Grand Casino, Gulfport, MS $100K (OPEN)

Personal Opinion not Condemnation

Jim P.

I believe you misread the intention of my post which may be due to the way it was written. I was not condeming any BJT.com members for their posts but rather the Casino for the lack of information they were providing potential participants. In the past two weeks I called three times (VIP Services, a Host and I believe the title was Director of Events, I don't recall her name) I could get no more information than was posted at this site. I also requested a copy of the official tournament rules be faxed or emailed to me and was told there was no addition information.

Yesterday I spent two hours researching airfare and schedules and after putting a reservation on 24 hour hold I called VIP Services to enter. I was then told the tournament was not open to the general public and I could not buy-in for $150 because I didn't have a Player's Card, each of my prior three calls I was asked my card number and informed them I didn't have one and there was no mention that I was ineligable to participate so I asked for a Host and was given the same information as were at least two others (see LHENRYC's post on this thread). I asked to be transferred to Richard Henderson and left a message including reading his email sent to you and requested he return my call. He returned my call about four hours after I read TXtourplayer's post explaining one player from each table advances, no re-buys etc. He said he had no idea why I was told I couldn't enter, the tournament was open to the public to buy-in as long as seats were available and he would get me entered. I asked him about the tournament rules Rick posted and he confirmed that was correct. I thanked him for returning my call and stated I couldn't justify the expense of flying from CA with the possibility of only playing one table with no re-buys available. He said I don't blame you, I wouldn't do it either.

I know this is a Casino but they don't all write and change the rules @ will if the tournament is professionally managed, an example would be to call the Grand Casino Tunica and request they email their Sept. 16-18 BJ Tournament official rules to you, it contains 39 OFFICIAL tournament rules.

I agree this could be a great value tournament and I would be there in a heartbeat if I lived in New Orleans or the tournament was being held in Reno or Las Vegas, my prior post was based on my personal situation only and my Rainbow statement was this would be a " Chasing a Rainbow tournament, AT LEAST FOR ME that would have to fly 7 hours each way".

I'm sorry if you felt my prior post was a personal reference to you or others that posted the information they were aware of concerning this tournament, it was not meant that way. I'm sure if you or others knew of the one player per table advances, no re-buys etc. rules they would have also been posted here. It was basically a post to thank Rick for the efforts he made that provided me with the information I used to decide this was not a value tournament for me.
 
uninformed employees

Jim I don't think Rookie was complaning about the tournament it's self, but the lack of correct information (if any) given to us at the Gulfport property.

I for one am still coming down, (kind of stuck with the no refund policy). However what I was up set about on my post above was because of the mis-information told to me when I signed up.

At the top of this thread I was slamming everyone that wasn't going to support it. I signed up and was trying my best to promote it. I wasn't aware of these new rules until I had several players calling me asking what was going on and that they were being told it was a VIP only event.

I was told Danny Bass head of marketing and Michelle (special events) were the two in charge of the tournament and that is who I talked to. What they told me was different then what I signed up for and what I posted about. If your friend is the one in charge then the VIP services and other employees in Gulfport need to be informed.

I perfer tournaments with two advancing and re-buys if travel is involved. It is not fun to drive 7 plus hours each way and come in 2nd on the table when only one advances from the table. Now if it was local tournament or within a couple of hours sure no problem and that is what Rookie and I were up-set about having a 7 hour flight (or drive) plus the cost for only one shot to advance. Several players are still signing up once they found out about the correct rules and the format on this tournament.

If they just offered a re-buy I wouldn't have a problem with them only advancing one. I would know I have two chances to advance anyway.
 
Last year they had between 300 and 400 in the tourney at a $100.00 buy-in and a $100 rebuy. I find it hard to believe they won't have a rebuy this year, but I guess anything is possible.

With the entry at $150.00, I think there will be fewer players than last year.
If there is no rebuy, then there will be even less players.

The question about the dealers abilities will probably not be an issue, since they deal 3-card poker tourneys every week. I don't think they will be as good as Biloxi's dealers, however, since they may not be used to the 'first base button'. I think after a few hands they will be okay.

There is no doubt about the overlay, even without rooms. The downside is there will likely be more luck involved than usual to get to the finals.

I will be attending Wednesday night's 3-card tourney, and I hope to get better info at that time.
 
An Open Tournament with a $50,000 Prize ! ! !

