The problem for the 'troubled 7pm MTT slot' is not people only play bounty hunters, it's not the lack of a guarantee and it's not even a lack of antes (although I am in favour of their introduction, but that's a well worn path to be trod on another day). It's the same problem much of the MTT schedule has. Awareness. Something which needed to be done even while the 24 hour TV channel was running but is absolutely critical now is a way to tell each and every person on logging in what they might be interested in. Some suggestions: 1) Some sort of splash page on logging into the client. A pop up to tell you the latest promotions, an actual home page in the client where you begin with all the latest news. Even better would be a 'My News' or 'My Favourites' page where the recent activity of the user would directly influence the suggested games they might wish to play. Everyone's history and activity is right there, all you have to do is utilize it. Someone logs in who generally only plays 4 or so MTTs in a night, the template for them pops up with suggested tournaments, news and changes which might interest them. A cash player logs in, there's a page with the latest cash promos. All can have panels which are universal for whatever SkyPoker wishes to push at that moment. 2) The lobby is very cluttered, the filters are blocky and not 100% reliable and at times the yellow highlight has so many in it that all you can see are those and whatever is in late reg. People are, in general, lazy. People are less inclined to scroll down and search through a cluttered lobby for games, also for things like sats and non-GTD MTTs people are much less likely to join if there's hardly anyone in there, so it all knocks on as an effect. All lobbies, filters and search functions are in dire need of an overhaul. 3) I kind of touched on this in (1) but I would also have a favourites page available in the client. Past MTTs, the most popular MTT or SnG you have played. Alongside this I would put suggestions, it would really help communication. A fraction of the SkyPoker users come to this forum. SkyPoker used to have a 24 hour advertising channel constantly running a ticker letting people know what was coming up at all times. Now obviously that channel wasn't hitting any Prime Time ratings numbers, but it was there to be stumbled upon and for its purpose was a high quality product. That doesn't exist now, and that fact and resulting shortfall of marketing has never been addressed in the slightest. Just my opinion, you can see examples of all three of my suggestions if you open nearly every other poker client available. Begin 'next door' for inspiration if needed. Posted by TommyD
this would be a great addition imo, most mtt/sng players reg the same games each day so would be great to have them all in one place.
The sheer popularity of bounty hunters mean it's going to be very difficult to divert players away onto other games. Rather than creating totally different types of game why not create a selection of bounty hunters with a slightly different structure to the standard game.
deep stack and rebuy bounty hunters would be a good spot to start, now the MTT will get a combination of those who play for the interest of getting heads and will allow greater guarentees for those who prefer deepstacks. I do imagine these will go on for longer but that problem would be easily solved from the introduction of antes.
I suspect the 7-0'clock has not done well because it has been similar to other tournies that are running later. So the ones who are not multi tablers don't play it as it will still be running and clashing with others they wish to play. The multi tablers don't bother rushing to play it as there are plenty of otheres they can play and 7- O'clock might be a bit early for some.
I like the idea of trying something new for this timeslot in an attempt to generate interest, but as an alternative suggestion what about a hyper tournament at this time of say 3min blinds. You could still enter the later tournaments without the clash, you could get a game of poker in before watching the tv, have about 4 levels of late reg, and those hanging about waiting could drop in and give it a go to ease the boredom.
Reading these posts some of them mention antes I am not sure what purpose these would serve is it just to speed things up and make larger pots if this is the case would that not encourage late registration especially in bounty hunters when people would know there is going to be more players sitting with less chips
Reading these posts some of them mention antes I am not sure what purpose these would serve is it just to speed things up and make larger pots if this is the case would that not encourage late registration especially in bounty hunters when people would know there is going to be more players sitting with less chips Posted by weecheez1
Ates do help speed up an MTT but also has the purepose of reducing the number of instant folding and giving the short stacks less time to wait for a decent hand. You should already be expecting tables with shorter stacks when you late register an MTT. Antes themselves are still tiny in comparison to your starting stack size, its in the later stages that these reallly have an effect on somes stack.
wouldnt mind seeing a 9/10 seater torn with a decent guarentee at a early time like 7 or 8pm defo would like to see ante brought in aswell Posted by MICKYBLUE
Dont post much on the community but play on sky alot and would love to see this. The jackpot freeroll on sky runs frequently and uses this format and its enjoyable! not antes tho. Also only play low stakes but aussie09s idea of 15.75 BH sounds good as i like to venture onto the 11 pound ones but 22 pound seems a stretch. Thanks
7pm is a tricky one - here is my personal take and the mechanics of my typical poker night.
I log on around 7:20 - as I know the freerole is starting and then I would check lobby for other mtt's - if I get on earlier I join one or two of the £5.75 mtt's. But, 7:20 is normally too late to join these as half field gone and just the better players left so not as good ev for me
I play said freerole, then used to register for 7:45 (I am not good in speed mtt so dropped that) reg into 8:15 mayhem and B/H and mini. Once a week play the main. May reg in 9:30 of off next day
Played 7pm rebuy once - I am not good at them either haha!
