You are the Tournament Director: Last in This Series

Welcome to the last in the first series of the ‘You are the Tournament Director’ features. In December we will be announcing our new panel of six which may have some of our existing contributors but will definitely have some new ones.

In this article we asked some of our TDs some questions.

We asked Matt Savage ‘What is the most difficult decision you have had to make as a TD?

Matt Savage The most difficult decision I had to make is... you know I’ve become friends with a lot of people and I know that I’ve become friends with a lot of players so making these decisions against people that I know... I... its doesn’t matter if it’s a first time player or a player that you know has been there for years and years I will make a decision the way I feel is most fair. At the WSOP one year I was called to the table by three players. John Juanda was sitting next to Paul Phillips and they had a running joke ...that every time John Juanda wins a pot he looks back at his hand so basically I got called to the table because...because he won the pot and then slid his cards over in front of Paul and faked as if he was to show his hand. Now to this day I believe that he did not show his hand but I asked the players... I asked the dealer directly... ’could Paul of seen any of them?’ he said ‘Yes’ I said ‘Turn the cards over’. It was two 6’s and he had raised before the flop. John Juanda went absolutely crazy, he said that it is the worst ruling he’s ever heard, and Paul Phillips said that he didn’t show him his cards. I believe that he did not show him his cards but the impression was to the other players was that he showed his cards to the other player so even though I believe that he did not show his cards I had to make a difficult decision against John knowing full well that he was going to flip out and go crazy. It turns out that he didn’t speak to me for months after that. He still disagrees with me but we are friends again so it’s OK. It was a very difficult decision at the time and I knew that John was going to go crazy and I knew that I had to make that decision so it was tough but something very simple too, that’s the hard part.

We asked Jack McClelland ‘What is the most difficult decision you have had to make as a TD?

Jack I had to give Men ‘The Master’ Nguyen a 20 minute penalty heads up in a tournament for unruly behaviour. He came in second.

We also asked Jack for ‘One rule that you would like to change or introduce?’

I am afraid that soon we will have to prohibit cell phones and all electronic devices in tournaments. Technology is available to potentially allow players to gain illegal information and the bigger the money the more temptation for cheating.

We asked Liam for ‘One rule that you would like to change or introduce?

Liam Flood I would like an international rule set up regarding betting and raising. There are too many variants, its ok for me to accept these variants but it’s too hard for the players as they move from casino to casino. I don’t care what the rule is as long as it’s international and accepted and it stays that way.

Mel: Most difficult decision made as TD?

Mel Calling a clock on Eugene my partner. It had to be done, he’s a bit of a dweller and although was on final table at Poker4Charity event I have to be fair to everybody concerned.

Marty: Most difficult decision made as TD?

Marty Wilson Put the clock on Flood in the televised Party Poker Open where Liam came second (Catherine says that was the easiest one - don’t lie!)

Marty: One rule that you would like to change or introduce?

The rule I’d like to change is casinos who don’t start tournament on the announced times. If they announce 8 o’clock it MUST start at 8 o’clock, no turning up and then having to hang around because there’s a traffic jam on the M6. I’d like to change the rules about taking players from tables so it’s clearer and more consistent, some people do the smallest stack and some the next BB. When breaking tables someone else should take the player’s chips so they aren’t able to dodge the next blind making their way to the new tables.

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