# Resurrection of Online Texas hold 'em tournaments for Dopers only **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 31, 2005, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539 "2005-01-31T04:38:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/1 "2005-01-31T04:38:15Z")
Okay, its not much of a resurrection, since the first time I tried this it didn’t really take off (see [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=258720) thread). The reason it didn’t take off is that I couldn’t find an online poker room that allows one to host private tournaments for play money. I think I found a way around this. I downloaded the software at [play4funpoker](http://play4funpoker.com/) and created an account. There are empty tables for 5 or 9 player single table NL HE tournaments. It seems that the empty tables stay empty for quite a while. Here’s the plan. Once we have more than 9 dopers signed up, we start scheduling regular weekly tournaments. Lets say we decide to play every Tuesday at 10pm est. The first 8 dopers only members that sign up for a game (by e-mailing me) get a seat. Any other sign ups I recieve after that are considered alternates. At 9:45 I will e-mail those with seats to confirm. When I have 8 confirmed players (not including myself), the game is on. At 9:58 I will e-mail all players the name of an empty table. At exactly 10pm (going by [this](http://nist.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Eastern/d/-5/java) clock), we jump the table. What do ya think? I’ve played play money tournaments in on-line poker rooms before and its no fun at all. You always get three or four idiots who go all-in on the first hand. If they lose they just play on another table. I figure since this is our own league and we only play scheduled games, we’ll take it more seriously. Plus we’ll be keeping stats, so bragging rights come in to play. When you sign up at [play4funpoker.com](http://play4funpoker.com/), use your Straight Dope user name. It’ll be easier for us to keep track of one another. Well? Are you in? Hopefully we can have our first game Tuesday night. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/2 "2005-01-31T04:43:50Z")
PC-only site. Again. I play a live tourney Tuesday nights anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/3 "2005-01-31T04:44:02Z")
I’d hate to not send off an email tonight and lose a spot, but how long do you expect the game to run? Starting 10pm on a worknight is only going to be trouble if I’m up until 2am playing. Or is that time just a rough guideline to show the concept? If we’re talking more like 8pm on Tuesday, I’m in. (sending a tentative email to hold a spot either way) ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/4 "2005-01-31T04:51:39Z")
10 pm was just an example. I doubt a game would last anywhere near four hours. Probably more like an hour. I picked 10pm est. so west coasters who work 9-5 can make it. How about 9pm est? **Otto** , give up the fight and join us PC owners already. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/5 "2005-01-31T04:55:16Z")
I’d like to play but it would have to be late-ish (like 10 PM) ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/6 "2005-01-31T04:55:41Z")
My four-hour length was just as hypothetical as your 10pm start. 9pm on Tuesday (or Thursday) would work great for me. ---
**Author:** ![hightechburrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f6c823/32.png) [@hightechburrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hightechburrito)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/7 "2005-01-31T06:30:48Z")
I’d be interested if the game was later or on a different day. ( I have school untill 10p pacific time on Tuesdays. Thursdays or Dundays would be much better for me. Maybe we could have games several times a week? ---
**Author:** ![Lazlo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lazlo/32/9678_2.png) [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/8 "2005-01-31T07:19:28Z")
I’d like to play, unfortunately I work Tuesday nights. Any Wednesday-Friday works for me. But then again, I probably don’t want you guys to know that I’m all talk, no skills. 😃 Any old-schoolers here? There’s a [bot designed to deal poker on IRC](http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/People/mummert/ircbot.html) and a [client that works on all platforms.](http://webusers.anet-stl.com/~gregr/) I first discovered IRC poker back in '93 and it was great fun. Now, I’m clueless when it comes to this stuff, but is it possible for one of us to host an IRC server for the night? If so, then we have an ideal solution. Oh crapola. I just tried the links on preview and it appears IRC poker is kinda dead. Unfortunately, I also thought that Todd Mummert’s page had the bot code. Hmm. Lemme poke around some more. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/9 "2005-01-31T13:25:05Z")
> [@x-ray vision](#): > > **Otto** , give up the fight and join us PC owners already. 😃 Stoop to conquer? ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/10 "2005-01-31T15:00:15Z")
So far it seems Tuesday=bad, Thursday=good. Okay, lets make it Thursday. Is 10pm est. good? ---
