Oklahome City Tournament
Posted:
Jan 27, 2003, 7:18 PM
As many of you know by now, a live, over-the-board pente tournament is scheduled to take place in Oklahoma City On May 17th of this year. Thus far, a number of players, 30 I believe, I have expressed interest in the tournament, but only five have actually committed to going and sent in their entry fee.
I am now one of those five people, and I am hoping others wil soon follow. This will be a great opportunity for many of us to meet each other, and it would also be a step towards renewing interest in live tournaments, which used to be held evey year, until 1984 or sometime close to that. If some of you are considering going but have not yet sent in the entry fee, I encourage you to do so! The more people that sign up, the more likely it is that others will do the same!
I realize that some will have to take an airplane trip to play in the tournament--I do not like flying but I am willing to do for the tournament. Initially, I thought the cost would be prohibitive; but, round trip tickets will be reasonable with advance purchase, and besides-- the cost is nothing compared with the number of hours I have spent playing pente. I'll just go out to eat less often, go to see fewer movies, or cut back in a few other places (since I don't really go out to eat or to the movies anyway).
For some, perhaps the cost is not an issue, but the hassle of gtting there is. I too worried about this, but, after all the hours I have spent playing pente, the travel time and effort seem less troublesome.
Well, that's all I have to say about it, I hope to see some of you there, I think this could be a great tournament!
-Dmitri King
If I do not accept a game invite right away, it means I will once I have fewer games in progress.
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Re: Oklahome City Tournament
Posted:
Jan 28, 2003, 1:06 AM
Move it back to VEGAS and I'll definitely be there. There's other entertainment that excites me in Las Vegas. But OKC...what the heck am I going to do there when we're not playing pente? This would take the place of a vacation for me. And for my vacation, I want to do more than play pente. I want some other excitement. I just don't think there will be that many cool extra activities in OKC. I may still go, I am on the fence. I do want to meet some people, and I do want to play real life pente against some of the players I play here and at IYT. But will it be worth my vacation time / vacation money? I don't know. I'll have to give it some more thought.
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Re: Oklahoma City Tournament
Posted:
Jan 31, 2003, 4:16 AM
Yes, but if you go to OKC, you're visiting the city of the inventor of Pente! And you could probably even go meet him, how's that for entertainment
I've signed up and sent my money by paypal. I encourage others to do the same. If you're waiting for other people to sign-up before you commit, DON'T! Once we get the ball rolling this tournament will really take off.
Also, I have talked with some of the top players at DSG, and alot of them are planning on going (dmitriking, progambler, joeking, mmammel and more). So it should be a great time, I am really looking forward to meeting people I've been talking to over the internet for years.
Re: Oklahoma City Tournament
Posted:
Feb 7, 2003, 3:17 AM
I have nothing against O.K. city, but, for many people, this trip would be their annual vacation. Las Vegas would be cheaper, & probably more entertaining to most.
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Re: Oklahoma City Tournament
Posted:
Feb 11, 2003, 4:22 PM
I have sent in my entry fee, so I will be there! I hear Tom Braunlich will be there along with some other players from Tulsa, so we'll have some great competition.
It will be cool to have the tournament at Hideaway Pizza in OK city this year -- that is Gary Gabrel's pizza place where some earlier tournaments were held in the 80's.
I am just coming in for the weekend so I'm not worried about vacation opportunites, but in later years, it would be OK with me to fly into Vegas for cheap.
I have heard some objections to having the having the tournament in OKC. Some want it in Las Vegas. I don't understand all the fuss. What is so special about Las Vegas? Granted, I like gambling, but I am going to this tournament to meet the players and play pente... I can gamble any other time (and, in many other places, although the odds seem a bit better in Vegas).
My point is, several people have made a statement along the lines of "I am not going to OKC, but if it were in ________, I would go." Well, that's great, but there is no way to please everyone with the location of the tournament. I suppose if we could have the tournament in everyone's hometown simultanously (and Las Vegas) then everyone would be happy, but that can't happen.
