With my head swimming with thoughts of Vegas, it seems I have neglected to twaddle the bloggle with poker related issues closer to home. Well, perhaps PKR Live 6 would be an interesting topic for this post... But then again, where was all the usual hype and what happened to PKR's usual build up? Where has the character of the tournament gone and where the hell were the familiar faces on the Saturday night?
Personally, my involvement in PKRL6 was fairly minimal in that I failed to qualify both through the online satellites and the live qualifier on the Thursday evening of the main event itself. But I was there on the Thursday and the Saturday evening of the main event and I have to say, it all seemed a fairly subdued affair.
The thing about PKR is that it encourages a community spirit both through their own forums, their arranged meet-ups, their profiling of players, their arranged parties for those who qualify for the WSOP, and their all-round connection with the actual players. PKR Live 1-4 was all about bringing PKR players together to play poker in a relaxed social settting. It worked very well (so I'm told) and was extremely popular with PKR players, until PKR struck a sponsorship deal with The Fox Poker Club and moved PKRL 5 to that venue - much to the huge disappointment of the PKR community.
Many players bemoaned the fact that it wasn't as good a venue as the beloved Loose Cannon which, in a more comfy and relaxed pub setting, encouraged the socialising and fun aspect of poker. Complaints ensued from the players and so to pacify the whingers PKR decided to create two "events". Now, on the one hand, we have the bi-annual event called "The Social", aimed at the more recreational player who like the fun and social aspect of the game, while on the other hand there's the retention of the bi-annual "PKR Live" event aimed at the more serious, deeper-pocketed player or the pros.
With the arrival of PKR Live 6, away went the exclusive "PKR players only" policy and in came the "all-comers welcome" rule. Now, although the competition still attracts many PKR players, they amount to a lot less than 50% of the overall field. In fact, only 3 PKR players actually made it to the final table!! This dilution of PKR players, for me, takes a lot of the "character" away from the tournament - and judging from the lack of buzz and hype from both the PKR site AND the PKR community, I can't see it matching the "golden age" of before. In fact, without even the excitement of a seat draw a few days before commencement, or even an odds table, it now just seems like ANY other high buy-in 2 or 3 day tournament.
It's fine to see PKR players like KKowboy, Locodice, MrStarch and BrotherMuzone17 going fairly deep but PKRL6 just didn't feel like the community event I felt it might have been. This was also highlighted, for me, when I visited the place on Saturday evening. As I mentioned earlier, I popped in after a visit to The Empire but left straight away after being disappointed with the lack of the familiar faces at the tables. As for the £110 and £160 freezeout side-events held on the Saturday and Sunday, I've heard pretty much zilch about these.
Oh well.
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