Less interest in the UBT qualifiers?

Reachy

New Member
Is it me or have the numbers registering for the UBT qualifiers been steadily decreasing? Initially you'd have to play 600-700, now its only 300-400. Anybody else noticed this? I must admit my stamina at these events is waining. It's a real slog to even get through the pre-qualifier to the main event and when you keep on going out on the bubble it starts to grate a little. However last night I managed to qualify for the LA Barona qualifier tournament but they didn't play the final table. When I got through the semi a pop-up said that since everybody qualifies on the final table it's not going to be played. Odd although it makes sense. Why didn't they just do this from the off :confused: ?

Don't get me wrong, it's fine by me if the numbers for these qualifiers decrease although it'll make little difference when it comes down the actual qualifier proper. Since there are still the same number of pre-qualifiers the numbers at the main event will remain large and the chances of winning small(-ish). Oh well, keep on plodding.

Peace brothers and sisters.

Reachy
 
Entry #'s and Freeroll Freewheelers

Hey Reachy--I agree and two reasons why UBT qualifier #'s are down in my view: People have figured out you don't need even to earn a TEC to get into the Bet21.net/.com qualifier PLUS the B21 versions award SIX spots in the televised tourney vs. the ONE in the UBT version.

And, I too am growing weary of these freerolls. Usually some Freeroll Freewheeler (or a few of them) bets huge, gains traction and wins the lottery to get to the FT.

I now play three kinds of EBT;

1. TEC Mode: Where I play drastic contrarian to gain a TEC as quickly as possible.

2. Me vs. the Freeroll Freewheelers Mode: Where strategy only helps sometimes. Sometimes it's just as good to join the "what the heck, let's try this" club.

3. Actual Strategic EBT Mode: (The only one I really enjoy) Where I play other strategic players in an actual game where players feel they have something at stake (like their bankroll). This only happens in last rounds or FTs or against experienced players in these freerolls!

In the end, I think you can say that LUCK requirement increases with each 100 additional entrants on these freerolls. By the time you hit even 500 players, you are really just playing a lottery (with odds of 6 in 500 albeit)!
 
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Here is an idea!

Now PlayUBT couldn't do this since it is a "FREE" site, but UB and Bet21.com could have $5 + .50 entries for the satellite events for such places as Aruba, St. Kitts, LA, etc...

I think this would cut down on the "All in players" and then they would be able to award prize money to the winners (top two or even all the finalist) besides only a seat to the winner.

At least it would be more interesting to me, what do you think?

They could still offer their normal free rolls, but as a player I would perfer at least one daily tournament for the seat (in the free roll) with a little extra incentive for the players (they do offer several cash tournaments), but none with a seat offer to the free roll satellite. I think we would get more quality players in a paid event.

They do offer the bigger $100 - $200 events for a seat + cash to the actual events.
 
Didn't they do that?

They did do $5+.5 and $200+20 qualifiers a few weeks ago but they stopped doing them. Probably because nobody wanted to play them for some bizarre reason! I registered for about 10 or so of them but they never made the required 30 players and were canceled. I'd definitely be up for it. Start 'em up again I say.

What about $50 to enter a S&G where the winner goes straight to a final table with a prize of $2700 UBT entry? You'd only need to win 2 tables to get there and overall entry would be restricted to 49 players.

Cheers

Reachy
 
I didn't see those...

I am sorry Reachy, I didn't see those cash satellite events offered where a player could win cash and a seat in the free rolls.

Now I did see the $5 + .50 where they could win a seat in the $200 + St. Kitts event, but none of the free rolls.
 
From Playubtcom

playubt.com said:
Carly McKee was one of two Internet qualifiers to get a free ride to Aruba. She won her seat by playing here on PlayUBT.com. Download the game now for your chance to win!

How long have you been playing blackjack?
I started playing blackjack about a month ago, just two days before visiting the UBT site.

How much time do you spend playing online every week?
About ten hours a week.

What kind of strategy do you employ?
I don't really have much of a strategy other than to bet low at first, until I get a feel for how the dealer's doing. If everyone else is betting big, I go low and hope they all bust.

How would you rate yourself as a player?
I consider myself just a little below good.

When did you become interested in Elimination Blackjack?
When the first episode of the Ultimate Blackjack Tour aired. I'd never heard of it before. Then I went online and played a game and I was instantly hooked.

How did you hear about the Ultimate Blackjack Tour?
I was flipping channels one Saturday morning when I came across the show.

What do you think of the show?
I absolutely love it. It's so much fun to watch. The Elimination Hands and the Secret Bets make it so different from regular blackjack.

What was your reaction when you discovered you had qualified to play in Aruba?
I was in disbelief. It didn't feel real until I arrived in Aruba.

How did your family and friends react to the news?
They were so excited. They couldn't believe it either. My parents especially, since they knew I'd just learned how to play blackjack.

Have you ever won a free trip like this before?
No. This was the first time.

Which do you prefer, playing online or playing live, and why?
I prefer playing online. It's more comfortable. I'm at home, I can multitask and I don't have to dress up for a game. I can just play in my pajamas.

What was your most memorable moment in Aruba?
Sitting at the table with the pros. Especially Ken Smith and Anthony Curtis. I'd just learned how famous and good they are and then there they were, sitting at a table with me.

What surprised you the most about some of the pros you met?
How friendly everyone was. I'd always assumed a pro wouldn't want to have anything to do with someone like me, but Anthony Curtis came right up to me and started talking.

How has playing in Aruba affected your everyday strategy?
I'd never realized how important chip counting was until I played in Aruba. I used to just throw out a number, but now I know have to be more aware of the chips everyone has before I make my move.

What are your plans/goals for the future?
I hope to keep playing and to win another tournament someday.
Just in case you missed it.

I'm just going to play in the freerolls from now on. No more practice for me!:cool:
 
that makes me feel sooo much better.

NOT!!!

fgk

Based on the (dodgy) maths that we are doing in the "why did i lose" thread the average player has a just under 0.1% chance of winning one of the UBT freerolls. That's 1 in 1050 tourneys!!!! An expert on the other hand has a slightly over 0.7% chance and only has to enter 138 tourneys to win. Bargin!!!!

Cheers

Reachy
 
Free Rolls expose what I think you will find in a typical BJT game away from Wongs, Wildcat prowess. The only easy game is where you have all Wongs. The variance added with a table full of Wildcats will yield a Wildcat win most of the time. ;)
 
Agreed!

A 1/2 a table of wildcatters I can handle ;)

600 is another matter :eek: !

Bet21.com need to bring back their $5 feeders so that we can weed these wildcatters out.

Cheers

Reachy
 
Bet21.com TV qualifier

With the whole final table going to La La Land the chances of qualifying are a massive 2.33% for the experts versus 0.5% for the mathematical average player.

Cheers

Reachy
 
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