Besides... If the next tournament is to be held elsewhere, how about NYC??
On another note-- Those who have indicated they will be in OKC, please submit your entry fee and officially sign up. Interest will be greater if the sign-up page increases, and better sooner than later, as there isn't as much time until the tournament as people may think. May 17th will be upon us before we know it.
If I do not accept a game invite right away, it means I will once I have fewer games in progress.
Re: OKC and Las Vegas
Posted:
Feb 16, 2003, 1:29 AM
I think that Dmitri missed the points that people were making: 1. Las Vegas has cheap flights from almost anywhere. 2. Las Vegas has cheap hotel rates. 3. Las Vegas is more interesting to most people than Oklahoma City, no offence to O.K. city. New York has very expensive hotel rates. There are certainlhy other good choices for tourny sites, but I think they should all be major airline hubs & have affordable hotels. (Dallas comes to mind) I think the idea is to make going to a live tourny as attractive & affordable as possible.
Re: OKC and Las Vegas
Posted:
Feb 16, 2003, 5:08 PM
These are fair points. But, with cheaptickets.com, I think most people would be able to get inexpensive plane tickets-- I kow mine are going to be just as cheap as tickets to Las Vegas-- Furthermore, based on the leg work done by Dweebo and Mark Mammel, I can say that the hotel stay will also cost no more than what it would likely cost in Las Vegas. As for Las Vegas being more interesting, well, I can't really argue with that, because I have never been to Oklahoma City, so I don't know if that is true or not. For soem it might be, for others, maybe not.
There is a Howard Johnson's right outside NYC that has rooms for 60-80 dollars a night, which is far cheaper than the 200 a room that a hotel in manhattan would cost. Granted, Howard Johnson's is a terrible organization, but they do provide a cheap place to stay.
If I do not accept a game invite right away, it means I will once I have fewer games in progress.
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Re: OKC and Las Vegas
Posted:
Feb 17, 2003, 5:50 PM
Dmitri, I believe that for most of us I think this trip will cost between 500 and 600 dollars (I figured 600 for me). That's a lot of money to some, and not so much to others. Is 600 dollars worth the trip? To me the answer is now no. I am going to Vegas April 1st, and the 600 dollars is going to be part of my gambling cash (1500 dollars total is what I plan on gambling, so you can see that 600 bucks really eats in to my vacation money). Although I do want to meet all you people, I'd rather meet you in an atmosphere that provides other "vacation" type activitites BESIDES playing pente. Vegas is a location that would have offered this to us all. OKC is not. I think this will always be a factor when tourneys are scheduled. At least for me it will.
Re: OKC and Las Vegas
Posted:
Feb 17, 2003, 9:25 PM
Fair enough. But, I should point out that my plane tickets will be 180 dollars and my hotel stay will cost 60 dollars, for a total of 240 dollars, plus food. Are the plane tickets that much more from portland than they are from where I am? How much of that 600 dollars are you figuring for plane tickets?
If I do not accept a game invite right away, it means I will once I have fewer games in progress.
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Re: OKC and Las Vegas
Posted:
Feb 18, 2003, 12:07 AM
Round trip tickets from Portland are about 280-300 bucks (end of the week flying rates). Hotel stay is 60 dollars a night. I planned on staying two nights. Rental car for 3 days is another 50 bucks. Food and partying will be between 150 and 200 dollars (I can't go out and not drop atleast a C-note in a night even when I go out here in Portland).
So 280+120+25(split car with ilurath)+150 = $575.00 This is a CONSERVATIVE estimate on my part. I bet I would spend closer to 650-700.
Maybe I should organize a pente tournament in Portland and save myself some cash. hehehe...
Re: OKC and Las Vegas
Posted:
Feb 18, 2003, 1:21 AM
This is absurd. I have several gripes with your reasoning. I am not sure that those rates for plane tickets are the lowest possible, but I'lltake your word for it. As for the rest-- the hotel will be 60 dollars for BOTH nights if you share a room with someone (which I assumed you would do, if not. why not?).
