Local News & Contacts

Contact Your Local Franchisee / Agent:

Name: Stephen Urrutia
Tel: 07905 635918
Email: [email protected]

Local News (Cardiff & CF)

Dates – Sunday 18^th February & 25^th February 2024

Venue –

The Park Hotel, Park Crescent, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, CF62 6HE

Registration from 12:00 noon – 12:30pm

Opening Statement – 12:40pm - 1:00pm

Welcome to the Regional Final

I have arranged for this to be a split Regional Final once again. There are now 2 dates for players to choose from. The first is Sunday the 18^th February 2024 and the second part is to be held on the 25^th February 2024. Both these games will be held at a new venue for the Regional Finals, the Park Hotel.

The process will be that the default date for the Regional is Sunday 18^th February 2024. If you are able to play this game please simply come along as normal. The Regional winner will be the winner of this first game. After the registration ends, and before the game start, I will allocate the number of Coventry tickets for this game proportionate to the number who have attended. I will also allocate the collected prize money from both the prize fund and option payments. The remaining tickets will be made available for the game on 25^th February 2024. I will make at least 2 tickets available to winners on each occasion. I will also endeavour to hold a consolation table as usual at each event.

To mitigate the impact of the prize fund deficiency due to our reduced numbers in recent years I will once again take a side pot and distribute to winners from anyone who is interested in engaging in addition to the available cash from the prize fund. I suggest a £10 side pot option which will likely mean that the first 3 or 4 places could be paid a reasonable amount considering the number who are likely to get involved. I will monitor this on the day and resolve number of places and amounts paid before the start of the game.

If you cannot attend this first Sunday then it will help me if you can message me to advise that you will be at the 25^th February game. For the game I can accommodate for the full allocation of places at tables, but as we will be preparing the food beforehand it would be appreciated if the numbers are known roughly in order to split the food budget fairly too.

There will be a fortunate by product to the split final. If you play the 18^th February game and do not win a ticket for Coventry then I will allow for a last chance opportunity. Anyone interested in playing the 25^th February game after playing the first game can do so for a £10 buy-in. Obviously, if you miss the first game and just attend the 25^th February game there is no buy-in, although you may still want to contribute to the cash prize.

I hope that you can all bear with me on this occasion once more and attend with the good spirit that we have all become accustomed to. We are making progress in some areas, but unfortunately we are still suffering setbacks due to circumstances beyond my control.  I can only apologise that we have taken one step forward and two steps back. I am trying very hard to restore our game to where we would all like it to be. I am grateful to you all for your support.

Shuffle up and Deal at 1:00pm

Free Buffet will be provided at approximately 3:00pm.

Registration fee -      

n/a Free to play; However, play both games for £10 buy in on the second event.

Cash prize main fund - £10 per player in attendance provided by The Nuts Cardiff prize fund.

Cash prize fund option - £10 per player on each occasion.

Prizes on the Day –

There are various aspects of the prize fund. Both of the qualification tournaments are in the main qualification events for the National Final in Coventry on a date yet to be determined. However, there is the main fund and option fund to provide some cash prizes for those players finishing in some or all of the qualification places to make the determination of the final places more interesting than simply winning the Champion trophy. However, the option fund will only be available to any player who wishes to pay into it.

There will be a total of 4 National Final seats available split between both events. These will be awarded to those players finishing in the top places of both events. The amount at each event dependant on the numbers at that event. I will award 1 final seat ticket per 10 players at the start of each tournament. This total of 4 may increase dependant on numbers of qualifiers who play at both events.

The amounts for the cash prize money to those players that finish 1^st to 3^rd or 4^th, etc. are yet to be determined, and will depend on the number who attend the tournament and engage in the option fund. Obviously, anyone not making the cash prize option payment will not be able to win any cash prize, but can still win a ticket to attend the Coventry Final.

