I had a nice chat with Greg earlier today about the recent DCC and what can be done to make it better next year. He still must negotiate with the Horseshoe to work out the planning for next year's event. It's not a done deal by any means, but at least now they know it will bring a lot of people to the hotel/casino. Considering the storm, it was a pleasant surprise to see so many people in house. Half their staff didn't show up for work, but the pool players found a way to get there.
A few things he mentioned were that he would like to negotiate for a little better room rate. Maybe $99 a night all ten days. As far as the match scheduling goes, Greg informed me that the fellow who created the new program for the computer had a back up plan that also failed. Greg and he are working on a new way of structuring the event to make the scheduling easier. He realizes there is a problem there. One of the things we talked about was giving players a limited amount of time for their buy-backs after a match ended. Also allowing a player to make his buy-back in advance, when he sends in his entry.
Another idea Greg had was to offer an enclosed security area where players could leave their cues, so they didn't have to tote them everywhere they go. Another big plus was a plan to leave not only your cue, but your cell phone number as well. You would be called when your match was coming up, with say a half hour advance notice. Someone would call to let you know your match was next up and what table you would be on. That would be a wonderful addition and make it easier for players to move around on the property, and not have to worry about staying close to the tournament area at all times.
One of the big problems with running this event on time, happens during the One Pocket portion of the tourney. Some matches are taking over three hours (even four hours) and causing major problems in making a draw for the next round. How to shorten these matches was something we talked about at length. I suggested he institute a rule that has proved beneficial in the one day One Pocket events we hold out here. I didn't like this rule at first, but now see how workable it is, and how much time it saves.
Here is the rule in capsule form. I'd like to hear some feedback on this. We call it the Four Ball rule. Once there are four balls within the head string the ball closest to the end rail gets re-spotted. That way there is never a game where all the balls end up down table. It speeds up the game and insures there are no unreasonably long games. Like I said I didn't like it at first. But after playing this way a few times, I realize that it only changes the strategy somewhat. The best player will still win.
Every time a fourth ball gets sent up table, one ball is going to be re-spotted. That is basically how it works, and it does work. Using such a rule, a game lasting longer than half an hour would be a rarity. And trust me when I tell you, the best One Pocket players will still dominate. If anything it adds an element of skill and strategy that favors better players. When there are three balls up table you must play a shot with that in mind.
Okay, let me know what you think.
A few things he mentioned were that he would like to negotiate for a little better room rate. Maybe $99 a night all ten days. As far as the match scheduling goes, Greg informed me that the fellow who created the new program for the computer had a back up plan that also failed. Greg and he are working on a new way of structuring the event to make the scheduling easier. He realizes there is a problem there. One of the things we talked about was giving players a limited amount of time for their buy-backs after a match ended. Also allowing a player to make his buy-back in advance, when he sends in his entry.
Another idea Greg had was to offer an enclosed security area where players could leave their cues, so they didn't have to tote them everywhere they go. Another big plus was a plan to leave not only your cue, but your cell phone number as well. You would be called when your match was coming up, with say a half hour advance notice. Someone would call to let you know your match was next up and what table you would be on. That would be a wonderful addition and make it easier for players to move around on the property, and not have to worry about staying close to the tournament area at all times.
One of the big problems with running this event on time, happens during the One Pocket portion of the tourney. Some matches are taking over three hours (even four hours) and causing major problems in making a draw for the next round. How to shorten these matches was something we talked about at length. I suggested he institute a rule that has proved beneficial in the one day One Pocket events we hold out here. I didn't like this rule at first, but now see how workable it is, and how much time it saves.
Here is the rule in capsule form. I'd like to hear some feedback on this. We call it the Four Ball rule. Once there are four balls within the head string the ball closest to the end rail gets re-spotted. That way there is never a game where all the balls end up down table. It speeds up the game and insures there are no unreasonably long games. Like I said I didn't like it at first. But after playing this way a few times, I realize that it only changes the strategy somewhat. The best player will still win.
Every time a fourth ball gets sent up table, one ball is going to be re-spotted. That is basically how it works, and it does work. Using such a rule, a game lasting longer than half an hour would be a rarity. And trust me when I tell you, the best One Pocket players will still dominate. If anything it adds an element of skill and strategy that favors better players. When there are three balls up table you must play a shot with that in mind.
Okay, let me know what you think.
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