[JM]

Ok, here's something I never hear discussed. How do you guys assign seats in a home tourney. I've got one we play with 6 or 7 regulars. We all tend to take the same seats every time out of habit, but I have to change that. We know each other too well and position is coming into play in this scenario.

I thought about pieces of paper with numbering on them, shuffled up and drawn at random. But who gets to draw first? And who last (not that last matters lol). So that won't work. I want something random and here's what I came up with off the top of my head.

Everyone rolls a pair of dice, top roll gets seat #1, next gets #2, and so on. In the event of a tie, the ties re-roll and top gets the next available seat and bottom gets next seat, then continue with the rest of the placement from the initial roll.

That's the quickest randomizer I can think of. What do you guys think of it, and how do you do it?

[scottwire]

I usually get a deck of cards and if we have say 8 players, I pull out ace through 8, suits don't matter. Shuffle them up and let everyone pick a random card. Assign seats 1 through 8 clockwise around the table and The ace gets the small blind, 2 gets the big blind...8 gets the button.

[SpaceMonkey]

I don't see how drawing pieces of paper out of a hat isn't random? For me rolling dice would take too long and be annoying.

I have ten white super diamond chips, numbered 1-10 on one side. Every person draws a chip off the table and thus their seat number. Then we deal high card for the button. We do this for every new game each night.

Other games I play at just take out A-T from a deck and have each person draw a card for their seat number. Some of them also give the button to the A, but I don't really like that. Seperate draws for seats and the button for me.

[JM]

Thanks, I forgot about who gets the button. I think we'd probably do the first ace after seating for the button too, since that's how we do it now.

As to why drawing out of the hat isn't random, its like I said, who gets to draw first?? Who gets stuck with last?? If you say first guy there draws first, well that's me since I gotta setup, so that's not too fair. If its not me, then when do I draw?

[SpaceMonkey]

Originally Posted by JM

As to why drawing out of the hat isn't random, its like I said, who gets to draw first?? Who gets stuck with last?? If you say first guy there draws first, well that's me since I gotta setup, so that's not too fair. If its not me, then when do I draw?

I'm not following your logic at all. You still end up with random seating assignments every time. It doesn't matter who draws first.

As the host, I'll typically draw last or close to last. Sometimes before we start the first game, people are just standing around staring at the blank chips on the table. I just pick first when that happens.

[R Deckard]

Same here: why does it matter who draws first? How does that impact what seat you get? I don't understand where you are coming from with this, JM. let's say you put eight cards in a hat, A through 8, corresponding to seats 1 through 8. I am the first to draw, which seat am I more likely to get? You are last to draw, which seat are you more likely to get?

[JM]

Well I'm just trying to make it as random as possible, like a good shuffle (to reference an excellent thread in this forum!).

I suppose seat number isn't that important, but I was looking at it from the perspective of who has the best chance at getting seat #1. Obviously the first one to pick has a chance at any and every seat and therefore has the best chance to pick the prime seat, assuming there is such a thing. Of course if he doesn't get it, then the odds get better for the next guys.

So I guess the question would kind of shift to how important is seat #1? As I think about it, my gut feeling is that it is no better than any other seat.

[JustinHEMI04]

Most places just deal for seats. However, I use my tourney managing program that randomly assigns seats.

Justin

[R Deckard]

Originally Posted by JM

Obviously the first one to pick has a chance at any and every seat and therefore has the best chance to pick the prime seat [snip]

Your probability analysis is faulty. No one has any better chance of getting any seat. It's like saying that being the small blind (i.e. getting dealt the first card), you have a better chance of being dealt an A than the rest of the players. Being first doesn't mean anything.

BUT, if after you pick your card out of the hat you immediately look at it and announce what it is, then with this new information we are able to recalculate the probability of the remaining drawers getting the remaining numbers.

So I guess the question would kind of shift to how important is seat #1? As I think about it, my gut feeling is that it is no better than any other seat.

And of course, seat 1 doesn't matter either. What matters more is who gets the button first, which you should draw separately for, if you want to do like the casinos do. After everyone sits down, fan the cards on the table face down, and have everyone pick a card. High card is button. In case of a tie, then suit breaks the tie (this is the only time suits matter in poker, BTW). I use the following ranking (highest to lowest): Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs.

[JM]

Originally Posted by R Deckard

Your probability analysis is faulty. No one has any better chance of getting any seat. It's like saying that being the small blind (i.e. getting dealt the first card), you have a better chance of being dealt an A than the rest of the players. Being first doesn't mean anything.

BUT, if after you pick your card out of the hat you immediately look at it and announce what it is, then with this new information we are able to recalculate the probability of the remaining drawers getting the remaining numbers.

Ok, so what about my followup question. Am I correct in seat 1 being no better than 2,3,4,5, etc? That would be assuming that we then do the first ace for dealer button after seats are assigned and seat #1 is not automatically the button. (I guess that's where my thoughts of that seat being the 'best')