But what I didn’t expect as a top story that now is .. the non-bracelet daily “deepstacks” at the Rio — specifically the $235 2pm event. Say what you will about the value in playing in a tournament with 20 percent rake … this event has more people talking about it, multiple times a week, every week, consistently, probably moreso than any other at the WSOP. It started off with a few hundred players each day (nice), and soon began drawing more than 600 (kinda wow) … and then 800 (for sure wow) and then just a few days ago (OMG!) 1,100 — a record field size for such a non-bracelet event at the WSOP. The suits, we can suspect, are practically speechlessly giddy.

There’s an old axiom in poker room operations that “action breeds action.” To some extent, the whole World Series is testament to the concept … and these Venetian Deep Stacks Knockoffs show it in microcosm. No wonder Caesars eventually began catering to “smaller” customers wanting a low-cost taste of the WSOP while playing for more than just satellite tokens.

When all is said and done, more than a football stadium worth of people will have dropped a couple hundred bucks into mini-WSOP events that are becoming less and less mini … whether that be in spite of, or because of, all the similar such tourneys — Venetian Deep Stacks, Caesars Palace MegaStacks, the Golden Nugget Grand Series, Binion’s Somethingorother Classic, the WynnSOP Whatever … I think I’m even missing a few others — that came before what’s currently going on at the Rio.

Action breeds action. At the WSOP and all over Vegas … Click below for more detailed numbers about how the Rio’s 2p $235, 6p $185, and 10p $135 have grown by the day:

(Special thanks to Heath @WSOPIntern for the data help. Can you do 3-D graphs?)

. tournament date field size prize pool 1st place . 10p Rio 135 5/30/2011 26 $2,730 $1,366 . 2p Rio 235 5/30/2011 114 $22,230 $5,899 . 6p Rio 185 5/30/2011 57 $8,550 $2,740 . 10p Rio 135 5/31/2011 94 $9,870 $3,163 . 2p Rio 235 5/31/2011 135 $26,325 $6,982 . 6p Rio 185 5/31/2011 117 $17,550 $4,657 . 10p Rio 135 6/1/2011 90 $9,450 $3,028 . 2p Rio 235 6/1/2011 245 $47,775 $11,723 . 6p Rio 185 6/1/2011 200 $30,000 $7,358 . 10p Rio 135 6/2/2011 167 $17,535 $4,657 . 2p Rio 235 6/2/2011 372 $72,540 $17,426 . 6p Rio 185 6/2/2011 217 $32,550 $7,992 . 10p Rio 135 6/3/2011 155 $16,275 $4,321 . 2p Rio 235 6/3/2011 500 $97,500 $22,442 . 6p Rio 185 6/3/2011 263 $39,450 $9,674 . 10p Rio 135 6/4/2011 155 $16,275 $4,321 . 2p Rio 235 6/4/2011 577 $112,515 $25,905 . 6p Rio 185 6/4/2011 325 $48,750 $11,721 . 10p Rio 135 6/5/2011 - - -

. 2p Rio 235 6/5/2011 599 $116,805 $26,885 . 6p Rio 185 6/5/2011 300 $45,000 $10,818 . 10p Rio 135 6/6/2011 174 $18,270 $4,850 . 2p Rio 235 6/6/2011 575 $112,125 $25,809 . 6p Rio 185 6/6/2011 360 $54,000 $12,972 . 10p Rio 135 6/7/2011 170 $17,850 $4,737 . 2p Rio 235 6/7/2011 653 $127,335 $28,688 . 6p Rio 185 6/7/2011 289 $43,350 $10,635 . 10p Rio 135 6/8/2011 175 $18,375 $4,878 . 2p Rio 235 6/8/2011 631 $123,045 $27,711 . 6p Rio 185 6/8/2011 279 $41,850 $10,268 . 10p Rio 135 6/9/2011 163 $17,115 $4,544 . 2p Rio 235 6/9/2011 715 $139,425 $30,708 . 6p Rio 185 6/9/2011 277 $41,550 $10,193 . 10p Rio 135 6/10/2011 170 $17,850 $4,737 . 2p Rio 235 6/10/2011 750 $146,250 $32,201 . 6p Rio 185 6/10/2011 317 $47,550 $11,428 . 10p Rio 135 6/11/2011 223 $23,415 $5,748 . 2p Rio 235 6/11/2011 463 $90,285 $21,232 . 6p Rio 185 6/11/2011 464 $69,600 $16,368

