The nature of online MTTs is a tricky beast to tame as analysts need to tweak and make numerous adjustments to account for the changing tastes of players and the industry as a whole. For this reason, many tournaments are rebooted while others are entirely scrapped. Both operators and players alike have come to accept the fact that MTTs are continually evolving, and failing to adapt to the evolving market may correlate to a significant drop in the number of players returning to tournament games. It's not every day that we get to sit down with the man behind the scenes in directing the tournament schedule. We recently got to sit down with the tournament manager responsible for the recent changes made and fired away some questions.
Q: Let's start off with the basics. What made you want to make changes to the tournament schedule? A: We wanted to expand the field and increase the guarantees as a whole. We made overall adjustments to the buy-ins, blind and payout structures to create an environment in which all types of players will be able to enjoy themselves. We are continuously striving and looking for ways to improve upon our tournament ecology.
Q: Are there any features unique to the tournaments that separate you from your competitors? A: Yes, we have special features such as staking and switching seats at tournament final tables. The fact that you can purchase and sell your tournament action brings a unique and fun aspect to tournaments, which breaks the mold of not becoming just another ordinary tournament experience.
Q: What is the driving force behind tournaments? A: Poker tournaments should be more fun and competitive. It should also have the spectating factor. This would allow more players to join GGNetwork, and genuinely enjoy what makes this game so great. Our staking feature all focuses on spectating. This brings synergy with how people perceive media nowadays. People love to go on Twitch, Youtube, or Facebook live to watch other people play the game they like. When this media shift meets GGNetwork, poker becomes not only fun to play, but more fun to watch.
Q: Who exactly is the target audience for your tournaments? Is there something here for all types of players? A: We welcome all types of players from low stakes to high rollers. We have something here for all tastes from those who enjoy fast-paced tournaments to the more traditional slow-paced ones, regardless of what timezone you are at. We are always trying to find ways to create a tournament environment in which all players will be able to enjoy themselves. To achieve this, the freedom of selection plays a significant part in adapting to the changing times of the market.
Q: What steps have you taken to make it easier for new players not used to poker to get their feet wet in tournaments? A: We have Freerolls running every 2 hours every day. We also have a no-fee, low buy-in tournament called T$ Builder which runs every 30 minutes to offer new players a chance to experience the GG tournament experience.
Q: Do you have plans to make more improvements and possibly bring new formats in the future such as a heads-up or short-handed tournaments? A: We do not have immediate plans to make drastic changes because we want our players to get comfortable and familiarize themselves with our newly adjusted formats. With that said, we are always open to take suggestions as the opinions of players plays a key role when it comes to restructuring tournaments.