3 Card Poker Tourneys on GSN

Discussion in 'News & Announcements' started by KenSmith, Apr 21, 2006.

  1. KenSmith

    KenSmith Administrator Staff Member

    FIRST-EVER MILLION DOLLAR ‘THREE CARD POKER NATIONAL TOURNAMENT’
    For Immediate Release

    Monday, March 27, 2006

    GSN AND SHUFFLE UP PRODUCTIONS TO TELECAST FIRST-EVER MILLION DOLLAR ‘THREE CARD POKER NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT’
    (New Friday Airdates – April 21 and April 28)

    (Santa Monica, CA)
    – GSN has partnered with gaming company Shuffle Master Inc. to air the finals of the first ever Three Card Poker National Championship Tournament. The two one-hour specials, hosted by Mark L. Walberg (“Temptation Island,” and “Russian Roulette”) and Danielle Demski (Miss Arizona 2004 and Miss USA Finalist), are slated to air on Friday, April 21 and Friday, April 28 from 9:00-10:00 PM E/8:00-9:00 PM C and is being produced by LMNO Productions and Shuffle Master subsidiary Shuffle Up Productions. (Note: Three Card Poker was previously announced to air Monday, April 17 and Monday, April 24 from 9:00 to 10:00 PM ET/PT).

    The popularity of Three Card Poker has risen quickly over the past nine years, making it one of the most played casino table games in North America, with international expansion close behind. Shuffle Master Inc. includes a portfolio of proprietary table games including Three Card Poker® and Let It Ride Bonus®.

    “We are excited about giving away a $1 million to the winner of our first event. Next year we anticipate bigger crowds and more players competing for the finals at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. We expect to conduct 30 to 35 Regional events in 2006 throughout North America,” said Brooke Dunn, Senior Vice President of Shuffle Master, Inc.

    In Three Card Poker, players compete against the dealer. Each is dealt three cards face-down and must make the best poker hand with them. Hand rankings are slightly different from five-card poker: straights beat flushes, and the highest ranking hand is a straight flush. There are three wagers, pair plus, which pays based on the rank of the hand and the ante and play wagers that pay off if the players hand is higher than the dealers hand. The dealer must have a queen high or better to qualify.

    Shuffle Master held 20 regional Three Card Poker tournaments throughout North America, and over 250 people qualified to play in the finals at The Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The special will focus on the nine finalists as they battle for the $1 million dollar grand prize and a diamond and ruby-encrusted bracelet worth over $30,000.

    “GSN is on the forefront of bringing casino games to television in a compelling and entertaining manner" stated the show's executive producer, Eric Schotz. "Three Card Poker is a perfect fit for viewers. It is a game based on skill and luck that anyone can play."

    GSN , the Network for Games, is the only U.S. television network dedicated to game-related programming. The network features game shows, reality series, documentaries and casino games. As the industry leader in interactivity, GSN has allowed viewers to play-along with on-air programming via their computers and GSN.com since 2002. Reaching more than 57 million Nielsen homes, GSN is distributed in the U.S. through all major cable systems and satellite providers. The network is jointly owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Liberty Media Corporation. For further media information, visit GSN’s press website at corp.gsn.com.

    About Shuffle Master
    Shuffle Master, Inc. specializes in providing its casino customers with Utility Products, including automatic card shufflers, intelligent table systems, and roulette chip sorters, to improve their profitability, productivity and security, and Entertainment Products, including proprietary table games and Table Master™ games to expand their gaming entertainment content. The company is included in the S & P Smallcap 600 Index. Information about the Company and its products can be found on the Internet at www.shufflemaster.com

    About LMNO Productions
    Established in 1989, LMNO Productions has produced over 600 programs and 50 series for network, cable and syndicated television. A provider of reality, documentary, informational and entertainment programming worldwide, LMNO’s credits include, “Kids Say the Darndest Things” hosted by Bill Cosby and “Wickedly Perfect” for CBS, “Guinness World Records: Primetime” for FOX, “Behind Closed Doors with joan Lunden” for A & E and the award-winning “Silent Stalker: Heart disease” for Discovery Health Channel. Information about the company and its shows can be found on the Internet at www.lmnotv.com.

