The poker world is constantly evolving, and these changes are often spearheaded by people like WPT Executive Tournament Director Matt Savage. This time, he has caught the poker public's attention with a new feature calledthe "Savage Average", which is a tournament format with an innovative blind structure without a schedule. The tournament will make its debut at the upcoming WPT Festival in March at Thunder Valley Casino in California.
Savage unveiled the news earlier this month on his social media channels. How is the "Savage Average" different from the usual tournament setup? Classic tournaments are typically time-limited levels in which the blinds gradually increase after a set interval. In this format, the blinds will rise as players are eliminated, and the tournament will move to the next level whenever the average stack drops below 50 big blinds. This completely removes the tournament clock (with the exception of shot clocks) that we have been used to in tournament poker for decades.
Introducing a new NL tournament structure I've recently worked on and wanted to do for many years. It will debut @TVPokerRoom March 17th during the @WPT festival. With a $570 buy-in and $50,000 guaranteed.
- Matt Savage (@SavagePoker) January 4, 2024
Highlights:
Never below 50 BB average
No clock needed!
Registration and... pic.twitter.com/WcgAQDfbCU
The concept of a tournament in which players influence the blind structure instead of the clock isn't exactly a new idea. It was previously experimented with at the Adrenaline Poker Series event in Dublin in 2017 and later repeated in Brussels in May 2017 with sponsorship support from France's Winamax. Winamax brought the format to the online space that same year under the name"Zone 30". The opportunity to try it is still offered today and is set to appear in the upcoming Winamax Series. Although it's very similar to Savage's design, there's a slight difference - instead of 50, the levels only change at the 30-blind stack.
The novelty from the WPT's tournament director will be tested in March at Thunder Valley Casino in California. The tournament will have a buy-in of $570 and will take place during the WPT Rolling Thunder Festival. Players can look forward to a rather generous $50,000 guarantee.
Community opinion is divided
As with any news, this one has sparked debate in the poker community, with the majority of reactions being positive. Some commentators have expressed concern that this setup could lead to overly cautious play and ultimately make events last longer.
I think it's fine, I can't think of any "exploits" or ways for things to go badly wrong. But you should be prepared for a lot more variability in how long it takes to finish the tournament. As you get down to 1-2 tables you may see multiple hours pass with no eliminations.
- Isaac Haxton (@ikepoker) January 4, 2024
Critics in the debate have made suggestions for adjustments. Some suggest a lower average stack than the stipulated 50 big blinds, while others advocate starting the tournament with a larger starting stack of 100 big blinds to allow for comfortable deep play in the early levels. Whether the new tournament format will work in practice remains to be seen, of course, when it is implemented. If it is a success at the March event, it is expected to become a regular feature of WPT festivals.
Who is Matt Savage
Matt Savage currently serves as the Executive Director of the WPT and is one of the industry's leading innovators. He is best known as the founder of the Tournament Directors Association (TDA) and once served as the WSOP's Chief Executive Officer, among many other high-profile roles. He has applied for induction into the Poker Hall of Fame on several occasions, which he will undoubtedly accomplish in the years to come.
Source - Poker.org, PokerFuse, F5Poker
