SPT brighton would be a perfect option for you,you wife and kids can enjoy a great holiday at the beach and you can make into into that tournament itself by saving up all the money you'll win on the micro stakes from now until the week of the tournament which is most likely to happen in augest
Yes because £220 is to much for me to pay for a local poker tournament and my chances of winning a seat via a satellite are slim to none.What.s so hard to understand about that.
I love satelliting into tournaments. As I have banged on about to anyone who will (pretend to) listen, I have satellited into 4 WSOP Main Events, having never paid more than $80 for a qualifier.
That said, everyone is different. And I am sure Sky wants to cater for lots of different people. So here is a suggestion that might work.
For one of the SPTs this year, trial a different set of tournaments. On the Thursday evening/Friday early-ish, live qualifiers. Friday/Saturday, the SPT as usual. And on the Sunday a one day £110 tournament.
I think that would work. Logical place to try it would be Nottingham, as
1. That was the one with the iffy numbers last time; and 2. It is the one where most people can get to/from.
I don’t understand why you think you have no chance of qualifying through the sats. If I managed it last year I am sure you are more than capable of doing it his year. Just put aside a small amount each week for the cheapest sat and then try and get through via that route. Definitely doable and definitely worth it if you manage to get through.
If the buy in was lower then I would of thought that unless rake % was higher (which wouldn't go down well) it would have to be a 1 day event for the casino to justify it. Not sure if people would want to travel far for a 1 day tournament. Also if the buy in was lower then when you factor in expenses it becomes extremely hard for players to make any money so you may get a situation where players wont travel and numbers struggle.
Great stuff, thanks for that. I will aim for all of them, especially Glasgow as its my home town. Manchester may be the only one I struggle with due to my current health issues, fingers crossed I make it along.
Yes because £220 is to much for me to pay for a local poker tournament and my chances of winning a seat via a satellite are slim to none.What.s so hard to understand about that.
So what would you like Sky to do for you?
Hey Subzero..why not try £5.25 to win a seat...i'm a donkey player so if I can win seats so can you, surely??
Yes because £220 is to much for me to pay for a local poker tournament and my chances of winning a seat via a satellite are slim to none.What.s so hard to understand about that.
I hate to be too critical but if you haven't the confidence to win a seat through the (excellent imo) satellite route, then why are you even thinking of wanting to play a live tournament. I'm a very small stakes player too, but have managed to win seats to several SPT, and in the past UKPC tournaments. There's no way I can afford to buy in to the SPT Tournaments at £220 either, but for a fraction of the price I can get to play in these live tournaments by satelliting in. The SPT tourneys are really well run with a great atmosphere, and it's great to meet (most of ) the people you play online with/against, so it's well worth trying to win a seat, and if you don't think you can play your way into the semi-finals, try the all-in satellites, which is obviously down to luck that you get through. I hope you do try because I promise you won't be disappointed.
Blimey I only said that I thought £220 buy in was a lot of money for people like myself that had kids and a mortgage.I didn't realise I would get such a response.Thanks for all the constructive criticism.And an apology to hhyftrftdr because I don't no why but iv obviously hit a nerve with him...…...
Blimey I only said that I thought £220 buy in was a lot of money for people like myself that had kids and a mortgage.I didn't realise I would get such a response.Thanks for all the constructive criticism.And an apology to hhyftrftdr because I don't no why but iv obviously hit a nerve with him...…...
No nerve hit but I accept your apology regardless
No-one is disputing that £220 is a big chunk of cash to most people, myself firmly included in that. But to complain about that price point, and then also complain about the various cheaper ways to win a seat.....come on.
You'd have a valid gripe if there were no sats whatsoever, but there are loads of them. If you don't think you'll win a seat via that route then that's your problem and you can hardly blame Sky for that. Plenty of material out there to source if you wanna brush up on sat strategy.
As Matt says, a lower entry price would probably downgrade the MTT to a one day affair, then there would be questions of if it was even worthwhile for the casino to run it, Sky to promote it and for the players to make the journey/expenses.
There are only 4 stops as well. Plenty of casinos run regular £100 ish comps, so Sky really need to differentiate themselves from that market for such a low number of annual stops.
