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Thank you.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
The two deck shuffling system and the integrity of charitable poker games
There has been some talk about game security and the integrity of the game, and how the two deck shuffling systems is a sure fire way to encourage cheating. This is 100% false, and I believe to be a marketing plan from competitors to drive business their way, and to plant a seed of doubt into the collective Chicago charity poker players mind at large.
I would like to let everyone know how the two deck system works, why it works, and why the integrity of the game could not be more carefully watched.
The two deck system is as follows. Deck one is shuffled and dealt out on the first hand of a new table. While deck one is being used the button or dealer will shuffle deck two. The player in the dealer seat will shuffle the second deck. When the hand is completed the dealer will move the button, give deck one to the player on the button, and deck two will be used for the second hand. BEFORE STARTING HAND NUMBER TWO DECK TWO IS SHUFFLED ONCE, AND THEN CUT BY THE DEALER PRIOR TO THE START OF THE HAND. Every dealer at least shuffles once (some of the faster dealers will shuffle twice) and then cut the deck on top of a cut card so no one can see the bottom card. Therefore if a player was dexterious enough to manipulate the cards to his advantage, any and all manipulation would be void when the dealer shuffles and then cuts the cards prior to the next hand. So there is no way a player could manipulate the deck, because every dealer shuffles and cuts the deck prior to dealing the next hand.
A perfectly shuffled deck of cards, or a truly random shuffle, requires the cards to be shuffled twice, cut into thirds, shuffled and then cut one more time. That is how the single deck shuffle without a shuffle master works. This is how the dealers shuffle at the WSOP and WSOP Circuit Events shuffle the cards.
One large accusation of the two deck player shuffle nay sayers is that players could mark cards. This is 100% true, players could mark cards while shuffling the second deck. However it would be much easier to mark a card that was dealt to you in normal game play, then when shuffling the second deck. For example, it would be much easier to mark a card that was delt to you, rather than shuffling the second deck finding the card you want to mark and then marking it with no one noticing you doing anything funny with the second deck. So experts would say that if a player wanted to mark a card, it would be eaiser to do during regular play, and not when shuffling the second deck.
Marked or Damaged cards and decks (the picture to the left is a small portion of the decks that are pulled from play due to damage or wear and tear) are pulled from regular play at every event. Typically the cards are removed because players squeeze their hands out so hard that the corners become bent. OR the cards have been in use for a while and they are becoming faded and beat up. The charity poker dealers count down their decks before and after every shift, and if a card is beat up they chuck the whole deck into the bad deck box(pictured on the left). This common in every card room in the world, and it is no different at Chicago Charitable Games poker events.
With all that being said in the last year (2009) Chicago Charitable Games, to my best ability of estimating the number of hands played at each event, has dealt out over 675,000 hands. That is averaging 25 hands an hour (a very reasonable guess) on 150 events a year. I think that is a conservative estimate on the number of hands played in the year. Out of those 675,000 hands, 150 events, and the last year of charity poker, there has not been one accusation of cheating, not one instance of cheating, and not one reason to believe any foul play. In fact in over three years of business and arguably 2 million hands of poker, there has never been any instances of a player cheating at these charitable poker games.
I hope this helps clarify the validity of the two deck shuffling system and it eases players mind. If anyone has any questions about the two deck system or about charitable poker games in general please feel free to contact me on the 888 Poker Hot Line (888-715-4837) or on my email address at Ken@chicagocharitablegames.com
Thank you and good luck on the tables,
Ken Kaulen
President and Co-Founder
Chicago Charitable Games Inc.
www.chicagocharitablegames.com
I would like to let everyone know how the two deck system works, why it works, and why the integrity of the game could not be more carefully watched.
