Panama Poker, Part 2

OK...so my last blog illicited ZERO comments or responses at the blog though I did get a couple emails from friends of the blog supporting what I said. So...I guess everyone must agree who read it, right? :)

Well, part 1 focused on all the challenges and problems I have seen with Panama Poker...now lets focus Part TWO on my suggested solutions or recommendations to make things better in Panama...both for players and the poker rooms themselves.

1) I suggest that we promote a more talented approach to Panama poker. By that, I mean offering tournament structures that reward talented players, not just moneyed ones. More specifically, I would like to see less rebuys. Make more tourneys one time buyins...with longer blind periods and bigger stacks. To be more specific, for a $30-$50 buyin, have starting stacks of 5000 or more chips versus the 3000 or 3500 currently...and make the blind periods at least 30 minutes per level. And don't REDUCE the blind periods later in the tournament! If anything you should INCREASE the time so that skillful play has time to rise to the top. The current structure rewards the wild, luck oriented player since it is all about accumulating as many chips in the shortest amount of time when you have these multiple rebuys and short stacks at the outset. Make it so the player has to WIN his stack, not BUY it. Reward patient and diligent skilled players no matter what bankroll they bring to the game. Over time this will produce a more controlled playing environment where some skilled players have a real chance to make steady money off of their live poker time in Panama.

2) As players, lets show more respect and grace at the table against our fellow players. I have never seen rudeness or aggressive behavior against other players ever be a profitable move in Poker. Sure, there are times you have to put some people in their place, and some players CAN be intimidated into giving you their chips. But, if your goal is to bust every new player that comes into the game by team play, collusion, or just pure intimidation...how does that help you in the future to have more people and games to choose from in Panama? And I have always been amazed at the short sightedness of grumpy poker players worldwide who are snide or condescending to a player they are winning from at the table. If you have a "client" who is feeding the game with their losing money...you should make them your best friend and try to keep them in your game as long as you can. And yes, even the bad player that goes on a lucky streak at your table and is temporarily running over the game...your should do everything in your power to keep that player at your table so you have a chance to get your money back. Remember, the odds are the same over time...and eventually a bad player will lose their money back...and you want them to lose it back to YOU. So...just be "nice" instead of aggressive with a player that is temporarily running over you. I especially think its stupid when good players start trying to reprimand a bad player who has just won a pot. I know it is sometimes hard to keep our mouths shut when someone is beating us with 8/3 offsuit against our solid starting hands...or rivering us 3-4 times in a row. Almost every time I play I hear tight players that got beat saying "how can you call me with that hand", or "how stupid was your play?". A pro player will usually just keep a tight smile on their face, say "nice hand", and wait for the inevitable opportunity to take their money back and MORE.

3) Some advice for the poker rooms in Panama...first, find professional poker personnel to run your room. Poker players will have NO respect for a manager or staff person who does not know the game or the rules. No one I have seen running a poker room in Panama has more than 3-4 years involvement in Poker...and I swear some of them have not learned a damn thing in those 3-4 years. Some of the best I have seen...at least the best attitudes of administration...have been from FOREIGN management. Why can't Panama produce a professional, knowledgeable, caring poker room manager or administrator? Is it a cultural thing that no one wants to lead the charge to first world poker management? I don't mean this as a put down of my Panama friends...more like a "challenge". Also...why are all the poker rooms promoting the same kind of tournament or cash game structures? I have seen few attempts at differentiation between the 3-4 active poker rooms in town. Do you really think the only game we want to play is Holdem and rebuy tournaments? Why is it so hard for you to promote a consistent live game at the same hour everyday or week? Maybe because you make no consistent effort to call players and invite them to a game? Emails and facebook are a nice tool...but people still respond to the "personal touch", whether they are Gringo or Latino. And while we're at it...how about announcing all aspects of a scheduled tournament upfront along with the invite to the tournament. I think to make a decision to participate or not, I want to know how many rebuys and/or addons are going to be allowed, how many starting chips and how long are the blind periods? Way too many times in Panama tournaments, the rules and numbers are changed while the tournament is in Progress! Why? Because you make guarantees you can't live up to just to get the players there...then you force the players in to rebuy and addon commitments they did not plan on. This would be ILLEGAL in most legal Poker jurisdictions in the world of Poker.

4) And finally a word about bringing international competition to Panama. Why have we not had any major WSOP or for that matter LAPT events in Panama yet? From my conversations with various parties, what I have arrived at is that Panama casinos and poker rooms don't see the value in sharing and cutting revenues with the outside tour agencies. I won't go into details of some of the things I have heard here, because much of it is hearsay...but there has to be some merit to what I am hearing because these tours are bypassing Panama for Costa Rica, and even Uruguay and Argentina. Someone here needs to wake up to the potential revenue and market building potential that major international events would bring to Panama. Of course, part of our problem is that there is not enough cooperation between the casinos and the hotels attached. In most cases you have separate ownership and therefore often times big conflicts between hotel and casino management teams. Most big tournaments need a commitment of more than 300 rooms to support an event, and none of the local hotels can support that demand I guess.

Let me try and give the shortest summary version of what I recommend to improve the business and enjoyment of Panama poker. The poker rooms should compete by having more realistic rakes. You are breaking the bank for a majority of your players and not looking at long term income and prosperity possibilities. But, until the players unite on this front and demand lower rakes in Panama...the casinos are not going to change. And the rooms need to promote less buyins but more chips and longer playing levels. This approach will not make the tournaments longer to play...just more just to the quality player. Players need to be nicer, play by international rules and etiquette, and welcome better the international players who come into action here. Don't drive them away with your cheating, collusive ways or aggressive, team playing approach. Sure, you love getting one over on the Gringos or other foreigners...but they are key to your future growth and profit in Panama...and not just at the Poker table.

OK...I hope that provides balance to my views...that I am not just bitching about Panama Poker. I think my ideas have merit, and I welcome any input or collaborative effort with any poker leaders in this market to whom I can be of service.

Sr Suerte