Poker Bar Tour

Moving Sites . . . .

2007-04-15T22:42:00.000-07:00

We're moving sites to

PBT Central

Come check our new site for information on our new upcoming poker events.

PBT Double Booked Saturday continues 2/24

2007-02-21T17:38:00.000-08:00

We are double booked this Saturday 2/24, two tournaments at two venues both scheduled to have registration at noon and the game starting at 2pm

ACF's Big One will be played at Airport Casino Filipino (Paranaque), two day event (Feb 24-25), 10k+2k with only one optional add-on of 3k for 5k in chips. 10k chips starting stack with blinds beginning at 100-100 and increasing every hour.

This will be the last chance for players to use their WPT Phils seats. Players with "Real Deal" certificates may use them to enter this event while players with certificates for "Poker Dreams" may use them to buy-in two players into the event as well as add-on to both players for an additional Php 2,000. Cash, 150k NCC and the Golden Hand Trophy up for grabs.

PBT @ HCF, our weekly tournament now at the Hyatt Casino Filipino (Manila), 1.5k+300 with one rebuy and one add-on OR two rebuys and no add-ons. Cash, 30k NCC and seats for the Deal A Helping Hand on March 2 7 to benefit children with Cerebral Palsy up for grabs.

PBT @ Hyatt Casino Filipino this sat Feb 17

2007-02-13T23:54:00.000-08:00

Same weekly tournament format, still 1,500+300 with one rebuy and one add-on OR two rebuys and no add-ons, different location. Now we are at the Hyatt Casino Filipino, behind the Diamond Hotel. Saturday, February 17, 3pm deal

Cash, NCC and seats to our Deal A Helping Hand to benefit children with Cerebal Palsy on March 27 will be up for grabs.

WPT Phils event to be replaced . . .

2007-02-13T23:31:00.000-08:00

Because of unforeseen events, the WPT event that was scheduled for February 24-26 will be replaced by a two-day tournament with Php 10,000 buy-in and Php 2,000 entry fees on 3pm, February 24-25 and will still be run by the host, Airport Casino Filipino in Paranaque and PBT. Starting stack will be 10,000 in tournament chips, starting blinds will be 100-100 and will increase every hour. There will be an optional add-on of Php 3,000 for 5,000 in chips up to the third level. Play on the first day will end when there is half of the field remaining.

Players with "Real Deal" certificates may use them to enter this event while players with certificates for "Poker Dreams" may use them to buy-in two players into the event as well as add-on to both players for an additional Php 2,000.

PBT moves into Casino Filipino Hyatt, 1st tourney on Saturday, Feb 10

2007-02-05T08:23:00.000-08:00

We moved into our new tourney home at the Casino Filipino Hyatt, behind the Diamond Hotel, and our first tournament will be this Saturday, February 10, 2007 with the first deal at 2pm. Its still 1,500+300 with one rebuy and one add-on OR two rebuys and no add-ons.

Cash, NCC and seats to our Deal A Helping Hand to benefit children with Cerebal Palsy on March 27 will be up for grabs.

Last of the weekly ACF Tournaments, Wed. Jan 31

2007-01-29T21:00:00.000-08:00

The final weekly tournament of PBT at the Airport Casino Filipino will be on Wednesday, January 31, 9PM. It will be a bounty tournament with all players having bounties. Php 1,000 buy-in + Php 200 entry fee + Php 500 for bounties. There will be an optional add-on of Php 1,000 for 2,000 in chips.

Bounties are simple addition to the regular Texas Hold'em Tournament. You knock a player out of the tournament you get their Php 500.You knock off a player that has knocked off another player, you get their Php 500 PLUS Php 100 for each bounty they have collected.

We'll be moving our tournaments to the Hyatt Casino Filipino (behind Diamond Hotel) and I'll let you know of the first one.

PBT Calendar

2006-11-23T19:51:00.000-08:00

PBT has made a calendar of poker events up to 2007 and some info on each tourney.

http://calendar.yahoo.com/pbt.philippines

We'll keep it up to date, with more events as we announce it.

This Saturday - PBT@ACF

2006-11-16T16:32:00.000-08:00

Who - PBT
What - PBT@ACF
When - Saturday, November 18, 2006. Reg. starts at noon with the tournament starting at 2pm
Where - Airport Casino Filipino, Paranaque
How (much) - 1,500 buy-in + 300 entry fee. One rebuy (1.5k for 1.2k in chips) until the end of the thrid level OR one add-on (1.5k for 1.8k in chips) at the end of the third level. If you rebuy, you can't add-on
Why - Tournament winner and runner-up gets seats for the World Poker Tour Philippines December event, The Real Deal, on December 9-11 at ACF.

Recipe for Sit and Go (SNG) Satellite Tournaments

2006-11-05T23:50:00.000-08:00

So you want to get into those higher buy-in tournaments but don’t want to pay that much or the satellite tournaments not jiving with your schedule? We got a recipe for you to make the perfect Sit and Go (SNG) satellite tournament at your place when you want.

Ingredients
9-10 Poker players (dead money always welcome)
1 Deck of playing cards
1 Set of poker chips (anything to keep track of your stack)
1 Poker Table (dining table is ok)
1 Timer
1 Blind Structure
1 Dealer (optional)

First you see how much it would be to enter that tournament that you want to play at. Some tournaments quote their prices with two figures x + y, in which case, it means that x is the buy-in (which goes to the prize pool) and y is the entry fee (which goes to the house). Try no to enter tournaments that only quote you one price, cause you don’t know what the break down is and it might not be worth it to play. In the case of the WPT Philippines events, its Php 10,000 buy-in + Php 2,000 entry fee, and since you want to play for the whole amount you divide the total (Php 12,000) into the number of players you have playing in your SNG satellite.

In this example Php 12,000 divided by ten players means each players puts up Php 1,200 winner take all. Now you take the deck of cards and the poker chips to the poker table and play. Make your starting stack and blind structure to where all the players are comfortable playing, usually in our tournaments we make the buy-in be the starting stacks, so that players play better. I have included a sample blind structure that you can use with the chip stack of 1,000-2,000 in chips. Use the timer to let you know when to increase the blinds and since it’s a small tournament, make each blind increase at 20-minute intervals.

As you whittle down the players, and one player remains, that player gets the whole pot and is the representative of your group into the big tournament.