The two deck system is as follows. Deck one is shuffled and dealt out on the first hand of a new table. While deck one is being used the button or dealer will shuffle deck two. The player in the dealer seat will shuffle the second deck. When the hand is completed the dealer will move the button, give deck one to the player on the button, and deck two will be used for the second hand. BEFORE STARTING HAND NUMBER TWO DECK TWO IS SHUFFLED ONCE, AND THEN CUT BY THE DEALER PRIOR TO THE START OF THE HAND. Every dealer at least shuffles once (some of the faster dealers will shuffle twice) and then cut the deck on top of a cut card so no one can see the bottom card. Therefore if a player was dexterious enough to manipulate the cards to his advantage, any and all manipulation would be void when the dealer shuffles and then cuts the cards prior to the next hand. So there is no way a player could manipulate the deck, because every dealer shuffles and cuts the deck prior to dealing the next hand.
A perfectly shuffled deck of cards, or a truly random shuffle, requires the cards to be shuffled twice, cut into thirds, shuffled and then cut one more time. That is how the single deck shuffle without a shuffle master works. This is how the dealers shuffle at the WSOP and WSOP Circuit Events shuffle the cards.
One large accusation of the two deck player shuffle nay sayers is that players could mark cards. This is 100% true, players could mark cards while shuffling the second deck. However it would be much easier to mark a card that was dealt to you in normal game play, then when shuffling the second deck. For example, it would be much easier to mark a card that was delt to you, rather than shuffling the second deck finding the card you want to mark and then marking it with no one noticing you doing anything funny with the second deck. So experts would say that if a player wanted to mark a card, it would be eaiser to do during regular play, and not when shuffling the second deck.
With all that being said in the last year (2009) Chicago Charitable Games, to my best ability of estimating the number of hands played at each event, has dealt out over 675,000 hands. That is averaging 25 hands an hour (a very reasonable guess) on 150 events a year. I think that is a conservative estimate on the number of hands played in the year. Out of those 675,000 hands, 150 events, and the last year of charity poker, there has not been one accusation of cheating, not one instance of cheating, and not one reason to believe any foul play. In fact in over three years of business and arguably 2 million hands of poker, there has never been any instances of a player cheating at these charitable poker games.
I hope this helps clarify the validity of the two deck shuffling system and it eases players mind. If anyone has any questions about the two deck system or about charitable poker games in general please feel free to contact me on the 888 Poker Hot Line (888-715-4837) or on my email address at Ken@chicagocharitablegames.com
Thank you and good luck on the tables,
Ken Kaulen
President and Co-Founder
Chicago Charitable Games Inc.
www.chicagocharitablegames.com
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
February is Cash Game Give Away Month!
Cash Game Player Incentives and Rewards!!!
The month of February will have a cash game player give away. For every hour of cash game that you play from 2pm until 5pm you will receive two give away tickets per hour. At 5pm at every event in February one give away ticket will be pulled for a $100 Deepstack Tournament Seat. You must have played at least one hour of cash game in order to qualify for the $100 Deepstack Give away tickets.
Therefore, if you have played from 2pm until 3pm you would receive two give away tickets. Then from 3pm until 4pm you would receive another two give away tickets...and so on. At 5pm one ticket will be pulled and the winner will receive a $100 Deepstack Tournament Seat for that event. Players will receive two tickets for every hour of cash game play, and will have a great chance at winning a FREE $100 Deepstack Seat at every event.
I hope that this will cause more cash games so start up earlier at each event, as well as some new and different cash games like $2-$4 LIMIT, and $3-$6 Omaha 8 or better and so on. This is also a great promotion for the cash game players. So often only the tournament players receive any bonuses or benefits and the hosting charities and Chicago Charitable Games would like to give back to the cash game players.
Therefore, if you have played from 2pm until 3pm you would receive two give away tickets. Then from 3pm until 4pm you would receive another two give away tickets...and so on. At 5pm one ticket will be pulled and the winner will receive a $100 Deepstack Tournament Seat for that event. Players will receive two tickets for every hour of cash game play, and will have a great chance at winning a FREE $100 Deepstack Seat at every event.
