I would be willing to honestly say I get relocated as much as / or MORE than most. Seems like it happens right when I feel I have got some knowledge of the current table players, their strategies, bluffing, etc. then, get put on a completely different table - randomly? I can’t fathom playing in a cash game, and being allowed to switch tables. In my experience, if multiple tables are running, play continues until only one or two are left (pre-set number), THEN they move to join other remaining players, Also, when moved to new table, approx. 8 out of 10 times it occurs, I am not allowed to join in my (NEW) position-- can anybody tell me why this rule is applied to this situation?
I am no expert but from my experience of playing multi tables, you get moved for one of two reasons. 1) You win a large quantity of chips so get relocated to a table with similar stacks to your own and
2) You lose a lot of chips and again get relocated for same reason. I am guessing the reasoning is to make it pretty even play doe all but I could be way wise of the mark!
This is going to a rather long winded response, and should really be in our help section, but anyway here goes…
There are two simple rules that we check every time a player is eliminated from a tournament:
REMOVE TABLE - Remove a table if it’s possible (and redistribute the players amongst the remaining tables)
REBALANCE PLAYERS - Don’t ever allow the number of players on two tables to differ by 2+ players (move players amongst the tables to ‘rebalance’ them)
1) REMOVE TABLE
SCENARIO: 9 seat tourney with 19 players, seated: 7,6,6. One player gets eliminated, now seated: 7,6,5. That leaves 18 players which fit in two 9 seat tables, so we remove one of the tables.
Which table to remove?
The tables with less players, so we have less balances.
Who to move and where?
Move all the players from closed tables to available seats on other tables, always respecting the ideal distribution. There is a scenario where in addition to closing some tables we also have to move players from unclosed tables, this is also to achieve the ideal distribution every time, using a priority system that matches PLAYERS with SEATS (i.e.: 10 seats, 0 = best, 9 = worst).
Based on the last hand played on the removed table, the Big Blind player is given highest priority (0 - best seat), then each seat anti-clockwise from that seat is given the next priority down (1, 2, 3, etc) until the last seat, left of the BB, which is the ‘worst seat’ (first to act) has been assigned a priority. ALWAYS based on seated position.
Finally we match the highest priority players with the highest priority seats, each in turn, until the lowest priority player is seated. Of course there may well be more empty seats than players, which will result in the lowest priority seat(s) not being filled.
Caveat: in a scenario where we need to close a table and balance another, all occupied seats from the closed table will have higher priority than those single balances.
2) REBALANCE PLAYERS
SCENARIO: 9 seat tourney with 26 players, seated: 9,9,8. One player gets eliminated, now seated: 9,9,7. That leaves 25 players, so we can’t remove a table. Instead we must ‘rebalance’ the tables, so that there is only a difference of 1 player (max) between the tables. Hence, a player is moved from a table with 9 players, to a table with 7 players, now seated: 9,8,8.
When does the rebalance occur?
Whenever a hand ends, we check to see if we have the ideal distribution. Players are then flagged as standing in one table and sitting in another, no players stand in the middle of a hand where they are playing.
Which table to move a player from?
All tables where the number of participants is greater than the ideal.
Which player to move?
Choose the N worst seats (ie. seated left of the Big Blind player) from all tables where the number of participants is greater than the ideal. Even if the player has been moved already, he/she’ll be moved again.
Basically at the end of each hand in a tournament we try to make an ideal distribution of the participants that are still playing through the numbers of tables that are necessary for number of players based on the number of seats.
Bust-outs
If a bust-out occurs during a hand, and that table must be rebalanced after, the current priority is considered, not the priority from the future hand, which could cause a seat other than the worst to be moved.
That’s it, simple! 