IDEA FOR NPL

[BigPete33]

If they didn't have that blind structure then we'd all still be there at 4am The venue has to shut at some stage and most of them are only licenced until certain times yadda yadda yadda

[Ondie J]

And I don't know about the rest of you but most weekdays, I don't want to be up at the pub playing until 4am.

We'll leave the Woolshed and the Hackney out of this conversation!

[BiG ChRiS]

[color=#BF0040]HI NPL I WAS TALKING TO A FEW PEOPLE INCLUDING SOME TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS AND WE ALL THINK ITS A GOOD IDEA FOR PEOPLE TO BE ASSIGNED A SEAT AND TABLE NUMBER BEFORE THE TOURNAMENTS BEGIN...I SAY THIS BECAUSE THERE HAS BEEN SOME CASES WHERE PEOPLE SIT NEXT TO EACH OTHER AND CHEAT BY WORKING TOGETHER.....SO HAVE A THINK ABOUT THE IDEA

I play poker with two friends everyweek, I go to play because i enjoy playing with these peeps, and it's a good time to catch up as we all work and have families. one m8 90% time sits beside me the other anywhere else on the table, I have and never will cheat and neither has my m8's we simply enjoy playing and having a laugh, all TD's know who we are and im sure would vouch for my honesty, if the seating arangments come into play this will make my time less enjoyable and probably stop me going as much as i do, Im sure there are many other groups like this on the scene we enjoy having a few drinks a laugh and game of cards, plus even the cheats will get called to same tables and as numbers dwindle get moved onto same tables so it wont solve the problems,
If you catch someone cheating just stand up and say it, TD's should then instantly ban these players if caught otherwise move them of the table as soon as the report has been made, dont let cheats spoil the experience for us others, if these people are intimidating then tell staff as most hotels have some form of security in place dont they? plus im sure there are many regulars that will back you up to remove these players.
Cheats will always be around.

Just my opinion on this matter.

[Linda Gendle]

NPL is about a fun social night out with your m8s the more the merrier. cheats are the minoriy so why punnish the magority
npl do not allocate seats for that reason .What we do have is a great team of staff who do their best every night to uphold the integrity of the game, teach people the rules and have a great time.
any player who believes someone to be cheating should quietly and privately inform their TD for further investigation straight away, we dont want cheats involved in any NPL games
BUT be careful, calling someone a cheat is in my opinion a very serious thing so make sure u dont just think someone is cheating u know that they are .
dont just assume that player A and player B are always at the final table so therefor must be cheating ( most of the time they are just better players than u ) and some lessons could be learned from these guys

[Rickster]

Can I follow on from what Linda posted above.

I am NOT suggesting that there is an epidemic of chip dumping, collusion and all-in protection going on in NPL (I do not include individual targetting in this for I consider it fair game - who didn't want to knock out Joe Hachem at Skycity last month?). I am also NOT suggeting that friends sitting together must have evil intentions. I am also NOT suggesting that the TDs are not spotting the cheats in the tournament. But being one who have seen such behaviour at NPL tables before (especially at the end of last season when qualifying places were at stake at venues) makes me feel somewhat strongly about this.

I don't think anyone is advocating seat assignments, just table assignments. I don't see much harm in that and have suggested as much, seeing poker is an individual game. I understand the counter-argument is that NPL is fun poker, but can someone please explain to me how table assignments would qualitifiably reduce the fun? How does that amount to "punishment" for the majority?

This is especially so considering tables will be broken up over time and players will end up sitting on the same tables or different tables anyway. At least when it is done it is done by the staff.

I agree that NPL poker must remain fun poker but there is an element of fun and comfort in the knowledge that people are not on my table by design but by chance. Like Linda said, it is a big deal to be accused of cheating and there is comfort in knowing that is much harder to do with table assignments too. Improving the integrity of the game and the confidence the players have in the fairness of the game can only make it more fun, not less.

Can this be say trialed at a venue or three across some regions and see what positive or negative impact, if any, this may have on the turnout and the emotional welfare of the players over a few weeks?

[Darren B]

Being told u cant sit with ur friends is NO FUN Ricky.
Even with yourself, I remember times when u have been looking for a fun table. Be it looking for someone of equal talent in poker or just a table for a couple of laughs.....it should be the players choice.

Even staff on their nights off prefer to sit at each others table so that they can target each other. Not because we are looking for a good game. Just ask Matty Norwood.

[Matty Norwood]

yes its all fun until someone calls with

[Bundy]

I've only been to one NPL tournament with my brother and we specifically chose NOT to sit together because we thought it was pointless to steal chips from each other.

Our plan was to see who could actually last the longest or get the most points, and hopefully we would meet at the final table.

Unfortunately I eventually got moved onto his table, and he dealt me pocket Aces and I knocked him out

So my question is if NPL is such a fun and social event, what is wrong with sitting with a bunch of strangers just to meet someone new?

Therefore as far as assigning table's go.. is it really going to hurt?

There's my 5 cents

[Darren B]

Matty

...are u telling me they weren't suited??????

How rude!!!

[Rickster]

If I have to choose my own table then of course I am going to choose one that is more fun. But if a table is assigned for me (which I prefer) then I shall not need to go look for a fun table for myself. Darren, surely you don't expect me to come up to you and say, "hey, I just spent some serious dough to get stamped up to play free poker, can you please see if there is a table where everyone on it will hate and detest me for me to sit down on?"

Of course, Darren's response will be that this is not hard to do at all!