10 handed final tables

[johnnyi]

I am the Cardroom manager of The International Club, London, and was also the Cardroom manager of The Gutshot Club, London.
I have always been a advocate of having standardised rules, and have been using the TDA rules for many years.
When TDA rule 9 was added, 10 players for a  final table for flop games, at first I was not a fan, but introduced it at the club for Hold'em events.
We hold a few Omaha tournaments at the club and have always had 9 player final tables for these. One of my TD's, who was at last years summit, beleives that we should stick to the TDA rules and make them 10 handed as in the Hold'em tournaments.
I don't feel comfortable in playing Omaha 10 handed and I don't consider it a major problem not  following the TDA in this instance.

Can one of the commitee comment on wether:

a) They see this as a problem

b) Why they introduced the 10 player rule in the first place



John Ioannou

[Nick C]

Johnny,
 I am not on the committee but I was at the Summit last year. That very question was put to the board of directors and Linda Johnson said that playing with 9 players at the final table, or not following every TDA rule exactly as written, will not exclude a cardroom from being authorized to use the TDA Rules. There were a group of gentlemen in attendence that had nine cameras built into their tables! I'm not sure how long you might have to wait for a member of the board to respond, so for now I'll stick my neck out and tell you it's okay.

[Brian Vickers]

Hey Johnny,
If I recall correctly from the summit, the consensus was that players would play 10 handed when 10 players remained but the "official final table" would not begin until the table was down to 9.  This was to prevent both tables from having to play so short handed at such a crucial stage of the tournament. 
For example: if you have an event structured to play down to the final table on day 1 and the final table would reconvene the following day, you'd combine down to 10 players but play would not halt for the day until 9 remained, thus setting the "final table".  The WSOP has been using this format for a while now, even before the "November 9" format was introduced.  If you remember back in 2003 it was Phil Ivey who got 10th and a few years before that Annie Duke got 10th so even though they were seated at the final table, they did not get a spot at the "final table" for the record books.

I see nothing wrong with Omaha tables playing 10 handed either in tournament play.  There are enough cards in the deck have four cards left in the stub after everyone is dealt in (40 hole cards, 5 board cards, 3 burn cards). 

P.S. I, too, am not on the committee