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Seat allocation for SKY PLAYERS decreasing for Grand Final of the SKY POKER TOUR
I have noticed today that the on line lobby has now been decreased from 250 seats to 240 seats. No biggie you would think, but I have also read 'elsewhere' that there will be up to 350 players playing at this event.
Not sure if Tikay invited that many while in Vegas but what do the 'SKY' community think of this?
Discuss...
Comments
Some of the extra 100 seats are being allocated via DTD as part of their increase in capacity to Sky players over the event., I'm hoping the last few will be available for the Friday night last chance qualification at DTD as in previous years...It's probably the only chance I have to qualify TBF!!!
xx
As for 250 to 350 it was decided to increase the size of the event by allocating 100 seats to the venue. Whilst some of these will be sold over the counter at DTD, many will be played for in Live satellites. A big one, for example, is planned for Fri 9th Sept at the club
Not only will these seats allow DTD regulars to play (and after all there is a balance to be struck here between the Sky community players and attracting new players to Sky, such as the DTD regs) but it will also mean that any Sky Community player who wants to travel having not qualified will, most likely, be able to buy in or qualify in during the 48 hours before the event on arrival at DTD.
Overall then anybody from Sky playing will be competing for a slab of a £70,000 prize pool not a £50,000 prize pool.
All this is in keeping with plans, grand exciting plans, for the next Sky Poker Tour. Which is planned to be announced on Fri 9th September. Apologies for the tease, but it's a good 'un!
Thank you for your response to this thread Mr SPT. Like I have stated, I do understand the need for allocation of seats to allow DTD regs to take part in this event. I, however, would of hoped that the ten seats would of been taken off the venue's allocation and not Sky's.
It is also good to hear so many of the presenters will be in attendance at the final (even Richard Orford...ish).
As for Sky players just turning up at the event and buying in, I think most will buy in direct before the date, if they can afford it.
Please can you post up details of the live satellite on the 9th when known.
Having played every DTD Grand Final so far, I welcome the involvement of local players, and the venue obviously cant freeze them out for a weekend. I also know that many of the locals particularly look forward to taking part.
I also know quite a few locals who having played in these events have now joined our community and regularly play on Sky online.
The SPT semis nightly on here are rarely attracting more than 30 runners, so the Sky seats are not going that fast by satelliting in. Personally I find it difficult having to finish top 2 from 20, or top 3 of 30, when top 5 of 50 is much easier. (Think I have bubbled twice in 3 attempts !)
The other problem is the 9.30 start of the semis. By then I am hopefully still involved in other tournies and so dont enter.
I did disagree with Priority Club members being able to buy in direct, while us tournament specialists cannot. Despite playing and multitabling most days, I struggle to get halfway to the points target for membership. But that has now been sorted. So I can keep an eye on the Sky seats left while still trying to qualify.
The news that there will be 100 seats at the venue is good, and may well be my way in. I suspect that this may apply to quite a few of us, so we will not be overrun by locals, and the event will keep its unique Sky flavour.
The allocation of a seat to Orford may well turn out to be a waste though !
Can you delay the big announcement from September 9th as some of us will be travelling ALL day and unable to access forum until home LATE monday please.
I do believe your still owe me a favour (runs away innocently )
I believe that details of next year's SPT will be announced on the TV show on Thurs 8th and forum Fri 9th
If you miss both I will give you a print out of it all on the Saturday if you wish
My views are known on these matters, I have never been in favour of pre tourny buy-ins, apart from the final.
I am not in favour of a third of the field, potentally, being non sky players is a large percentage, but Sky have taken this decision on commercial grounds, as it could bring in more footfall to the site, and the promotional benefits, ie press etc.
I have taken the decision to buy-in directly, to avoid dissapointment.
I am not against these moves, in principle, as the grand final last year didn't have the feel of a normal SPT leg, with no sit n gos that were self dealt, but that was DTD's decision not Skys. Hopefully this year will be different and I look forward to seeing everyone again.
Colin
Any chance of asking in advance Mr SPT??? I kow thats the one thing people felt let down with last year.
Thank you
I agree with the posts above. I understand why Sky have done this but it tarnishes the event for me.
To think that a good proportion of the opponents on my table, or at the event, do not have and will not any affinity for Sky Poker or its community reduces the enjoyment of the event for me.
If Sky think that increasing the percentage of non-sky players is the way forward then I for one will have less interest in future Sky Poker Tour events, it will become just another poker tournament.
Friday night, in addition to the satellite, will be the regular £50 game, and most likely a Saturday evening £30 tournament too
The other 5 SPT events will always have a proper community feel because the cardrooms used only hold 150-200 seats and therefore the majority of the players are Sky regs and community regs, I am sure these £110 buy in events will continue to be the friendliest tour events on the circuit and be supported by Sky regs who are the best community in poker! (Other communities exist and are friendly)
Sky Poker Tour events are very popular because they are well run, fun weekends and never taken too seriously until the later stages, but one thing the SPT has done in the last 3 years is grow and growth needs developed as it is important in any business model!
