I challenge APAT to support a Team Event where soft play, chip passing/dumping, etc are all allowable and expected, and where the team that performs best as a team is the winner.
The main voices advocating floors to be called and disqualifications, namely Paulie, Rodders and (to some extent) Stu, have all said that they like the idea of chip-passing in team events but are opposed to it at Stoke mainly just because it is against the rules of the event.
APAT can resolve this whole silly (and boring) debate that arises every time there is a team competition by just announcing that chip-passing/dumping is absolutely fine and expected; encouraged in fact. This has become a required skill in team events and some people have become very good at it. It is what will happen anyway, so APAT could avoid the hypocrisy that is currently required from players and organisers by saying that anything goes with regard to how people bet with their chips. There is nothing to stop other teams from countering team play with strategies of their own. This is what takes team events to a level not found in individual tournaments.
Here"s to a great event!
Some very good points made over the past few pages of this thread. I"m a fan of opening up the event in the way suggested, however I don"t think we should do that when there is an individual prize at stake. So that can be looked at for S8 and I"m sure we can take forward a very exciting concept.
In the interim, let"s all remember that this event has been running in this format for several years now, with lots of highly competitive players and to my knowledge, we"ve never had a single issue relating to abuse of the rules.
When we get down to the business end, if chip dumping appears to be taking place we can easily ask to see the folding player"s cards pre muck. With two or three tables left, that would be very easy to enforce. But we"ve not had to do it previously and if the event is played in the spirit that it has always been played in previously, then we won"t have to do it in Stoke either.