APAT Season 8 - [Pre-release Discussion]

[s4ooter]

How many APAT regs went to Vegas this year?? Can"t be more than 20?? That should be a jolly surely, not a bonafide leg of the season??

[AMRN]

How many APAT regs went to Vegas this year?? Can"t be more than 20?? That should be a jolly surely, not a bonafide leg of the season??

Does it carry ranking points?? If so, then this favours those with the deep pockets - not really what APAT should be about.

[amcgrath1uk]

Assuming we"re looking at a 12 month season 8, I"d like to see something along the lines of...

May             WALES
June            LEEDS/SHEFFIELD/NEWCASTLE
July             IRELAND
August         MIDLANDS - DTD/COVENTRY/WALSALL
September    SOUTH COAST - BRIGHTON/PORTSMOUTH ETC
October       SCOTLAND
November     BRISTOL/MK
January        STOKE/MANCHESTER/BOLTON
February       LUTON
March/ April - WCOAP as usual at DTD

The thoughts along these lines are that every other event there"s something within a "relatively decent" travelling distance. There"s always the scope for one international ( European) event in there easily replacing one of the events ( or supplementing), one team event ( suggest January/February).

There"s a few additional things I"d like to propose/ask for:

1) Each venue to ensure they have enough dealers & valets to cope with APAT for the entire weekend. Especially if we are looking at festival type events - from a financial side penalties to the casino if they"re not meeting their end of the deal? Some of us are there all weekend no matter what, and just railing can get a little boring if there"s nothing to play.
2) As much as I adore Omaha, would it be possible to rotate the side events? Especially O8? NLHE Bounty, Turbo Deepstacks, 6 max?
3) Online - plenty of notice for satellites, online league in S6 was fantastic, to run in conjunction with the live events ( ie no league on the weekend of a live event), the $50 level for the online championships made them special imo. Also alternating the online side event to match the live event?
4) Sunday morning social activity - I know Matt has looked at this in some events, but if we can plan well ahead..
Football - 5 a side - should be easy enough to sort for one of the events
Cricket - T20, 10am start, finish by half 1 easy enough?
Pool - again relatively easy to sort?
I know the above isn"t everyones cup of tea, but will appease the majority?

[Chipaccrual]

If I were putting together an APAT tour to last a twelve month period, I think I would go for something like this :-

January - Leg 1 - Birmingham/Walsall
February - Leg 2 - Newcastle/Stockton
March - Leg 3 - Dublin/Cork
April - Leg 4 - Bristol/Cardiff
May - Leg 5 - ECOAP (Major European Venue)
June - Leg 6 - Glasgow/Edinburgh
July - Leg 7 - Luton/Milton Keynes/Reading
August - Leg 8 - Nottingham/Coventry/Stoke
September - Leg 9 - Manchester/Sheffield
October - Leg 10 - Portsmouth/Brighton
November - Leg 11 - WCOAP (Nottingham/London)

One of the legs would become the UK Team Championship each season, leaving 10 legs earning points towards a overall rankings leaderboard.

I"d look to change the main event structure to allow for a Day 1a on the Friday night, and a Day 1b on the Saturday afternoon (maybe with the option of re-entry into Day 1b if you get knocked out of Day 1a).

This would spread venue staff resource, and allow the venues to run a side event on the Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon, and at the same time, not leave the tour restricted to venues that can accomodate 200+ runners.

A matching online event with buyins around half that of the live event and 2 or 3 National Online leagues throughout the season (with more focus on the individual than the team).

Ranking points would be available for all these events, but with a weighting on buyin and number of runners, so it becomes more of an index across the whole season.

I like Rob"s idea of varying the side events, and I think the cash tour concept could fit neatly within that area.

I"d like to see generic weekly satellites into live events, whereby you can earn tokens that have maybe a 12 months expiry date on them, meaning more flexibility for players to satellite into their choice of events when they have the time to play satellites, and not just the few days that they are run in the lead up to an event.

I"ve never been keen on the additional reservation charge, but at the same time am aware that it is the best solution yet to resolving the balancing act of players wanting to guarantee seats well in advance, and APAT not having to deal with a bunch of no-shows.  I think the suggestion from Des to use those funds to improve the updating seems a sensible compromise.  I"ve not had to buyin to an APAT event for a good while, but am aware when I was booking travel and accomodation to work the event, it"s amazing the deals you can get well in advance, assuming you know you will have a seat.  If you satellite in, then when you use your token to buyin, you get refunded your fiver.  Minimum admin, and maximum flexibility for the players.

I"d also love to see the inclusion/return of a higher buyin series, somewhere around the £200/£250 mark.  The APAT membership is full of players that have experience in higher buyin tours, and plenty have had reasonable success in those.  Maybe played on the Friday night, to allow those players to then play Day 1B on the Saturday, or vice-versa.

[Chipaccrual]

LOL, just seen Asa"s post.

Both of us clearly bored on a Monday afternoon.  

[amcgrath1uk]

LOL, just seen Asa"s post.

Both of us clearly bored on a Monday afternoon.  