My suggestion - don't hate on me, move the Freerole to 7pm? Now this does not suit me but should make late reg, then put a 7:15 B/H in - sure would make the £500-£750 mark - maybe gamble on a £1k. Think the main gap I see is that you can play £1k and £500 mtt's before 6 - but then is nothing really until 7:45, and if a lower buy in level of £5, nothing till 8:30.
Us players are fickle - I have found myself starting to not rush in for freerole as now my buy in scedule will now start at 8:15, this will miss the £5 mtt's that start between 6/7 most nights. I did buy into a £400 mtt purely as nothing else around and was my actual poker all nighter - but normally don't bother with them as not counted in Aussie Scope leagues. I think if freerole is moved earlier should suit the Recs that play it and may fill the gap a little better, then some £500-£1k low buy in mtt's up till 8pm when the volume picks up and guarantees also. Good luck with whatever you do - can't please is all
I'm a SkyPoker fan and enjoy mtt's, preferably the none BH sort.
Maybe I'm not the 'average' customer but here's my feedback.
The 7:00pm MTT Slot
With limited MTT options on Sky, the 7:00pm Single Rebuy was the one tournament that would still attract me to the site on a daily basis, (daily when personal circumstances allow).
If I was going to play poker in the evening, I would start my evening by logging at anytime betweeon 7.00 - 8:10pm to catch the registration for the Single Rebuy.
Good tournament, good players, decent structure, decent returns (without any overlay).
If the night was going well, playing the 7:00pm single rebuy did entice me to play one or more less desirable (for me) BH's.
I read somewhere that somebody mentioned the tournament should have been considered a 'loss leader', I'm not sure if that makes sense, but the tournament certainly ensured when I was going to play poker, Sky would be my prefered site.
When the tournament changed from Single Rebuy, to multiple rebuy with addons, I imagine it lost a fair chunk of its potential players as inevitably the potential outlay to compete on an even footing went up from a maximum outlay of £22, to in many cases £33 +, which 7 nights a week, will stretch the bankroll of many plyers on the site.
The revised schedule means I no longer have a daily specific interest to log on to Sky, I will remain a Sky Poker playyer, but my log on days and times will be sporadic and random, which actually matches the current MTT schedule on Sky.
Awareness and Regulat MTT's
TommyD, alludes to awareness or lack of and makes some constructive suggestions.
The reality is that it is not particularly easy to find what you are looking for and I dare say MTT's have been launched and died without me knowing of their existence.
This last few days I've made an effort to use the lobby filters to look for the MTT events I want to play.
I am looking for 'Regular' Mtt's with a 'medium' stake, which means none BH or HeadHunter MTT's with a buy in of £11-£22.
Today the search brings up 9 possibilities, (the exact same options as yesterday and no doubt on Saturday).
4 x Timed 30 minute turnaments, which I don't consider to be MTT's
3 x Bounty Hunters, which my filter should have excluded
1 x Head Hunter, which I don't consider to be an MTT
1 x £200, £11 MTT at 13:00pm, which seems odd, given that the same MTT model is not offered in the evening.
In addition to the above 9 MTT, my May 27th search also brings up:
1 x £250, £11 MTT at midnight May 28th.
1 x £11 Mini roller on Sunday May 29th.
The fact that the lobby search box can't even fill one page tells you all you need to know, if you logged on to Sky looking to play medium stakes, regular none BH tournaments.
Aspirations for High Stake MTT's
Highlight for an MTT player is getting into and playing those high stakes Mtt's events with the potential of 4 figure plus returns.
If I use my Sky Poker lobby filter, to search for none BH high stake Mtt's, the search gives me 6 possibilities:
May 27th 1 option, a £55 Bounty Hunter at 22:30, this is given to me in my search asking to EXCLUDE Bounty Hunter's
May 29th a £33 Bounty Hunter, given to me in my search asking to EXCLUDE Bounty Hunter's
May 29th, a £55 Freezout
May 29th, a £110 High roller
July 7th, a £10,000 event in Vegas
July 10th, a £3,500 evenit in vegas
So I actually have 2 not 6 possibilities to play a high stake MTT on SkyPoker.
Satellites and the SKY Poker MTT That Just Won't Die
So with no apparent regular medium or high MTT events on Sky between now and Suday , I'm interested in getting into the two high stakes MTT's that will run on Sunday evening.
I click on the satellite filter, I find a very cluttered search result, with quite a few options for BH and Vegas tournaments, but no apparent satellites for the two largest (only two), regular medium / high stakes MTT's on Sky throughout the week.