I don't see why a car rental is necessary. There will probably be several people with cars, and if not, taxicabs would probably be a lot cheaper than what you mentioned. Even if a car is rented, you could probably split those costs with someone.
Regarding the rest of your expenses-- Eating andp artying are independant of the cost ofthe pente tournament-- One hs to eat regardless, unless you were planning on not eating for the two days in OKC? As for partying and such, again, those costs would be incurred whether you partied in Portland or in OKC, so I am not sure how those costs are relevant. I am not trying to twist your arm here, but, as you know, I have a hard time not objecting to what I consider flimsy logic.
Here is the way I am looking at it-- plane tickets-- 180. Hotel-- 60. anything else I spend is not because i need to but because I want to.
If I do not accept a game invite right away, it means I will once I have fewer games in progress.
Re: OKC and Las Vegas
Posted:
Feb 18, 2003, 2:17 AM
I just realize I was careless in reading your post, I apologize. You did account for splitting the car rental. I just found some tickets at cheaptickets.com for 260. if you split a hotal room, that is 60. If you share the car rental three ways that reduces that cost to 17 dollars. That is 337 dollars. Now, whether you go out partying in Portland or in OKC, you still are going to spend 100 dollars, so again, why does that factor into the cost of the OKC trip? Factor in 63 dollars for food and that brings it to 400. Even factoring in 100 for partying (this seems like a lot-- I party cheaply htese days I guess) brings it to 500. Or were you talking abouttwo nights of partying for a total of 200 dollars partying? THat seems like a lot of partying! I like partying, but I also want to win the pente tournament, and too much of one mightl ead to a deficiency in the other. Anyway, I hope you change your mind! I cna understand why people are balking at making the decision to go, but, you seemed really interested in going, but now it seems like you are looking for reasons why it can't work instead of reasons why it could work.
If I do not accept a game invite right away, it means I will once I have fewer games in progress.
Re: OKC and Las Vegas
Posted:
Feb 18, 2003, 5:02 AM
Sheesh, I can sure tell who the serious players are and the ones who just want to party and have a good time and aren't really serious about playing Pente face-to-face with some of the best players in the country.
Do you want to play some serious Pente and have a chance to win a Pente championship or do you want to party and gamble?? That is a joke and an apples-to-oranges comparison.
Going to Oklahoma City for 2-3 days is NOT a vacation! It's serious business but serious FUN too! But the FUN is in playing Pente against the best players, meeting them face-to-face, and having a chance to say that you're the best in the country at the game, or that you played several of the best face-to-face!
That is NOT my description of a vacation!! It's a description of the ultimately fun high-school reunion except that I've never met the people face-to-face but I have much in common with them, that is my favorite game in the world. That sounds MUCH funner than a normal reunion or a vacation that I can take anytime.
If you want to take a vacation, go to Vegas, go to southern California, go to Florida, go to New York, go to Hawaii!! If you want to play in a Pente championship, go to Oklahoma City where the game was invented and where some of the top players will be and will converse with you about your favorite game, but DON'T call THAT a vacation!! The fun is the people and the game, not the gambling, glammer, and the glitz! You can do that ANYTIME!!!
One more thing. $500 is such a small drop in the bucket in the scheme of one's annual salary, that it's laughable that it would even be a problem, even for full time students or people making slightly above minimum wage. DmitriKing is a full-time student with little wages and he is finding a way to go.
If it is such a problem, then you can go deliver Pizza's for PizzaHut for 40 hours (or some other comparable tipped position)! They're always hiring drivers. You can easily make that amount of money doing that. I know, I delivered pizzas 20-25/hours week for 3 years part-time in addition to being a full-time computer programmer in order to accomplish a personal goal and this was with a wife and 2 kids at home. The point being, if you REALLY want to do or accomplish something, then you'll find a way to do it! As they say in the Nike commercials, JUST DO IT!!
