Adelaide Casino Sligo

Fatboydim

Yesterday I attended the Adelaide for it's monthly €250 +€25 reg Fo. I like the casino and it's staff and regulars are a friendly bunch - but this was actually the first time I had played one of their own MTT's. And I have to report some odd things. There were 28 runners and we started with seven players on four tables. But as soon as a player was knocked out we would go to three tables of nine. That would have been fine except instead of breaking down the players on the table with six left and adding those players to the other tables... every table redrew for seats.

So we were given the seat cards and all seven of us on table 2 were moved to table 1 with an additional two players joining us and everyone in different positions. Very odd. I thought maybe this was due to some error and just a one off. But then it happened again. We were down to 7 players on our table, there were 8 on another and it looked like 9 on the far table. So I asked if we were getting a player. The dealer seemed to think we were alright with seven... but called over someone. They went and checked and nothing seemed to happen so assumed that maybe the far table had 8 plus an observer. Then we lost a player and were down to six. We did then get a player who was a shortstack... and we lost him quite quickly then something must have happened on the other tables because we did the shuffling thing again and were down to 18 players.

I had just been through the blinds and was on the button - so I wasn't happy when I found myself moved on the same table into position 2 and straight into the BB. I asked what was going on and why they did it this way and the reply I got was "How else do you balance tables?" So I told them and got the reply that "That's how we do it here." But this was not the only peculiarity. Instead of moving the next BB, they move the shortstack. And this happened when they were balancing between the two tables. This in my mind was even worse than the lottery every time they shut down a table. But imagine being a shortstack... waiting for a hand and then being moved because you are a shortstack. One player's explanation was that he liked this system as it might "Change your luck" which probably said it all.

So the WSOP / WPT / EPT / Fitz / PE / Grovesnor Casinos / Caesar's Palace / Bellagio / Sporting Emporium and every other casino - card room and tour are doing it wrong lol. Fair play to Sligo - It's their club and the members like it and that's all that matters. But think it only fair to point it out on here for those who may be thinking of playing in one of their events. If the players can't work out how and why it disadvantages them; and the casino can't work out how and why it would be better to break down tables in the "Correct" way and would actually be less work for them - it makes it less likely that I will travel the hour and twenty minutes it takes me to get there. It won't break their hearts for sure... and I wish them every success - But they could do a lot worse than hire Nicky O'D to turn it into the first class facility it could be.

gocall01

Agh, paragraphs please, nearly gave up reading it.

Yeah, it's their place so their rules but that's mad!
Surely some of the reguler punters know the break up and player move rules?
You'd think they would speak up.
If they only play here they will get a shock when they are moved in the real world.

Here, here on the NickyO'D suggestion.
He could put together a TV show to the flavour of Gordon Ramsay's saving the restaurant ("Kitchen Nightmares" I think).
Something like "Dead Beats to Bad Beats".

5starpool

I added paragraphs in random places for you Len. I couldn't face reading it otherwise. Sligo people like to do things differently.

Fatboydim

Thanks Dom. Big smack on the wrists for me. And there I was helping Dim Jnr with his homework.:D

NickyOD

Thanks for the very kind suggestion Len.

When it comes to poker rooms everyone has their own very strong opinions and ways of doing things. This goes for players, dealers, poker room managers and card room owners alike, and trying to get them to see the light is an uphill battle and often completely futile. I've given up trying to convince people who don't know what they are doing because I know from experience you usually just end up looking foolish. I once played a pub game where every player at my table AND the "TD" were convinced that in No Limit holdem if you make a bet of say 700 then the next player can make a raise of any size as small as the big blind. So lets say the blinds are 50/100, he can raise my bet to 800. lol!

I even know one current manager of an irish poker room who is a director on the EPT who tried to convince me that in a $1-$2 a player can open preflop to a total of $3.

When you try to question people's methods the answer is almost always the same. "Look, thats' the way we always do it" which reminds me of the story about the monkeys in the cage, and the banana at the top of the step ladder.

