Table Balancing

**FirePhil** · 27th January 2006, 10:04 AM

I've seen a few different methods of balancing tables in live MTTs but came across one I'd never seen used before and that didn't seem very fair at the Bumpkin Challenge the other week (not having a go Richie, the tournament ran very smoothly, just curious as to the thinking behind it).

Basically when a table broke the players who weren't being moved had to shuffle round so that all of the players moving to the table were sat behind the button. Moving players to the first available seat behind the button in fairly common but making the players already at the table move round seemed very odd to me. IMO the players already at the table should never move seats, the table should be filled around them. This way there appears to only be an advantage positionally and no downside to being moved.

The only completely fair way is probably to redraw seats for the table, but this could disrupt the game too much to be a feasible option.

The table balancing had a pretty huge effect on my chances in the tournament so I'm curious what peoples views are on different ways of balancing tables.

**sl0ggs** · 27th January 2006, 11:27 AM

I think that once you're sat in a seat that's where you stay as long as you're at that table. As players get added to the table, they should fill the seats around the original players, as Phil said, starting with the first available seat after the button...

Perhaps the only real fair way is to redraw both tables and seats for every player in the tourney once a table can be eliminated!! Which would be ridiculous of course...

**Top Pair Ace Kicker** · 27th January 2006, 01:30 PM

I hope anyone who tried moving me from one seat to another at the same table wouldnt object to the word "no" as there is absolutely no way I would move anywhere.

People moving to a table should accomodate the players already there, not the other way round!

**FirePhil** · 27th January 2006, 01:32 PM

Originally Posted by Top Pair Ace Kicker

I hope anyone who tried moving me from one seat to another at the same table wouldnt object to the word "no" as there is absolutely no way I would move anywhere.

People moving to a table should accomodate the players already there, not the other way round!

It wasn't the new players asking people to move it was the tournament director, so saying no probably results in an argument followed by disqualification.

But I do agree with you.