Playing Schedule

This is a self-deal tournament, until Final Table. Please do not ask to deal for the table whether you are in or out of the game, or even if the players on the table do not object.  The request to do so will be refused by me.  If I see anyone dealing for a table they will be asked to stop doing so. This rule does not preclude the general rule that any player not feeling comfortable dealing may pass the deal back to the right to any player wishing to deal on that player’s behalf.

Starting Stack 20,000

The blind levels at the National Final were changed at the last tournament, and it is very likely that they will not be returned to the format we have used in the past.  I have therefore decided to closely replicate the new format for the Regional Final game in order that players can familiarise themselves with the structure should they be lucky enough to win a Coventry ticket.

The following is very similar to the Big Blind format that will be adopted in the future at the Coventry Finals. This means that after the ante has been introduced the player posting the big blind will also post an equivalent size ante. At no other time will any players post an ante.

Blinds – Blind duration is 20 minutes with a 30 minute meal break, then a 15 minute comfort break after 6 and 12 levels respectively. There is a Big Blind Ante introduced at Level 3. The first break after Level 6 is the buffet break where I will provide free baguettes to all players, various filling options will be offered.  Any further breaks will be by agreement with the Tournament Manager.

Subject to any variation by the Tournament Manager, Blind Levels are as follows:

          Time                 Blind Level    Small / Big Blind          Ante

  1:00pm -   1:20pm            1.                 100 /     100                     0

  1:20pm -   1:40pm            2.                 100 /     200                     0

  1:40pm -   2:00pm            3.                 100 /     300                     0

  2:00pm –   2:20pm           4.                 200 /     400                 400

  2:20pm -   2:40pm            5.                 300 /     600                 600

  2:40pm -   3:00pm            6.                 400 /     800                 800

  3:00pm -   3:30pm    Break for BUFFET

  3:30pm -   3:50pm            7.                 500 /   1000               1000

  3:50pm -   4:10pm            8.                 600 /   1200               1200

  4:10pm -   4:30pm            9.                 700 /   1400               1400

  4:30pm -   4:50pm          10.                 800 /   1600               1600

  4:50pm -   5:10pm          11.               1000 /   2000               2000

  5:10pm -   5:30pm          12.               1500 /   3000               3000

  5:30pm -   5:45pm    Comfort Break (100 and 500 chips to be removed)

  5:45pm -   6:05pm          13.               2000 /   4000               4000

  6:05pm -   6:25pm          14.               3000 /   6000               6000

  6:25pm -   6:45pm          15.               4000 /   8000               8000

  6:45pm -   7:05pm          16.               5000 / 10000             10000

 7:05pm -   7:25pm           17.               6000 / 12000            12000

  7:25pm -   7:45pm          18.               7000 / 14000             14000

  7:45pm -   8:05pm          19.               8000 / 16000             16000

  8:05pm -   8:25pm          20.             10000 / 20000             20000

  8:25pm -   8:45pm          21.             15000 / 30000             30000

  8:45pm -   9:05pm          22.             20000 / 40000             40000

  9:05pm -   9:25pm          23.             25000 / 50000             50000

  9:25pm -   9:45pm          24.             30000 / 40000             40000

Should more blind levels, or amended blind levels, be required then they will be set by the Tournament Manager.

Tournament Attendance

All players are requested to please make every effort to arrive before the close of Registration at 12:30pm.  Multiple late Registrations cause disruption to the players in the game at the start of the game and to the Tournament Manager’s ability to manage the game efficiently. Therefore, any Registration after this time is at the complete discretion of the Tournament Manager.

Qualification List

The Qualification period for this Season is 1^st August 2023 to 31^st December 2023. 

Qualification List rectification –

If any player believes that he or she has qualified but his or her name is not on the above Qualification List then that player should please contact Fez before 4:00pm on Friday 16^th February 2024 so that the list can be amended if there has indeed been an error. Only players on the Qualification list at 4:00pm on Friday 16^th February 2024 will be allowed to register at the event.

If you have Qualified we hope that you can attend. We want you all to have a very enjoyable event.

Good Luck.

Fez