Opinions on Saturday noon tournies

It looks like I'm able to go up and play a noon Blackhawk tourney this Saturday. (I will, unless I go see a band late Friday night and sleep in, that is...)

Anyway, both the Gilpin and Gates have $80 tournies with 8,000 chips. The Gilpin site doesn't list the blind levels or amount of time at each level. The last time I played a tourney up there, they cut levels back to 15 minutes because of the # of tables they had.

The Gates' website indicates 20 minute levels, no idea of blind structure.

Any of you who have played these recently have any light to shed on it? (And I already know both are probably push fests after hour 2, I just want to find out which perhaps plays a bit deeper than the other).

I believe Gilpin's rake is 25%? Is that correct? Any idea of Gates'? If the tourneys play as deep (or shallow) as each other, I'd play the one with less rake, of course.

I did like the $80 one I played in yesterday (with the exception of the end, but I think thats pretty much unavoidable unless they jacked the blind time up) I think they run the same one at the Gilpin on Saturdays..$80 for 8k in chips. They ran 4 tables with 20 min blinds. When I got knocked out at the final table the blinds were $1500-$3000. I think the rake at the Gilpin is like 25%.

For some reason, I just dont like playing in tourneys at The Gates. Nothing wrong with them, I just dont like playing tourneys there.

ak1971 wrote:

For some reason, I just dont like playing in tourneys at The Gates. Nothing wrong with them, I just dont like playing tourneys there.

from what I remember their structure is awful, I think it was missing at least two levels....with that being said I also don't think they take so much out of the prize pool like the Gilpin does.

Yeah, the fee taken from the Gilpin is quite high. The fee at Golden Gates is a bit more reasonable, I believe around 14%. The blind structure is a little less aggressive at the Gilpin, but this doesn't really matter after the third hour. I think the GG has a few jumps in their middle blinds (between 100/200 - 1000/2000), but overall it's not really a big difference with the amount of starting chips given. In my experience, the Golden Gates usually has about 60 - 80 players for the Saturday noon tournament while The Gilpin has about 40 - 60 players. Both venues are pretty well run tournaments and I personally prefer the GG for a Saturday noon tournament. Besides, you can always make the 3:00 Gilpin tournament ($150, 12,000 chips) if you bust in either. BTW I prefer the clay chips at Gilpin compared to the plastic chips of the GG.

Good luck to you Mondo! I'd join you if I wasn't going to Rapid City this weekend. Don't even have enough time in our schedule to make it to Deadwood.

Scrupboy wrote: Don't even have enough time in our schedule to make it to Deadwood.

And that's the bad beat story of the day.

Thanks for the advice all. Sounds like the Gates to me. I like the larger field and really, two missing levels kinda overcomes 2x the rake, imho, because if I run deep enough to cash, the missing levels won't have mattered as much.

As for the Gilpin 3pm, I don't think I'll be able to run that one anyway, because I need to head back about the time I anticipate the noons being over (say, no later than 5pm, I'm sure).

Mondogarage wrote:I believe Gilpin's rake is 25%? Is that correct? Any idea of Gates'? If the tourneys play as deep (or shallow) as each other, I'd play the one with less rake, of course.

Played the noon tourney at the Gates on Sunday - they take about 20% out for their rake. You start with 15k in chips, but blinds start at 100/100 and you skip a couple middle blinds. This tourney has half hour blinds so imo it would be the only one worth playing at the Gates. Most of the Gilpin's tourney's start you with plenty of chips and they have a friendlier blind structure.

kkravec wrote:

Mondogarage wrote:I believe Gilpin's rake is 25%? Is that correct? Any idea of Gates'? If the tourneys play as deep (or shallow) as each other, I'd play the one with less rake, of course.

Played the noon tourney at the Gates on Sunday - they take about 20% out for their rake. You start with 15k in chips, but blinds start at 100/100 and you skip a couple middle blinds. This tourney has half hour blinds so imo it would be the only one worth playing at the Gates. Most of the Gilpin's tourney's start you with plenty of chips and they have a friendlier blind structure.

what is the buy-in on this one?

Well, I got work-shafted and didn't even go up, though since I was set to work from home, I ended up taking down a $12 MTT on Bodog for $600, for a better ROI than I'd have gotten in either tourney up the hill. Ship the small mobnies.

idh78 wrote:what is the buy-in on this one?

$100.

I think Paul (**TRICKE1**) took this down last week.


His only comment to me was "horrible players."


I personally am boycotting any poker tournament with a 20 minute structure.

PoWdA wrote:I think Paul (**TRICKE1**) took this down last week.


His only comment to me was "horrible players."


I personally am boycotting any poker tournament with a 20 minute structure.

The one last Sunday at the Gates (with 1/2 hour blind rounds)? I agree that the play was not the best. But this is coming from the person who had aces cracked after donkey check called all his money in on the turn and went runner, runner straight with his 6 7 off. As he said before check calling all his chips on the turn "I know you have a huge hand, but I have too many outs to let it go".

I think it was Staurday noon tourney at the Gilpin.