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I take it that's not the case, and as with the last event it means you are put into a big tournament. Presumably this is done to publicise sky poker and promote the brand. 11 people at 1k in the last tournie, so 11k plus other costs involved in setting up running this. I could be wrong, but sounds like a brilliant PR job at a decent cost.
It sounds like a brilliant idea to do this every quarter, with the same number or maybe slightly more into to a lower buy in tournament. The publicity gained from this would be immense and really promote Skypoker, like someone said no other site really does this.
In my opinion it should be open to all, not just those who play at the highest levels. Variety is the spice of life!
Whilst i dont expect it should be mandatory that it is some one from the forums, it would be good to see people picked who use the site a lot and also contribute to the community. I guess it's only a small percentage of players who actually get involved in the community who play on the site. But the vast majority that do would be excellent representatives for sky.
Given some one like borinloner a seat, for example, would make a lot of sense as he is tireless in helping others out in the pokerclinic every day, responding to posts at length in a concise and helpful way.
The criteria should not just be looked at in term's of what stakes someone plays at, or how great their successess, but what they contribute to sky poker and also their attitude.
Having players from all different levels, and varying abilities would offer a real diversity to the team.
I'm not saying pick people that don't know what they are doing, in fairness any "regular" player on the site probably has a good understanding and knowledge of the game.
Just my thoughts:D
Would make a lot of sense some getting picked off a forum vote, would get people really involved before it even started.
Firstly, I think it was excellent exposure for Sky Poker and gave the impression of a properly organised team rather than a few guys with patches stuck on them. From the T-shirts to the promotional banners, to the Tv cameras and the self enclosed team area in the VIP bar the whole set up was very professional and I'm sure resonated with alot of serious poker players in the room which is great for Sky and something I think should be repeated as often as posible.
Secondly, it was noticable that the 'commuity regulars' displayed the comradey unique to Sky that those of us who frequent SPT's will recognise. I think it's an important point to realise the importance of this to the team as a whole but also to the appearance that is reflected into the wider poker community. It looked friendly, it looked fun, it looked like a team experience, it looked like something special and as a result, it looked like something people would want to be a part of. I think it's massively importnant to maintain this appearance within any furture teams.
As a PR event for Sky, I thought it was great. As a venue, DTD was superb and incredibly accomodating as you would expect which would again make them a perfect venue for any future outings.
Regarding future events, I'd love to see these happen on a regular basis. There are regular £300 tournaments at DTD which I think would be ideal and I'm sure far more budget friendly from Sky's perspective.
Regarding team selection, for many, many reasons, Julian should be a shoe in, he's somebody that is know and respected throughout the poker community and you'd have to go a long way to meet a nicer bloke and better ambassador for Sky Poker.
It would be great to see the winner of the previous SPT offered a place, it would also be superb if an invite only tournament could be set up (similar to when Tikay donated some of his Vegas winnings) for players of the Monday DTD tournaments as this still forms one of the cornerstones of the community on Sky, this would ensure 1 regular community player a place on the team.
Perhaps a select invite only event (similar to top of the posts) could be set up for anyone deemed to be making valuable contributions to the forum / community for another spot on the team?
I am also a fan of the old league style TSP which would reward the most active and sucessful players in across all formats.
Also, the last longer idea seems a great incentive too.
- I'm not sure about community voted members, as mentioned already that would not include quite a large part of the active player base
- Dusk Till Dawn venue is a given; central to most people, professional, good range of MTT etc. As previously mentioned the monthly £300's are a great sized tournament
- Julian as captain can't be questioned, its unlikely anyone could supercede his general persona and as good a representation for Sky
I'm not sure how many players sky intend to have picked/qualify for the next generation of TSP but all this swapping and changing seems to confuse matters for me. If you are picked how long is it for etc...
I think a better way would be to pick the best of the best on sky, ppl who will/can take down these mtt's and KEEP them on the team for 6mnths or a yr.
