Chips worse than dice & horrible tourney

jimmygunz · #1 (**permalink**) 02-20-2007, 10:09 AM

I just wanted to let everyone know how much of a chip snob i have become. And a little story about people trying to run a tourney that had no clue.

The weekend started off right as always at the normal fri cash game.
Stardancer Ceramics and Kem Arrows

Next was a normal game that dice chips were used for the last year. Lately i think the owner became tired of them as we all do. So i showed up and i saw a new case (1000 chip aluminum) just thinking he put dice in there. Well he shelled out for new chips, problem was they are 5 times worse than dice.They have girls on front and they have less clothes on them according to the denominations. They didnt stack higher than 10 no lie. I feel bad becuase he probably thought they would be better than dice.

Last one is the tourney i showed up thinking it was a 100 $ tourney (4 tables. Structure looked great 2000 chips start at 5/10 and double every 15 i think.
Problem i had was it was one winner and 50 bucks went to charity (thats what they said). I didnt think it was good ev so i left. turns out it was a mess. They used dice chips, dollar store cards that needed to be replaced 5 times on each table, and they didnt know how to run tourney. When tables were uneven the table with 7 players had to sit and wait until other table with 8 lost a player. (at one point for 20 minutes) thank god i didnt play because i would have demanded a refund or made a big scene.

2 questions
1. Was i being rude for leaving a tourney because i didnt want to pay 50 bucks for food and charity?
2. Would i be insulting to the owner of bad chips if i bring over a set of faux clays and try to sell them to him for cost?

99%evil · #2 (**permalink**) 02-20-2007, 10:16 AM

Only one money winner? I run away, that's a luckfest. If you can't get money for at least top 4 from a 4 table tourney, your EV ain't there. Run Forrest, run. Especially if these guys don't klnow how to runa tourney I'd imagine there were a bunch of bad players, luck rules that tourney.

Javi · #3 (**permalink**) 02-20-2007, 10:16 AM

IMO -
1. I don't think it's rude if they didn't tell you exactly where the money was going to in the first place.
2. I'd think so. Maybe introduce the idea to him - and if he's interested, then you bring the chips.

smoore · #4 (**permalink**) 02-20-2007, 10:37 AM

I'd have walked too.

re: faux for cost: You'd be doing him and the tournament a disservice by NOT trying. I'd suggest going over with the faux, taking out 200 of them and stacking them in 5 stacks of 40. Then try to do the same thing with the slick ones. Then tell him that you'll sell him ALL of these workhorses for the low, low sum of $X but... you NEVER want to see the slick chips AGAIN!

jdunford · #5 (**permalink**) 02-20-2007, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimmygunz

2 questions
1. Was i being rude for leaving a tourney because i didnt want to pay 50 bucks for food and charity?
2. Would i be insulting to the owner of bad chips if i bring over a set of faux clays and try to sell them to him for cost?

1. No. If you were informed in advance that it was a charity thing and that buy-in didn't go 100% to prize pool, that's one thing... but advertising a $100 buy-in tourney without saying implies that at least 90% goes to prize pool.

2. I wouldn't go so far as to try to sell him Fauxs, but you could casually mention that there are nicer chips (and cards) out there that would last longer and aren't as easy to slip into the game.

At a "private card room" in Toronto recently, I mentioned to the owner that the establishment's tournament chips "weren't very secure" (they were 11.5g suited chips with painted-on labels that didn't go around the edges) and that there were lots of options (some more affordable than others) to get better-quality and more secure chips. He said, "Oh, you haven't seen the chips we use for $1/2 cash games... much more secure" and proceded to bring out the "4 aces" cheaply labelled 11.5g "real clay" (i.e. "except for the ABS and metal slug") chips you can get on eBay and at just about any hobby store in the city (at a ridiculously overpriced $0.50/chip or something outrageous). I smiled and went back to playing cards.

4ceps · #6 (**permalink**) 02-20-2007, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdunford

At a "private card room" in Toronto recently, I mentioned to the owner that the establishment's tournament chips "weren't very secure" (they were 11.5g suited chips with painted-on labels that didn't go around the edges) and that there were lots of options (some more affordable than others) to get better-quality and more secure chips. He said, "Oh, you haven't seen the chips we use for $1/2 cash games... much more secure" and proceded to bring out the "4 aces" cheaply labelled 11.5g "real clay" (i.e. "except for the ABS and metal slug") chips you can get on eBay and at just about any hobby store in the city (at a ridiculously overpriced $0.50/chip or something outrageous). I smiled and went back to playing cards.

is that what these cardrooms are doing eh? i wonder if any of these rooms actually spend the extra effort & expense to get real custom chips.

beekeeper · #7 (**permalink**) 02-20-2007, 10:56 AM

That is a high percentage of buy-in to charity. That fact should be made known up front. I would think a 30% or less a more appropriate amount of prize pool to charity.

bbb_forever · #8 (**permalink**) 02-20-2007, 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Javi

IMO -
1. I don't think it's rude if they didn't tell you exactly where the money was going to in the first place.
2. I'd think so. Maybe introduce the idea to him - and if he's interested, then you bring the chips.

I agree with Javi's comments, especially #2.
DON'T just bring the chips over to sell it to him. You've got to ease someone into the idea. "Hey, I know of some chips that are pretty cool (or that you might like), would you be interested to see them?"

Lucky Louie · #9 (**permalink**) 02-20-2007, 11:08 AM

I think you did the right thing by quietly walking. You were unaware of the format and it looked like a pretty awkward distribution.

As far as chips, I would go slowly. Show him your chips. We all know that faux clays feel great, but most non chip snobs like edgespots, so he may not be as hot about them till he gets a chance to play with them.

jimmygunz · #10 (**permalink**) 02-20-2007, 11:09 AM

yeah i think i will just bring over 100 of the faux clays and try to show him the value in them.

As for the tourney i think that i wouldnt have had a problem paying 30 bucks into the food/fundraiser/charity portion of tourney. I just felt kind of weird sliding out the front door as soon as i heard about it. My friend actually chopped the 1600 prize pool two ways.

thanks for the responses