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.