Copycat  

[jockey]

Agree with all of the posts mentioned, but mostly with overseas events, why ?
for me it doesn"t enhance APAT  membership and is only a jolly for the few who are and able to afford it of which I am not one ( sob sob cry ) LOL
I have played in a few tourneys around the country and was amazed when I mentioned APAT that people still haven"t heard about us !!! More tournaments to highlight APAT etc to the british player is needed not overseas
For the most APAT do a great job and I know the poker scene has changed from when APAT 1st began with more people following in our footsteps making things tougher

Ohh as above BYE BYE BOSS ( please )

   

[AJDUK]

How many APAT regs went to Vegas this year?? Can"t be more than 20?? That should be a jolly surely, not a bonafide leg of the season??

Does it carry ranking points?? If so, then this favours those with the deep pockets - not really what APAT should be about.

And how many of those that did go actually played it? I"m hearing not many. Something"s gone badly wrong there.

[Chipaccrual]

I think the Vegas event is an anomoly within the schedule.

It doesn"t do any harm for APAT to be seen to be running an event in Las Vegas, and as it"s in addition to what was already in place (and this season very close to the Glasgow event), it is scheduled to coincide with a group trip that has normally been planned ahead of the schedule being released.

Just like most of the overseas trips, they never seem to be able to match the first time.

This Vegas event was never going to compete with the first one, when a huge group piled over not just for the APAT event, but also the wedding etc etc.

The second trip to Vienna could not compete with the first trip to, errrrr, sort of Vienna.

Tallinn sounded a good experience, and Lloret De Mar certainly was.

For those going to Prague, I have no doubt that in Tom's capable hands, everyone will have a great time.  It"s a wonderful city, with lots going on.  Perhaps it"s scheduled a bit close to the Christmas period for more players to be able to afford it both financially and time wise, who knows.

I"d add Ireland to this discussion, albeit I"m sure the Irish based APAT contingent may well have similar thought on all the events in mainland UK, but there was a certain novelty to the first few trips to Dublin and The Fitz.  I think a lot of players have now been there and done that, and cannot justify the costs associated with that trip when you compare it to similar events on their doorsteps.

[jockey]

If I were putting together an APAT tour to last a twelve month period, I think I would go for something like this :-

January - Leg 1 - Birmingham/Walsall
February - Leg 2 - Newcastle/Stockton
March - Leg 3 - Dublin/Cork
April - Leg 4 - Bristol/Cardiff
May - Leg 5 - ECOAP (Major European Venue)
June - Leg 6 - Glasgow/Edinburgh
July - Leg 7 - Luton/Milton Keynes/Reading
August - Leg 8 - Nottingham/Coventry/Stoke
September - Leg 9 - Manchester/Sheffield
October - Leg 10 - Portsmouth/Brighton
November - Leg 11 - WCOAP (Nottingham/London)

One of the legs would become the UK Team Championship each season, leaving 10 legs earning points towards a overall rankings leaderboard.

I"d look to change the main event structure to allow for a Day 1a on the Friday night, and a Day 1b on the Saturday afternoon (maybe with the option of re-entry into Day 1b if you get knocked out of Day 1a).

This would spread venue staff resource, and allow the venues to run a side event on the Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon, and at the same time, not leave the tour restricted to venues that can accomodate 200+ runners.

A matching online event with buyins around half that of the live event and 2 or 3 National Online leagues throughout the season (with more focus on the individual than the team).

Ranking points would be available for all these events, but with a weighting on buyin and number of runners, so it becomes more of an index across the whole season.

I like Rob"s idea of varying the side events, and I think the cash tour concept could fit neatly within that area.

I"d like to see generic weekly satellites into live events, whereby you can earn tokens that have maybe a 12 months expiry date on them, meaning more flexibility for players to satellite into their choice of events when they have the time to play satellites, and not just the few days that they are run in the lead up to an event.

I"ve never been keen on the additional reservation charge, but at the same time am aware that it is the best solution yet to resolving the balancing act of players wanting to guarantee seats well in advance, and APAT not having to deal with a bunch of no-shows.  I think the suggestion from Des to use those funds to improve the updating seems a sensible compromise.  I"ve not had to buyin to an APAT event for a good while, but am aware when I was booking travel and accomodation to work the event, it"s amazing the deals you can get well in advance, assuming you know you will have a seat.  If you satellite in, then when you use your token to buyin, you get refunded your fiver.  Minimum admin, and maximum flexibility for the players.

I"d also love to see the inclusion/return of a higher buyin series, somewhere around the £200/£250 mark.  The APAT membership is full of players that have experience in higher buyin tours, and plenty have had reasonable success in those.  Maybe played on the Friday night, to allow those players to then play Day 1B on the Saturday, or vice-versa.

If I were putting together an APAT tour to last a twelve month period, I think I would go for something like this :-

January - Leg 1 - Birmingham/Walsall
February - Leg 2 - Newcastle/Stockton
March - Leg 3 - Dublin/Cork
April - Leg 4 - Bristol/Cardiff
May - Leg 5 - ECOAP (Major European Venue)
June - Leg 6 - Glasgow/Edinburgh
July - Leg 7 - Luton/Milton Keynes/Reading
August - Leg 8 - Nottingham/Coventry/Stoke
September - Leg 9 - Manchester/Sheffield
October - Leg 10 - Portsmouth/Brighton
November - Leg 11 - WCOAP (Nottingham/London)

One of the legs would become the UK Team Championship each season, leaving 10 legs earning points towards a overall rankings leaderboard.

