Poker players need information.  I'm not talking about paying attention at the table, or even what we learn when we study.  We need to know what's going on.  We need to know what tournaments are scheduled where and when.  We need a good estimate of how many players there will be, because that tells us how big the prize pool we be.  We need to know if the players are in general good, bad, or average.  We want all of that information and more.

Some casinos, charity rooms, and tournament directors understand that, and they compete for the players by giving them as much information as they can.  Some even have charts showing the blind levels, how long the levels last, and how much the blinds and antes are at each level.  On the other hand some places, especially charity rooms, often won't do this.

Players talk about this.  They ask questions on poker forums.  They read charity room or casino web pages.  They talk to other players.  Players here in Michigan check the Michigan Gaming Control Board web site. They want every bit of information that they can get their hands on.  Here is an example of that information seeking, from the Detroit thread on the twoplustwo.com poker forums:

Q:  update from vision? how many seats did they sell? what was the buyin? what time did it sell out?

A1:  50 seats. Flip is out already. I'm down half a stack. Sold out before 630 I believe. Flip would know.

A2:  Coach there were about 4 2-5 games running all day & all night till I left at 3 in the mornin, and even when I left there were 12 on the list waiting. It's a $500 max 2-5, but the thing I liked about this room was it was a time-rake. Also the games seemed to play pretty deep, I had atleast 4 stacks of 2k on my table, and only 3 or 4 "regulars" in the game, the rest seemed to be from somewhere or another. Solid dealers, room is run well.

Q: Looking to play some live cash during the day near the waterford area.. any rooms open??

A:  300 bowl. Not sure what time they open or if there is any cash running during the day but you can call them to find out.

Players do this constantly.  We want every detail that can be nailed down.  "Where should I play" questions can sometimes dominate several pages of the Detroit thread.  If they can't get the information they want, they will go somewhere else.

I live about 200 miles from Detroit.  There is no poker networking here that I am aware of.  There is no site where people in my part of Michigan can share such information, which is why I spend so much time keeping up with the Detroit thread.  I can at least find out how it's supposed to work.

A few months ago I asked the tournament director at my local room if I could get a printout of, or link to, the levels, blinds and antes.  The TD said that I couldn't do that.  I told him that I know the information is available, because it shows on an overhead monitor when we are playing.  The TD again said that it wasn't possible.

I posted about this on the Detroit thread, and the first response was (not a direct quote, but close, "Are you serious?  He has to give you that information."

In Detroit, the players have clout.  They can, and will, go to another room if they don't get the information that they want.  In a stretch of four contigous counties bordering Lake Michigan there are no casinos and no open charity rooms.  We might have one room open in October.*  We have no clout and unfortunately, the owner of that one available local room knows that.

The web site for my local room, their Facebook page, and direct information from the owner sometimes all conflict with each other.  After I asked the owner about this a few (4?) times, including telling him about information errors on both the web site and the Facebook page, he finally typed, "CLIF JUST STOP"

Since there is little information sharing, the only way to find out about the other rooms is to try them, which in my case would require at least a 35-minute drive.  If it's not a good room or tournament, then I've wasted time and money on a 70 mile round trip.  The nearest casino that deals poker is 103 miles from where I live.  Detroit area players often have no problem driving 40 miles or more to a charity room--but only if they know what they're getting.

Last week there was a tournament 20 miles from me, at an American Legion Post.  I don't think they had done it before.  I hope that the first time wasn't the last time.  I need information, and I need options.

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*There might actually be two rooms open, but only one at a time.  One room open Monday through Wednesday, the other Thursday through Sunday.

To travel, or not to travel? That is the question.

This is still another one of the short-term vs. long-term issues, complicated by a lack of reliable information.

I know that when I limit myself to playing live tournaments in one location, I am limiting my options.  I also know that playing in small local tournaments, where first prize might only be ten buy-ins, I'm not going to make a lot of money.

At some point,when I am finally able to play full-time, if I really want to make poker a viable option where I am making more than the average individual income in the United States (about $36,000 if I remember correctly) I have to be willing to go to charity rooms or casinos in other cities, where the first prize is 25 or 50 times the buy-in, or more.  But for now, I have to stick pretty close to home.

Here is the current situation, as I see it:

1. I no long consider The Big Game Room to be reliable, and the information that they put out is often wrong.  I once went to TBGR and found it closed, even though the web page said that there was a tournament running that day.

Due to state meddling and overregulation, TBGR can no longer operate as a standalone business in their own space.  From now on, most of the weekday operations will be at a room in a sports bar, and weekend operations will be at a room at a bowling alley.  Or so they say.

In late August, the TGBR web page said that they were closed for now, but they would post an update after Labor Day.  The update was finally posted several days after Labor Day, and it said that operations would start on 9/18.  That never happened.  A few days ago, they posted on the web page that operations in the bowling alley would start on 10/2.  I'm not sure that I believe anything they say any more.

Information is always either lacking, incorrect, or contradictory.  The web page says that they will be open on 10/2 at the bowling alley.  However, the Facebook page not only says nothing about the new openings and locations, it still shows the old (standalone) address, with a map of how to get there--and the name of the strip mall is misspelled.

I have pointed out the information problems and inconsistencies, and for the most part nothing gets done.  At one time the owner of TBGR told me (this isn't an exact quote but very close) that he wasn't responsible for the web page, and didn't know what was on it.

So, soon there could be poker at a bowling alley that is less than two miles from my house.  Maybe.  It might be a pretty small prize pool if a lot of players check the Facebook page first.

The good news is that there is another option in Muskegon County.  There is a tournament Saturday night in Holton, a city about 20 miles from where I live.  It's a one-shot deal, but they have had their one-day state license in place for about a month, so I can be pretty sure that it's actually going to happen.  TBGR still does not have their state license.

Here's the problem.  Cost matters, and when I enter a tournament, I consider all of the costs, including travel, in this case, the cost of gas for the 40-mile round trip.  I have an account for live tournaments, and also an account for other expenses, including travel.   My Live Bankroll account is only about $450.  My Poker Expense account has about $300. That may sound like a lot of money, but my live bankroll, which I have built from nothing, is not enough money to play ten $50 tournaments.  The minimum bankroll to play MTTs should be about 100 buy-ins.  I don't have nearly that for even $25 tournaments (but you have to start somewhere) but at triple that cost plus travel expenses, it doesn't make much sense.  Or does it?

Again, I have an information problem.  The tournament in Holton could have an entry fee of $75 or it could be $25.  I have played at both levels..  Again, I have no information.  I called the Holton American Legion, and the people that I talked to on the phone either didn't know about the tournament, or knew none of the details.  This seems to be new to them.

Here is a best-case scenario:

1. If it's a tournament with an entry fee at or below $40, it's a lot less risk, because it's a relatively small piece of my bankroll.

2. Since tournaments don't run often in rural areas, it could be a big event for them, attracting a lot of players, and building a big prize pool.  I have seen those situations.

3. If the charities and the American Legion make a lot of  money, they might want to do it again soon.

4. If they become a viable option, it might give TBGR just what they need, competion.  TBGR no longer has the advantage of being a standalone, poker-only, poker-friendly environment.  If TBGR is to be competitive, their will have to up their game and do a better job of giving the players what they want.

If two or three of those four conditions exist in Holton, it will certainly make me think hard about at which place to play  And I will be happy to advise the folks in Holton on how to make themselves a viable option, on behalf of all of the players who are desperately looking for good options.