If you won a package to a poker event what would you do?

Rost

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Let's say you win a package to a live poker event thousands of miles from home. The venue is nice enough, you'll get a paid hotel room for you +1 for a week with breakfast, and you'll get a buy-in to their main event which pays xx,xxx dollars for the first place.

The catch is that you'll need to pay your own flights, your all other meals, and other transportation that you may need in the location. This extra cost could take 1-2k out of your pocket.

If you won such a package, would you use it? Cause I'm not sure I would. It feels like this kind of event is designed to benefit all the other parties in the process and players get the scraps.
I would definitely go. I've always travelled a lot and spent a lot of money on travel, so I wouldn't have had this question. I would be there without any hesitation :)
 
Tero

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The opinions seem to be divided on this matter, and some of you have clearly only read the title, but that's okay.
Some have said why to even pursue the package if one is not going to go. Well, sometimes these things land on your lap without asking like in Irina's case.
We view and value things differently and that is a-okay.
 
userX

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It could have been a difficult decision, but I think I would have dared to go. I just couldn't pass up this opportunity, although it is of course a risk of financial loss, but those who don't take risks have no prospects.
 
Rachidao

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I would certainly go for it, vacation and try to make some money.
 
yuriko oyama

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I personally wouldn't go, especially living in brazil, where every place in the world seems to be further away and more expensive.
 
antonis32123

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I would try to exchange it with SB else if possible for a small proportion of the total value of the ticket

Not that poker rooms allow this . But I would try it . Now why poker rooms don't allow it it's strange . Since you won it , it's yours , yours to do it whatever you think want , your money or prize .
 
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valanddon

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No I would not go, do not think my wife would want to sit around all day while I play poker.
 
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I think all rooms should offer a money value for these packages, but I think most rooms don't offer this option and you lose the package if you don't use it. If I only had to pay the flight costs I would definitely use it.
 
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martDdart

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I would try it and afterwards calculate the costs vs profits and if I enjoyed it then I now next time if I want to do it again.
 
IIZendrixII

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Regarding this specific situation, I think it's worth just thinking about it as if it's a discounted holiday, ignoring the poker side of things. If you'd like a holiday, and they're paying for your accommodation the whole time, seems reasonable to go, as if you'd normally go on holiday, you'd have to pay for your meals and flights anyway. The poker would just be a big bonus. If you're concerned about the location, and it's not somewhere you'd like to take a holiday, don't go if you can't afford the extras.

Currently trying to win a Malta Package, which I know will cost me quite a bit for the flights and food if I win it, as the expenses are just €250 which doesn't even cover my flight costs, but I've always wanted to go to Malta, so I would go.

This is on the back of just returning from a trip to Manchester, England where I won a package, and that was awful. Won't be doing that again. The casino for the poker was nice, but the surrounding location was very run-down, and the hotel was renovating its restaurant so I didn't even get breakfast.

So highly dependent on the destination I'd say. If you can afford the extras, do it, for the holiday, not for the poker.

And of course, good luck in the poker too if you were to go on a package!
 
pirateglenn

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I would give this thought before entering a tournament or event if this was the prize first up, shop about to get best price for flights and like others have said - make the most of the trip, it could be a once in a lifetime opportunity, i recall something like this happening for someone who won a seat at the pokerstars Caribbean tourney some time back ( i think).
This was one of the great things about such tournaments with satellites back in the day, there were surrender values for some satellites, you got a reduced prize, maybe not in terms of holiday packages but hey - the incentive alone is to go right? have a great time and play cards....
The other option of course may be to sell the package but some providers may not allow this.
 
dzsire

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I would definitely take the opportunity, there is nothing better than the atmosphere of live poker. They might eat you alive, but you can only learn from it.
The other question is how much the person is released from the workplace in addition to the workplace, but perhaps that would be a minor problem.
 
Poker Orifice

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If I sucked at poker I might not go. If I was halfway decent at poker, I'd go in a heartbeat!
 
Poker Orifice

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Let's say you win a package to a live poker event thousands of miles from home. The venue is nice enough, you'll get a paid hotel room for you +1 for a week with breakfast, and you'll get a buy-in to their main event which pays xx,xxx dollars for the first place.