Options – You can add a little more money into the pot so that second and maybe third place gets prize money as well. You can do this by adding the buy-in and entry fee that you need to make with the prize money you want to give, say Php 2,000 for second and Php 1,500 for third. That would make the required amount be Php 15,500 or Php 1,550 per player which is still not bad.

Dead Money Tourney, November 1, ACF

2006-10-30T22:05:00.000-08:00

Who - PBT
What - Dead Money Tourney
When - Wednesday, November 1, 2006. Reg. starts at 6pm with the tournament starting at 7pm
Where - Airport Casino Filipino, Paranaque
How (much) - 1,000 buy-in + 200 entry fee. One Rebuy - 1,000 for 1,000 in chips and one optional add-on 1,000 for 2,000 in chips up to the end of the third level.
Why -Tournament winner and runner-up gets seats for the World Poker Tour Philippines event, The Real Deal, on December 9-11, 2006 at ACF.

Bounty Tourney this sat, 10/21

2006-10-18T00:29:00.000-07:00

Who - PBT
What - PBT Bounty Tournament
When - Saturday, October 21, 2006. Reg. starts at noon with the tournament starting at 2pmWhere - Airport Casino Filipino, Paranaque
How (much) - 1,500 buy-in + 300 entry fee + 500 bounty. One optional add-on 1,500 for 1,800 in chips up to the end of the third level.
Why - Every player you take out a player, you get their bounty. If you take out someone that busted out a player, you get his bounty PLUS 100 for each player they took out.
Why (else) - Tournament winner and runner-up gets seats for the World Poker Tour Philippines event, The Real Deal, on December 9-11, 2006 at ACF.
Why (also) - SNG's from 5pm-8pm. Php 2,000. Winner gets a seat, Second and Third gets buy-in back.

WPT Philippines - Poker Madness Final table Highlights (SPOILER)

2006-10-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

DISCLAIMER: Dont read this post if you still want to be surprised when you watch the WPT Phils. show on Sky channel 33 on November 24-25

Yeah, I knew you'd read on . . . . So the answer to the trivia question that we asked, Who would be the first WPT Philippines Champion? Well, I'll give you some highlights first.

Jigs Castro, the short stack of the table wasted no time as he went all-in on the first hand with his A6 but he didn't count on Bryan Malantic to have AJ on the big blind and was dominated. When his hand didn't improve he was out at 6th place, winning Php 30,000 and Php 10,000 in Non-cashable Chips (NCC).

Play continued for two more levels, or about three hours in real time until we had an called all-in situation and it found Ed Marcelo trying to steal the blinds with his 87 suited which ran into Rico Dela Cruz's KK and with each card sealing his fate, Marcelo was our second player out of the final table in 5th place, winning Php 48,000 and Php 10,000 NCC.

Another level, another player taken out. Patrick De Jesus' AK unsuited had his preflop advantage over Malantic's QJ taken out when a J came of the flop, and when he couldn't draw an A or a K on the turn and river, De Jesus was our third player to be out and in 4th place, going home with Php 60,000 and Php 10,000 NCC.

Rico Dela Cruz played a solid game but decided to push all-in with his K6 against Malantic's AT. With the flop coming ATQ, giving Malantic Aces up, Dela Cruz had more outs to work with because of the inside straight draw he had. But no Jack would come for Dela Cruz tonight as Malantic takes another player out, and Dela Cruz was our 4th player out at 3rd place with, Php 90,500 and Php 30,000 NCC plus a seat at the WPT Philippines Championship in February.

When the Le Buffet girls came and did the money presentation, Kim Tae Hyung was still in his dominant chip position with over 600k in chips which accounted for 75% of the chips in play. But wouldn't you know it, Malantic showed his expience Heads up against the ring game player Kim as he drew even in chips and took the chip lead. But when Malantic raised and Kim re-rasied all-in, it provided the drama that everyone wanted to see. When Malantic called, he showed KQ while Kim showed AJ. . . .

When the dust settled, we came back to our question, Who would be the first WPT Philippines Champion? It is . . . BRYAN MALANTIC, catching a K on the flop and eliminating Kim as 2nd place. Not bad for Kim who walks away with Php 138,500 and Php 40,000 NCC plus a seat at the WPT Phils. Championship in February. Malantic comes out with Php 204,500 and Php 50,000 NCC and the seat for the WPT Philippines Championship in February.

Our poker community is proud to have one of its own, one of the original players in the scene to be the answer to the trivia question, our first WPT Philippines Champion.

Good game Bryan, awesome plays and awesome TV.

See you guys next time at THE REAL DEAL on December 9-11, the next WPT Philippines event, but in the meantime, we're back at ACF this weekend with our bounty tourney, maybe the Champ will play and retell his stories from Poker Madness.

From a tired PAGCOR, WPT Philippines and PBT crew, we just wanted to thank all the players that played and supported our efforts to bring the game to the next level. Cause we're ready.

Seeya.

WPT Philippines - Poker Madness Day 2 highlights and chip count

2006-10-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

We really didn't know what to expect in Day 2, if the short stacked players were going to play loose or tight and the answer came right on the first hand of Day 2. Tight Player, Nok Atienza's nickname, was the shortest stack and moved all-in, at the dealer position. He was called by a player and Tight Player showed his Big Slick. In the end, AK held and he quickly gained some chips. But a few hands later he found himself in a similar situation, and went all-in preflop again, but the result was not the same and he busted out.

Play was at a steady pace with the short stacks busting out along the way as blinds increased, but when several of the medium stacks and a few of the larger stacks got busted out, the play seemed to tighten. Day 1 Chip Leader Ed Bautista seemed to be coasting along until some questionable calls in four hands made him go back Baguio empty-handed, after busting out.

Play grinded more tightly when the bubble for the final table was reached and even more so as the bubble for the money was reached. In the end, it was Aris Alipon who became everyones friend that day as he was the bubble boy in the tournament, busting on the other side of the money. It didnt take long for Chris Parker to end up in 8th place and the Php 12,000 prize. But then the play really got serious with only one player needing to bust out before we send the players to the televised final-FINAL table with the cameras and lights. It took over one and a half hours for the shortest stack in the table, being wielded by Alvin Tiu, to finally be eliminated when his AK got drawn out by Kim Tae Hyung's Q3, when a 3 came but came away with Php 18,000.