I hope that this will cause more cash games so start up earlier at each event, as well as some new and different cash games like $2-$4 LIMIT, and $3-$6 Omaha 8 or better and so on. This is also a great promotion for the cash game players. So often only the tournament players receive any bonuses or benefits and the hosting charities and Chicago Charitable Games would like to give back to the cash game players.
So come out and play cash games at every event in February. At the beginning of every event there will be a $1-$2 NLH and a $2-$4 Beginners Limit Holdem game started right away. Any players playing in any cash game will receive two tickets. Good Luck Everyone!!
Also, if you have a promotion or player appreciation idea please feel free to email Chicago Charitable Games at Events@chicagocharitablegames.com
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Chicago Charitable Games Player of the Year Points List and South Side Poker Tour Points... What are they?
What are Chicago Charitable Games Player of the Year Points?
Player of the Year points are accumulated by playing in Multi-table tournaments and cashing (making the money). When you win money in any CCG charity poker tournament you will give the tournament director your ID, he or she uses your ID to write down your name and give you player points.What is the South Side Poker Tour or SSPT?
The south side poker tour is abbreviated SSPT, and is a bi-yearly points list from the SSPT events in Tinley Park, IL. How do you know if an event qualifies for a SSPT event? Every event in Tinley Park (VFW, American Legion, Viking Lodge, and Eiche Turner Lodge) make up the South Side Poker Tour events. A prize package of cash, tournament seats and CCG cash will be given away to the top winners on the SSPT points list. Each year the SSPT is made up of events prior to July 4th and events after July 4th. So from January 2010 to the end of June 2010 will consist of SSPT Season 4. How are player points determined?
Now that you know how player points are won, how many are you winning? Well, the player point algorithm takes into account the total number of players, the buy in of the charity poker tournament, and what place you finished. Therefore, if you won the $20 Early Bird Tournament with 100 players in it, you would not receive as many player points as a person who won the $100 Deepstack with the same number of players.Where can I check to see if I have player points?
The player points are uploaded via a PDF file on the Chicago Charitable Games website (www.chicagocharitablegames.com for those of us who did not know) underneath the points list tab at the top of the website. Once on the player points page you can click to download the PDF file which will have the player points listed and when they were last updated. The PDF file will include both Chicago Charitable Games player of the year points list, and South Side Poker Tour Points list.What can I win if I am on top of the Player Points List?
The Chicago Charitable Game Player of the Year points list is a year long points list, and at the end of each year a CCG Player FREEROLL will be scheduled. The top 40 players in the CCG Player of the Year points list will qualify for the CCG Player FREEROLL. Chicago Charitable Games will give away $500 in CCG Cash to the winners of the Player Freeroll. For the South Side Poker Tour, the winners will take home cash, prizes and tournament entry seats into major tournaments such as the W.S.O.P, HPT, and WPT. The SSPT Season 3 winners will be splitting up over $2500 in cash and prizes.
How does the Player Freeroll work for the Chicago Charitable Games Player of the Year points list?
The Freeroll will be announced at the end of the year and will be open to the top 40 players and 5 alternates. The starting chips will be determined by where you are on the player points list. For example:- 1st place finisher would start with 6000 in starting chips
- 2nd place finisher would start with 5500
- 3rd and 4th place finisher would start with 5000
- 5th through 10th place would start with 4500
- 11th through 20th place would start with 4000
- 21st through 30th would start with 3500
- 31st through 40th would start with 3000
The 2010 year Chicago Charitable Games is also going to be giving away a player of the month prize to anyone who wins the most player points in any given month. This way if you do not find Chicago Charitable Games until halfway through the year you still have a chance at becoming the player of the month. Prizes will include Deepstack Tournament Seats, CCG Cash Prizes, CASH, and preferred seating in cash games, and several other promotions happening every month.
Who do I contact if I have questions about my player points, or if I believe there has been a mistake?