. 10p Rio 135 6/12/2011 183 $19,215 $5,104 . 2p Rio 235 6/12/2011 392 $76,440 $18,359 . 6p Rio 185 6/12/2011 384 $57,600 $13,841 . 10p Rio 135 6/13/2011 193 $20,265 $5,379 . 2p Rio 235 6/13/2011 874 $170,430 $36,696 . 6p Rio 185 6/13/2011 360 $54,000 $12,972 . 10p Rio 135 6/14/2011 182 $19,110 $5,073 . 2p Rio 235 6/14/2011 890 $173,550 $37,349 . 6p Rio 185 6/14/2011 291 $43,650 $10,707 . 10p Rio 135 6/15/2011 201 $21,105 $5,184 . 2p Rio 235 6/15/2011 806 $157,170 $33,827 . 6p Rio 185 6/15/2011 390 $58,500 $14,062 . 10p Rio 135 6/16/2011 212 $22,260 $5,465 . 2p Rio 235 6/16/2011 702 $136,890 $30,153 . 6p Rio 185 6/16/2011 419 $62,850 $14,785 . 10p Rio 135 6/17/2011 213 $22,365 $5,492 . 2p Rio 235 6/17/2011 480 $93,600 $22,025 . 6p Rio 185 6/17/2011 520 $78,000 $17,963 . 10p Rio 135 6/18/2011 197 $20,685 $5,490 . 2p Rio 235 6/18/2011 600 $117,000 $26,354

. 6p Rio 185 6/18/2011 565 $84,750 $19,515 . 10p Rio 135 6/19/2011 245 $25,725 $6,316 . 2p Rio 235 6/19/2011 874 $170,430 $36,696 . 6p Rio 185 6/19/2011 280 $42,000 $10,303 . 10p Rio 135 6/20/2011 232 $24,360 $5,984 . 2p Rio 235 6/20/2011 1110 $216,450 $43,887 . 6p Rio 185 6/20/2011 358 $53,700 $12,910

That’s when TDA honcho Matt Savage stepped up to say, wait a minute, let’s take a look beyond the first few levels, maybe these perceived Deep Stacks in a lot of instances aren’t all everyone says they’re supposed to be. Just about any educated “outsider” I’ve talked to who has taken a close look at the prevalent blind structures of the day contend that, indeed, while the non-bastardized Venetian Deep Stacks set-up is good, Savage’s not-so-deep-stacks structure as seen at the LAPC are indeed some of the best in the business — a model for other tourney directors to emulate.

After Day 1 of the WPT-Commerce main event, Daniel Negreanu agrees. Read more as he explains a bit why.

NOTE: I learned a good rule of thumb about antes from Negreanu, and where they fit in to breed action in “slower” events.

We may or may not get around to taking a closer look at the finer nuances of currently popular blind structs, but in the meantime we wanna know, unscientifically, of course, from a tournament blinds perspective, where you think the best place is to play. Daily voting to your right.

Oh, and then just for fun, be sure to check out the delightfully mock-a-vellian @ComplainSaw.

(The basics of the beef: the blinds move too slow early, and too fast in the middle of the tournament.)

Should be extra interesting to see these issues in action tomorrow for the start of the WPT Festa al Lago $15k main event. Not only are stack sizes in relation to the blinds in play, but also — and I’m pretty sure this part is new — players will be allowed to late-register (with a totally fresh starting stack) well into Day 2!

For a better explanation, WPT Lead Tournament Reporter BJ Nemeth breaks it down a bit more. Says BJ:

There are currently 40 players registered for this WPT event, & there is only one starting day (tomorrow).

Like the December tourney, this one will let you register anytime during the first *eight* levels. [So] they’re letting players register until 5:00 pm on Day TWO.

This tourney begins with 60,000 in chips (4x stack) and blinds at 50-100. That’s 600 big blinds. (Though I still expect someone to bust in the first level or two.)