Final-FINAL chip counts are here:

Come watch the action of the Final table on Monday, October 16 at Airport Casino Filipino at 6pm and finally see who will be the first WPT Philippines Champion.

WPT Phils - Poker Madness Day 1 Highlights and Chip Count

2006-10-14T10:47:00.000-07:00

The inaugural WPT Philippines event, Poker Madness, began and 60 players started with 10k in chips and most opted for a 3k add-on for 5k more of chips. With the 100-100 blinds starting the first level of one hour, we were hoping that the action would be slow to develop. How wrong we were, as the dealer of the featured table kept on raising his hand because of an all-in situation, how could they be all-in aready? If so, this would be a quick Day 1 while we play down to 30 players.

I jokingly asked if anyone would want to take some action in an over/under prediction of three players getting busted in level one. Someone took it and we eagerly awaited the dust to settled. After the first level was in the book, only one player busted out, Derrick Chiongbian, would now be an answer to a triva question: Who was the 1st player busted out in WPT Philippines history. I know its not nice, but someone had to be it. I won the over/under bet, oh yeah.

Anyway, the action kept on going the way it was and all of a sudden there were 39 players left with 40 minutes before the dinner break, which was level 4 with blinds of 300-600?!?! We mercifuly got to the dinner break without any more casualties but after dinner, it seemed that the action started up again, and the magic number was being reached very quick.

With 31 players remaining, all of a sudden the tables we're silent. I remarked "Who wants to bust out? Who wants to be everyone's best friend?" and then it happened. Ken Ganancial went all-in and the big stacks in his table (Jacson Feng and Big Wally Sombero) were the blinds, surely they would call his 3,600 raise to finish off Ken's misery. Jacson was the SB and folded, while Big Wally took all of two seconds to call the bet and show his 7-2 offsuit, much to the delight of the crowd. Ganancial turned over A-2 off and was dominating Big Wally to the tune of 75-25 pre-flop. But wouldn't you know it, a 7 came off on the flop and giving Big Wally the 86-14 advantage. The turn and the river didn't improve Ganancial's prospects much and he was everybody's friend tonight. I told the dealers that they would just need to finish up their hands and that we would collapse one table and do the paperwork needed for the end of Day 1. But wouldn't you know it, someone else got busted out. Weren't they listening? Mr. Earl Yagi found a hand he couldn't let go and was the 30th player to be busted out.

So now 29 players remain and their chips counts are:

So play continues tomorrow, or later on in the day for me . . . and will keep you guys posted who makes it to the final table on Monday.

More WPT Philippines Info for Poker Madness 10/14-16

2006-10-11T20:21:00.000-07:00

PAGCOR is adding Php 150,000 (non-cashable chips, but still) into the prize pool for the players making it into the final table. In case you need more incentive to play well.
If you want some camera time, register early cause the cameras start rolling 1pm for player interviews
1st three levels will be 1 hour long (which is the add-on period) and will drop to 45 minutes until we get to the final table where blinds will be 1 hour long again.

Last call for Poker Madness Seats

2006-10-05T03:48:00.000-07:00

Who - PBT
What - PBT@ACF
When - Saturday, October 7, 2006. Reg. starts at noon with the tournament starting at 2pm
Where - Airport Casino Filipino, Paranaque
How (much) - 1,500 buy-in + 300 entry fee. One rebuy (1.5k for 1.2k in chips) until the end of the thrid level OR one add-on (1.5k for 1.8k in chips) at the end of the third level. If you rebuy, you can't add-on
Why - Tournament winner gets a bonus for 1st place, a seat for the 1st World Poker Tour Philippines event, Poker Madness, on October 14-16 at ACF.
Why (also)- SNG's from 5pm-8pm. Php 2,000. Winner gets a seat, Second and Third gets buy-in back.

WPT Blinds and more info about Poker Madness (Revised)

2006-10-01T08:29:00.000-07:00

Day 1 of the event will start at 1pm(ish)
Day 2 of the event will start promptly at 1pm, cause we just come back from where we left off.
Day 3 (Final Table taping) will start promptly at 6pm, so players need to be there by 5pm (seriously)
The starting stack is 10,000
In the money - number of tables plus two (i.e. 100 players = 10 tables = 12 places paid)
Levels are at 45 minutes each with breaks every 4 levels and a dinner break at the TD's discretion.
Levels during the final table will be 1 hour long to compensate for the taping.
Players will be asked to sign a waiver about appearing on TV, please let us know if you do not want to appear on TV during the play-down show (part 1 of the TV coverage)
Players do not have this option for the final table (part 2 of the TV coverage)
WPT Phils is strict about logos, please try to wear non-logo apparel. They have a lot of black electric tape and they are not affraid to use it.
Play on the first day will continue until there is half of the starting field left while play on the second day will continue until there is six players left.
Taping for the final table is on a MONDAY, but I think you can get off work considering. . .

More info as we get them.

WPT Phils Press Release

2006-10-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

World Poker Tour Philippines Champion, doesn't it have a nice ring to it? Here is your chance to add it to your name. World Poker Tour Philippines has teamed up with Airport Casino Filipino (ACF) and the creators of the Poker Bar Tour (PBT) to launch the inaugural WPT Phils. event, Poker Madness, to be held on October 14-16, 2006 at ACF in Paranaque. Registration starts at 12 noon with the first deal at 2pm

Players familiar with the WPT, the hit TV show from the US which catapulted poker into the mainstream and became a phenomenon that has swept the world, will be excited to see the local version and if our local poker players has what it takes to compete with the poker elite. This will be the first No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament in WPT Philippines' first season and will be the pinnacle of non-wager No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournaments here in the Philippines.

