Most poker rooms understand tournaments are a loss leader, something that helps draw players who might not otherwise want to grind a cash game but could be swayed to show up early or stick around afterward and play a few raked hands.
Being able to offer a good selection of tourneys along with constant access to live play helps keep a poker room fresh, something Casino del Sol has adhered to for years with a varied list of weekly tournaments. But a new event first held in the summer, and set to go off again in November, has found a way to cater to tourney specialists and cash-game enthusiasts interested in taking a stab at a big one-time prize.
“It’s just something we wanted to offer to our players,” Casino del Sol poker supervisor Edward McDade said of the Fall Frenzy tournament scheduled for Nov. 6-9.
The multiday, multiflight event has a $20K guarantee, which was exceeded when Casino del Sol spread the Summer Sizzle version in August. That tourney drew 170 players who paid $50 or $200 to enter.
McDade said the tiered buy-in, which is the same for the November version, rewards cash players who have logged20 hours of table action in the weeks leading up the tourney. Those who meet the threshold only pay $50 to enter, while those who want to just play the tournament pay $200.
Regardless of how much a player pays to get in, they all get a 5K-chip stack, McDade said.
The tourney offers $20 rebuys and add-ons, each giving a player 5K chips. In August, that helped push the prize pool to $20,790.
Players can choose one of three opening flights, each of which has room for 70 entrants. Those alive after each Day 1 return on the final day and play down to the money, with the top 20 spots getting at least $340. First place has a $7,500 guarantee, but in August the final six players chopped and each got $2,500.
The Fall Frenzy continues Casino del Sol’s trend of offering tournaments and promotions that provide added value to cash players. Every three months the poker room holds a “guest appreciation” freeroll, with a prize pool between $15K-$25K, that is open to players who have logged 50 hours during a set time period.
The room also gives away cash on weeknights between2 a.m. and 6 a.m. to players who log enough overnight hours.
— Email Brian at anteupsouthernaz@gmail.com.
