Good to hear. I'm one who is always looking for non-NLH alternatives. If I don't make day two of Venetian's DSE HORSE on Monday 2/16, I now have a backup plan.

That is awesome! I appreciate any time poker rooms can add non-NL tournaments.

I'm tempted to say "I love me some HORSE" but perverted minds would think of something other than poker.

I like it but I don't think the $125 buy in is going to appeal to the casual player, especially in this economy.

I think Binions also tried regular tournies like this with a similar buy in and that didn't last very long at all. If you are trying to run tournaments featuring less popular games than hold-em I don't understand why you would have the buy in be double what it is for your hold em tournies.

@DayTripping

I think I agree with you. GVR had a weekly HORSE tournament last summer (don't know if it's still running) that was only $40 I think, and it was full quite often from what I understand.

I hear what your saying about the buy-in but we have actually had more people ask if it could have been higher.

Also it really is pretty close to daily NLH events here at the GN as well as binions and some other places as well. The daily NLH that we have 4 times a day and do pretty well have a $65 buy-in for 2k in chips and the $40 add on for 3K more; thats $105 for 5k chips if you do the add on which runs at about 90% of the players do.

For the $125 you get 6k in chips, 30 minute levels and a great structure, plenty of play.

We can always look at it down the road and adjust if need be and I am always open for suggestions. But like I said I have actually had a lot more call for it being a little higher, but I think this price and structure is the best I can offer to make the most players happy.

I do understand the difficulties in the economy these days, however the GN has been staying busy, and we have people plowing through racks in 2-4 and 3-6 games on several tables right now on a Tuesday afternoon ( plus some great 1-2 NL No Cap action)

With this set up you get:

1. a nice card room/casino that is actually offering these events
2. a casino that is commited to staying with non NL tournaments ( as well as NL of course)
3. good play in chips and structure
4. a nice hit when you cash making it worth your time, which is important to regular players

I will keep in mind all of your valuable feedback and thank you. A lot of things in the current poker room and our different serieses are a direct result of player feedback/opion; including these new daily events.

This is the product we are commited to and it is a very good one; I hope you give it a try. It will only get stronger as time goes by and the word is spread.

Thanks again,

John
GN Poker

Downtown is definately in a transition period with regards to poker.

With the new room opening at Binions, the Nugget significantly stepping up with regard to visability and tournaments, and the Wynn adding caps to their NL games, the poker scene towndown is quite a battlefield with new life being brought into it.

Downtown now has two very beautful and action packed venues for poker. Both offer the only uncapped 1/2NL games in Vegas, and both are first class rooms.

I am happy to see John expanding his tournament schedule to include non HE games, and given the clientele that play daily in his room, the buy in is justified for that particular downtown poker demographic (at least with regards to Binions and the Nugget).

I will be posting a main site news story about these tournaments shortly.

If players are asking for higher buy in tournaments, then by all means give 'em what they want.

I like it. If i lived in area again, i would be there a lot more. Im a bit skeptical if this will suceed because again, binions tried to do something like this and it just didnt catch on. But then again, what else is GN gonna run against the wynn/cp 7pm and the venetian nooner.

However, where it might help is they get some experience running those tournaments. One thing i might comment on limit tournaments...and the trend is to have similar styled structures to NLH. This is a mistake...this pertains to more non-nlh style games. ANyways, ill let negreanu deal with it.....in this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAZBfODr ... annel_page
go to 4:20...and listen on.

Again, with these limit ones...early levels...get rid of some....and make it more gradual at the later levels...thats what you should do with these limit/pl tournaments that no other places does.

EDIT: I just mention this just because. I know Ive heard the GN tournaments lasting well into the night during their tournament series...so i dont think that it should make a difference aside from fact that you can probably spare yourself the first few lower levels. and add some more later levels.

@Phanekim

When linking to a specific time on a youtube video, you can add a time for the video to start. Just use "#t=4m20s" for 4:20 into the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAZBfODr ... ge#t=4m20s

Oh, and I'll be there opening week for several of these tourneys. I'm glad to see some options for those sick of constant NLHE tourneys.

I like the $125 buy in for now -- unless it results in one table tournaments. Give it a whirl at $125 and adjust downward if necessary.

When binions were doing their omaha weekends...they got a good turnout...i believe it was like 70...and it decreased by like 10 every time. by december they got like 36. So it is possible...but we will see.

I'm hoping these tourneys catch on and stick around for a while. I'm not much of a tourney player, but to get the chance to play PLO, Omaha8, and HORSE tourneys is something unique to Vegas. I had played the Caesars Palace PLO and O8 tourneys in the past, and was really disappointed to hear they had been discontinued. Assuming the Nugget's tourneys are a success in the short term, I will be playing in all three during my trip in late February.

John, can you please verify your phone number? I left a few messages for you last Wednesday, but there was no identifier, so maybe I called the wrong extension. Thanks.

> Pot Limit Omaha: Wednesdays at Noon and 8pm

So is this a high only PLO? Or is it high low?

> Omaha h/l : Tuesdays at Noon and 8pm and also Fridays just at Noon.

Is this limit or pot limit?

Mike, could you update the GN's page with details?

Thanks for all your hard work.

I'm going out on a limb here and speculatin' on a hypothesis, but I'm guessing that the PLO is high only and the O8B is limit. Any other way would turn the dealers homicidal, either to the players or managment

I guess it is just my prejudice, I am working from the assumption that it is PLO8. To me it is the only way to play and perfectly logical.

Here the room in Daytona runs a PLO8 every Sat night. It is such an easy game to beat, as all the loose passive players think it is the same game as their daily 08 limit game.