Players have an option to directly buy-in into the tournament which has a Php 10,000 buy-in plus Php 2,000 entry fee or players can also avail of the Sit and Go Satellite tournaments that are being held at ACF daily for Php 2,000 satellite entry fee. The winner gets a seat for the WPT Philippines event and 2nd and 3rd gets their money back. You can also watch for free the action live during competition days especially during the taping of the final table on October 16, 2006 which starts at 6pm. For more information please call the marketing department of the Airport Casino Filipino at (632) 341-0373

PBT Head Hunter Tourney Back by popular demand

2006-09-20T17:28:00.000-07:00

PBT Head Hunter Tournament @ ACF 9/23
Who - PBT
What - PBT Head Hunter Tournament
When - Saturday, September 23, 2006. Reg. starts at noon with the tournament starting at 2pm
Where - Airport Casino Filipino, Paranaque
How (much) - 1,500 buy-in + 300 entry fee + 500 bounty. One optional add-on 1,500 for 1,800 in chips up to the end of the third level.
Why - Every player you take out a player, you get their bounty. If you take out someone that busted out a player, you get his bounty PLUS 100 for each player they took out.
Why (else) - Tournament winner gets a bonus for 1st place, a seat for the 1st World Poker Tour Philippines event, Poker Madness, on October 14-16 at ACF.
Why (also) - SNG's from 5pm-8pm. Php 2,000. Winner gets a seat, Second and Third gets buy-in back.

PBT Head Hunter Tournament @ ACF 9/9

2006-09-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

Who - PBT
What - PBT Head Hunter Tournament
When - Saturday, September 9, 2006. Reg. starts at noon with the tournament starting at 2pm
Where - Airport Casino Filipino, Paranaque
How (much) - 1,500 buy-in + 300 entry fee + 500 bounty. One optional add-on 500 (prize pool) + 100 (bounty) for 800 in chips up to the end of level one.
Why - Every player you take out a player, you get their bounty (500 or 600 if they added on). If you take out someone that busted out a player, you get his bounty PLUS 400 for each player they took out.
Why (else) - Tournament winner gets a bonus for 1st place, a seat for the 1st World Poker Tour Philippines event, Poker Madness, on October 14-16 at ACF.
Why (also) - SNG's from 5pm-8pm. Php 2,000. Winner gets a seat, Second and Third gets buy-in back.

PBT @ ACF Sept 2, 2006 (WPT Phils. seat to the winner)

2006-08-30T19:04:00.000-07:00

Who - Poker Bar Tour
What - PBT@ACF
When - Saturday, September 2, 2006. Reg. starts at noon with the tournament starting at 2pm
Where - Airport Casino Filipino, Paranaque
How (much) - 1,500 buy-in + 300 entry fee. One rebuy (1.5k for 1.2k in chips) until the end of the thrid level OR one add-on (1.5k for 1.8k in chips) at the end of the third level. If you rebuy, you can't add-on
Why - Tournament winner gets a bonus for 1st place, a seat for the 1st World Poker Tour Philippines event, Poker Madness, on October 14-16 at ACF.
Why (also)- SNG's from 5pm-8pm. Php 2,000. Winner gets a seat, Second and Third gets buy-in back.

WPT Phils. start moved to October

2006-08-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

To ensure a more successful 1st WPT Phils. event, WPT Philippines announced a modification of their schedule for their inaugural season. The new dates will be as follows:

Poker Madness - October 14-16
The Real Deal - December 9-11
Chip and A Chair - January 27-29
Poker Dreams (WPT Phils. Championships) - February 24-26

All certificates for the September 9-11 event that were issued will be honored at the WPT Phils. event, Poker Madness, on October 14-16.

All WPT Phils. events in the first season will be held at Airport Casino Filipino

More information as they come along.

PBT is back at ACF (WPT Phils. seat to the winner)

2006-08-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

Who - Poker Bar Tour
What - PBT@ACF
When - Saturday, August 19, 2006. Reg. starts at noon with the tournament starting at 2pm
Where - Airport Casino Filipino, Paranaque
How (much) - 1,500 buy-in + 300 entry fee. One rebuy (1.5k for 1.2k in chips) until the end of the thrid level OR one add-on (1.5k for 1.8k in chips) at the end of the third level. If you rebuy, you can't add-on
Why - Tournament winner gets a bonus for 1st place, a seat for the 1st World Poker Tour Philippines event, Poker Dreams, on September 9-11 at ACF.
Why (also)- SNG's from 5pm-8pm. Php 2,000. Winner gets a seat, Second and Third gets buy-in back.

WPT Philippines Schedule and Info

2006-08-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

Here is the schedule of WPT Philippines Season 1. All events will be held at Airport Casino Filipino (ACF). Buy-in and entry fee for the first three events is Php 10,000 + Php 2,000. All winners of the events get a seat for the WPTP Championship which is Php 25,000+Php 3,000. The winner of the WPTP Championships get a seat in the WPT Championship at the Bellagio, Las Vegas worth US$25,000.

We'll have SNG satellites running at ACF, Php 2,000 satellite fee. Winner gets a seat for Poker Dreams, while second and third get their satellite fee back.

Come and play to add World Poker Tour Champion to your name, cause any other "big" poker tournament won't be worth your time.

PBT@ACF July 29, 2006 (WPTP seat to the winner)

2006-07-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

Who - Poker Bar Tour
What - PBT@ACF
When - Saturday, July 29, 2006. Reg. starts atnoon with the tournament starting at 2pm
Where - Airport Casino Filipino, Paranaque
How (much) - 1,500 buy-in + 300 entry fee. One rebuy (1.5k for 1.2k in chips) until the end of the thrid level OR one add-on (1.5k for 1.8k in chips) at the end of the third level. If you rebuy, you can't add-on
Why - Tournament winner gets a bonus for 1st place, a seat for the 1st World Poker Tour Philippines event on August 19-20 at ACF.
Why (also)- SNG's from 5pm-8pm. Php1,500+200. Winner gets a seat, 2nd gets buy-in back.

Deal a Helping Hand

2006-06-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

We started the Deal a Helping Hand project to help groups, organizations and causes in their fund-raising endeavors. There is a link on the side-bar to our new blog site for these projects. We hope that the Poker Community would support such projects, sort of helping those who are in need. I feel it is one way to balance our Poker Karma, especially if you have given someone a Bad Beat in the past. . . Hehe.

New Blind Structure

2006-06-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

We streamlined the structure we have been using, it is still reasonable in the beginning and middle parts and a lot more fun at the final table

ACF1k by PBT

2006-06-14T19:48:00.000-07:00

Who - Poker Bar Tour
What - ACF1k by PBT
When - Saturday, June 17, 2006. Reg. starts atnoon with the tournament starting at 2pm
Where - Airport Casino Filipino, Paranaque
How (much) - 1,000 buy-in + 200 entry fee. Unlimited rebuys for the 1st three levels.
Why - Cause we love poker and free food and drinks.

