Main Event Ticket Questions

[bennymacca]

Thought i would create a thread about our questions for this, so that we don't cloud the other threads.

First question - is it 100% established that the tickets will be non-transferrable? if so, what are the reasons for this?

Second Question - if there is a legitimate reason why you cannot play, having qualified, could you defer your ticket to the next final?

Third Question - If you already have a main event ticket (sick brag), what happens if i now go and win a second ticket? Will i hold those tickets over to the next final, get cash for it, or be able to sell to someone else?

[Jav1000]

Thought i would create a thread about our questions for this, so that we don't cloud the other threads.

First question - is it 100% established that the tickets will be non-transferrable? if so, what are the reasons for this?

Second Question - if there is a legitimate reason why you cannot play, having qualified, could you defer your ticket to the next final?

Third Question - If you already have a main event ticket (sick brag), what happens if i now go and win a second ticket? Will i hold those tickets over to the next final, get cash for it, or be able to sell to someone else?

+1

[BigPete33]

Thanks benny the cunt, I was just about to create a thread for this very thing so as not to get it all mixed up in the other discussion.

I'd REALLY like Tim, Ratty, or Garth to comment on this if they have the time.


This is how I understand the thinking behind the ME tickets current arrangement:

* Premium showcase event for the pub poker industry where those who are entered have genuinely won their way in and it should in theory actually represent the "best" players going around in 888PL/APL.
* High value tournament with big bucks on offer, attractive to the max, something to really aim for.

That's fine, and I like that concept.

These are the issues that I feel are counter-productive to what is trying to be achieved:

* Impossible to know in advance when the tournament actually is, other than 6 monthly and approx Feb/Mar and Aug/Sep - this means players won't even know if they should bother trying to win a ticket because if they do and cannot go then the ticket is useless to anybody.
* Prizes for other events such as State Finals (and let's not forget the farcical payouts of the most recent GF) include tickets to the ME as part of the prize paid - again, what makes you think everybody can actually make it if they don't know when it is?
* Prize winners of major events that have a ticket included in that prize, and cannot make the ME, have actually been shafted rather than rewarded for their win, to the amount of $1200 - This REMOVES the incentive to even participate in State Finals and similar, or play in venue to begin with other than for a social game only.


How I think this can be easily rectified:

* Continue to include ME tickets as part of prizepools.
* Players who win a prize that includes an ME ticket are given the option, on the spot, to take the extra $1200 (because it's already budgeted for, right?) instead of an ME ticket, OR to go ahead and take the ME ticket.
* If a player does choose to take the $1200 extra cash, they are then NOT attending the ME unless they formally declare that they are in fact able/willing to attend and they then hand back the $1200 and reclaim their place that they won to begin with.
* If a player chooses to take the ME ticket and then finds out they are unable/unwilling to participate in the ME they formally hand in their ME ticket and receive the $1200 value for it because they won it to begin with. I would assume that money would then be removed from the ME prizepool.

It's obviously impossible to give as much notice for ME dates as what would be required if the current situation stands and it's just as impossible for players to know that far in advance if they can make it or not even if they do know the date.

I think the above is a sensible solution where everybody wins. Players will have something to aim for without fear of being shafted, venues retain (or perhaps increase) numbers for the same reason.

[bennymacca]

im not really in favour of anyone having the option to remove money from the main even prize pool, because there are too many people who are either too lazy, too busy, or otherwise unwilling to fork out $1200 for a ticket. (which is essentially what they are doing given that you are giving them the option of buying into the tourney or taking cash)

but i do like the idea of flexibility with tickets, with either being able to sell them, or being able to defer to a later date, which i think is far the better option.

[JMACK007]

Good post Pete. Your idea really has merit. I would however make the dollar value the player receives less than the $1200 ticket value to try and get more to actually play the Main Event.

Another thing you could do is have limited buy-ins to a qualified field of players (i.e. to be eligable to buy-in, you must have either been a Dreamteam member, won a State final, State Leaderboard, final tabled a GF, etc., etc., and whatever equivelant APL achievements). You can then promote these as an extra carrot for people to strive for. This also gives a further incentive for people to chase leaderboards and play State finals, which is what we want....

I think incentives is the key.

*benny the cunt, we posted at same time, but kinda on the same train of thought...

[David]

I might be just silly or something, but I struggle to see the reasoning with not being able to transfer/sell tickets.

[JMACK007]

I might be just silly or something, but I struggle to see the reasoning with not being able to transfer/sell tickets.

I think it is for the reasons Pete mentioned, you should get a higher quality field that way....

(not that I agree with it).

[David]

I disagree totally.

If you changed the GF just gone to be "non-transferable" I doubt it would have affected the "quality" of the field more than 1%.

And in saying that - I know a lot of excellent players who either bought directly in, or purchased tickets from other players.

The notion that transferring tickets means bad players get in is an absolute fallacy.

[David]

(I disagree with the notion Jo, not you, obviously)

[David]

I would go so far as to say that by allowing direct buy-ins, and selling of tickets - the field IMPROVED at the grand final.

Many of the "average" players won tickets at events. Bink a FT at a semi final, or a rebuy somewhere, and you're in.