If you skip Day 1 and show up at the start of Day 2, you’ll have 75 big blinds to work with. If you wait as long as possible and begin play at the start of Level 9, you’ll have 37.5 big blinds in your stack.

Hmm, OK … we’ll have to see if this adds fuel to Andy Bloch’s fire, or satisfies those who pony up the $15k buy-in enough that complaints about overly deep stacks fail to grow any teeth. Word is that tournament-side WSOP officials will be watching closely at how it plays out.

Click below to see Bellagio’s venerable TD Jack McClelland’s blind structure for tomorrow’s big event in its entirety:

General Rules:

1. Players will start with $60,000 in tournament chips.

2. Each level will last 90 minutes.

3. 15 minute break at the end of each level.

4. 3% of prize money will be withheld for poker room staff.

5. NO RE-BUYS: Your chips will be confiscated and you will NOT RECEIVE A REFUND OR COLLECT ANY PRIZE MONEY.

6. Management reserves the right to change or cancel tournaments.

7. Winners will be paid in casino chips.

8. Tournament champion will receive a $25,500 + $500 entry for the 2010 WPT Championship event.

9. 10/21/09-Day 1-play 5 levels, 10/22/09-play 5 levels, 10/23-play 5 levels, 10/24-play 5 levels, 10/25-play to final six players, 10/26-T.V. final table.

10. Residents of foreign countries without a U.S. tax treaty will be subject to withholding.

Blinds

Level 1: 50-100
Level 2: 100-200
Level 3: 100-200 (25 ante)
Level 4: 200-400 (25)
Level 5: 300-600 (50)
Level 6: 400-800 (75)
Level 7: 500-1,000 (100)
Level 8: 600-1,200 (100)
Level 9: 800-1,600 (200)
Level 10: 1,000-2,000 (200)
Level 11: 1,200-2,400 (300)
Level 12: 1,500-3,000 (400)
Level 13: 2,000-4,000 (400)
Level 14: 3,000-6,000 (500)
Level 15: 4,000-8,000 (500)
Level 16: 5,000-10,000 (1,000)
Level 17: 6,000-12,000 (1,000)
Level 18: 8,000-16,000 (2,000)
Level 19: 10,000-20,000 (2,000)
Level 20: 12,000-24,000 (3,000)
Level 21: 15,000-30,000 (4,000)
Level 22: 20,000-40,000 (4,000)
Level 23: 30,000-60,000 (5,000)
Level 24: 40,000-80,000 (5,000)
Level 25: 50,000-100,000 (10,000)
Level 26: 60,000-120,000 (10,000)
Level 27: 80,000-160,000 (15,000)
Level 28: 100,000-200,000 (15,000)
Level 29: 120,000-240,000 (20,000)
Level 30: 150,000-300,000 (25,000)
Level 31: 200,000-400,000 (25,000)
Level 32: 300,000-600,000 (50,000)
Level 33: 400,000-800,000 (75,000)
Level 34: 500,000-1,000,000 (100,000)

Despite 100ish players for the first event ($340), and 50ish for the first $550 … event #3 — last Sunday’s $550 — was canceled because they didn’t have enough players. And while results are coming in sporadically, The Poker Atlas reports a pretty small turnout for at least one mid-week event:

Event #6 Results
Wednesday, August 12th at 12:00 PM
$340 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Tournament

1st – Kelly Kellner, Calgary, AB – $3,650
2nd – Krzysztof Bernat, Chicago, IL – $2,200
3rd – Sonja Jurkovich, Las Vegas, NV – $1,425

Tomorrow is their first “big” event — a $1k+70. Should be interesting to see what happens … if anything.

The void they’re currently trying to fill is the bargain-price deep-stack tournaments — of which there were almost none in August. Hence the “Mega Stack Poker Showdown in Las Vegas” … an 18-event series that started on Friday and plays through Aug 25 … with $340, $550, and $1,070 buy-ins … and starting stacks from 12,500 to 20,000.

The Poker Atlas has early results … from the looks of it Event #1 ($340) drew about 100 runners, and the first $550 event got 50ish. Not bad. Semi-respectable … and look, even Hollywood Dave got paid!