The great thing about SPTs is you don't even need to play to get involved. I just turn up, get drunk and **** about people. You can still enjoy an SPT weekend without lifting a card.
No I think you misunderstood.I didn't complain about the cheaper ways to win a seat I no about satellites etc I just didn't think I could win one but I suppose if I got an amazing run of cards etc then I could bink my way in to an spt seat.The main reason I left the post was because I would love to play in an spt and brighton is not that far from me but with my personnel finances I just couldn't justify £220 then possibly get knocked out after only 5 minutes (I no I could also last a lot longer) but people have explained why it isn't practical for it to be a lower buy in.But I have to say I have played in 4 apats and also the goliath all for a buy in of around £100 which to me the £100 saved makes a huge difference to my budget.
No I think you misunderstood.I didn't complain about the cheaper ways to win a seat I no about satellites etc I just didn't think I could win one but I suppose if I got an amazing run of cards etc then I could bink my way in to an spt seat.The main reason I left the post was because I would love to play in an spt and brighton is not that far from me but with my personnel finances I just couldn't justify £220 then possibly get knocked out after only 5 minutes (I no I could also last a lot longer) but people have explained why it isn't practical for it to be a lower buy in.But I have to say I have played in 4 apats and also the goliath all for a buy in of around £100 which to me the £100 saved makes a huge difference to my budget.
Not wanting to sound harsh or anything but if £100 is around your budget and £220 out of budget, and you have little faith in yourself to win a seat, then you're not gonna be able to play an SPT whilst they are £220 jobbies under those circumstances.
You could try the all in sats, or try and win the difference through regular MTTs or cash or whatever you play. But you can't expect Sky to lower an entry fee on the say so of one player. As you said yourself, you can't please everyone.
That's not to say you still can't enjoy an SPT weekend if there is a stop close to home. Get yourself down to the casino and enjoy some drinks, even if you have no intention of playing.
No I think you misunderstood.I didn't complain about the cheaper ways to win a seat I no about satellites etc I just didn't think I could win one but I suppose if I got an amazing run of cards etc then I could bink my way in to an spt seat.The main reason I left the post was because I would love to play in an spt and brighton is not that far from me but with my personnel finances I just couldn't justify £220 then possibly get knocked out after only 5 minutes (I no I could also last a lot longer) but people have explained why it isn't practical for it to be a lower buy in.But I have to say I have played in 4 apats and also the goliath all for a buy in of around £100 which to me the £100 saved makes a huge difference to my budget.
You certainly don't have to enter the tournament to enjoy the SPT, These poker tours might have tournaments but neither sky nor the casino can force you to play them. as HH saids have a decent drink with those who are not playing, if yo still insistent on playing some poker join the cash tables, you can make entry onto the cash tables for >£100, alot of the sky players who've went out the tournaments "including myself" like to have some fun on the cash tables
Apologies if I've missed the info on the promo page but I haven't played an SPT before. After winning a seat via the sats, am I automatically regged into Day1a or can I choose between 1a and 1b?
Also can I win more than 1 seat for each of the day 1s?
Apologies if I've missed the info on the promo page but I haven't played an SPT before. After winning a seat via the sats, am I automatically regged into Day1a or can I choose between 1a and 1b?
Also can I win more than 1 seat for each of the day 1s?
Sat seats: This depends, but will always be stated in the tournament description of the satellite you're playing. I think the SPTs last year had sats for Day 1a to begin with, then the satellites closer to the date of the tournament for Day 1b, presumably once Sky were happy with the number of Day 1a entrants as 1b is almost always the more popular of the two.
Multiple seats: Previously it just used to pay cash value of the seat like any other satellite where you're already registered in the target tournament. However, this changed for the last £220 SPT of last year, where you were allowed to win a maximum of two seats for each day, and any unused bullets were saved for a future SPT. @Tikay10 will either know the situation for this year or be able to find out for you.
Personally I would say there are 2 main factors at play.
#1: For a live tourney there are a lot of additional expenses than when compared to an online affair. For example, travel; 1/2 nights in a hotel; a few drinks; and maybe some sightseeing if you have ventured to a city you do not usually frequent.