Events@chicagocharitablegames.com is your best place to ask about player points. At the events there is not really any way for someone to help you with player points. When you have a question about player points remember to specifically include the tournament you played in, what place you finished, and what the situation was. This will help Chicago Charitable Games rectify the situation as quickly as possible. As always if you have questions about Player of the Year Points please feel free to email me at Ken@chicagocharitablegames.com or ask me at any of the events. Please refrain from asking when I am yelling at another player, or running around like a mad man, or playing spades with friends :) But 9 times out of 10 I am ready and able to answer all of your questions.Happy New Year and Good Luck and no bad beats to all my favorite poker players, which happens to include myself!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Why serious tournament poker players should give the $20 Early Bird a chance...
The $20 Early Bird is a great tournament to play in. I know what you are thinking already..."The $20 is not enough money to keep me interested!" Well think of the $20 Early Bird as a Satellite Tournament into a bigger tournament or a chance to try new things with your game!
Just imagine taking down a $2k first place prize when you are only in the tournament for $20. This is what you should be thinking if you are not a normal $20 Early Bird Tournament poker player. I mean first place on average is $576 in the $20 EB. That is pretty sweet return on your money for a $20 tournament entry. Not to mention you only need to finish in the top 5-7 to get your Deepstack entry paid for from this tournament. There is also the benefit that you are going to get hours of tournament poker experience for $20.
The $20 Early Bird is also a great venue to practice some new techniques and change up gears. It is difficult to try new and intresting things when you are playing in a $100 Deepstack Poker Tournament. Where as if you are only into the tournament for $20 you are much more likely to change up your play an really get in there an test the water, because you are only risking $20. There is nothing more important to improve your tournament poker play than getting out there and playing in poker tournaments. Play deepstacks, short stacks, turbos, marathon poker, knockouts or bounty's, and plenty of other poker tournament styles that you can get involved with and if you can do so with real live poker players (rather than solely online) you are getting even more live poker experience.
The $20 Early Bird is a great place to practice new techniques and a cheap way to satellite into bigger tournaments. Where else can you get live tournament poker experience for $20 with an average of 100+ players 3-4 times a week?
Just imagine taking down a $2k first place prize when you are only in the tournament for $20. This is what you should be thinking if you are not a normal $20 Early Bird Tournament poker player. I mean first place on average is $576 in the $20 EB. That is pretty sweet return on your money for a $20 tournament entry. Not to mention you only need to finish in the top 5-7 to get your Deepstack entry paid for from this tournament. There is also the benefit that you are going to get hours of tournament poker experience for $20.
The $20 Early Bird is also a great venue to practice some new techniques and change up gears. It is difficult to try new and intresting things when you are playing in a $100 Deepstack Poker Tournament. Where as if you are only into the tournament for $20 you are much more likely to change up your play an really get in there an test the water, because you are only risking $20. There is nothing more important to improve your tournament poker play than getting out there and playing in poker tournaments. Play deepstacks, short stacks, turbos, marathon poker, knockouts or bounty's, and plenty of other poker tournament styles that you can get involved with and if you can do so with real live poker players (rather than solely online) you are getting even more live poker experience.
The $20 Early Bird is a great place to practice new techniques and a cheap way to satellite into bigger tournaments. Where else can you get live tournament poker experience for $20 with an average of 100+ players 3-4 times a week?
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Flips and Showdowns... good for Cash Games or just for Action Junkies
A flip or a showdown is when players put in an amount of money into the pot, deal out the cards, run the flop turn and river without any more betting rounds. So basically everyone gets two cards and you run out a normal Texas Holdem hand but there is no more betting, and the winner takes the pot. You can play any poker game, and turn it into a flip or showdown. Omaha, Holdem, Seven Card Stud, Five Card Stud, RAZZ, High Card, modified Blackjack, etc... anything will work for a flip or a showdown.
So the question is... do flips or showdowns increase the action in a cash game, or do they just slow the game down?
I have two schools of thought. One, a flip increases the action in a cash game. It will distribute funds to tighter players that are peer pressured into "flipping their money", which will increase the action in a cash game because money won is much easier to gamble with than money one worked for. So with this theory the game is looser and money flows easier because with $140 flips exchanging hands every half hour (7 players in a $20 flip = $140 pot). Plus it breaks up the monotony of the poker grind at a cash table.