ACF1k 6/10/06 - Murphy's Law in Action

2006-06-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

Well it started like any other tournament we have ran. 90 players, most of whom came at 1:30-1:45pm, creating another log jam at the registration and then the fun began.

With the tournament starting at 3pm, we thought that the rest of the afternoon would be a walk in the park. Yeah, if the park was in Upper Harlem or in the Bronx, at midnight, on holloween. Boy, when the fit hits the shan, it gets all over.

One player tried my BBS on one play, and I still am sketchy about the details if he raised pre-flop or not, but he busted out another player with his 24o flopping two pair while the other player had top pair with a high kicker. So nothing going, donkey play sure, but with the rebuy in effect that week, no problem. Until I was shuffling the players because of the imbalance in players so I tried to move a player into their table and LO AND BEHOLD, the player in table 1 seat 3 was supposed to sit in table 1 SEAT 7. That's not just donkey, thats really just an ASS. So I hear it from the other player that was donkey-ed (or got served a BBS, depending which blog you read) cause the situation wouldn't have been even there if the guy sat in his assigned seat. Valid point, but at that point in time, I found it moot because it was something the dealer should have done before the tournament started. So I go into apologetic mode, because the offended player was a friend and as always, bad things happen to good friends. I think he was pissed also but more so trying to bust my chops. So a very tense situation and then it seemed that three other players decided to sit where ever they chose. Good thing PARGCOR's Emi Mungcal was there to straighten them out.

So that was ok, faux pas, but got rectified, the player was still busting my chops during the dinner break but after he busted out the donkey, he was in better spirits, but I just got ahead of myself but needless to say, we have worked out a system that will make this situation not repeat itself.

About five minutes after that situation. One player says "I'm All-in" with the flop coming 8-8-8, but the thing is that he doesn't have any cards because he folded pre-flop and the thing is that I specifically discussed this before the tournament to the dealers and to the players. SO, I get called to the table and have another conversaiton with another friend, continuing the bad things happen to good friends motif of this post. He was kinda nice in the beginning because he knew he screwed up and he said, "Sure, my bad, I'll just rebuy."

So I thought that was finised already, but I got called back to the same table about five minutes later and the same 8's are still on the board plus two more cards. I just thought that hand would have ended already and we would just move on with the tournament, boy, was I wrong. It seemed that two people went all-in when my friend called "All-in" for his 1200+ in chips. (Making it simpler) Player A only had 260 left and Player B who had both players covered, simple so far, but when Player A won the pot, my friend has his panties in a tissy because he is arguing that he should get some of his money back. I was like "Excuse me?" Then I go into a discourse about him forfeiting his chips with his stellar move and that he has no claim to that pot because he doesn't have any cards. Compound that with the fact that a player can only win money up to how much he puts into the pot, I made my ruling that Player B gets the excess chips. To say that it didn't sit well with my friend, would be an understatement, and several promises of not playing in my tournaments were exchanged. Oh well, it happens, but I have to stick with my ruling.

Although it doesn't seem to be logical, the underlying concept is that a player forfeits his chips when he declares "All-in" when he was not involved with his hand. So he has no more claim to his chips and it was just lucky for the player, in this case, player B, that he still got some chips after losing the hand.

Of course, as always, when I get into situations like this, rules-wise, I ask my consultant in the US what would have been the right decision as the TD in that case, and I am still batting 1.000 in those cases. Whew . . .

I really hate being the Poker Gestapo as one of the other players called us, but I think it was a logical step to bring in our rules from the Poker Bar Tour into any tournament that we run, even in Airport Casino Filipino. We are not really into enforcing the rules because we can, we enforce them for the protection of every player, regardless if the player is a friend, a stranger, even , albeit rarely, an enemy. We want to see Filipino poker players excel in the international poker areana, but we can do this without arming them with the right rules and etiquette because this person would be the poster-child for poker in the Philippines, and I would be really remiss if I didn't try to take out those bad habits that our players have right now before he takes his game internationally.

New Procedure in Registering for the PBT@ACF Saturday

2006-05-31T19:06:00.000-07:00

When you register this Saturday, you will find that the sign-up sheet will have a signature field that all players will be required to sign and a declaration that reads:

"By participating in a tournament, I agree to abide by the rules and behave in a courteous manner. If I violate any rules I may be verbally warned, suspended from play or disqualified from the tournament."

Here are the rules that we are going to be using. Its a amalgam of rules available to the poker community (Robert's Rules of Poker, WSOP Rules, Ferry's Complete Poker Room) Kinda on the strict side, but in light of what has happened, we just felt we needed to step up and protect our poker players in the community.

Rule #1
All decisions regarding the interpretation of Poker rules, player eligibility, scheduling, staging of the tournament and penalties for misconduct lie solely with the Tournament Director whose decision is final.
Rule #2
The Tournament Director will consider the best interests of the game and fairness as the top priority in the decision-making process, with the understanding that “best interest of the game and fairness” shall be determined by the Tournament Director, acting in his sole and absolute discretion. Unusual circumstances can, on occasion dictate that the technical interpretation of the rules be balances against the interest of fairness. The Tournament Director’s decision is final and non-appealable and shall not give rise to any claim for monetary damages, as each participant understands the very nature of poker is speculative and dependent on many factors, including but not limited to the cards dealt, the cards retained and the actions of other participants

Before the Tournament
Buy-in and Re-buys
The buy-in amount and corresponding starting stack shall be the same for every player. Non-value chips are used for tournament play. They are exclusive property of the Tournament Organizer and may not be removed from the tournament area.

If re-buys are allowed, a player can avail of the rebuy after he busts out and before the deal of the next hand. If the player declines his option to re-buy at that time he can not re-buy anymore for that tournament. A player is “playing behind” the amount of the re-buy while his chips are being delivered and is obligated to re-buy at that point.

Payouts
The approximate payout structure shall be clearly indicated before the beginning of the tournament. The final payout structure may be modified due to re-buys or late players increasing the pot and will be announce as the tournament is on-going.

The TD may disqualify any person for any prize based upon fraud, dishonesty, violation of promotional rules or other misconduct during the tournament, it its sole and absolute discretion.
Table and Seat Assignment and Dealer Button Placement
Table and seat assignments will be done through random computer selection.

The button shall be placed on the seat to the right of the dealer at the beginning of the tournament.

