Change to the Official 888PL Rules

[Garth Kay]

Ok I will address a few points and then leave the players and forum members to address this. I would ask that no argument arises from this and that everyone treat each other with respect and fairness.

I will say that at no time have I ever said: "It is ok to turn up, register for an event and leave and not be required to sit or play" as what has been inferred or what you told my TC last night.

When I use the phrase "register" I actually imply that a player will register (and it is my comprehension that a player will undertake activity in this event) not all players participate in your events to PLAY but sometimes for social reasons as well. Saying that by not addressing off the cuff comments in relation to registering and not playing is as good as saying it is allowed is ridiculous.

Finally:

So basically what he is saying is, "Yes there's no rules against this but at the end of the day we can do what we want and you can't do anything about it":

At this stage no more discussion will be entered into on this matter.

So basically this new rule means that all the discussion about pros being able to play if they want to is moot, because the 888PL can just say it is not in "the spirit of fairness".

That is not the message, what you have done is now highlighted a possible are of ambiguity within our rules, we have addressed this and will now ensure that all registered players have participated within all of our events within the spirit of our league and in the interests of fairness.

TBH - I do not want pros playing in any of our events unless they are invited guests (or busto looking to build their bankroll) so the pros conversation was to see how our "elite" players felt about it to see if I needed to reconsider my stance.

Adam's comment was put in at the end of my email at my direction as I did not want anymore of his time occupied on this matter and felt that this would be required to become a public/888PL discussion. It was no longer a support issue.

Adam also emphasised:

[quote="Adam Hancock]It is completely against the spirit of the game to turn up to an event and register with any intention other than participating in the league on a competitive or social basis.[/quote]

I understand full well that 888PL is a business and that its players should support venues and in this is way support the 888PL. As I have stated on more than once occasion, I would love to play poker every night if I could.

The 888PL should not be able to arbitrarily make up rules when someone raises an issue with them and then talk about "fairness". When I register I have every intention to return so long as time and personal circumstances dictate and if they don't and I can't make it, I don't see why we should change rules that have been in place for years and unregister me.
[/quote][/quote][/quote]

This rule was not created arbitrarily Trishan, you raised a support issue after a TC made a ruling that in his mind was in the interests of the fairness of the game. He made the right call and has our fair support, registering with the intent to or not to play affects points and people's experiences and possibly end of season rankings (in marginal circumstances). Whether your intent to play was there is another discussion topic but the fact remains you did not participate in this event and therefore the TC made the call to unregister you.

The rules have not been changed in this circumstance, the rules will be modifed to ensure that this type of scenario does not arise. Adam actually thanked you for raising the issue and highlighting it for us.

So in essence you raised an issue, and highlighted an area that needed addressing. We answered your support query, you were not happy with the result or reasoning behind it and now I have permitted you to raise this in a public forum for you to witness what your peers think of your actions and arguments.

Let the debate continue.

[AJG]

Aren't you studying Law??

Because how do new Laws come about?
Some circumstance NOT covered by existing legislation arises, and the legislators get to work (or the case is cited as a precedent until such time as it becomes law) ??
You wouldnt accuse them of arbitrary law making, would you...

Absolutely impossible for any group to foresee all possible situations that it will require rules to apply to...

Anyway, if the rules already state that TCs can make rulings based on a spirit of fairness, even if doing say may contradict a strict interpretation of some rule, they are still acting within their own rules...
Mostly all this is doing is covering unforeseen circumstamces, exactly like this.

personal circumstances, which I prefer not to discuss on a public forum, leaves me with certain obligations which I cannot ignore.

Then it seems that due to personal circumstances, which you would prefer not to discuss in public, you will be unable to qualify for the GF... Pity, but at the end of the day, is just how it is...
You cant really expect to make up your 10 games, by reging for 3 in the week leading up, and shoving every hand or just sitting there until the 1st break and leaving. As Adam stated, the spirit of the league is Membership == Participation.
Perhaps if you hadnt missed a game in 3 years, and then had a car accident or something similar leaving you unable to play the requisite games, 888PL may make a concession, but personal issues cannot and should not count - we all have them...

Edit: WOW I don't think I have seen so many replies within such a short time... I was replying to the 3rd or 4th post!

[trishan]

Sorry Trishan, but I am not going to go through the 888 rules & what has been posted on the forum: this is my opinion only.

Unfortunately if you are not willing to commit to playing 10 games over a 12 week season, then 888 probbly don't mind if you don't play the GF & they don't give you part of their record prize pool.

Another couple of things for you to consider:

As someone who was previously involved in a venue running poker, I would be ropable if I was paying 888 money to have you playing at my venue, only to have you walk out after 5 minutes. Obviously I would hope that you would put some money over the bar, however if you walked out and 888 still charged me for having you there, sh!t would definitely hit the fan. I don't think it would be worth it to 888 to lose a venue, just to allow you to register & then leave - especially as you do not seem to be a supporter of the leage as you haven't even played 10 games.

Also, having a dead stack on the table is a huge advantage to that particular table. The TC has to be fair to the other tables playing so I believe removing the dead stack (you) is the fair thing to do.

Trishan, I am sorry that you feel you have been hard done by, but take the emotion out of this, take a step back & look at the bigger picture. Get your 10 games & come play in a couple of weeks.

Hi,

Thanks for your comments. I agree with everything you have said. I support venues when I attend and play (even though I can't drink any alcohol in most cases because I drive). When I play I always have a few soft drinks and the occasional meal.

My main issue here is the 888PL arbitrarily changing rules and not so much the expectation to support venues.

[David]

Trishan,

1. How many away games have you played since the last GF?

2. How many of these did you actually play, and how many did you register, and not play?

3. Rules aside, in all fairness, do you think that registering for a game and not playing it at all should count towards your games tally?

[Matt Porter]

If you cannot engage in a serious discussion please refrain from posting. You are speculating what my intentions are when I have stated clearly what the situation is.

Sorry, didn't realise this was a serious discussion.

From your OP I thought you was just 'avin' a larf!

[bennymacca]

From your OP I thought you was just 'avin' a larf!

[Scotty]

My main issue here is the 888PL arbitrarily changing rules and not so much the expectation to support venues.

I looks more like a clarification of a perceived grey area than an arbitrary change to me.

[trishan]

Trishan,

1. How many away games have you played since the last GF?

2. How many of these did you actually play, and how many did you register, and not play?

3. Rules aside, in all fairness, do you think that registering for a game and not playing it at all should count towards your games tally?

1.) 4

2.) 3

3.) No

[Sinitster]

Busy 2-3 weeks of poker ahead hey Trishan ?

[bennymacca]

1.) 4

2.) 3

3.) No

so how did this thread come about then?

maybe it would have been better to phrase your OP differently.

im sure you will get 6 games in the next 2 weeks. just find the double headers to play.