The catch is that you'll need to pay your own flights, your all other meals, and other transportation that you may need in the location. This extra cost could take 1-2k out of your pocket.

If you won such a package, would you use it? Cause I'm not sure I would. It feels like this kind of event is designed to benefit all the other parties in the process and players get the scraps.

Why aren't you including the value of the tournament buyin here in your post? And how much is xx,xxx dollars for first place? (are you suggesting that 1st pays less than 100k? If so, what tournament is that?)

Even if I am to travel locally to a wsop Circuit Event I'm looking at paying $1,000+ for the week for meals & transportation which I'm willing to do while paying for my tournaments. If the tournaments were paid for, how could I pass this up?

Surely if you get a great offer there must be some way to come up with the extra $$'s? First thing that comes to mind is offering up a % to some backers.
 
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As others have said, it depends on the value of the tournament. But if its a main event, its probably something, which exceed the price of a plane ticket and meals. For instance the EPT main events, one of which were just held in Barcelona, are EUR 5.300, which clearly exceeds the travel costs. So if the package was personal (not possible to sell), then I would go to length to find the money for a trip to take advantage of such an opportunity both for the potential profit but certainly also for the experience.

As Poker Orifice say, a simple solution would be to sell some pieces of my action for instance through the staking section of this forum. Or I would try to borrow $1.000 from a friend or something. Assuming of course, that I could not simply pay out of pocket, in which case I really dont see, why I would decide to not go? This is a poker forum, so presumably playing in a large live main event is some sort of dream for most of us?
 
Tero

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Why aren't you including the value of the tournament buyin here in your post? And how much is xx,xxx dollars for first place? (are you suggesting that 1st pays less than 100k? If so, what tournament is that?)
Compared to earlier similar tourneys the winner takes home less than 100k but who knows what it'll be this time.
I'm not going to link the game here. I'm just going to say that it's actually taking place right now in Europe.
Surely if you get a great offer there must be some way to come up with the extra $$'s? First thing that comes to mind is offering up a % to some backers.
The buy-in in this case is only 550 so selling stakes is not ideal.

My original meaning was that if a poker site is going offer packages in the first place, then why not do it right with all/most expenses paid? Half-a** packages are an insult to players in my view.
 
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fundiver199

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The buy-in in this case is only 550 so selling stakes is not ideal.
In that case its reasonable to not use the package, since travel costs might easily exceed $550. And then why not just find some more local event, where maybe you dont even need to stay in a hotel, and then pay the buy-in yourself.
 
Joe

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If possible would go 100%, very little doubt on that one...

Whether it'd be possible, totally different story! :LOL:
 
MishkaZL

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I'm not sure I would have taken this opportunity either. I'd rather not than yes. I would hardly be ready for such significant additional costs. $1,000 or $2,000 is quite a lot of money for me.
 
ratbat615

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Don’t play if you can’t make it. Maybe try to sell the ticket 🎟 but I would definitely go.
 
Poker Orifice

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Compared to earlier similar tourneys the winner takes home less than 100k but who knows what it'll be this time.
I'm not going to link the game here. I'm just going to say that it's actually taking place right now in Europe.

The buy-in in this case is only 550 so selling stakes is not ideal.
Ah okay. Well that makes more sense then. I think most were assuming it was a $5,000 buyin or something like that.

I think I would probably still go and then try to find backers for a couple other tournaments that were running that week.
 
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I guess I would take the opportunity. Depending on the event this could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance and as long as it is affordable, this could be a cool chance 😊
 
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Let's say you win a package to a live poker event thousands of miles from home. The venue is nice enough, you'll get a paid hotel room for you +1 for a week with breakfast, and you'll get a buy-in to their main event which pays xx,xxx dollars for the first place.

The catch is that you'll need to pay your own flights, your all other meals, and other transportation that you may need in the location. This extra cost could take 1-2k out of your pocket.

If you won such a package, would you use it? Cause I'm not sure I would. It feels like this kind of event is designed to benefit all the other parties in the process and players get the scraps.
Considering my miserable poker skills, if I won a live package to a tourney, I just got extremely lucky, and I would most likely lose the main event. That being said, as the people above have already mentioned, depends on the tournament's payouts
 
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