During the Tournament
Card Protection
It is the player’s sole responsibility to protect his cards. If a dealer kills an unprotected hand, the player will have no redress and will not be entitled to his money back with the exception of a player raising a bet and no players have called it yet, he would be entitled to receive his raise back.

Language
Filipino and English will be the only languages spoken during the play of hands. Players that curse during play will be given a penalty by the Tournament Director. If there are foreign players at the table, only English will be spoken.

Blinds
Small and Big blinds will be used in tournaments. The player to the left of the button will post the small blind. The player to the left of the small blind will post the big blind. The small blind will constitute one-half of the big blind.

The schedule for the increase of these blinds will be decided upon before the tournament. When time has elapsed and a new level is announced, the new limits will apply to the next hand. A hand has begun with the first riffle shuffle.

Dead Button
Dead button will be in play for tournaments with no player missing his Big Blind.

Chips at the Table
Players must keep their highest denomination chips visible at all times. No foreign chips at the table except for a maximum ONE card cap.

Late Players
If a participant is not at his seat at the start of the tournament, all blinds and antes will be taken from his stack. If the player shows up and still has chips remaining, he can play his chips.

A player must be at the table by the time all players have their complete starting hands in order to have a live hand for that deal. Dealers will be instructed to kill the hands of all absent players immediately after dealing each player a starting hand.

Switching Tables
Players going from a broken table to fill in seats assume the rights and responsibilities of the position. They can get the big blind, the small blind or the dealer button. The only place they cannot get a hand is between the small blind and dealer button. A player moved to balance tables will take the worst position. A dead button situation may occur

Changing Seats at the Same Table
Players may not change seats at the same table.

Final Table
There will be a redrawing of seats for the final table and the dealer button will begin at the dealer’s right.

Chips Race
When it’s time to color-up the chips, they will be raced off with a maximum of one chip going to a player. The chip race will always start with seat one. A player cannot be raced out of the tournament. In the event that a player is left with one chip left, the regular chip race procedure will take place and if he loses the race, he will be given one chip of the smallest denomination still in play.

Heads-Up Play
In head's-up play, the small blind shall be posted by the player with the dealer button and the big blind by the other player. The player with the dealer button will receive his cards last and will act first pre-flop. After the flop, the other player will act first.

Betting
There is no limit on the amount a player met bet up to everything he has in front of him and there is no limit on the number of raises in any betting round.

Except for a player going all-in, all bets must be for no less than the minimum bring-in designated for the structure. Further, all raises must be equal to or greater than the size of the previous bet or raise on that round, except when making an all-in wager.

A player who bets or calls by releasing chips into the pot is bound by that action and must make the amount of the wager correct. (This also applies right before the showdown when putting chips into the pot causes the opponent to show that winning hand before the full amount needed to call has been put into the pot.) However, if you are unaware that the pot has been raised, you may withdraw that money and reconsider your action, provided that no one else has acted after you.

Oversized Chip
An oversized chip will be constituted to be a call if the player does not announce a raise before the flop. After the flop, an oversized chip by the initial bettor put in the pot will constitue the size of the bet. If a player states raise and throws in an oversized chip, the raise will be the maximum amount allowable up to the size of that chip.

Verbal Declarations
Players’ verbal declarations in turn are binding. Verbal declarations out of turn will be binding if that action is still legal when it comes time for that player to act.

Splashing the Pot
Players that excessively splash the pot can be given a penalty by the Tournament Director

String Bets
String bets are not allowed and players that excessively string bets can be given a penalty by the Tournament Director.

Motions Constituting a Check or Raise
The dealer and other players shall have the right to rely on a player's hand motions. Any tapping of the table or other hand signal that the dealer might reasonably construe to be a check shall be deemed a check. A player who makes an upward motion with his hand, a thumbs up signal or other signal that might be reasonably construed by the dealer to indicate a raise shall be deemed a raise.

All-in
All hands will be turned face up whenever a player is all-in and betting action is complete.

A player who declares all-in and loses the pot, then discovers that one or more chips were hidden, is not entitled to benefit from this. That player is eliminated from the tournament if the opponent had sufficient chips to cover the hidden ones (A rebuy is okay if allowable by the rules of that event). If another deal has not yet started, the director may rule the chips belong to the opponent who won that pot, if that obviously would have happened with the chips out in plain view. If the next deal has started, the discovered chips are removed from the tournament.

Player Conduct
Penalties
The Tournament Director, at his discretion, can give penalties, 10, 20, 30 minutes away from the table. These may be utilized by the Tournament Director up to and including disqualification. A player that is disqualified shall have his chips removed from play.
Penalties MAY be invoked if a player exposes any card with action pending, if a card goes off the table, if soft-play occurs, or similar incidents take place. Penalties WILL be invoked in cases of abuse, disruptive behavior or similar incidents. All penalties will be issued in the Tournament Director’s sole discretion.

Commentary during the game
Players are obligated to protect the other players in the tournament at all times. Discussing cards discarded or hand possibilities are not allowed. Advising a player how to play a hand is also not allowed.

Players excessively participating in these types of discussions can be penalized by the Tournament Director

Exposing Cards
There will be a “One hand, one player,” rule in effect during tournaments. Players exposing cards to a player or a spectator must show their cards to all the players (Show one, show all) but will not have his hand killed.

Calling the Clock on a Player
Once a reasonable amount of time has passed and a clock is called for, a player will be given one (1) minute to make a decision. If action has not been taken by the time the minute is over, there will be a ten (10) second countdown. If a player has not acted on his hand by the time the countdown is over, the hand will be dead.

Winning the Pot
A player wins the pot either through an unmatched raise or a showdown. Dealers cannot kill a winning hand that was turned up and was obviously the winning hand.

Cards Speak
A hand that is turned over at the showdown is ranked according to the cards that are in it. If the hand is turned over then an incorrect assessment of a hand's rank or a verbal concession is not binding at showdown.

Showdown with Side Pots
If one or more players are all-In in a multi-way contested pot, then the side Pots shall be awarded first. If there is one all-In player eligible for the main pot only then he shall show his hand last. If there are multiple side pots then those participating for the last side pot shall show their hands down first, followed by those involved in the next-to-last side pot, etc., until the main pot is awarded.

Order of Showdown
Upon completion of action on the final betting round, the dealer shall ask the players to show their hands. If more than one player contests a pot through the final betting round, the player whose bet was last called must show his hand first. If there is no betting in the final round, the player to the right of the dealer button will show his hand first.