Then run qualifiers to give others the chance to represent sky at ONE mtt....(if they bink, really impress then maybe review their position on the team)
Just my thoughts
Also the "best of the best" would not guarantee any success.
It should be accessible and open to all. Most importantly, in my opinion it should be available to people that would represent sky the best.
If the whole point of TSP is to pick any tom,di ck and harry because they post a lot on a forum, turn up to every SPT, while some others who reguarly make ft's of the mains but rarely post etc. are overlooked then it takes away that feeling of having achieved something by making the team imo.........it will end up with half the forum being on TSP at some point, picked, played, dropped......is that a good image??? not in my eyes but each to their own
I just feel being part of TSP should be something you have to work hard at and really earn it.
The other important bit though is that all players involved need to represent the site well, poker aside, being friendly at the table etc etc and the best players on the site aint necessarily gonna be the nicest. That's why people like Tommy imo are brilliant for TSP because he's a great player and also a great fella.
I definitely think it should be available to all though, but I do agree with Waller's point about it maybe lasting for more than 1 MTT for maybe the better players.
It does lose some of it's impact I feel if the team changes too often.
Place allocation:
Keeping the football team like 11 which I thought was a good number and lovely fun with the footie shirts. We should also have the team motto 'We go to eleven.' Anyway, the breakdown:
1 Place - Julian. Obviously, site pro, credit to site and UK poker. Great taste in footwear.
2 Places - Managers picks. I feel it's important that the site have a couple of picks. Firstly and bluntly, it's their money. Secondly there are plenty of players who would not get through any qualifier set up who would be a credit to the site as well as have a great shout in a tournament. Just look at Jamie Lou's and Andrew's performances. They not only played great but represented the site and its members with great style and grace.
3 Places - The Sunday qualifier tournie. Great for marketing. Would attract sign ups when plugged on the live show, open to all via direct buy in or the satty structure for the last one.
1 Place - 'Winner stays on.' Top finisher or biggest casher if multiple events (more on that later) in the previous team retains their place (aside from Julian of course). Only fair I think and lovely motivation.
2 Places - Tournament Leader board Final qualifiers. Bring back a modified version of of the old MTT and STT leaderboards. Top 20 in each are entered into a Sunday qualifying MTT, top 2 get seats. This is designed to be a dedicated way in for the low and mid-stake tournie grinders but will get a number of the higher stakes tournie players as well.
1 Place - DTD Qualifer. I've pretty much played on every site you could name. I've never seen anything as wonderful as the DTD. It would also be a perfect way to practically ensure a small stakes recreational player would get a spot. I'm suggesting a league format over either a 1 or 2 month period (would discuss this with DTW et all), top finisher gets a seat. I know this limits it to people who can only play Mondays, but frankly you have to pick a day. This seems like the best one IMO.
1 Place - Priority freeroll. Notice there was no cash leaderboard before? This is pretty much to compensate for that. Also while people correctly say that small stakes players who are loyal to the site should get a way in to promotions, people who say the rake busters should as well are equally correct. This way is designed for the higher stakes player to have an ensured entry, however plenty of mid-stakes players will get a shot as well.
Yes I know this has the taste of the Multi Prize Pool of it, overly complicated and poker shouldn't be that fiddly. The proposal is an attempt to please all parties. Forum players and non forum players. Micro to high stakes players. Recreational players to Regs. TBH I just hope that all counts to eleven, I'd be pretty embarrassed if it didn't.
Events
Tikay mentioned earlier about 'how to cut the cake.' I have no idea if SkyPoker's initial outlay for the Monte Carlo was intended to be the standard or a bigger sum to get TSP going again. Assuming pretty much the former (£12.1k tournie entries + Overheads for filming on Day 1 + Overheads for Tikay and Tighty throughout):
1) SkyPoker announce where TSP will play in a given quarter. I would suggest this either be:
i) Two DTD Monthly Deepstack dates for one TSP group or;
ii) One big tournie such as the Monte Carlo or others.