Dave
Great job Mr SPT.
I'm fairly new to the Sky Poker community but I'm an avid watcher of channel 865 (including repeats, sad or what!) and have been known to dabble in a game or two.
I agree with penguin7 on the SPT semis. I tried to qualify for the SPT Grand Final once, however due to the low numbers there was only one seat up for grabs. You could argue that it should be easier to qualify with fewer runners but it doesn't play like that. I'm tinkering with the idea of buying in direct to the Grand Final, which would be my first live event. Also my girlfriend would love to meet Tikay!!
Sky's "adjustments" are not a new concept. Any organisation seeks continuous improvement. Without it the organisation would wither and die. Obviously there are pros and cons to everything, however on the whole Sky do a great job. If here's one thing I have learned from my own job it's that change is constant. Hang on to you hats!
Although i dont fully disagree with your issues with the seat allocation i am looking at this from another angle, which is that the recent gukpt had 212 runners and how many were sky players? (seeing as i cannot find the thread anymore ill guess at 10). That is a little over 2% of the field being a regular on this site. The spt final on the other hand will have just under 70% sky players registered(if my maths is correct, gcse grade C dont you know!)
Maybe it is because this will be my first event and i havent seen the community spirit first hand but still i am really looking forward to this it.
I'm playing the Grand Final in DTD come Saturday; which I entered via the DTD online shop.
Today is the first time I have ever ventured on to the community page here, so I suppose you could say that I am one of those individuals that isn't a part of the pre-existing 'Sky Poker' community.
However, it is surely to your benefit as members of this community that Sky Poker opens the door to their tour to individuals not currently a part of this group in order that you continue to grow and develop? After all, the greater portion of the poker playing customer base that is drawn into Sky then the more Sky will be able to do for you all in the coming years - be that online promotional activity and/or the SPT itself.
I am perhaps speaking from a biased view point, as I work at the Grosvenor G Casino Luton poker room; which means DTD is one of the view venues I can attend for the SPT because of our own clubs being used to host some of them.
I had a great deal of fun working the event earlier in the year. I hope you don't begrudge those of us not already a part of the community wanting to join in on the fun!
See you there.
I fully agree with all your points above and I do not begrudge any 'newbie' taking part, as the more that play, the greater the prize pool.
My initial 'concern' was that out of the original 250 seats allocated to SKY, 10 were removed for reasons given by MR SPT. I just thought that as it was a SKY event, SKY clients should of been given first refusal on these seats before going elsewhere. All the 5 legs of the Sky tour were sold out well in advance and I was just voicing my concern over the possibility some Sky regs could not get seats to the Grand Final. It is probably akin to the FA CUP final where fans sometimes miss out as the ticket allocation is usually atrocious.
As it happens, another 50 seats (40 in my maths) were added for Sky players which will enable people who want to go to get in now.
I went to Luton last year BTW and I must say that is one of the better venues on the tour (but not a patch on DTD ofc)
I hope you enjoy the week end and the forum on here. Cheers.
Alan
Bit of a strange thread, as the Sky Poker players have not taken up their full allocation of available seats.......& if we thought they would have, we would never have allocated seats to DTD!
Sky Poker players got first dibs, that's the important thing, but it was our view that, as yet, we could not sell out a 350 cap £220 Tourney from the existing Client Base alone. And we wanted over 300, or as near to 350 as possible, because....
a) It makes a bigger Prize Pool.
b) Part of the reason for SPT IS to attract new Clients - it was always so, & will always be. Surely that's obvious? (ALL players who cash will HAVE to open a Sky Poker Account, by the way, or they won't get paid. ALL Tourney cashes will be paid into Sky Poker Accounts, not in cash @ the Venue).
Don't suppose anyone would take a guess at how much the annual SPT Budget is? I'm not going to reveal the figure, but any guess at a five figure sum would be too low......
Yup, there will be a free buffet. For everyone.
I, as normal, respect your view Tikay.
All I was concerned about was everyone from Sky who wanted a seat to the Grand Final, would get one. As I have stated above, all the legs sold out well in advance so I hoped that there would be enough for the Final for everyone who wanted one.
I have also stated that I do not begrudge any 'newbies' coming to the event and I will welcome them all on Saturday.
If my concern for our players, has as it seems, been taken out of context, so be it. But I still stand by what I have said, which is more from the 'players' POV and not necessarily from Sky's POV.
a) It makes a bigger Prize Pool.
I seem to remember that 2 years back (last time I cashed!) the prize pool was £51k. The news that it will be around £70k this year has to be good, upping the top prizes and increasing the payout places.
I definitely welcome the involvement of the locals, having always enjoyed meeting and playing them.
But I think our own list of entries has to be easily the strongest ever.