With virtually empty search boxes, when searching for regular Mtt's why doesn't Sky fill a few of the spaces to show a sattelite schedule for its two premium MTT's?
Then I think the Sky Poker MTT 'that just won't die' deserves a special mention of its own; the £55:00 £1,500 Freezout that runs at 7:00pm on a Sunday evening.
I say 'that just won't die', as I've felt for some time that Sky has tried its best to ensure this tournament dies a quiet death.
It's the second highest buy-in MTT on Sky, yet as fas as I am aware, this tournament receives zero publicity or promotion and sats into the tournament are vey scarce.
It is very difficult to get into this tournament I don't believe a single '1 in 5' sat has ever been offered for this event, I dont know why?
There may still be one or two 1in 10 sats that run and I think there maybe a couple of 'lucky dip' all-in sats that run, but entry to this tournament seems to be kept as exclusive and low key.
Perhaps thats what Sky wants, perhaps Sky wants to be known as the 'Bounty Hunter' site and has plans to rebrand itself as 'Sky Bounty Hunter Poker'?
If I was Sky I'd bee looking to grow this tournament not kill it, something like a Sky Poker Sunday Night 'Tripple Crown' with the £55 Freezout, the High Roller and Min Roller.
I get the seasonal peaks and troughs, I know a lot of effort goes into the excellent SkyVegas promotion, but rightly or wrongly it does feel that SkyPoker see's, attracting or keeping customers to play regular MTT's is not on the weekly agenda.
If I can find it, I will 'watch this space', for any news.
Some really well thought out & constructive Posts on here now, thanks guys.
I'll make sure the right people see it, & I'll add my views as appropriate.
I will also try & reply to some of the more constructive Posts when time permits - I'm a bit under it right now - but there's some great stuff there, & a few things I can give you a steer on as to "why".
As I mentioned previously, the whole MTT schedule is currently being addressed, & within that, the 7pm affair is a small - but certainly important - part. Getting the "flow" of the evening is critical, & not easy (impossible to please all, as this thread demonstrates), but I'm confident that working together, & constructively, we can get there.
I'm a SkyPoker fan and enjoy mtt's, preferably the none BH sort. Maybe I'm not the 'average' customer but here's my feedback. The 7:00pm MTT Slot With limited MTT options on Sky, the 7:00pm Single Rebuy was the one tournament that would still attract me to the site on a daily basis, (daily when personal circumstances allow). If I was going to play poker in the evening, I would start my evening by logging at anytime betweeon 7.00 - 8:10pm to catch the registration for the Single Rebuy. Good tournament, good players, decent structure, decent returns (without any overlay). If the night was going well, playing the 7:00pm single rebuy did entice me to play one or more less desirable (for me) BH's. I read somewhere that somebody mentioned the tournament should have been considered a 'loss leader', I'm not sure if that makes sense, but the tournament certainly ensured when I was going to play poker, Sky would be my prefered site. When the tournament changed from Single Rebuy, to multiple rebuy with addons, I imagine it lost a fair chunk of its potential players as inevitably the potential outlay to compete on an even footing went up from a maximum outlay of £22, to in many cases £33 +, which 7 nights a week, will stretch the bankroll of many plyers on the site. The revised schedule means I no longer have a daily specific interest to log on to Sky, I will remain a Sky Poker playyer, but my log on days and times will be sporadic and random, which actually matches the current MTT schedule on Sky. Awareness and Regulat MTT's TommyD, alludes to awareness or lack of and makes some constructive suggestions. The reality is that it is not particularly easy to find what you are looking for and I dare say MTT's have been launched and died without me knowing of their existence. This last few days I've made an effort to use the lobby filters to look for the MTT events I want to play. I am looking for 'Regular' Mtt's with a 'medium' stake , which means none BH or HeadHunter MTT's with a buy in of £11-£22 . Today the search brings up 9 possibilities, (the exact same options as yesterday and no doubt on Saturday). 4 x Timed 30 minute turnaments, which I don't consider to be MTT's 3 x Bounty Hunters, which my filter should have excluded 1 x Head Hunter, which I don't consider to be an MTT 1 x £200, £11 MTT at 13:00pm, which seems odd, given that the same MTT model is not offered in the evening. In addition to the above 9 MTT, my May 27th search also brings up: 1 x £250, £11 MTT at midnight May 28th. 1 x £11 Mini roller on Sunday May 29th. The fact that the lobby search box can't even fill one page tells you all you need to know, if you logged on to Sky looking to play medium stakes, regular none BH tournaments. Aspirations for High Stake MTT's Highlight for an MTT player is getting into and playing those high stakes Mtt's events with the potential of 4 figure plus returns. If I use my Sky Poker lobby filter, to search for none BH high stake Mtt's , the search gives me 6 possibilities: May 27th 1 option, a £55 Bounty Hunter at 