All of these additional expenses make it very hard for the live tourney to be +EV (to make sense financially considering possible returns). Reducing the buy in just makes this even more ridiculously hard for anyone - even Mr Bates - to justify solely as a financial investment.
Which leads onto the second factor...
#2: The community/social aspect. As Craig points out a large part of the equation is getting together with some folks from the Sky community and having a bit of fun. After all life is more than just a sum of + or - EV financial considerations. For this reason I think it is reasonable to forego some expected value and play the games even if the potential returns might not be as good as a comparable online tourney.
Having said that it would be ideal if some balance can be struck between both factors. Personally I would be more likely to attend if the buy ins were between £550 and £1100 as this would in my personal opinion strike a better balance. However I do understand this would not be suitable to everyone and I recognise that the promo team won't have opted for the £220 buy in by picking the number out of a hat. They will have weighed up all the factors and £220 probably isn't far off the mark when all things are considered.
Apologies if I've missed the info on the promo page but I haven't played an SPT before. After winning a seat via the sats, am I automatically regged into Day1a or can I choose between 1a and 1b?
Also can I win more than 1 seat for each of the day 1s?
If you win a seat via a satellite, you can play EITHER Day 1A or Day 1B - it is your choice. You don't need to do anything else - just turn up on your chosen day & report to the Cash Desk, your name will be listed there as a Sky Poker qualifier.
And yes, you can win more than 1 seat. For example, win 2 seats & that gives you 2 bullets on either day, or a bullet on each day. Unused seats can be carried forward to future SPT's.
No I think you misunderstood.I didn't complain about the cheaper ways to win a seat I no about satellites etc I just didn't think I could win one but I suppose if I got an amazing run of cards etc then I could bink my way in to an spt seat.The main reason I left the post was because I would love to play in an spt and brighton is not that far from me but with my personnel finances I just couldn't justify £220 then possibly get knocked out after only 5 minutes (I no I could also last a lot longer) but people have explained why it isn't practical for it to be a lower buy in.But I have to say I have played in 4 apats and also the goliath all for a buy in of around £100 which to me the £100 saved makes a huge difference to my budget.
You've started what has turned out to be quite an interesting debate.
It's never a "one size fits all" solution unfortunately, what suits some does not suit others. Sky Poker have tried to find the right balance.
Really, a 2 day £100 SPT does not work at our Venues, it needs to be £200 to make it worthwhile.
You mention APAT are £100 and the same Prize Pool, & I can thoroughly recommend anything APAT does. However, if it is the same prize pool for half the buy-in, then it must have twice as many runners, & the bigger the field, the tougher it is to cash, so it's as long as it's broad, & if you feel you may struggle in a 20 runner Satellite, then a 400 runner APAT is going to be even more difficult.
You also mention the £100 Goliath. I'm bound to say, they charge a monster Reg Fee for these - £25 (TWENTY FIVE POUNDS) on a £100 Tournament, which is breathtaking. You also have to navigate a field of close to 10,000 players, so that's pretty tough, & most players are not only kissing goodbye to £100, but to a £25 Reg Fee too.
Anyway, you must do whatever is right for you, but I do hope you invest in a few cheapo satellites for an SPT. You never know, if guys like @MISTY4ME & @stokefc can qualify - & they have in the past - then anyone can. You just need a bit of run-good.
Comments
That said, everyone is different. And I am sure Sky wants to cater for lots of different people. So here is a suggestion that might work.
For one of the SPTs this year, trial a different set of tournaments. On the Thursday evening/Friday early-ish, live qualifiers. Friday/Saturday, the SPT as usual. And on the Sunday a one day £110 tournament.
I think that would work. Logical place to try it would be Nottingham, as
1. That was the one with the iffy numbers last time; and
2. It is the one where most people can get to/from.
Phil
Manchester is first, 8th, 9th & 10th February.
The confirmed dates for the other venues will be announced very shortly.
Can we expect to see you in Manchester?
I hope you do try because I promise you won't be disappointed.
No-one is disputing that £220 is a big chunk of cash to most people, myself firmly included in that. But to complain about that price point, and then also complain about the various cheaper ways to win a seat.....come on.