In Vegas, PLO is traditionally high only, and O8 is a limit game.

PLO8 is very rare, and is rarely ever seen anywhere.

@LasVegasMichael Probably because the variance is so extreme with PLO8/b. This has turned into the game of choice at my regular home game and it's made the game absolutely nuts. A game which used to be almost solely NLHE at $1/$2 with the big winner taking home $250-$300 and the biggest loser in the $150 range has become a game with several pots a night over $500 and a few over a $1000 each night.

I introduced PLO to the game and couldn't get them to play it regularly but they love PL08b. I've tried to convince them that it is almost always played as a limit game but they want to play it as pot limit. Crazy I tell you. Of course half the group are maniacs and the other half are all LAGs!

@LasVegasMichael

yes

@LasVegasMichael

no

Name me any room in Las Vegas where PLO8 spreads with any degree whatsoever of regularity.

I can name at least 3 that spread PLO High Only with at least some degree of bi-weekely regularity in Las Vegas.

My post was addressing Las Vegas specifically, as stated.

I'd like to know other rooms that spread PLO8B tournaments, to keep it on topic. Any tournament other than NLHE appeals to me.

@LasVegasMichael

Bellagio

Sporadic and regularity are two very different things. Bellagio, sporadically gets PLO8, yes, but it is not a regular spread. Many oddball games have died including the 10/20 O8 at Wynn, the 15/30 Stud at Bellagio, and the 60/120 Mixed at Bellagio. Even the 40/80 mixed is no longer a daily occurrance. Times have changed.

LVM could you please define the difference between "sporadic" and "any degree whatsoever of regularity?"

Just becuase a game spreads once every couple of months does not mean that it is a regularly spread game. It is considered rare and/or sporadic at that point. If a game goes not spread at least once a week consistently, it is sporadic.

A regularly spread game either spreads daily or at least weekly (often scheduled, much like the IP mixed game).

Bellagio is often romanticized by many as being the be all end all of all forms of poker. This is simply not the case, and actually never has been.

Just because a game may spread sporadically because some people walked in and wanted to play it does that mean that a room can be depended on to find said game going any other random time. The other night Harrahs was spreading a 1/2 NLO game. It is not a regular spread, or even a sporadic game. It was a one time deal.

Bellagio's regular spread is significantly smaller then people like to think. On an average day, Bellagio will offer 4/8,15/30,30/60, 100/200 LHE; 1/2, 2/5, 5/10, 10/20 NLHE; 20/40 Stud, 40/80 Mixed (no longer daily), and the Big Game. The 15/30 Omaha 8 game has all but died due to the 8/16 at Orleans.

Any further questions concerning the Bellagio can be taken to the Bellagio thread. Let's not hijack the Golden Nugget thread any more then we have.

LVM, when was the last time you set foot in the Bellagio Poker Room?

December 25th, 2008. I have talked to Mr. Dalton since then, however, to clarify some information regarding time charge changes. With regard to the majors, I try to have some sort of phone contact with them weekly in order to keep the tournament and games charts updated.

There will be no further Bellagio discussion in this thread. Additional questions/comments regarding the Bellagio poker scene can be addressed in the Bellagio thread or to me personally via PM.

Getting back to this thread's topic:

John, the Golden Nugget room manager, has mentioned to AVP that the Nugget poker room is looking at a major expansion to occur in 2009.

This news item, coupled with the new tournament schedule has strongly streamlined the major contenders in Downtown rather squarely on Nugget and Binions solely. It will be interesting once the expansion occurs which room (specifically for cash game action) will be larger. For the tournaments, it seems that Binions and the Nugget compete rather fiercely for the event numbers.

The trash talking from staff members isn't too shy either.

@JohnDz

Not to change the topic, but to answer this question, Green Valley Ranch spreads a weekly PLO8 tournament. Check the tournament page for details, but I believe it is $40 + $5 (maybe $45 + $5) and is on either Monday or Tuesday nights.

AVPer Andrew will be able to tell you for sure.

Step 1 to improving the GN poker room:

Have a decent online presence. I really like the V's poker pages. There you can look at blind structures, know when all the DSE for 2009 will be held, and it has the tourney schedule. Perfect IMHO.

When will the next GN series occur? You cant tell, and I tried calling and leaving messages. The poker room manager had no idea, and no return phone call.

Binions is worse, they posted their series schedule _after_ it occurred.

What are the buy-in amounts.......

Just curious how the turnout has been for the Horse tourneys..Ill flyning in tomorrow and will probably hit it up thursday. Has anyone played, the structure seems good, curious how the play is as well..

@LEWISTIME55

Read the first post in the thread:

@Dmuz75

I showed up last Monday for the 8 pm tourney and was the first and only person to sign up...

I played at GN one night the week before last and they had to cancel the tournament due to lack of sign-ups.

I still think the buy-ins need to be cut in half for this to even have a remote chance of succeeding.

I would argue they need to cut it down to a single tourney each week so all interested players show up at the same time.

I like that idea.....

How many people have been in these tournaments?

@Wisconsin Lefty

Not many by the looks of it in this thread and the absence of any updates from management a la the tournament series.

The tournaments haven't even been running.

My kingdom for a PLO8. I do appreciate what you've done though.

Any updates on how these are running? Or not? I'm making a quick trip for the DSE HORSE on Sunday. If I don't make it to day two I was thinking of going to the Orleans for their Omaha 8 tourney, but I'd strongly think about going downtown if I know for sure that GN's Monday HORSE will be a go.

The 16th is a holiday. It might run due to that.