**Author:** ![CapnPitt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/edb3f5/32.png) [@CapnPitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CapnPitt)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/11 "2005-01-31T15:23:20Z")
I could be a “maybe” on Thursdays. Oh well. You guys should have a good time. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/12 "2005-01-31T15:52:20Z")
Paradise Poker has private tournaments. It has the added bonus that I already have an account there 😛 . Haj ---
**Author:** ![Nanook\_of\_the\_North\_Shore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@Nanook\_of\_the\_North\_Shore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanook_of_the_North_Shore)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/13 "2005-01-31T16:12:03Z")
I’d love to join. Either of those days work for me, tho I am eastern so 9 would be better than 10. 10 would work ok, but 9 is better. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/14 "2005-01-31T16:24:56Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **Hajario** > Paradise Poker has private tournaments. It has the added bonus that I already have an account there 😛 . The private tournaments at Paradise Poker are for real money only. It only takes a few minutes to download the software and sign up for an account at [play4funpoker.com](http://play4funpoker.com/) and everything’s free. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/15 "2005-01-31T17:30:43Z")
Okay, lets have our first game Thursday night. So far it seems its: **x-ray vision Only Mostly Dead hightechburrito Lazlo Nanook of the North Shore** and **CapnPitt** as a maybe I’m sure we’ll get more players shortly. Dont forget, when you sign up at [play4funpoker.com](http://play4funpoker.com/), use your Straight Dope username. Spaces and dashes are allowed. What do you guys think of this idea on how to keep tally of our ranks: Whoever comes in fist place gets 1 point, second gets 2 points etc. If the person who comes in first place comes in seventh place in the next tournament, that person has a 4 pt. average. If someone elses average is lower (better) than 4, the person ranked #1 after the first tournament is no longer #1. A player’s rank does not count until they play in at least three tournaments. If we have 14 players for a particular night, we’ll have to have 9 people at one table and 5 at another. The person who comes in first place on the 5 player table does not get 1 point; he/she gets 1.8 pts. Second player gets 3.6, etc. The first person to drop out of a game in play (whether on purpose or from technical difficulties) comes in last place at that table. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/16 "2005-01-31T17:46:24Z")
Just checked e-mail. Also, **wrenchslinger** and **Skip Agen** ---
**Author:** ![Kyyrewyyoae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Kyyrewyyoae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyyrewyyoae)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/17 "2005-01-31T17:47:38Z")
ooh ooh, let me play. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/18 "2005-01-31T17:53:38Z")
Deal me out. The friggin’ website refused 4 different password attempts. Sorry, but I have no time for such utter bullshit. **Antiochus** , aka Skip Agen ---
**Author:** ![Kyyrewyyoae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Kyyrewyyoae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyyrewyyoae)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/19 "2005-01-31T18:02:49Z")
it did that for me too. you have to reply to the email to verify your email address before you can log in. ---
**Author:** ![BarnOwl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e95f7d/32.png) [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2005, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539/20 "2005-01-31T18:36:37Z")
> [@Kyyrewyyoae](#): > > it did that for me too. you have to reply to the email to verify your email address before you can log in. I couldn’t even get that far. No matter what password I keyed in, I kept getting an error message that it wasn’t a valid one. I tried antiochus (myDoper user name in all lower case) garlicbagel SkipAgen thrombosis, and finally fuckaduck Nothing was good enough. Oh well, I should have known I was going thru a rough spell, when last week, I bought a virus protection, firewall, etc., CD online, and when it arrived, all I got was the folder. No CD. I kid you not. It gets even worse. The folder has a seal that reads \*\*NOT FOR SEPARATE SALE THIS PRODUCT IS PART OF A BUNDLE STOP BREAKING THIS SEAL SIGNIFIES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH THIS PACKAGE\*\* As you would expect, the vendor said it was all a mistake and I’d get the CD today by Priority Mail. And, of course, on Mondays, our mail here in my section Brookfield CT doesn’t arrive until 4-5 pm. (We are all of 2.1 miles from the Post Office.) I think the postman forgets the route every time he starts a new week and has to resort to a map. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resurrection-of-online-texas-hold-em-tournaments-for-dopers-only/287539.md?page=2)