This weekend was the 3rd annual Jim Wang Bad Beat on Cancer event. We had 65 people for the tournament and raised close to $1200 for the American Cancer Society. It was a fun event and I even managed to make final table and bubble the prizes, but that another blog. Before I go on with my blog, I am going to make a disclaimer. I am a big fan of the Free Poker Network and what they have created for the MN bar poker players. In no way is this intended to be about their organization. That said here is an incident from the tournament.
I had a really good run in the Charity event this past weekend. I continued with my aggressive play and build a large stack and was able to run most of the table over. It created a lot of tilt by the players on the table. A little later in the tournament when we broke to 2 tables a women from Wilmar was moved to my table across from me. She had clearly been drinking a lot and I immediately started raising her and playing hands she was involved in. She was not very happy about all the raising but that's what I do when I have a big stack. She was wearing a FPN sweatshirt and kept making comments about being a state champion. It was mostly bragging, but a lot had to do with the alcohol. As I stated above I have a lot of respect for the FPN and what they have built, but what does it really mean to be State Champion. The FPN has a system that starts at the local level with a certain amount of weeks of qualifying, then the top person advances to state tournament and the top so many advance to a regional tournament. Ultimately all these tournaments are qualifiers to try and advance to the National event in hope to win cash and or poker tournament buy ins. It's a system that most bar poker leagues use. One of the different things about the FPN is they allow players to win extra chips and to start with double stacks. Now I have played in many poker tournaments at casinos all over the country and I have never played a tournament that some players started with double stacks. It kind of happens in rebuy tournaments but then all players have the option of buying in for the same stack. I find it unfair that you are able to start in any of those tournaments with more chips then others. You are all playing for the same prize, why not start out equal and let the best or luckiest player win. I understand why they are doing it, but don't see it as a fair tournament. Now back to the statement. Now I am very happy for her for making it to the national tournament and having a chance to win a big prize, but you are not a state champion. You are only a national qualifier. These tournaments are not played down to a winner. They are just played until the amount of players left advance. Calling these qualifiers state champions is like calling all the regional winners of a State High School tournament state champions, but they do play it out and declare a real state champion. A poker tournament that you are playing just to qualify requires a totally different strategy then when you try and win it. It's my biggest peeve with the free poker system. We are teaching players to qualify, but not how to win poker tournaments. So, good luck to all you national qualifiers and when you actually win the national event, then I will consider you a FPN champion.
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Dave I always enjoyed your blogs. I have to say i agree with you 90% of the time. In this case i have to disagree with you. But only parts of your past blog. First of all, I am the Boyfriend (Matt Wolff) of the Willmar woman (Kari). I will not get into the business aspect of FPN, we both understand why they do what they do.
ReplyDeleteI completely understand the bragging or shit talking she does when alcohol is involved. I am usually the guy pushing on her with a stack. I like to push her poker limits. But she drank way to much during the tournament and embarrassed me. Where you are wrong is, she is the State Champion. She played for almost 14 hours to take first overall, over 274 players. A new thing FPN came up with to award 1st place more. They have played down to 1st before many years ago. When it was a multi-state tournament played in Fargo. Kari is a very consistent player and bubbled the year before for Vegas. I just think the drink is holding her back for becoming a even better player. But that is a Blog in itself.
But as for the Jim Wang Tournament it was great. All of you ran a very great tourney and I was glad to donate to ACS. I wanted to win but 5th is all my cold cards could do. Also Scott Foster was on a heater at the right time.
Well thanks again and blog on!!
Thanks for the correction Matt. I didn't know. I think that's a big step forward for the FPN. You can always learn more by playing it out to 1st place especially when you most of us get to play so rarely heads up. I also wasn't trying to take anything away from anyone that makes it to the nationals because I think it's a big deal to make and in my years running FPN events I never made it. So, congrats to Kari.
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