Online Poker Forum - Byes in Heads Up Shootout Tournaments

TheDarkElf · Pair Joined: 25 Jul 2005 Posts: 38

Currently FTP allows byes in the first round of heads up shootout tournaments.

If memory serves me correct, when FTP first introduced this kind of event, there were no byes. Instead, players who registered last were unregistered as the event was starting to bring the number of players down to a power of 2 (such as 512 or 2048, etc.), so there would be no byes.

Can someone confirm that this used to be the case?

And more importantly, WHY was it changed?

There is enough randomness in poker to begin with. The possibility of a first round bye for some players seems to introduce a gigantic variance that should discourage a serious player from entering such an event.

undeadbrennan · Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 11:29 am Post subject:

yeah i remember when it was like that. and i remember that when i saw it right before it started and i signed up and got kicked out, i was not very happy. so i'm sure thats why they changed it. i do hate byes though. it seems i always get one.

MPMTL · Message Board Junkie Joined: 07 Oct 2008 Posts: 1816

Byes are a good thing imo.

undeadbrennan · Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:39 pm Post subject:

NoTilt · Royal Flush Joined: 16 Apr 2009 Posts: 814

They eliminated byes because if it's a 5 + 50c tournament that fills up to 511 people, they lose $127.50 in rake.

Byes add to the luck factor in poker. I don't like them. Pick a power of 2 to play in a MTT HU game once the starting time gets near, and fill to that amount. If you just need a few more players to reach the next power of 2 (i.e. 60), allow some tables to start late. If you just have a few players OVER a power of 2 (i.e. 67), boot the last few who registered out. You snooze you lose.

Alternate suggestion: Once the start time has been reached, offer to let people buy in for twice the amount with no extra rake (i.e. 5 + 50c + 5 extra for a total of $10.50) in exchange for skipping a round. It's like buying two slots in the first round and playing yourself - you automatically win.

Philbird1 · Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2009 5:08 pm Post subject:

Sorry for the ignorance, what is a Bye?

NoTilt · Royal Flush Joined: 16 Apr 2009 Posts: 814

Let's say 63 people register for a HU tourney. 62 people play round 1, and 1 person gest a 'bye' into round 2 without having to play. Out of the 62 people who play round 1, 31 advance. Then the extra bye makes 32, which is a nice power of 2.

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