You're a Bunch of Factors

This discussion was raised in another thread. I'm keen to find out what others think about how venue staff get their passports stamped. Should venue staff be able to stamp themselves up without purchasing anything, and redeem them for chips?
Yes, they own the venue and pay NPL
No, it makes a mockery of the tournament


Reference:
viewtopic.php?p=26077#p26077

if the *venue* whats to stamp them up for nothing thats up 2 them. there paying the npl, it's not like where playing in a wsop event and there is a lot of cash on the line. STAMP AWAY

Luke's right, it's up to the wnue.

Haha, you missed a few more Luke.

It can hardly be construed that it affects the tourney structure as anyone else can gets 2 cards too. It would be different only if the staff were obtaining something the regular players were not able to access.

I think this post is relevant
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1281&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=stamp+regular

That post certainly is relavant, but I still think a fair few people in that post missed the point. Is the stamp system is a device for the venue to get people to spend their cash, how the stamps are allocated is up to the venue. Every time a venue has a carp stamp policy, NPL's standard line is "all we can do is talk to them", which tells me, NPL isn't interested in telling the venue how to run their stamp policy - which I don't have a problem with.

NPL has an excellent system in place to ensure the tourney isn't too warped with the rebuys and add-ons (its not perfect, but hey, its free poker), and venue staff getting stamped up isn't an issue. How many people have actually gone back to the bar staff and said, "Hey, you gave me too many stamps". Sure, some will buy drinks to make up for it, but that is hardly the point, if you're being picky, surely you'd have to only receive stamps as you purchase something.

Stamp policy is up to the venue, if they want to stamp up staff (or regulars) that is their prerogative wow, that dragged on.

There is a huge difference between regular punters getting stamps they shouldn't, and venue staff getting them.

As I've said, but not really explained well, is that venue staff do their bit for the venue in their way. Whether it is working an extra 10 minutes some days unpaid, or inviting mates to drink at their pub, or even having an after-work beer each day, they are supporting the venue and helping them make a profit. As a player, I help the venue by buying meals/drinks.

Mind you, I don't expect that if I was to visit the pub on a day that they don't have poker, that the stamps should carry over; the poker is an avenue for the pub to bring punters in on other days too... I would occasionally go to Ambassadors on a Friday after work, when poker was a Tuesday, just cos I liked the place.

The view I take is that the Stamps are the venues way of rewarding people for making them money. The Staff do that by working there, we do it by spending there.

rcon wrote:That post certainly is relavant, but I still think a fair few people in that post missed the point. Is the stamp system is a device for the venue to get people to spend their cash, how the stamps are allocated is up to the venue. Every time a venue has a carp stamp policy, NPL's standard line is "all we can do is talk to them", which tells me, NPL isn't interested in telling the venue how to run their stamp policy - which I don't have a problem with.

NPL has an excellent system in place to ensure the tourney isn't too warped with the rebuys and add-ons (its not perfect, but hey, its free poker), and venue staff getting stamped up isn't an issue. How many people have actually gone back to the bar staff and said, "Hey, you gave me too many stamps". Sure, some will buy drinks to make up for it, but that is hardly the point, if you're being picky, surely you'd have to only receive stamps as you purchase something.

Stamp policy is up to the venue, if they want to stamp up staff (or regulars) that is their prerogative wow, that dragged on.

It was a good post though! I guess I'm seeing it from the "how it looks to new players" point of view, and whether it's fair that I have to spend up big $$ to get stamped up while venue staff don't pay a cent. In really expensive places to stamp up (where for example I can only stamp up 1 card), this means they have an advantage over me in the tournament. This is my biggest concern.

In addition to this, I don't think it's good practice for the venue to be stamping up venue staff as it means
1) They don't generate revenue from it
2) It looks bad to other players which means they might not go back.

So I guess while it isn't an issue to NPL and the tournament, it's not a good business practice for the venue.

mr_niceguy_1979 wrote:In really expensive places to stamp up (where for example I can only stamp up 1 card), this means they have an advantage over me in the tournament

my opinion, is that if you can't stamp up for 20 bucks or less, then you are at the wrong venue and you should be playing elsewhere.