Here is a list of a recent poker tournament that was held in Las Vegas after looking over the list would anyone have a problem if the winner was declared the 2006 Poker Champion.This tournament had just about every top tournament player in it.My point here is that in order to have a real championship event all or most of the top players have to have participated in order for the tournament to have credibility Josh Arieh Lyle Berman Doyle Brunson Todd Brunson Mike Caro Johnny Chan T.J. Cloutier Allen Cunningham Freddy Deeb Annie Duke Antonio Esfandiari Sammy Farha Chris Fergurson Scott Fishman Lyane Flack Ted Forrest Barry Greenstein Gus Hansen Dan Harrington Jennifer Harman . Phil Hellmuth Phil Ivey John Junada Phil Laak Howard Lederer ErikLindgren Mike Matusow James McManus Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi Chris Moneymaker Carlos Mortensen Daniel Negreanu Evelyn Ng Men Nguyen Scotty Nguyen Paul Phillips Greg Raymer Chip Reese Huck Seed Erik Seidel Mark Seif Mike Sexton Barry Shulman Gavin Smith Cyndy Violette Amir Vahedi Now lets look at a recent Blackjack Tournament that was held.Same situation in order for the tournament to have recognition as a world class event top players have to be invited look at this list Rick "Night Train " Blaine Robert Bechman Kevin Blackwood Neil Brown Mike Castellano Anthony Curtis Kenny Einiger James Grosjean Walt Harrison Rick Jensen Nancy Kubasek Kami Lis David Matthews Previn Mankodi MIT Mike Richard Munchkin Marvin Ornstein Joe Pane John Ressman Blair Rodman Seth Mike Sherman Kenny Smith Norm S. Dave Stahn Rick Swogger Vera Stanford Wong S. Yama Im sure I have left players out as I was going on memory of the tournament and did not have a player list in front of me.But my point here is that in order to have a event where you declare the winner the World Champion he or she should have competed against all or most of the top players. We need to form a BJT Players Assocation with rankings that any TV network can use to select the players for their TV tournament shows.There are some players who have pumped up their results beyond reason and the networks are being fooled and introducing these players as the best in the world and they are not.It needs to be corrected before its to late.The general public when it sees the play of the so called top players,will not want to watch if this is the best we have to offer. Your comments are welcome .
Yes, but more needed Joep your right, however we have to get Blackjack as popular as poker and even more important show the casinos away for such events to be profitable for them. This is not going to be a very popular statement, but we need the casinos more then they need us! Until the blackjack (tournament players) get out of the mind set that the casinos owe us were going to be treated as second class. I just made another post simular to what I am about to put down here. We need to show the casinos that we are willing to pay a fee (10%) simular to the poker events and that we don't expect all the freebies we have always been given in the passed. The casinos are in business to make money and if they can see that we are willing to pay for the chance to play in these tournaments maybe they will start hosting them for us again. Once we get open tournaments back and TV coverage for special events is when top rated players will be a draw for the tournaments. Let's face it their really aren't ANY famous blackjack players that anyone other then other blackjack tournaments players would know.
Wrong Section Rick your response needs to be in another section this is not about the casinos and their willingness or unwillingness to hold tournament's. This post if you read it again it's about the acceptance by all of how Champions are crowned and who they need to beat to become a champion, nothing to do with casino.The casinos need us more than we need them but that for another post in another section. If you don't realize that, where was the UBT championship held.?Where could GSN hold the WSOB anywhere they wanted to.It does not have to be in a casino. If the casino want to host these major event good for them and better for us but we have the upper hand.
Joep... I am the one that started hosting tournaments outside of the casino's. I host the cruise blackjack tournaments, but I do them because I know there are players who REALLY LOVE tournament play and they are not given the chance to play because they are not big players for the casinos VIP events or players such as yourself that have been barred from different casinos for being to good. I did this to try and show the casinos that we do have players willing to come pay and play if we are just given the chance. Now as far as rated players, with all the new players starting to play tournaments who is going to tell them they can't play because they are not a rated player? This is why I was talking about the casinos, so we can get open tournaments back and host events where we can rank the players so we can have a "Player of the Year" award. This can only be done if we can offer open events to ALL the players and around the country, not just in Vegas. If we are going to be fair let's be fair to all the players, no home field advantage so to say. Let's make it where all players have to travel and be out of pocket expense and level the playing field and than see how everybody does. I have a format which awards points to the players for monthly events over a year. Sounds like this would be a great format for what you suggested. I also have the name "Tournament Blackjack Players Assocation" (TBJPA) already (for about two years now) so we are on the same page. Only my plan is to offer the events to ALL the players and see who collects the most points over the year, not just select players and say they are the best ranked players.
An Impressive List of Players Joe, I agree that top players need to be included to truely establish a yearly BJ "World Champion" but even the top players should have to qualify for the finals of any such tournament to establish a true "World Champion of BJ" title, the tournament should be open to the world not players arbitralily selected by producers of a TV series. If only existing elite (top) poker players were included in past WSOP tournaments I doubt Chris Moneymaker and/or Greg Reymer would have been included or invited to participate and they both really put poker on the map with the general public. For any tournament dedicated to determine a "World Champion" let it be open to the World not just invitees determined by committee. The World Series of Baseball or the Super Bowl is played by the 2 teams that earned their way there qualifing, last years winner of either does not get a free pass due to history.