2) If we look at the cost of (i) it's £660 per player, but the other two costs pretty much double (more if filming is there for both lives days). Any left over can go into the pot for other events, marketing or be held for other promotions etc. Maybe even through in for a Friday night meal for everyone as an icebreaker/warm up. Part (ii) would use the model as per the last TSP outing.
Final Thoughts
I really hope I 'get' what TSP is meant to be amount. Personally I think it's wonderful. We did feel like a team at the MC, there was no snobbishness, no arrogance from higher stakes players to lower stakes players, no resentment between anyone. Everyone got on and represented the site and the team with great panache. Even in my regrettably short time at the table every one of my table mates asked me about SkyPoker. I get that SkyPoker will quite rightly want people to respond positively. Not in a sycophantic type way, but with enthusiasm and class. I feel the best way to encourage that atmosphere is to make the team accessible for everyone and to continue the great team spirit at these events. Encourage the multi table grinder to come out of their shell in the live atmosphere. Give the occasional but very loyal small stakes MTT player that shot at a massive score. Keep the team spirit going. Do that and everyone on the team will display what a good site this is and it'll turn a lot of peoples heads at these events. They might just think 'I want remember when 52 cards and a number on a screen was fun.'
Feedback, thoughts and suggested alterations are all welcome. Hopefully there's something in here that people will like. I know you can't please everyone, doesn't stop me trying though
My only concern, which you've already mentioned is that there's ALOT to it. Would be quite tricky to fit all that you've said into a short, snappy promotion page on Sky.
I was gonna write a hefty reply but I'm just knackered so I'll probably pop in tomorrow to give some more thoughts but in short... thumbs up
A few points from my perspective.
Julian & Ryan
Both are fantastic figureheads for SkyPoker, and are obvious choices to continue to represent SP at any future events.
Potential Winners
As others have mentioned, there is a greater positive impact, for the SkyPoker business, if Team SkyPoker has good results. Therefore, it may be a good idea to select one or two players, based on them being amongst the best MTT players on the site. I'm not sure who these are, but I guess it's pretty easy to narrow it down.
Good Stories
People with a 'good story' getting a good result can be great PR.
A lady winning a big event, a low stakes player, someone who has fought personal adversity etc...
Some people got quite aggro when the some of the team was announced for the last event, but it's not necessarily great from a message angle, to send a team of 20 - 25 year old poker obsessives, who have never had a real job, or any life experiences.
Location
I am one of Dusk Til Dawn's biggest fans, but I'm not sure sending a team there every time is a great idea.
At least part of the reason for spending money on this, would be to get SkyPoker visible, in order to attract potential new business.
Going to the same place each time, will result in selling to the mostly, same small core of people time after time.
I definately feel there should be some kind of league that will award places because this is the best way to reward consistancy in play and loyalty to SKY.
When I say loyalty to SKY I just mean the winners will have had to play a lot on the site to get to the top of the league.
2) Winner stays on is an awesome idea.
3) Thewy simply has to be the Captain.
4) Manager's picks are an imperative part of the process. They encourage players to improve and up their game in order to grab the boss' attention and impress him (bit like the training sessions for reserves!) This also goes back to the very ethos of Sky Poker ... we try to improve our games more than any other site. We watch, learn and interact constantly. Secondly, it also encourages people to get involved in the community and also keep their levels of decorum and decency for other members - i.e. you want to be an AMBASSADOR!
I remember ppl complaining/moaning about the old structures of TSP where the lower stakes players never got a lookin but when you see some of the names now it gives hope to everyone . Just because you don,t play at the highest stakes shouldn,t exclude you from this which looks to be happening now. I still agree ppl playing at higher stakes should get extra incentives as they contribube more in rake but a good idea imo
EDIT : maybe if they were smaller tournaments as well region could be taken into account somewhat as well. If someones picked and its a £200 tournament for exmple they could be paying more than that in expenses depending on where they live and where the tournament is being played. Theres so many tours now with as little as $100 dollar buy ins , but obv travel may become an issue for some ppl and some will travel further than others just to represent TSP