Tied Hands
In the case of one or more tied hands at the showdown, the pot shall be divided accordingly proportionately, with odd chips allocated as set forth in the next section. Suits shall in no way influence awarding any part of a pot.

Odd Chip
In all games where dividing the pot results in an odd-chip when the pot is split the odd chip--In increments of the minimum betting unit-will go to the player left of the dealer button.

Tournament Anomalies
Two or More Players Eliminated on the Same Hand
The player who had the higher chip stack before the hand finishes higher than the player who had the lower chip stack.

Called Hands
Any player who has been dealt in may request to see any hand that has been called, even if the opponent’s hand or the winning hand has been mucked. However, this is a privilege that may be revoked if abused. If a player other than the pot winner asks to see the hand that has been folded, that hand is dead. If the winning player asks to see a losing player’s hand, both hands are live, and the best hand wins.

PBT@ACF this Saturday

2006-05-31T18:01:00.000-07:00

Who - Poker Bar Tour
What - PBT @ ACF
When - Saturday, June 3, 2006. Reg. starts at noon with the tournament starting at 2pm
Where - Airport Casino Filipino, Paranaque
How (much) - 1,500 buy-in + 300 entry fee. NO REBUYS
Why - Cause we love poker.

What to do with players that are colluding

2006-05-30T06:08:00.000-07:00

As players, in a tournament or ring game, you need to be very vigilant about players trying to get an edge, albeit illegally, to pry you from your hard earned buy-in. Here are some things you can do, if you suspect a player or a group of players are colluding, signaling to each other or there is soft-play occurring.

- First off, don't confront them directly, that's why the dealer, the floor person, AGAM (Assistant Gaming Manager), GAM (Gaming Manager) or TD is there. Bring it to their attention, give concrete examples of the collusion, he/she has to see it him/herself to actually do something about it. So if you blow the whistle prematurely, they won't have anything to go on. You're word against theirs type thing.

- Ask for their hands, if you suspect soft play. Any player on the table can call any players hand whether or not there was called bet. The procedure is quite P.I.T.A. but here it is.

Any player who has been dealt in may request to see any hand that has been called, even if the opponent’s hand or the winning hand has been mucked. However, this is a privilege that may be revoked if abused. If a player other than the pot winner asks to see the hand that has been folded, that hand is dead. If the winning player asks to see a losing player’s hand, both hands are live, and the best hand wins.

With a little memory of how that hand went, you can deduce what hand the player, who had his/her hand called, had. If it supports your suspicions then you will have some more evidence.

- Ask for a change of seat (in ring games). You don’t need to sit with players that try those types of things and no need wasting time in a table like that

- Use the signaling to your advantage. If you see that the players are signaling to each other, use it like any other poker player tell, to your advantage.

I hope these suggestions help. The poker room support staff is there for you, but as players, you need to be vigilant and report anything that you think is harming your enjoyment of poker.

PBT events at ACF poster

2006-05-22T01:17:00.000-07:00

ACF1K - May 20, 2006

2006-05-21T04:31:00.000-07:00

Another ACF1k by PBT is in the books and we weren't really sure about the turnout for this particular tournament especially because of the other tournament in Tagaytay on the same day. We had 50 people and 18 people re-bought back into the tournament making the prize pool at Php 66,200. We changed the starting stack of the tournament to 1,000 and fixed the blind structure accordingly. We made the registration process a little bit more streamlined, doing away with the roll call from the previous week.

Top Five Highlights

5 - We had all new faces at the Final Table, Christian Bernardez, Trevor Roberts, Dino Antonio, Romeo Tobias, Dina Brainard, Jun Lanas, Marie Lourdes Pascual, Francisco Del Rosario, Ryan Peralta and George Brainard.

4 - Dina Brainard and Pascual became our first women in the final table with Brainard finishing in 6th while Pascual finishing in 4th. It was Dina's husband George that took her out, much to her chagrin. After asking her what he could do to make up for that, she simply said "He could win the tournament."

3 - Ryan "Lucky" Peralta who in a span of three hands had quad Kings AND quad Fours in the final table.

2 - In back-to-back hands, after Peralta's quad Fours, George Brainard had quad fours as well. What are the chances of that happening. Compound the fact that both players started with pocket fours.

1 - George Brainard winning the tournament and winning Php 22,100 prize money and saving him from the dog house that night.

See you guys next week at the ACF5K which is not our tournament so I can play, Yeah...

Marco
PBT

Changes in the ACF1K by PBT this sat

2006-05-17T20:46:00.000-07:00

We are changing some aspects of the ACF1K by PBT based on feedback from last Saturday's event as well as at the request of PAGCOR. We'll announce all of these changes before the start of the event on Saturday.

Starting stacks will be now 1k in chips.
Php 1,ooo re-buy for 900 worth of tournament chips and re-buys will be raked 10%.
The No-cursing rule will be in-effect with PBT penalties being implemented.
Blind structures and levels will be PBT standards but a little bit relaxed. Levels will be 20 minutes with 10-minute breaks after four levels in the beginning and then after three levels after the fourth break.

PBT @ ACF Schedule of tournaments

2006-05-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

The Poker Bar Tour will be hosting two tournaments a month for the folks of Airport Casino Filipino every first and third week of the month.

PBT @ ACF will be ran every 1st Saturdays of the month starting next month and there will be Php 1,500 buy-in plus 300 entry fee.

ACF1k by PBT will be ran every 3rd Saturdays of the month but started last sat and there will be a Php 1,000 buy-in plus 200 entry fee with one re-buy per player. We'll be making this into different themed tournaments so that it won't stay static too much.

After the first ACF1k by PBT, we will be looking to improve more in the registration process and seating of the players. We'll also look into ways of making these series more PBT. When we resolve the registration issues we'll incorporate the PBT points for PBT player of the year.