I enjoy blackjack tournaments. I enjoy open blackjack tournaments. I like to plunk down my entry fee and play for prize money . . . with real-money or funny-money. I prefer this to having to devote several hours at perhaps a higher-limit than I wish to play at the host casino's tables. Or even to having to establish myself as a long-term customer. I just want to play the tournament and play some blackjack or slots or hang around the sportsbook during breaks in the tournament action.
I used to play the Stardust, but it is no longer a truly "open" tournament. And if I don't stay at the Stardust paying the casino rate on top of the entry, they don't even want me to play. I used to play the Stardust and the Frontier and the Riviera all in one week, but one's not a true open anymore, and the other two don't even exist. The Hilton Million-Dollar-Tournament is history. Heck, 5 years ago there were two-dozen good tournament opportunities in Reno and double that in Las Vegas and another dozen or more in Mississippi every year. Now an open with a good payout relative to the entry fee is, indeed, getting very hard to find . . . anywhere.

So along comes the Grand Casino Gulfport with an open tournament with a $50,000 guaranteed First Prize and a $150 entry fee. And the entry-fee includes 2 weekend nights lodging ! ! ! For $150 ? ? ? Hey, . . . I am in !!!!!
I delayed a few days after this thread started to see if it was real. During the delay the airfare went up over $30 bucks, so I called in to enter. Yeah, it was a minor hassle: the reservation clerks didn't know about it until I told them; I had to apply for a Players Club card; no one called me back to confirm my entry as the clerk had indicated, so I had to call them back. And I still don't know what the exact rules are gonna be. But so what! The rules are gonna be the same for everybody, and somebody walks out with $50,000. That's a five with 4 zeroes after it before the decimal point! (Oh, and by the way, does anyone really think with 3 weeks left to publicize this tournament they are gonna actually get 750 players?)
So now people are calling the casino demanding to know the rules, demanding to know how many players there's gonna be, demanding to know how many players advance every round. No wonder JoeP and KennyE are having trouble getting a casino to commit to their big tournament. I'm just hoping the Grand Gulfport doesn't cancel the whole thing to avoid the hassle.
And if they do cancel . . . . well, maybe I can work something out with them for a cheap room for two nights anyway . . . . and I'll be in one of the best places on the planet to find good low-limit blackjack for a few days, not to mention fresh seafood and Southern Hospitality.

Gentlemen, one should enjoy life and take opportunities where one finds them. Good Luck to all!
 
I know this if off topic but the Hard Rock Casino is all people on the Gulf Coast are talking about so I'll quickly mention the band Velvet Revolver is christening the casino Sept. 9 at 8pm. That is Scott Weiland's band (formerly of Stone Temple Pilots).

I don't know how the BJ rules will be, but this will be THE SPOT to party and socialize in Biloxi the weekend of this tournament. Just for your information.
 
mississippi-gulfport

WELL I HOPE I AM STILL IN THE TOURNY AFTER THE SOUND OF THINGS- I HAD no problem getting in WITH 2NIGHT ROOM IS THIS TURNING INTO A BAD TOURNY AFTER BEING GOOD TOURNY I HOPE NOT
when somebody receives the rules and if a rebuy and the wildcards please post I WILL BE THERE ANYWAY BUT GOOD INFORMATION SEEMS HARD TO COME BY
 
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The Good and the Bad...

What we have here is a dichotomy.....On one hand this tourn. represents a great value for the money invested. On the other we have lack of accurate info. from casino personnel, frustrating game parameters, and an element of instability that is reinforced every time we call for info..

If you look at prior posts, we (Casino Jim and Myself) tried to emphasize and explain these frustrations. We live here and have played their tourn.'s. It is hard to explain all of the not so subtle nuances w/in the context of a message forum. I do think this forum has been thoroughly informed w/ what is known and prepared for the possible unknown.That said, with all of us contributing info., we have created a background that gives anyone viewing these threads a pretty damn good idea what they are up against w/ this tourn.. This forum has served it's purpose well.

Those players coming from out of town I do understand the dilemma. I travel to these tourn.'s around the country as well and all I ask for is accurate info. so I can weigh my options. Hard to get at times to say the least.

Last January's tourn. held at this casino was not a bad experience for me as far as actual tourn. play is concerned. I played twice (original entry/rebuy) and play was relatively constant and w/out error at my table(s). Be advised some players did have problems. Not an uncommon occurence w/ tourn.'s in general though. I did not advance to the final table but, I was glad I had a shot.....even if it was a long shot.


Good Luck!

Jim
 
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Not the tournament, information is the problem

This is my last post on this subject. The problem is not the tournament it's self, it was the incorrect information being given out by both the casino and me that was the problem.

I am just like everyone else; I base my decision on what tournaments I play from the information I receive on each event. When I am told one thing and it turns out to be totally different I get up set.