There are 4 monkeys put in a cage, there's a step ladder with a banana hanging above it from a string. As soon as a monkey goes up to fetch the banana the other monkeys are sprayed with water. Each monkey in turn tries to go for the banana but every time they they get sprayed with water, until eventually they don't try any more. Then a monkey is replaced by new one and he of course immediately goes for the banana but the other monkeys jump on him and stop him and any time he tries again they beat the **** out him. In turn each of the other monkeys are replaced, and each of the new monkeys goes through the same torture, getting beaten to a pulp if they go up the step ladder. Eventually there are 4 new monkeys who have never been sprayed with water but none of them will go for the banana. Then one day one of the monkeys ask. "Hey, why don't we go up and get that banana" to which everyone replies" Because, that's the way things have always been done around here" .....and that's how poker room rules are implement.

By the way the owner/manager of the club reads this forum and seems like a very nice man so I'm sure he'll do his best to get things right in Sligo.

hotspur

I'm not great with fables but are you saying that if you try to get a cardroom to adhere to more typical poker rules then you get jumped on and beaten up by 3 monkeys who don't know why?

Personally if I went to a casino in Sligo and they so much as awarded the pot to the winning player I'd collapse in capitocentric shock!

carfax

hotspur wrote:

I'm not great with fables but are you saying that if you try to get a cardroom to adhere to more typical poker rules then you get jumped on and beaten up by 3 monkeys who don't know why?

Personally if I went to a casino in Sligo and they so much as awarded the pot to the winning player I'd collapse in capitocentric shock!

lol, I found the Adelaide casino to be a great place when I was there last....They're really into poker and are willing to put some money behind it (to see their entire casino grow of course)....

I'll be announcing a date for a €200 + €20 freezeout there in a little while....Hope you can make it Len.....WSOP Blind structure and I'll abide by TDA and WPA guidelines, lol.

Fatboydim

Absolutely Stephen. Give us plenty of warning so I can get some of the Fish from Westport over there as well. - I must admit though it did make me wonder how they would handle a contentious dispute.

carfax

Fatboydim wrote:

Absolutely Stephen. Give us plenty of warning so I can get some of the Fish from Westport over there as well. - I must admit though it did make me wonder how they would handle a contentious dispute.

Cheers Len. I'll get the post up in the morning with full details....We have flyers done up for it too so that we give the tournament a bit of advertising etc.....

I'll be on hand for any contentious disputes so we'll have a good tournament hopefully.

bubthatub

so how did you do? what was the prize breakdown

Fatboydim

28 runners - Paid 3200 / 1800 / 1200 / 550 / 250 - So five places paid and I finished 7th lol. I was about third in chips on the final table with three smallish shortstacks in the final nine. Mike who was on my left got very very lucky several times. Two crucial pots... I was on BB and had hit an open ended straight draw with Q9. Mike had limped UTG and Paul [seemed a very good player and massive chip stack] in late position was also involved in the hand. I made a reasonble sized bet that I hoped would tell me where I was with the other two. Both called which suggested that either they were weak or chasing. So the turn brought a low club and no improvement. I made the same bet reasoning that a larger bet would not get Mike off his draw and that it would be enough to either make Paul fold or reraise. Mike called - Paul folded. A nine came on the river. I had a fair idea that Mike was chasing the flush and that he didn't have the J or ten paired - only danger was a seven. It was possible that my nine was good. If I checked however I'd be almost giving the pot away as Mike would bet regardless and he wasn't shy of pushing. So I bet 10k and he flat called it showing the 78 diamonds. He had made the straight. That left me with 17k approx. Blinds at 500 /1000 - I decided then to make a move with J 10 suited rather than wait around for a better hand and raised to 4k from UTG. Mike called and everyone else folded. Flop came K42 I had already decided to make it look like I had AK and pushed. Mike called immediately to reveal pocket fours... The Q came on the turn to give me a little hope but the low spade on the river saw me going home. - I guess I deserved it for bluffing Mike out of a big pot earlier. He had hit second pair on a 10 8 2 board - and had raised pre-flop with A8. I somehow knew he was weak when he made the initial raise and decided to play back at him I bet 11k on the turn and had 16k left at the time which just about covered him. I had nothing. Not even a draw... Just a raggy K that hadn't hit. He took a while to mull it over and John called for the clock. Obviously they're mates and it kicked off a little between them... Mike even showed him his hand. So after their little dispute I felt I couldn't tell him I had bluffed [His reasoning was very good trying to work out my pattern of betting] So I told him I had hit bottom set. And in fairness I probably would have played bottom set that way. So all in all it was a good night and I enjoyed it.