Second school of thought, flips can break a cash game. Whenever you involve luck into a cash game (more luck than is inherit in poker) people can get even more upset than when they are rivered a few times for a big pot. For example, one player wins three flips in a row, second player gets frustrated by player ones incredible luck he decieds to up the ante and do $50 or $100 flips instead of the standard $20 flip. Now the poker game turns into a raffle game and has become quite volatile. Players that are not intrested in just rolling the dice for their money begin to leave or play other games. Other players go broke, or one player wins all the chips on the table. The point being is that you begin to stop playing poker, and begin to just gamble.
Flips and Showdowns... good for cash games if you can keep it under control? OR is flipping starting down a path that will inevitably lead to straight gambling and no longer playing poker.
So the question is... do flips or showdowns increase the action in a cash game, or do they just slow the game down?
I have two schools of thought. One, a flip increases the action in a cash game. It will distribute funds to tighter players that are peer pressured into "flipping their money", which will increase the action in a cash game because money won is much easier to gamble with than money one worked for. So with this theory the game is looser and money flows easier because with $140 flips exchanging hands every half hour (7 players in a $20 flip = $140 pot). Plus it breaks up the monotony of the poker grind at a cash table.
Second school of thought, flips can break a cash game. Whenever you involve luck into a cash game (more luck than is inherit in poker) people can get even more upset than when they are rivered a few times for a big pot. For example, one player wins three flips in a row, second player gets frustrated by player ones incredible luck he decieds to up the ante and do $50 or $100 flips instead of the standard $20 flip. Now the poker game turns into a raffle game and has become quite volatile. Players that are not intrested in just rolling the dice for their money begin to leave or play other games. Other players go broke, or one player wins all the chips on the table. The point being is that you begin to stop playing poker, and begin to just gamble.
Flips and Showdowns... good for cash games if you can keep it under control? OR is flipping starting down a path that will inevitably lead to straight gambling and no longer playing poker.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
$200 Mega December Deepstack on 12/26/09
The verdict is in there will be a $200 Mega Deepstack at the Odeum on 12/26/09 starting at 4pm. Each player will start with 14,000 in chips plus their 1,000 chip pre-registration bonus (or $5 add-on) where blinds will increase every 30 minutes with antes.
Chicago Charitable Games helped make deepstack tournament play the norm on the Illinois Charity Poker scene. With a great tournament structure, and arguable the best volunteer dealers the last Mega Deepstack at Chicago Charitable Games should be a great turn out. Last Mega Deepstack there were close to 70 players to turn up to test their charity poker skills against what some would say was Chicago lands best poker players (don't believe me just ask them). Play stopped at the final table when the last two players in the field decided to "chop up" the tournament each taking home a sweet little prize pool.
Here is a few links to some of the tournament information if you are unfamilar with Chicago Charitable Games and their tournament rules, and blind structure.
Chicago Charitable Games Tournament Rules...
Chicago Charitable Games Tournament Blind Structure...
12/26/09 Charity Poker Event Information...
Good luck and live cards to everyone!
Chicago Charitable Games helped make deepstack tournament play the norm on the Illinois Charity Poker scene. With a great tournament structure, and arguable the best volunteer dealers the last Mega Deepstack at Chicago Charitable Games should be a great turn out. Last Mega Deepstack there were close to 70 players to turn up to test their charity poker skills against what some would say was Chicago lands best poker players (don't believe me just ask them). Play stopped at the final table when the last two players in the field decided to "chop up" the tournament each taking home a sweet little prize pool.
Here is a few links to some of the tournament information if you are unfamilar with Chicago Charitable Games and their tournament rules, and blind structure.
Chicago Charitable Games Tournament Rules...
Chicago Charitable Games Tournament Blind Structure...
12/26/09 Charity Poker Event Information...
Good luck and live cards to everyone!
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