    -GSN-
     
  2. toolman1

    toolman1 Active Member

    Very fluffy

    Just watched the first hour. More fluff than meat.

    This is the first 3 Card Poker Tournament I've seen. With the exception of a few (very few) minor strategies, it looks to me like a crap shoot - basically just luck.
     
  3. Count de McArds

    Count de McArds New Member

    Three Card Poker Tournaments

    Then I certainly hope you are at my table next time I play!

    The Count
     
  4. TXtourplayer

    TXtourplayer Executive Member

    Coin toss

    Toolman I have to agree with you about 3-card poker tournament being mostly luck with a small amout of strategy involved.

    I have played in a few of the Las Vegas Hilton (LVH) tournaments and it is funny to watch some of the players that come in to play the tournament. The LVH
    put about fifteen 3-card poker tables up in the casino and you hear players saying I'm going to go practice before the tournament...LOL.

    How the HELL do you practice for a 3-card poker tournament? The game has no skill factor and only a minimum strategy factor for tournament play and even than you need to get lucky to advance.
     
  5. arlalik

    arlalik Member

    Skill Factor

    Rick let me disagree with you. In my opinion in any game tourneys, when you are competing with people not with a casino no matter how negative the game itself is, by having better strategy than average player, you can overcome that luck factor in a long run.
    I am not an expert in that game, that's why I like to hear experts' opinions about this.
     
  6. TXtourplayer

    TXtourplayer Executive Member

    Agree to disagree

    arlalik I would be interested in seeing the history of "All" the LV Hiltons 3-card poker results as well as the national 3-card poker results (now being shown on GSN) to see how many season tournament players (STP) have even made the finals in these events.


    Now if more STP have made the finals in these 3-card poker finals I will concede to you, but I would be willing to bet more no name players will be on that list than STP.


    Now if this is indeed the case, than you would have to agree that the luck factor is a lot greater than you first thought.


    What’s the old say, "The proof is in the pudding!" Now I agree that there is a strategy to playing the game in a tournament format that enhances your chances to advance, but the luck factor is a lot greater in this and other carnival style games than strategy.


    I am not saying you're wrong, nor am I right. I am just pointing out my opinion and why. This is the beauty of this site, we can discuss our opinions with other players.

    Now less say we are playing in a craps or baccarat tournament, I'll agree that there is a lot more strategy involved in those games for tournament play.

     
    Last edited: Apr 22, 2006
  7. Perception

    Perhaps because of the perception of a 3 card poker tournament as being a non or less skilled tournament event, many STP's simply don't play these events, or don't play them as often, and, as a result, there are fewer of them in the finals strictly from a numbers standpoint.
     
  8. toolman1

    toolman1 Active Member

    As I see it

    In any tournament contest, casino or otherwise, there are strategies that will increase one's winning percentage in the long run. However, each type of contest carries it's own AP percentage. In the case of 3 Card Poker, there are so few strategies available (especially compared to Poker or BJ) that the advantage gained over the average player is so very small that it would take many thousands of tournaments for most seasoned players to realize that true, very small, advantage. The reason for this is that even the uneducated player realizes the single most important play and can put it to use at any time.

    In 3CP tournaments, that one really important strategy play (the one even the uneducated player knows) is get lucky with a large bet out on PAIR+. And like they say in 3CP "It's not if you get a straight flush, it's when". Sure, betting strategies are important if the game is tight, but in a 3CP tournament, you are bound to play at a table where someone hits a big payout with a large bet on PAIR+ rendering all other "sophisticated" plays useless. You may not hit that wall at every table, just most.

    I have no interest in playing "carnival" type tournaments. Might as well play a slot tournament or a PAI GOW (now that's a real gem) tournament. The only time I would play a 3CP tournament is if entry and rooms are free and I happen to be in LV and need a time fill. I wouldn't care if I sat at a table full of the best seasoned 3CP players on earth - unlike poker or BJ. If I get lucky with my PAIR+ bets then I will win unless someone gets luckier with their PAIR+ bets. And that's the bottom line as I see it.
     
  9. TXtourplayer

    TXtourplayer Executive Member

    Yes but,

    Bradley brings up a good point (as he usual does), that not many STP play in the 3-card tournaments as the novice players.