Event #1 Results
Friday, August 7th at 12:00 PM
$340 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Tournament

1st – Robert Tannira, Nevada – $7750
2nd – Joshua Rose, Florida – $3650
3rd – Roberto Betbase, Argentina – $3200
4th – Mark McPherson – $3150
5th – Stephen Seffense – $3150
6th – Jeffery Ditanna – $3107
7th – Dave Stann – $1083
8th – Christopher Hughes – $947
9th – Steven Hiltz – $676
10th – Rosh Wave – $350

The “main event” (planned for four days) is somehow connected to the World Poker Showdown and Canadian Poker Tour (it’s their championship?) … a $2,650 buy-in with 50k starting chips.

Indeed, I agree that too often people think simply adding more chips leads to better everything — but don’t consider myriad other factors that come into play over the course of hours (or days) in a timed event that takes you from X number of players ultimately to just one.

[via F-Train]

The Venetian’s 2009 DSE II schedule of events:

Wednesday, April 1 – Super Satellites
$275 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 4,000 starting chips.

Thursday, April 2 at 12 Noon
$330 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 10,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (12,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Friday, April 3 at 12 Noon
$330 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 10,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (12,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Saturday, April 4 at 12 Noon
$550 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 12,500 starting chips, 2,500 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (15,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Sunday, April 5 at 12 Noon
$1,070 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 12,500 starting chips, 2,500 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (15,000 starting chips total) 60 minute rounds.

Monday, April 6 at 12 Noon
$330 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 10,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (12,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Tuesday, April 7 at 12 Noon
$330 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 10,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (12,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Wednesday, April 8 at 12 Noon
$330 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 10,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (12,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Thursday, April 9 at 12 Noon
$330 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 10,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (12,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Friday, April 10 at 12 Noon
$550 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 12,500 starting chips, 2,500 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (15,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Saturday, April 11 at 12 Noon
$550 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 12,500 starting chips, 2,500 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (15,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Sunday, April 12 at 12 Noon
$1,070 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 12,500 starting chips, 2,500 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (15,000 starting chips total) 60 minute rounds.

Sunday, April 12 at 4:00pm
$330 buy-in, H.O.R.S.E., 6,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (8,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Monday, April 13 at 12 Noon
$330 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 10,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (12,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Tuesday, April 14 at 12 Noon
$330 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 10,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (12,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Wednesday, April 15 at 12 Noon
$330 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 10,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (12,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Thursday, April 16 at 12 Noon
$330 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 10,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (12,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Friday, April 17 at 12 Noon
$550 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 12,500 starting chips, 2,500 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (15,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Saturday, April 18 at 12 Noon
$550 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 12,500 starting chips, 2,500 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (15,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Sunday, April 19 at 12Noon
$1,070 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 12,500 starting chips, 2,500 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (15,000 starting chips total) 60 minute rounds.

Sunday, April 19 at 4:00 pm
$330 buy-in, Pot-Limit Omaha, 10,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (12,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Monday, April 20 at 12 Noon
$330 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 10,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (12,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Tuesday, April 21 at 12 Noon
$330 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 10,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (12,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Tuesday, April 21 at 4:00 pm
$330 buy-in, Omaha H/L, 6,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (8,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Wednesday, April 22 – Super Satellites
$275 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 4,000 starting chips.

Thursday, April 23 at 12 Noon
$2,500 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 15,000 starting chips, 5,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (20,000 starting chips total) 90 minute rounds.

More information and event details can be found at venetian.com.

With 39 poker tables, the Venetian Poker Room is one of the largest in Las Vegas, offering players a comfortable smoke-free environment, including 21 large-screen plasma televisions, adjustable chairs, and table-side food service. For more info contact the Venetian Poker Room at 702-414-7657.

The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino
3355 Las Vegas Blvd. South
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Phone: 702-414-1000 or 877-883-6423

I was playing really well — having a great chatty time, too, with my fellow poker blog-geeks, and was set to put in the long hours required to go deep in the 2008 Winter Bloggerfest Tourney (a $135 deep-stack at the Venetian), until I got into a hand with the above. Such a ass donkey in the truest sense … at least that’s how I felt when he called my all-in check-raise with third pair on a paired, straighty, and thrice-suited board. Went from being happy about seeing some random d-bagger wearing a Pokerati patch to thinking we need standards around this place, and by this place I mean the internet/earth.

