Big tournament qualifiers how was the experience?

[BillHicks]

I have been trying to qualify for some big tourneys , $5 K buy in EPT, Ausssie Millions, UKPT etc.:hope I wonder how people from PL who have qualified :clapand played in one of these have found the experience of playing in a tourney with a muchbigger buy in than they are used to. Did you feel that say a $8k package was worth that much to you? How was the standard of play, did you feel you had a decent chance of cashing, final tabling winning? Interested in any feedback.

[GaF]

Re: Big tournament qualifiers how was the experience? In 2005 I won a seat in the UK Open - it was a $10,000 televised tourney filmed in Maidstone (7 miles from where I live) - to cash I had to win my heat (6 seat STT). I'd only been playing 3 months at the time and had no real chance of winning my heat - I got undone in the end giving a free card following a string bet :$ 2nd place in my tournament was a holiday in Vegas.... With hindsight, I think I'd have had more value by finishing 2nd ;) Best route is through the low entry (which usually means raked hand) freerolls - the more difficult and convoluted the entry requirements, and the more obscure the site, the more effort it's worth getting in ;) The Poker Player and Inside Poker magazine freerolls are often quite good :ok You'll see a lot of the best games highlighted here on PL ;)

[BillHicks]

Re: Big tournament qualifiers how was the experience? Thanks GaF, I actually won a "seat" at a WSOP event but due to circumstances and the rules in 2007 regards sites not buying people In directly I was able to keep the cash, but have always wondered what I missed. Were you televised ? How did you find that? I've been on TV on a couple of quiz shows and liked it so I'd find that a buzz and think I might cope better than some players.

[slick mick]

Re: Big tournament qualifiers how was the experience? Last summer I won a £1000 buy in through a freeroll to the Bolton Poker 6. Like GaF I had to win a 6 man STT to progressthere were 3 pros at my table 1 semi pro and another internet qualifier ($10 sat). Me and the other qualifier were the last two and I won. The following days final was pretty decent play and after losing a couple of races I went out 12th to the eventual winner. I would feel quite happy playing in a big buy in event again.

[GaF]

Re: Big tournament qualifiers how was the experience? It was "only" challenge TV - surprisingly (for me) wasn't as nerve racking as I thought it would be - certainly, once the game was underway, I all but forgot about the cameras and concentrated on my game.... Here's my good couple of minutes ;) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8bFDVI9UyY

[slick mick]

Re: Big tournament qualifiers how was the experience? Also played in the PP televised shootout last year and thought if the structure had been better I would have outplayed everybody there.

[BillHicks]

Re: Big tournament qualifiers how was the experience? Slick and GAF did you find the 6man STT played like an online 6 man SNG or was there a different dynamic? When I see 6 man tables on TV they seemed to play less All in or fold than you get online, but maybe that was the editing.

[BillHicks]

Re: Big tournament qualifiers how was the experience? Actually answering my own question it sounds like they are effectively winner on TV take all so they would be different

[morlspin]

Re: Big tournament qualifiers how was the experience?

In 2005 I won a seat in the UK Open - it was a $10,000 televised tourney filmed in Maidstone (7 miles from where I live) - to cash I had to win my heat (6 seat STT). I'd only been playing 3 months at the time and had no real chance of winning my heat - I got undone in the end giving a free card following a string bet :$

Without knowing much about you personally or anything to do with your private life, can i ask if this is one of the reasons you never seem to play live events?

[slick mick]

Re: Big tournament qualifiers how was the experience? The one I played in Bolton was winner take all but was really well structured, 6000 starting chips 25/50 blinds and 45 minute levels so lots of play. It took over 8 hours to finish. The televised one was really poor 2000 starting chips 50/100 blinds and 10 minute levels. It was designed to fit into an hours broadcast with interviews etc so was a crapshoot.

[teaulc]

Re: Big tournament qualifiers how was the experience? i won 3 buy ins to the wsop this year,and i must admit it well above my level,although went into the tourneys with great confidence and expected to cash in at least one of them,,the 1st buy in done my confidence in a little when i got rivered by an imbecile with a/5 who i had beaten twice h/u before, the second tourney i played the same hand (9/9) badly,so went into the 3rd tourney a bit battered....in truth the experience was invaluable and the players i found to be worse than internet players,mostly college kids with too much money.. i aim to get back there next year and prove myself worthy but not playing hold`em..

[glceud]

Re: Big tournament qualifiers how was the experience? Have played in two decent buy in live tourneys and for me the big difference is in the early levels whan you have 500 big blinds and one hour levels. Even if this was available on line I dont think any one of us would play it. Having said that the slow levels give you plenty time to get the feel of the table and get used to the live experience. I certainly dont doubt that I have the ability to cash in a big tourney even though I blew a big oppurtunity last time to build a stack early on and bubbled the first time. In both events I was still in on the second day and by then your basically playing your usual internet tourney poker and I think everyone on here knows how to do that. Might be that survival is the best approach for most of us Internet hopefulls as I do think we know a lot more about push or fold poker than a lot of mainly live players

[voiceofjoe]

Re: Big tournament qualifiers how was the experience? i played 7 card stud in wsop - the players ranged from average to poor.(on my tables anyway) That was the first time I had played stud live, and I stuggled with keeping track of the betting - antes, bring ins etc. I'd like to have a crack at a good standar live NLHE, and see if I think the same about the players then

[glceud]

Re: Big tournament qualifiers how was the experience?

i played 7 card stud in wsop - the players ranged from average to poor.(on my tables anyway) That was the first time I had played stud live, and I stuggled with keeping track of the betting - antes, bring ins etc. I'd like to have a crack at a good standar live NLHE, and see if I think the same about the players then

Another problem is that we are used to knowing exactly what every ones chip stack size is online and therefore know who is best to push against. Forgot I played in Vegas 2 years ago in a decent fixed limit MTT and was dealt pkt kings, thought I had raised preflop only to find out the blinds had gone up so all I had done was called needless to say you can guess the rest after the BB checked his rags.