You'd have a valid gripe if there were no sats whatsoever, but there are loads of them. If you don't think you'll win a seat via that route then that's your problem and you can hardly blame Sky for that. Plenty of material out there to source if you wanna brush up on sat strategy.
As Matt says, a lower entry price would probably downgrade the MTT to a one day affair, then there would be questions of if it was even worthwhile for the casino to run it, Sky to promote it and for the players to make the journey/expenses.
There are only 4 stops as well. Plenty of casinos run regular £100 ish comps, so Sky really need to differentiate themselves from that market for such a low number of annual stops.
The great thing about SPTs is you don't even need to play to get involved. I just turn up, get drunk and **** about people. You can still enjoy an SPT weekend without lifting a card.
You could try the all in sats, or try and win the difference through regular MTTs or cash or whatever you play. But you can't expect Sky to lower an entry fee on the say so of one player. As you said yourself, you can't please everyone.
That's not to say you still can't enjoy an SPT weekend if there is a stop close to home. Get yourself down to the casino and enjoy some drinks, even if you have no intention of playing.
Also can I win more than 1 seat for each of the day 1s?
Multiple seats: Previously it just used to pay cash value of the seat like any other satellite where you're already registered in the target tournament. However, this changed for the last £220 SPT of last year, where you were allowed to win a maximum of two seats for each day, and any unused bullets were saved for a future SPT. @Tikay10 will either know the situation for this year or be able to find out for you.
Personally I would say there are 2 main factors at play.
#1: For a live tourney there are a lot of additional expenses than when compared to an online affair. For example, travel; 1/2 nights in a hotel; a few drinks; and maybe some sightseeing if you have ventured to a city you do not usually frequent.
All of these additional expenses make it very hard for the live tourney to be +EV (to make sense financially considering possible returns). Reducing the buy in just makes this even more ridiculously hard for anyone - even Mr Bates - to justify solely as a financial investment.
Which leads onto the second factor...
#2: The community/social aspect. As Craig points out a large part of the equation is getting together with some folks from the Sky community and having a bit of fun. After all life is more than just a sum of + or - EV financial considerations. For this reason I think it is reasonable to forego some expected value and play the games even if the potential returns might not be as good as a comparable online tourney.
Having said that it would be ideal if some balance can be struck between both factors. Personally I would be more likely to attend if the buy ins were between £550 and £1100 as this would in my personal opinion strike a better balance. However I do understand this would not be suitable to everyone and I recognise that the promo team won't have opted for the £220 buy in by picking the number out of a hat. They will have weighed up all the factors and £220 probably isn't far off the mark when all things are considered.
If you win a seat via a satellite, you can play EITHER Day 1A or Day 1B - it is your choice. You don't need to do anything else - just turn up on your chosen day & report to the Cash Desk, your name will be listed there as a Sky Poker qualifier.
And yes, you can win more than 1 seat. For example, win 2 seats & that gives you 2 bullets on either day, or a bullet on each day. Unused seats can be carried forward to future SPT's.
Hope to see you in Manchester.
You've started what has turned out to be quite an interesting debate.
It's never a "one size fits all" solution unfortunately, what suits some does not suit others. Sky Poker have tried to find the right balance.
Really, a 2 day £100 SPT does not work at our Venues, it needs to be £200 to make it worthwhile.
You mention APAT are £100 and the same Prize Pool, & I can thoroughly recommend anything APAT does. However, if it is the same prize pool for half the buy-in, then it must have twice as many runners, & the bigger the field, the tougher it is to cash, so it's as long as it's broad, & if you feel you may struggle in a 20 runner Satellite, then a 400 runner APAT is going to be even more difficult.
You also mention the £100 Goliath. I'm bound to say, they charge a monster Reg Fee for these - £25 (TWENTY FIVE POUNDS) on a £100 Tournament, which is breathtaking. You also have to navigate a field of close to 10,000 players, so that's pretty tough, & most players are not only kissing goodbye to £100, but to a £25 Reg Fee too.
Anyway, you must do whatever is right for you, but I do hope you invest in a few cheapo satellites for an SPT. You never know, if guys like @MISTY4ME & @stokefc can qualify - & they have in the past - then anyone can. You just need a bit of run-good.