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When $400 becomes $410 -- hidden add-on at WPT event angers Allen Kessler, others
Allen Kessler posted about a small but problematic "fine print" issue regarding a WPT tournament at Maryland Live! casino.
Here's the structure sheet:
You buy in for $400 and start with 12,000 chips. Buried in "Event Details", it turns out you can add on another 5,000 chips for just $10 -- something one would be an absolute moron to turn down. So you're basically committed to spend $410 on the event, not $400, unless you want to play with a tremendous disadvantage.
The $10 is for "the dealers", which is fine. What's not fine is the fact that this cost is hidden. This can especially cause problems if someone brought exactly $400 with them, and doesn't have $10 on them to add on. There's no reason to hide things like this.
Simply make it a $410 event, give $10 of it to the dealers, and be done with it.
It's possible that this is a legal thing. Perhaps they can't withhold $10 from the regular prize pool for the dealers, under Maryland law? I doubt it, but even if that's the case, they can at least clearly state this when promoting the tournament, so everyone knows it's a $410 event, and everyone knows to bring another $10.
Some people on Kessler's Facebook page are mocking him for this. Rebuttals include "It's only $10", "It's for the dealers, who cares?", and "It's not mandatory. I'd only have a problem if it's mandatory."
These people are all missing the point. Tournament structure sheets and promotional material should NEVER be misleading, whether it's for $1, $10, or $1000. It's the principle of the matter, and poker players shouldn't accept being tricked just because the amount of money is low, or because the money is going to a good cause. If these principles are not upheld, the incidence of this will increase, and for more money. Look at what Venetian is doing right now as a good example.
Furthermore, the "it's not mandatory" response is laughable, since it's virtually mandatory unless you want to play with a gigantic disadvantage. Once you spend $400 on 12,000 chips, you are pot committed to spend $10 more on 5,000 additional chips. So it's basically mandatory for anyone with a sense of very basic mathematics.