I"d look to change the main event structure to allow for a Day 1a on the Friday night, and a Day 1b on the Saturday afternoon (maybe with the option of re-entry into Day 1b if you get knocked out of Day 1a).

This would spread venue staff resource, and allow the venues to run a side event on the Friday night, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon, and at the same time, not leave the tour restricted to venues that can accomodate 200+ runners.

A matching online event with buyins around half that of the live event and 2 or 3 National Online leagues throughout the season (with more focus on the individual than the team).

Ranking points would be available for all these events, but with a weighting on buyin and number of runners, so it becomes more of an index across the whole season.

I like Rob"s idea of varying the side events, and I think the cash tour concept could fit neatly within that area.

I"d like to see generic weekly satellites into live events, whereby you can earn tokens that have maybe a 12 months expiry date on them, meaning more flexibility for players to satellite into their choice of events when they have the time to play satellites, and not just the few days that they are run in the lead up to an event.

I"ve never been keen on the additional reservation charge, but at the same time am aware that it is the best solution yet to resolving the balancing act of players wanting to guarantee seats well in advance, and APAT not having to deal with a bunch of no-shows.  I think the suggestion from Des to use those funds to improve the updating seems a sensible compromise.  I"ve not had to buyin to an APAT event for a good while, but am aware when I was booking travel and accomodation to work the event, it"s amazing the deals you can get well in advance, assuming you know you will have a seat.  If you satellite in, then when you use your token to buyin, you get refunded your fiver.  Minimum admin, and maximum flexibility for the players.

I"d also love to see the inclusion/return of a higher buyin series, somewhere around the £200/£250 mark.  The APAT membership is full of players that have experience in higher buyin tours, and plenty have had reasonable success in those.  Maybe played on the Friday night, to allow those players to then play Day 1B on the Saturday, or vice-versa.

 Seems like a well thought out post,i think it would be a very good season

[Chipaccrual]

Whilst I"m typing a lot of waffle   , what"s peoples views on groups attending events.  I think back to the early seasons, and players always seemed to travel to APAT events en masse.

Maybe I"m not as close to the live players currently attending the events, but it does feel a lot more fragmented.

What about offering a group booking facility in advance.  Groups can then sort shared travel, maybe looking to book the short stay type apartments as a base for the weekends.

Maybe give then a discount on the reservation fee if booking a group of players.

[Des]

Whilst I"m typing a lot of waffle   , what"s peoples views on groups attending events.  I think back to the early seasons, and players always seemed to travel to APAT events en masse.

Maybe I"m not as close to the live players currently attending the events, but it does feel a lot more fragmented.

What about offering a group booking facility in advance.  Groups can then sort shared travel, maybe looking to book the short stay type apartments as a base for the weekends.

Maybe give then a discount on the reservation fee if booking a group of players.

You seem like a handy sort of chap (chip?!).  Fancy a job?  

[Swinebag]

I like Rob"s idea of varying the side events.

I was actually talking about the main events, didn"t think my schedule was too "gimmicky" to make them side events

[dwh103]

Team Events:

Big overhaul needed for me. Too many, as people have said - and there needs to be a format that"s more exciting than 5 SNGs. Can I think of one right now? Of course not, but the Internationals hold absolute zero interest for me.

Overseas:

I"m interested to see how well Prague does - would there be any possibility of tacking some of the less well supported events such as Ireland onto a festival? Whilst I"d prefer the focus to be on the UK, if APAT wants to establish a presence overseas, then could it be worthwhile focusing on just one country and try and build the brand in one place rather than the odd visit here and there?

Online:

For what it"s worth, I think the numbers that APAT are getting for exclusive comps on Boss are pretty impressive - hopefully any move will see a further improvement. For satellites I"d far prefer a "one and done" attitude toward feeders and super sats. I"m not going to play Monday, to qualify for a Saturday final. That"s two evenings just for an outside chance at a seat. Follow DTDs lead and run a turbo feeder into the main sat.

General:

I think the weekend experience has taken a massive step forward this season. All I would ask is for it to be pushed harder in the local areas and for the online resource to be far clearer - it"s really, really poor imo. Get some profiles up on the sites, some interviews, stats. A random ticker on the front page pulling up a profile. Make it about the people again.

For PLO and Heads Up tournaments (at the Worlds at least) - lammers please a la WSOP!

An Amateur Premier League type format thing would be awesome too. I"d love to see an APAT production with holecards and commentary etc. Big buy-in, give it a good look and use it as a promotional tool and a chance for people to play like the pros.

OFC +1

[Chipaccrual]

I like Rob"s idea of varying the side events.

I was actually talking about the main events, didn"t think my schedule was too "gimmicky" to make them side events

You are quite right.  Not sure about changing the main event formats too much, I think they come with a certain amount of prestige.