Table Sargent

As a tournament director you run into all types of people and all kinds of situations that happen while a tournament is running. You need a good sense of humor if you are going to run bar poker games because eventually you will see it all. Today I am going to talk about that guy you have all seen, the table Sargent. There are other terms for this person, but I am going to try and be politically correct and call him the table Sargent. This is the person that has to in charge of the table at all times. To a tournament director they can be a great help and at the same time be a pain in the ass. It's a help when they pull the pots to the middle and help make side pots when someone is all in. It's no help if they can't add or don't know the rules of poker. Just remember if you are going to be the table Sargent that you need to nice to people and not degrade or make another player feel stupid because they don't know the rules or make a mistake. For a lot of people bar poker is a place to have fun and learn the game of poker for entertainment purposes. The more people that play the more chance the bar has to increase revenue, the more prizes they can giveaway.

Now on to last nights fun incident. In fact I was involved in the hand to be talked about. I was on the final table with 8 players left and I was one of the short stacks. I was waiting for a hand to push all in before my big blind. I look down at Q-9 suited and push in. I have less then the big blind so I know I am getting at least one call. Everyone folds except the small and big blinds. Pots are arraigned. There is a small side pot of a few thousand. Flop is Q-7-2. Great I flop top pair. Small blind checks and then big blind who is the chip leader by quite a bit bets out. Small blinds mutters a little about the bet and folds his hand. I turn over my Q-9. Big blind turns over 3-4 off. He has nothing. Small blind goes off immediately. What are doing betting me out with nothing. Anyway, I end up winning the pot and end up 5th for the night. Small blind guy is on tilt for the rest of the night over the bet with nothing and pesters the guy all night about what a bad play it is. He must not have read my blog about check downs. Now I don't think I would have bet into the pot with nothing as I would always try and take another player out, but is that the right move. Big blind had nothing and by betting the other guy out he was able to win some of his chips back. So is it really a bad play! In the end it didn't effect the outcome, I still would have won the hand and it put a player on tilt for the rest of the night. Big blind ended up winning the tournament so I guess that maybe it was the right play.

Christmas

Wow has it been a busy holiday season. Between work, poker, wife's surgery, and christmas it has been crazy. It seems a long time since I updated. Here goes.

MN has had a lot of snow as of late just in time for holiday driving. We got close to a foot of new stuff in the last 3 days. It has made driving difficult. Yesterday, we went to my mother inlaws in Chaska. I made lasagna for dinner so we left early to get it in the oven. It was about 34 degrees out so roads were wet and slushy, but overall not too bad. I was able to drive 60 most of the way without too much problems. I was driving on a straight part of the freeway in the twin cities with no one around when all of the sudden the backend of the van slide around. We made a full 360 degree turn and ended up on the side of the road facing the right direction and drove on. How we didn't end up in the ditch is beyond me and why it happened is still a mystery. It was so random. Luckily no one was around us. By the time we left for home in the evening it was raining out and 35 degrees and the roads were just wet. Got to love MN waether in the winter.

I have been on a roll playing poker as of late. I am the points leader of my tuesday game and have finished on the final table in the last 3 events that I have played. I need to go to casino before my heater ends, but it probably isn't going to happen anytime soon.

I got Daniel Negreanu's book for christmas. I have heard good things about it. I will let you know what I think. I also got the little black book of Karma Sutra, but I think I will keep that one to myself. LOL!

State of Bar Poker in MN

This may turn into a rant so I apologize if it does. As the person that had a lot to do with the legalization of Bar Poker in MN it bothers me when people try and do things that are clearly against MN State laws. My worry is that if enough people do things like this that laws may get changed and for many of us that earn money from bar poker it could effect our lives. I am not a person that my only income is from bar poker but it is my part time job and I enjoy doing it.

Here is MN law from their website

http://www.dps.state.mn.us/alcgamb/gamfaq.html


Minnesota law allows for social skill card games of cribbage, skat, sheephead, bridge, euchre, pinochle, gin, 500 and smear or whist and Texas Hold'em, so long as the tournament or contest does not provide any direct financial benefit to the promoter or organizer.

Players in Texas Hold'em tournaments cannot be charged any fee or be required to give any consideration (something of value) as a condition of participation. In other words, players must be able to participate in a Texas Hold'em tournament for free. Prizes can be awarded in Texas Hold'em tournaments. However, as in the case with tournaments involving other social skill games, the value of all prizes awarded in a single tournament cannot exceed $200. With respect to Texas Hold'em, the law further specifies that the value of all prizes awarded to an individual winner of a tournament at a single location may not exceed $200 per day. To participate in Texas Hold'em tournament or contest, a player must be at least 18 years old.

Here are some examples of what I have been seeing lately.

A local radio station had a big promotion that any female could write in and state why her husband, boyfriend, or any other male friend should play in a hold-em tournament that there were running. They picked 50 people from whatever they got and those players meet at a local jewelry store and played for $5000 in jewelry credit from the store. So no entry fee but $5000 in prizes.

A local charity that is actually a county run agency is hosting a hold-em benefit at a bar with a $40 entry fee and $500 1st prize and $1000 in total prizes. I am not against poker for charities, but it needs to be legalized by gambling control. At this time they only allow bingo, pulltabs and paddlewheels that are run by state authorized organizations.

Bars have tried cover charges or extra chips for purchases. Not bad ideas and I understand why bars are trying but the law is clear about all these things.

Bar poker has been a good promotion to increase revenue, but it is getting harder and harder for bars to show profit by running poker tournaments. It is time for a change to the MN holdem laws. My suggestion is to allow charitable gambling license holders to run low stakes buy-in tournaments and keep a percent to cover costs and make a profit, even some of the money could go to the state and we all know they need the money. Most of these organizations are well below past years sales of their other gambling options, so why not have non-profits make a little and then bars can still have tournaments but not have a cost to run them and still increase their revenues.

Who wants to step up and try and make a change. All it takes it some lobbying, so call your local legislators and tell them it's time for a change!