I was going over one of the Poker Filipinas articles on the PPT million peso championships, and i came across this comment from a person named jojo. After reading his comments, it became really evident that a LOT of people are really completely ignorant about what Tournament Poker is all about.

To point out some specific comments, he said "Posting of blind structure is immaterial to me..Knowing that it is a two day event means that it won't be aggressive. Simple..Its a test of stamina and skill...". How can the blinds structure be immaterial? It is one of the most aspects of a tournament, if not THE most important, since this is where you will know how much room there is to play and how fast the structure will be. It is the very backbone of the tournament itself.

Another comment that REALLY amused me was "They would have to generate not 80 but close to 100-120 players because I figure the true cost would be around around P14,000 -P16,000 per head after all marketing and operating costs are deducted...." What the hell is this guy talking about?! You absolutely do not deduct "marketing" and "operating" costs out of peoples buy-ins. That is why there is a "Fee", which is usually indicated along with the buy-in (eg. 1000 buy-in+ 300 fee, etc.). A person who buys into a tournament expects his ENTIRE buy-in to go into the pot, since it is essentially his investment. Running a tournament doesnt really cost that much in the first place. And since PAGCOR is using their Casino as a venue, i'm pretty sure that they got a good deal for that.

I've also encountered people who doesnt even question the payout structures and the like. They just focus on the fact that they are giving away 1M to the winner. Well, they are not "giving it away" because that money will come from the players buy-ins. A tournament organizer is not like a boxing promoter or something, "paying" winners. The winners are paid by the combined prize pool from the collective buy-ins of all players who join. An organizer simply hosts the event for the players, providing the venue, structure, and equipment needed for the game.

There was even one guy who was rationalizing that there should be an "option" to buy in at a later stage of the tournament at a more expensive price. I really couldnt understand his reasoning, and it was really evident that he didnt understand what he was talking about either.

A poker tournament is a very simple concept. First of all, it is a great equalizer, since everyone has a fixed amount of starting chips and buys-in for the same amount from the start. Everybody's buy-in goes into a "pot". The pot increases the more people join, and unless there is a maximum number of players allowed to join, the pot can grow and grow to huge amounts. Take for example the World Series of Poker. In 2004, about 2,500 players coughed up $10,000 for the main event, a No Limit Texas Holdem tournament. That gave the field a chance to win a first prize of about $5.6M! BUT, they also payed 10% of the field, about 250+ players. Ranging from $3.5M for 2nd place, gradually decreasing down to about $12,000 for those who finished in the bottom 200+ place, etc, etc. The next year, 5,600+ players joined the main event! This made everyone who made it to the final table a millionaire, as 9th place was $1M, going up to $7.5M for first place. This is a perfect example of how tournaments are run.

The sad thing is, most people dont bother to know. People, do some research! Join tournaments online and see how they do it! Become more educated in the technical aspects of the game since it is your money that you are putting on the line when you join a tournament.

I heard that the PPT tourny might reach 100 players. It will be a very sad day for poker in the philippines if they decide to pocket the rest of the buy-ins instead of adding it into the pot (which is most likely what will happen). It's just plain wrong, a pure in your face rip-off.

I am secretly hoping that they do the right thing at the last minute, and that their event becomes a success not juts for them, but for the players and the whole community. I know it will be the best for the poker scene in the RP.

I'll be crossing my fingers, but i'm not betting on it either.