PBT Player of the Year - Top 50 (After Season 2)

2006-05-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

Rank - Name - Total
01 - Mr. Energy - 189.21
02 - Ol. Zorilla - 164.96
03 - D. Ty - 127.11
04 - V. De Guzman - 123.92
05 - Pink Tobacco - 119.81
06 - Idol - 117.43
07 - Blue Tobacco - 112.46
08 - E. Chua - 100.11
09 - Champ - 98.71
10 - H. Ty - 98.05
11 - Dax - 96.76
12 - A. Martinez - 92.46
13 - J. Gerodias - 88.34
14 - JP. Pardiñas - 84.06
15 - Ar. Tom - 81.88
16 - M. Valdez - 78.69
17 - Cardinal - 77.79
18 - L. Chua - 75.28
19 - R. Pinlac - 74.34
20 - R. Dela Torre - 70.91
21 - P. Flores - 69.02
22 - C. Glean - 64.96
23 - C. Cabilao - 64.03
24 - E. Reyes - 57.59
25 - VJ Platon - 54.18
26 - R. Rosas - 51.33
27 - E. Wolfe - 46.27
28 - M. Pinlac - 45.38
29 - JC. Lerit - 44.82
30 - A. Capistrano - 44.18
31 - G. Coronel - 43.82
32 - R. Sia - 42.79
33 - S. Enriquez - 41.61
34 - JC. Abesamis - 41.37
35 - E. Reinke - 39.80
36 - D. Antonio - 39.35
37 - V. Hontiveros - 39.14
38 - A. Fajardo - 38.52
39 - V. Ang - 37.76
40 - T. Domingo - 37.27
41 - J. Libunao - 36.48
42 - L. Pacia - 35.04
43 - J. Davies - 33.77
44 - D. Lerit - 33.54
45 - R. Mencias - 33.34
46 - N. Galan - 33.31
47 - F. Weber - 33.24
48 - J. Feng - 32.92
49 - K. Tanseco - 32.11
50 - E. Ramos - 31.95

PBT @ ACF tourney series kicks off

2006-05-04T21:10:00.000-07:00

The Poker Bar Tour goes to the Airport Casino Filipino as they host the PBT @ ACF No Limit Texas Hold'em tournament series starting on Saturday, May 13 and all the succeeding second saturdays of the month. 1,000 Buy-in + 200 Entry Fee buy for the first tourney with the regular buy-in + entry fee of 1,500+300 and no rebuys starting in June tournament. Registration starts at noon with the tournament starting at 1pm.

See y'all there

Johnnie Walker Poker Bar Tour Championship Results

2006-04-28T22:11:00.000-07:00

Bagaberde Pasig owner Vic De Guzman was third in the Halo Bar Championships and qualified for the Johnnie Walker Poker Bar Tour Championships because the runner up had already qualified but he made both bars proud as he emerged the Johnnie Walker Poker Bar Tour Champion last night at Halo.

The field last night was made up of the Bar Champions from Quisine (Delfino Ty), Ice Vodka Bar (Paolo Flores), Bagaberde (Archie Martinez) and Halo (Arnold Tom) as well as the runners up in those Bar Championships (Benny Gonzalez, Oli Zorilla, Antonio Capistrano, De Guzman) with two wild-card qualifiers based on total points (Ansel Adriano and Myra Adriano). De Guzman was teetering on elimination late in the game and with five players remaining he went all-in with his two-paired K-T on the turn against the flopped flush of Antonio Capistrano with his 3-4 suited. With only four outs to stave of his elimination, the river came with another K to make his runner-runner full house complete and with that De Guzman captured the chip lead. And with the big stack, De Guzman did what big stacks do, intimidate. At the heads up portion of the Bar Tour Championships, De Guzman faced Tom with an almost 9-1 chip lead. De Guzman picked his spot and with the board T-K-6, went all-in with his KJo and was quickly called by Tom flipping over J6o. Tom was dominated at this point with only 10% chance to win. With the board ending with a Q-4 on the turn and river, De Guzman became the Johnnie Walker Poker Bar Tour Champion.

The Johnnie Walker Poker Bar Tour was produced by Pit Boss Events and Cardinal Entertainment. Special thanks to our Title Sponsor Johnnie Walker and sponsors PAGCOR, KLITE 103.5, FHM, without your support we wouldn't have been able to pull off this wonderful project. Thank you also to the bars, Quisine, Ice Vodka Bar, Bagaberde and Halo for letting us use most of your space to play the game that we love. Finally, and most importantly, we thank all the players that played and supported the PBT, without your support and play, none of this would be possible. Please watch out for the next season of the PBT, which we plan to be more exciting for the players.

Until next season.

Poker Bar Tour

Poker Bar Tour Announcement

2006-04-22T00:31:00.000-07:00

“In line with PAGCOR's limiting of poker games outside Casino Filipino and its start of raids of illegal poker games, the Poker Bar Tour will cut short this season to support this initiative. We will move our schedule forward to the end of April with each of the PBT's bars' 6 leg winners playing the top 14 in points for the bar Championships.”

This was the gut wrenching text/email that we had to send out after learning of the plans of PAGCOR to start their foray into controlling Poker outside Casino Filipino. First off, this message was done to explain why we are cutting this season short, it WAS NOT intended to bully, threaten or sway the underground games in any manner. If it felt that way, we apologize but our intent was to stem the SMS barrage of “Why?” that ultimately would come if we just said that the PBT’s season was going to be short.

While we were not the primary targets of this initiative of PAGCOR, I would say the UTH (Usurpers of Texas Hold'em) were the primary targets, we were still outside their comfort zone and thus we felt prudent not to expose our newer players to THAT experience of local enforcement coming down on you.

I will say this; we have read the Presidential Decree No. 1602 about illegal gambling as well as Letter of Instruction No. 816 that clarifies the PD and excludes certain prohibited games under P.D. No. 1602:

“WHEREAS, there is need to exclude . . . certain games like . . . poker, when not played with five card stud . . . and when exclusively intended for parlor games of for home entertainment . . . . And provided further, that they are not played in places habitually used for gambling and the betting is not disguised to defeat the intent of P.D. No. 1602, are hereby exempted.”

We specifically designed the PBT to be within the bounds of the P.D. and the L.O.I. but with our future plans predicated on a good working relationship with PAGCOR, we cut this season short, no worries. It doesn’t mean that there will not be anymore future seasons of the PBT, in fact we have again danced around the gray area and will be offering better prizes (trust me on this one) in the future seasons.

To all the supporters of the PBT, we just want to say that, wait for the next incarnation of the PBT. From SMB to Johnnie Walker to ??, who knows. We might just hit the jackpot and with it we would bring an experience that would get even the not so newbie players excited.