Re: [ba-poker] tournament alternates

[Jeffrey Siegal <jbs(deleted the rest)>]

Nick Christenson wrote:

> > I've started seeing this practice used more often in tournament poker, as
> > folks bust out in the the preliminary rounds they are replaced by folks on
> > an alternates list.  In the WSOP $10k event, apparently the 200 alternates
> > to the 2400 in the main field have their chips "blinded" off at 50 chips
> > every 40 minutes, a relatively insignificant amount against the starting
> > level of blinds.
> >
> > Is it generally an advantage (reduced exposure to being snapped) or
> > disadvantage (missing playable hands) to being an alternate?
>
>
> I think this is complex.  In theory, I have no complaint against the 
> alternate concept.  In execution, it depends.
>
> Let's look at two limiting cases:
> 	Case 1: Anyone can come in at any time with all the starting chips.
> Clearly, this is unfair, otherwise we'd have a rash of folks entering with
> their starting chips when the tournament went heads-up.  

This limiting case is never the way it is done in any real tournament. 
The only rule like this I've ever seen is that you can come in with all 
the starting chips, but only during a limited time window (first hour, 
during rebuy period, etc.).  Its much harder to argue that this is unfair.