22:30, this is given to me in my search asking to EXCLUDE Bounty Hunter's May 29th a £33 Bounty Hunter , given to me in my search asking to EXCLUDE Bounty Hunter's May 29th, a £55 Freezout May 29th, a £110 High roller July 7th, a £10,000 event in Vegas July 10th, a £3,500 evenit in vegas So I actually have 2 not 6 possibilities to play a high stake MTT on SkyPoker. Satellites and the SKY Poker MTT That Just Won't Die So with no apparent regular medium or high MTT events on Sky between now and Suday , I'm interested in getting into the two high stakes MTT's that will run on Sunday evening. I click on the satellite filter, I find a very cluttered search result, with quite a few options for BH and Vegas tournaments, but no apparent satellites for the two largest (only two), regular medium / high stakes MTT's on Sky throughout the week. With virtually empty search boxes, when searching for regular Mtt's why doesn't Sky fill a few of the spaces to show a sattelite schedule for its two premium MTT's? Then I think the Sky Poker MTT 'that just won't die' deserves a special mention of its own; the £55:00 £1,500 Freezout that runs at 7:00pm on a Sunday evening. I say 'that just won't die', as I've felt for some time that Sky has tried its best to ensure this tournament dies a quiet death. It's the second highest buy-in MTT on Sky, yet as fas as I am aware, this tournament receives zero publicity or promotion and sats into the tournament are vey scarce. It is very difficult to get into this tournament I don't believe a single '1 in 5' sat has ever been offered for this event, I dont know why? There may still be one or two 1in 10 sats that run and I think there maybe a couple of 'lucky dip' all-in sats that run, but entry to this tournament seems to be kept as exclusive and low key. Perhaps thats what Sky wants, perhaps Sky wants to be known as the 'Bounty Hunter' site and has plans to rebrand itself as 'Sky Bounty Hunter Poker'? If I was Sky I'd bee looking to grow this tournament not kill it, something like a Sky Poker Sunday Night 'Tripple Crown' with the £55 Freezout, the High Roller and Min Roller. I get the seasonal peaks and troughs, I know a lot of effort goes into the excellent SkyVegas promotion, but rightly or wrongly it does feel that SkyPoker see's, attracting or keeping customers to play regular MTT's is not on the weekly agenda. If I can find it, I will 'watch this space', for any news. Posted by TheDart
That's a belting post Darty, tyvm, but I must correct the emboldened part.
A whole bunch of research into how to refresh the MTT schedule has been ongoing for a while now, & we are in touch with many players (many of whom you will know as Sky Poker loyal regulars) who are assisting Sky Poker with this.
Time of year makes it all a bit odd right now, with the expected seasonal downturn in traffic flows, but that's also exactly the right time to be doing these things.
I find the rake at the £5 level very off putting. It may only be 25p but this adds up and it also marks a pyscological barrier to registering for more of these. Most other MTTs are 10% so for these to be more at £5 level (though for some reason not the mini) strikes me as unfair and targeting smaller BR players.
If the 7pm was a £5.50 MTT I would enter it whatever it was. Most ppl don't think about the one buy in but how much it costs over a period of time, a week or month etc.
As for suggestions, the Velocity MTT where always popular and maybe starting 3 at £1/£3 and £5 level at the same time with even a prize for FT all three ( a super roller seat for example).
Comments
my vote would be a Speed Bounty Hunter £15.75 buy-in and with a deliberately short late registration period of 30 minutes.
7pm Speed Bounty Hunter £15.75
10pm Speed Bounty Hunter £15.75
Bonus for winning both £1,000 or Final Table both £100.
Attract people early (esp with 30 min late reg) and keep people until late.
deep stack and rebuy bounty hunters would be a good spot to start, now the MTT will get a combination of those who play for the interest of getting heads and will allow greater guarentees for those who prefer deepstacks. I do imagine these will go on for longer but that problem would be easily solved from the introduction of antes.
Some really well thought out & constructive Posts on here now, thanks guys.
I'll make sure the right people see it, & I'll add my views as appropriate.
I will also try & reply to some of the more constructive Posts when time permits - I'm a bit under it right now - but there's some great stuff there, & a few things I can give you a steer on as to "why".
As I mentioned previously, the whole MTT schedule is currently being addressed, & within that, the 7pm affair is a small - but certainly important - part. Getting the "flow" of the evening is critical, & not easy (impossible to please all, as this thread demonstrates), but I'm confident that working together, & constructively, we can get there.
A whole bunch of research into how to refresh the MTT schedule has been ongoing for a while now, & we are in touch with many players (many of whom you will know as Sky Poker loyal regulars) who are assisting Sky Poker with this.
Time of year makes it all a bit odd right now, with the expected seasonal downturn in traffic flows, but that's also exactly the right time to be doing these things.