|
garyscpa - Your point has some validity.
This issue is less about comparing the costs of attending a Brick & Mortar and more about "hold" and Purse. If the substantial "hold" did not exist, these (held) funds could be paid as winnings. In this case it would be less expensive to play online.
The choice is to play online for NO purse to save travel expenses, or attend a Brick & Mortar where you have a shot at a decent share of a Purse as well as qualifying.
It's important to note that the greater the number of Online (hold) contests, the less people attend the Brick & Mortars. The "hold" will suck the capital from the players in the form of dead money. There will be a tipping point when the B & M's decide not to hold contests.
The tipping point could be sometime this year with approximately 270 qualifying spots being offered online. 260 spots spaced over 47 weeks is an average of greater than 5 per week. Almost all of these spots will be offered on the weekend, which happens to be when almost all B & M contests are held.
Las Vegas (T.I.) had only 3 qualifiers for the NHC in 2011, and they will have a last chance on January 25, 2012, two days before the final.
Regards,
Edward J. De'Ath
|
