Author Topic: Alternates  (Read 7911 times)

aceofhearts

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Alternates
« on: April 20, 2010, 05:12:14 PM »
When playing in a live tournament, do alternates get blinded out or do they start with a full stack? Also, if players have been playing and get busted out within the alternate rounds, can they come back as alternates (if this is not a rebuy tourny)?

Martin L. Waller

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Re: Alternates
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2010, 07:53:11 PM »
Aceofhearts,

The tournament is a freezeout.
The alternates can’t be blinded out since their chips aren’t on the table.
All seats must be filled since there are alternates.
Now, when the alternates are seated an appropriate amount of chips should be taken from their stack and added to the next hand or two to cover what would have been blinded if it were possible.
Let’s say that they come in during the first blind, the Floor should give the dealer chips equal to the blinds.
The dealer should put in a big blind in one hand and a small blind in the next. The new player must be included in both hands.
In a freeezeout a busted player should not be able to re-enter.
I hope this helps,
Martin

pokerfish

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Re: Alternates
« Reply #2 on: April 21, 2010, 01:09:06 AM »
Hi,
What Martin says is one way to do alternates.... and late arrivals. The WSOP allows players to enter 2 hours late and come in with a full stack. All the other tables play short. There are arguments on both sides of that method....
Jan Fisher
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http://www.cardplayercruises.com

aceofhearts

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Re: Alternates
« Reply #3 on: April 27, 2010, 08:03:22 PM »
now, if we have been allowing busted players to reenter as alternates, how would we go about stopping that without making the players who are used to this, upset?

AleaLeedsCardRoom

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Re: Alternates
« Reply #4 on: April 28, 2010, 09:50:39 AM »
If you allow busted players to re enter as an alturnate you have a rebuy tournament.  If you do not then you have a freezeout tournament.  Which I find an easy difference to inforce with the tourneys I run.  Granted some people are upset when they are not allowed to re enter but if its advertised as a freezeout then they cannot.

For the record, when we have people enter late (alturnates) then they post the big and small blind of the level they enter into dead into the pot as a late entry penality.

Lewis :)

Martin L. Waller

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Re: Alternates
« Reply #5 on: April 28, 2010, 11:39:14 AM »
Aces,

If you need to seat late arrivals simply seat an extra table. If you have 100 players seat 12 tables of 8 & 9. That will give you the seats you need for them. Then they will be blinded until the buy-in period is over. At that time remove the empty seats chips from the table.

If you just don’t have the tables then place some of their chips in the next pot after they sit in.

As for the re-entry, a freezeout by definition is a one buy-in and out. I’ve seen “freezeouts” with a one rebuy or add-on. Those aren’t freezeouts.

House rules take precedence over all other rules. If you want to allow one re-entry during the first hour, go ahead. Just make your rules and stick to them. If this re-entry is causing an issue with your players find the best compromise and make it the law. No mater what you do you will upset someone.

Hey, it’s your game do what it takes to run a good game that players want to come to.

Good luck,
Martin

Brian Vickers

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Re: Alternates
« Reply #6 on: May 02, 2010, 12:25:53 PM »
We start our tournaments under the assumption that we will have late entrants, therefore eliminating the need for alternates on most days. 
We take an average of how many players we generally get for a particular tournament, and then start the tournament with one extra table.  So if we normally have 60 players then we will plan on opening 7 tables.  The way I keep tables balanced is to take out 7 seat cards for each table and shuffle those together.  The put one seat card for each table under that pile, and then another seat card form each table under those and so on.  This keeps tables balanced as players sign up.  Then we put 10 stacks of chips down on each table and as late players show up they just sit down to a seat that has already had chips blinded off. 
On the rare occasions where we do have alternates we take off a small blind and big blind for each time the button would have passed that seat.  We allow late buy-ins up until the first blind level goes up, and if they pay before that time we guarantee them a seat.  If we have alternates and no one goes out before the end of the 2nd blind level then we seat a table 11 handed so that the player doesn't have to wait too long to play.  We pull out the 11th chair as soon as we have an opening.
If we get 5 alternates we open an additional table and move players over to balance.