benjamin eckstein tournament talk

Benjamin Eckstein’s Tournament Talk

LAS VEGAS — SIT & GO!!!

If you think that you’re a poker STUD, and doesn’t everyone, then why not open up the Sportsbook app and try a Knockout Tournament.

If you’re not familiar, here’s what happens. There is a cash bounty that is placed on every player. Any time you eliminate somebody from the tournament, no matter when it happens, you win their cash bounty, which is then credited to your account. So, basically, you can win money even if you don’t finish in the money.

LOVE the Sit & Go Knockouts which are available in six- or 18-player formats. You get a group of buds together, and you have buy-ins that range from $3.30 for your budget-conscious friends to $162 for your high-roller dudes.

If you’re wondering how the Knockout Tourneys work, here’s what the Ignition website says. A $5 Knockout event might have a total buy-in of $25 plus $2.50. So, $20 goes into the regular prize pool, $5 is each player’s bounty, and $2.50 is the tournament fee. The Sportsbook of the tournament will receive an extra $5 for their own bounty. This would be a fabulous game for halftime of any football game, and the best part is you don’t even have to leave your couch!

BOOKWORM!!

Christmas is on the way, has been since the middle of summer according to all the TV ads, and if you’re looking for a present for that special someone who likes to read, lemme tell you a quick story.

I ordered a book from an online bookseller, Alibris. The name of the book really doesn’t matter, but it was called “Witz.” In the details, it told me the book was a hard-cover English-language version. The book came, wrapped beautifully, but sadly, it was a German-language version. I do not speak or read German, so I started the return process.

If you’ve ever dealt with returns, and I’m sure you have, it can be a freakin’ nightmare. All these people are quick to take your cash but very slow to respond when you wanna get a return credit. Just got an email from these folks and they told me that they would credit my account for the amount of the book. Nice. But then they told me to keep the book and donate it! WHAT! I don’t have any stock in the company or know anyone at the company, but if you still read and you’re buying books, Alibris should be your jam!

SportsbookS ONLY!!!

It’s a few days away, but gotta roll out a college football game before the line goes down too much. Looking at East Carolina +5.5 points over Cincinnati. The line opened Cincy -6 and the wise guys are starting to chip away.

East Carolina has won three in a row and covered 12 of the last 17. The Pirates QB, Holton Ahlers, is putting together quite a season. He is hitting on 70 percent of his throws for 2,632 yards with 18 TDs and five INTs. Cincy has a pretty 7-2 straight up record, but where it matters most, in the wallet, it’s a BIG FAT OUCH! The Bearcats have covered only one of the last eight, and are not exactly blowing away the opposition. Gimme the Pirates for a handful of doubloons. AARGH!!!

Benjamin Eckstein is a nationally syndicated sportswriter/oddsmaker. His column, America’s Line, with the Ecks & Bacon appetizer, has run in the New York Daily News and over 100 other papers since 1988. You can follow him online at www.americasline.com. He is beloved by most, when he picks Sportsbooks, and detested by others, when he picks the occasional loser. If you wanna piece of Eck, hit his email... ben@americasline.com.

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