I started promoting this event at first and even signed up for it myself. The problem is I was given the wrong rules and information. I then posted the correct information so others would not be mislead from the earlier posts I had made.

In most businesses it would be call "Deceptive Trade Practice", but in this case it is normal casino practice (they are not lying they just don't have a clue what is going on).

Had I known I would only have one chance at advancing I wouldn't have sign up for this event. I go to many tournaments so I try and concentrate on the ones that give me my best value. The three nights are great that are included with the entry, but when I get my rooms comp-ed anyway it is no big deal.

I could pay the same $150 entry and play an hour away at the Indian casino in Oklahoma and play for $150,000 with the same bad rules and be back home every night. I don't play there because of the bad rules why would I want to drive 7 plus hours to play the same bad rules and against more players.

Maybe it is just me, but it seems like a simple memo with rules and regulations pertaining to any event the casino is holding should be available at the VIP services and instruct all employees to tell anyone with a question about an event to go or call VIP services. Of course this policy may make to much sense and assure accurate information be given out by a casino, heaven forbid...LOL
 
maxwell writes: "better yet the casinos could very well post all rules and format on their website"

One of my concerns is that this tournament still does not appear on the Grand Casino, Gulfport website at all :confused: .
 
BJ Rules

I am concerned about this tournament for it seems that their is a lack of knowledge on the property sponsering it. Just as they did over the weekend by changing to only having 2 Double Deck Pitch BJ games with a $100 min. bet this casino will make other changes. They have no rebuys and who knows they may make us flip a coin to see if we are going to play.
 
I think we're beating a dead horse here. A friend of mine got a printed invitation to this tournament in the mail so it's going to happen. I didn't see the invite myself but she told me about it and there were no more details then what we already know.

For the out of towners, just plan this as a vacation and take the tournament as entertainment value. Visit the Hard Rock if you want to party with young good looking people. Play the Copa Casino if you want a good cheap blackjack game with the locals. Play the Beau Rivage if you want some glamour with the high rollers.
 
I just wanted to put in a word of thanks to all the people who find the time to share information with the rest of us about any tournaments they get wind of. I can't play this particular tourny due to a schedule conflict but at least I know about it thanks to their efforts. The seemingly every-other-day mailouts the Grand sends me certainly did not mention it.
 
Website

If They Did Have The Tourny On The Website For All To See Since This A Open Tournement I Believe They Could Have The Amount Of People That They Want And Make The Tourny Better For The Players
 
Grand/Gulfport

My reservations have all been made. I'm flying to New Orleans, driving to Gulfport and playing in the Tournament.

I don't think that I've played in any tournament in the last 6 years that didn't have problems, at least in my opinion; i.e. bad dealers, rules changing at will; preferential treatment; bad formats; allowed coaching; collusion, etc.

Skill is what we hope it takes, yet we all know, it really comes down to luck. Therefore.... what difference does it make in the long run? Either you want to play in the tournament or you don't. I'll be there.

Faye
 
"Never Give Up. Never Surrender!"

maxwell asks: "well is anybody still going to the tourny or did everybody cancell?"

As Commander Taggert of Space Quest says: "Never give up. Never surrender !" (It would seem Commander Taggert never played in a blackjack tournament offering surrender.)

I'll be flying into Gulfport; as it turns out it was less expensive and more direct than flying into New Orleans. The final leg will be in an ERJ-145 commuter jet built in Brazil; this could be exciting!
I'll enjoy two days at the Grand Casino, Gulfport, . . . with luck playing in the tournament which is the subject of this thread, . . . otherwise just amusing myself in nearby casinos. Then on to two days in Biloxi playing the tables of that fair city's casinos and ingesting seafood as the opportunity arises.
Oh, just to add to our worries the weather-fellow on CNBC just predicted Hurricane Katrina will hit next week somewhere mid-way between Pascagoula and New Orleans . . . maybe as strong as category 4.

Assuming the casinos are still afloat you may spot me, most likely sporting Philadelphia Eagles attire . . . and surely sporting Philadelphia Eagles attire if I am seated at the final table.
Good Luck to all ! ! !
 
Grand/Gulfport

PhillyPhlash...... Are you telling me that for my first ever visit to New Orleans / Gulfport that Mother Nature may remove all before I get there? That sure expands on my thought that it all comes down to luck.......... Now it's not just getting lucky with the cards but that I have to hope that the casino will still be there.

I'll be one one that is not wearing a LSU baseball cap and not sporting Philadelphia Eagles attire.... but if you just yell my name, you'll find me.

Faye
 
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