Poker 6 - It's something new. It ain't borrowed but it sure is Blue
A few months ago I was asked by my bosses at Blue Square to come up with a new event to take place in the Grosvenor Casino in Bolton in the summer. My brief was that it had to focus heavily on online qualification and be something a bit different. So, I rolled up (my sleeves), put my thinking cap on and, an hour or so later, I came up with Poker 6.
So, what is Poker 6 I hear you ask? Well, as the name suggests, it involves poker and the number 6. The poker on offer is No Limit Texas Hold’em, and the number 6 refers to the number of players on each table in the event - it is indeed a short-handed event. Short-handed tournaments are sparse in casinos, largely due to the increased dealer costs associated with running them, but cost is no object in this instance, so we got the go ahead.
So it is short-handed, I hear you say, that’s OK, but nothing major. What else is different about Poker 6? Well, I'm glad you asked because being short-handed is by no means the only unique feature of Poker 6. The format is also unique. On Day One, 108 players will sit down on 18 tables of six and it will be a shoot-out format. In order to progress to the second day a player must win his or her table. The 18 winners from day one will resume play on day two, but it will no longer be a shootout, it will be a regular multi-table tournament (albeit short-handed).
Now, short-handed tournaments may not suit every player, but added prize money usually does and, in this case, Blue Square has added £21,000 to the £1,000 buy-in event. £9,000 of this added prize money is going into a consolation tournament on Day Two for the 90 players who were defeated on Day One. They will all have their buy-in paid for by Blue Square into The Grosvenor Plate - a £100 rebuy tournament (one rebuy or add on allowed per player). Another £5,000 of the added prize money will be used for the Starting Table Saver prize - a special new prize that I concocted whereby the five players from the eventual winner's table on day one get £1,000 each. This means there will be 30 railbirds with a financial interest in the final, which should ensure a lively finish. The remaining £7,000 in added prize money goes into the main prize pool.
There are super satellites for the Poker 6 every Wednesday and Sunday on Blue Square Poker and live qualifiers in Bolton, Walsall, Blackpool, Cardiff, Southampton, Brighton and The Vic. Direct buy-in to the event will only be possible if there are any seats left after the qualifiers have taken place. A reserve list system has been set up, but the only cast iron way into the event is to qualify. The event takes place on the 1st and 2nd of July.
But, I hear you say, if England win their group in the World Cup and win their second round match, their quarter final will be on July 1st... and as a Scotsman I couldn't give a ****, but hey, we must pander to the masses, so provisions will be made and the start time will be delayed in such an eventuality (the poker that is, not the football).
Full details of the format, the prize structure, blinds structure and dates of qualifiers are listed on www.bluesq.com/pokersix
Good luck to all who take part. On July the 2nd, the eventual winner can claim to be the unofficial short-handed champion of Great Britain.
A few months ago I was asked by my bosses at Blue Square to come up with a new event to take place in the Grosvenor Casino in Bolton in the summer. My brief was that it had to focus heavily on online qualification and be something a bit different. So, I rolled up (my sleeves), put my thinking cap on and, an hour or so later, I came up with Poker 6.So, what is Poker 6 I hear you ask? Well, as the name suggests, it involves poker and the number 6. The poker on offer is No Limit Texas Hold’em, and the number 6 refers to the number of players on each table in the event - it is indeed a short-handed event. Short-handed tournaments are sparse in casinos, largely due to the increased dealer costs associated with running them, but cost is no object in this instance, so we got the go ahead.
So it is short-handed, I hear you say, that’s OK, but nothing major. What else is different about Poker 6? Well, I'm glad you asked because being short-handed is by no means the only unique feature of Poker 6. The format is also unique. On Day One, 108 players will sit down on 18 tables of six and it will be a shoot-out format. In order to progress to the second day a player must win his or her table. The 18 winners from day one will resume play on day two, but it will no longer be a shootout, it will be a regular multi-table tournament (albeit short-handed).
Now, short-handed tournaments may not suit every player, but added prize money usually does and, in this case, Blue Square has added £21,000 to the £1,000 buy-in event. £9,000 of this added prize money is going into a consolation tournament on Day Two for the 90 players who were defeated on Day One. They will all have their buy-in paid for by Blue Square into The Grosvenor Plate - a £100 rebuy tournament (one rebuy or add on allowed per player). Another £5,000 of the added prize money will be used for the Starting Table Saver prize - a special new prize that I concocted whereby the five players from the eventual winner's table on day one get £1,000 each. This means there will be 30 railbirds with a financial interest in the final, which should ensure a lively finish. The remaining £7,000 in added prize money goes into the main prize pool. There are super satellites for the Poker 6 every Wednesday and Sunday on Blue Square Poker and live qualifiers in Bolton, Walsall, Blackpool, Cardiff, Southampton, Brighton and The Vic. Direct buy-in to the event will only be possible if there are any seats left after the qualifiers have taken place. A reserve list system has been set up, but the only cast iron way into the event is to qualify. The event takes place on the 1st and 2nd of July. But, I hear you say, if England win their group in the World Cup and win their second round match, their quarter final will be on July 1st... and as a Scotsman I couldn't give a ****, but hey, we must pander to the masses, so provisions will be made and the start time will be delayed in such an eventuality (the poker that is, not the football).
Full details of the format, the prize structure, blinds structure and dates of qualifiers are listed on www.bluesq.com/pokersix
Good luck to all who take part. On July the 2nd, the eventual winner can claim to be the unofficial short-handed champion of Great Britain.