My bad, of course, for walking through a war zone and kicking a shiny piece of metal really hard to see if it’s a landmine. Click below for hand details:

UPDATE: Neil’s “people” tell me he is not “Neil Fontenot the Professional Keno Player”, but rather “Professional Keno Player Neil Fontenot”, aka PKPNF. Pokerati offers our sincerest apologies for the error.

Blinds are 100/200 with a 25 ante. I have about 10,000 chips (below average but not even close to desperate with an M=19). A bunch of limpers — like four or five, I think — and I have AQs in the big blind. Hoping to draw in lots of money should I hit the flop nicely, and get out cheap if I don’t, I check.

Flop comes 9s-7s-4d, two spades. (I have clubs.) Check-check-check-check-check … all the way to Neil, who is on the button. He bets 500. I look coy and check-min-raise (for info, really) to 1,000. Everyone else folds. He calls.

Turn is the 10d. I check. He sheepishly bets 1,000. Hmm, seems very weak from a weak player. I call. River is 10c. I check, he bets 1,000 again — ooh, confirmation of the weakness I was looking for — so I move all-in for about 7,500 more. Fontenot has about 8,000 more chips and instacalls with A-7.

OK, maybe never mind … I can see about four separate mistakes I made in this hand, even if he did make a terrible call. I later asked him why he did call — “Did you just know I was bluffing?”. He said no, he just knew I was a donkey and figured there was so much in the pot that he had to call. He seemed sincerely shocked when I told him how big my final bet actually was — making me think he really didn’t see my 5,000 white chip in the mix.

UPDATE: I think some of my hand recall is off here … I might have fired out 3,000 on the turn, and he called. Yes, I think that’s what happened … I knew I had more chips than 10k when the hand started. I think. Never mind. Fuggit — I hate this hand. Puts me on tilt, still, every which way.

This year, several casinos with an obvious love for poker tried something similar … but not all have found the same results. In fact, the Venetian itself was apparently struggling to fill their tables earlier this WSOP. A sign that, damn, poker really is waning? Not exactly …

The Caesar’s Palace MegaStack tournament series was giving more chips per dollar-buy-in than the Venetian … and lo and behold they took all their players. So the Venetian has reportedly responded by adding 2,500 more chips to their own Deep Stacks … and lo and behold, the players returned.

Meanwhile, downtown, the two big tournament series (they apparently call a series of tourneys “festivals” in Europe … I like that!) are the Grand Series of Poker at the Golden Nugget, and the Binion’s Poker Classic. Upon a quick spot-check at Binion’s $110 Seniors event yesterday, they seem to be doing fine. They are in their second year of doing this, of course, whereas the Golden Nugget is in their first … and struggling (with or without Montel Williams). Apparently several of their megasatellites have had less than two tables worth of runners, and don’t make … and a far cry from true “sit n gos” … even the single-table satellites are taking upwards of three hours to fill.

I don’t have full numbers on any of these events … but that’s the basic gist on summertime mini-WSOP’s:

Caesar’s — kick-ass according to all reports
Venetian — maybe not as good as before, but still pretty sweet
Binion’s — Binion’s is Binion’s; there’s always good tournament action even if some players steer clear of the high likelihood of an opponent spitting on the floor
Golden Nugget — tiny fields=tiny payouts; better luck next year?

2+2 has a great thread running down the daily Las Vegas tourney schedule all summer long.

There’re also two other tournament series going down in town that coincide super-intentionally with the World Series to offer a high-thrill tournament experience for buy-ins in the hundreds as opposed to the thousands. Basically you’ve got the Minor League World Series at the Venetian (Deep Stack Extravaganza II) and Little League World Series at the Golden Nugget (Grand Series of Poker). I actually wrote about these two poker festivals over at Thrillist this week … along with some info about a kick-ass new steakhouse at the Monte Carlo, a cool near-daily free happy hour that moves around town, and an apparatus you can attach to your penis for greater comfort at the poker table and beyond.

Check it out, and of course sign up if you want a Vegas-minded weekly email of this important-service ilk …