    However I think this supports my opinion. If there were an advantage play in these tournaments than STP would be playing in more of them. As it is now STP only play in these events if they are locals or coming out for other events around the sometime, (that is my case).

     
  10. KenSmith

    KenSmith Administrator Staff Member

    I think there is quite a large edge for skilled players in 3CP tourneys. The few I have played in have been massively misplayed by the average player.

    casino_jim might want to weigh in on this discussion, as he regularly made a nice profit in a series of 3CP events.
     
  11. TXtourplayer

    TXtourplayer Executive Member

    With all things being equal I would agree that STP has an advantage over the average player, however the luck factor makes the difference.

    No matter how bad a average players misplays their hands if they get lucky they are going to beat the STP.

    Once again I go back to my question, how many STP have made the finals compared to average players in these 3-card poker events held at the LVH or national events?

    I'd say that over 85% (or better) of the average players have made the finals in these events over the STP.

    Having an advantage is a great thing, but it cannot beat luck.
     
  12. LVHCM

    LVHCM Banned User

    I could get the bottom card from that blond female impersonator.

    And--

    Does television get any worse than this schlep?? I mean besides KOV...
     
  13. I think luck was a bigger factor in the early round of the GSN event due to it's accumulation format. As stated, your multi-payout hands are going to hit, it is just a matter of when. With 200+ players playing two rounds of 30 hands each, there will be many straight flushes and 3 of a kind hands in those two rounds. The lucky ones will have big bets on pair plus when their big hands hit and advance into the semi-finals. Once they switch over to the table elimination format in the semis, luck is a little less of a factor. Luck is still a big factor but I don't think it is as huge a factor as in those earlier accumulation rounds. I think the accumulation format was a big part of the diversity you saw in the final 9 players since you just about weren't going to make the semis without a lot of luck.

    I have only played five or six 3CP tournys but they were elimination format all the way through. As Ken alluded to, I have been on tables where people played in ways that gave them almost no chance to win. They were still in a mindset of playing against the house and not against the other players at their table. All players in a 3CP tourny are very dependent upon catching some good hands but I think a player experienced in tournament play who realizes that strategic bet sizing is vital has at least some advantage over the players who continue to play just as they do in the cash 3CP games. That advantage is not as pronunced as in a BJ tourny or even a craps event but I think it still exists.
     
  14. KenSmith

    KenSmith Administrator Staff Member

    I never got around to tuning it to these shows. If the early rounds were accumulation, then that certainly makes advancing mostly luck. Like Rebel, my 3CP tourney experience has all been in elimination format.

    I'll give you the main reason that the public misplays elimination style 3CP tourneys...

    I love to see people chasing me by playing the Pair Plus bet. Sure, sometimes they'll catch a huge win, but almost 75% of the time those bets end up in the tray. Catching something higher than an even money payoff on Pair Plus happens less than one hand in ten.

    Compare that to an opponent who knows to ignore the Pair Plus bet but instead bets half their money on the Ante and calls 'in the blind' for the rest of their money. That player is now a 54% favorite to win either just the Ante bet or both the Ante and the Play bet.

    It's always fun to see the other players react when you go all-in without even looking at your cards too. :cool:
     
  15. toolman1

    toolman1 Active Member

    Pair+ wins

    Just finished watching the second hour of the 3CP championship. If anyone else watched - I doubt it because there were probably only 2 viewers:laugh: - then you have to draw only one conclusion:

    The player who gets luckiest (while his/her opponents get less lucky) on his/her PAIR+ bet wins.

    I rest my case.

    NOTE: The guy that won the $1,000,000 tried in 7 qualifiers to get to the playoffs at Caesars.
     
  16. casino_jim

    casino_jim Member

    Like Ken says, There is a huge edge (at least for me) at a 3 card poker tourney, assuming it is an elimination format.

    I've played 6 tourneys every month here in the Gulfport/Biloxi area until Katrina. I was in the money or won many many more times than normal.

    There is no more luck than being in a BJ tourney and having the high and the low on the last hand and losing. I can't count how many times a person that hit a straight flush or trips early in the round lost.

    The level of play is vastly inferior to a BJ tournament. If you get to play in a 3 card tourney where they haven't had many, the average play is terrible.
     

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