I wanted to provide a brief update regarding the current leaderboard issues. It appears that Replay’s CDN provider, Cloudflare, has initiated blocking HTTP requests from non-browser applications, resulting in the interruption of automatic updates for the Donks leaderboards. I am collaborating with Replay to identify a resolution, but please be aware that it may take some time.
In the interim, I extend my appreciation to @flashlight for diligently maintaining his leaderboards.
It was kinda weird that one set of TOC results got thru but none of the Gold’s. It’s magic lol.
Thank you BW. I enjoy working with spreadsheets and I’ve had fun resurrecting my old leaderboards.
@flashlight ( Lyle ) Thank you for helping out 11!
Important Announcement Regarding Donks League Organizer Role
Dear fellow Donks:
It is with mixed emotions that I announce my decision to step down as the Donks league organizer after about two and a half incredible years. Serving in this role has been an absolute honor, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this fantastic community since I joined in September 2018.
Throughout my time as the Donks league organizer, I have witnessed numerous highs and lows, and I’ve cherished every moment of the journey. Playing with all of you has been a source of joy and camaraderie that I will always hold dear. However, as life progresses, my other interests have taken on greater significance, and I find myself lacking the time needed to continue dedicating myself to the organization of the league.
I am pleased to announce that @flashlight has graciously accepted the role of the new Donks organizer. flashlight has a proven track record, having successfully managed the Team Play Poker league for 6 years. His organizational skills and dedication to fostering a positive gaming environment make him the ideal candidate for this position. I have full confidence that he will lead the league with excellence, and I wish him all the best in this new endeavor.
To ensure a smooth transition, both @nafffy and I will continue to offer our support to flashlight as he takes on the responsibilities of the organizer role. I am confident that with his leadership and our combined efforts, the Donks league will continue to thrive and bring joy to its members.
I want to express my deepest gratitude to each and every one of you who supported me during my tenure as the Donks organizer. Your enthusiasm and commitment have made this journey truly memorable.
Thank you again, and I look forward to seeing the Donks league flourish under the capable leadership of @flashlight.
Best regards,
-BlackWidow-
I would just quickly like to thank you, BlackWidow for everything you have done for the Donks league and everyone in the league.
For those of you who don’t know me, I live in Australia, and it’s nighttime here. I’m not a night owl, so I’m heading off for my beauty sleep shortly. I’ll comment a little more tomorrow my time (tonight your time).
In the meantime if you would like to ask me anything please feel free to do so.
Lyle (flashlight)
Dear BlackWidow,
thank you very much for all the work and time you spent to make the Donks such a fantastic league and all the best for all your future ventures.
Best wishes
maweilen (Maja)
Hello Donks. For those who don’t know me, I thought I should introduce myself and perhaps explain why I took on the role of league organizer.
I am a former Donk and the proud owner of a Silver Crown and a HHoF Bracelet. Since my playing days I’ve always had a close bond with the Donks league. I designed the Donks Logo and I designed all the current Donks awards. I’ve have also been the “Official Scorer” on two previous occasions.
I am also the Organizer of the Team Play Poker League and I’ve been in that role for 6 years. TPP and the Donks have always had close links. At one time The Team Donks TPP Challenge was one of the most watched tournaments on Replay.
Having said all that, at the end of the day I enjoy organizing leagues so why not do what I enjoy and hopefully help you enjoy the league as well.
I don’t play much these days and my Replay ranking has dropped. I may exercise my right as a past Champion to play in the TOC each week but if I play in the other tournaments I will only do so if I can meet the new qualifying criteria which I will announce shortly.
Lyle.
@flashligh {Lyle) I very glad that you accepted the position as our league organizer and host. Your a perfect fit for our league with your expectise and experience with all you have done with TPP and our league in the past. Thanks again for accepting the position.
OK I have been biting my tongue on this for a day. I do not think new criteria are consistent with the mission statement of this league. “Our aim is to host the toughest NL Hold’em tournaments on Replay Poker” - BaDonk
1 Minimum Participation: If a player only plays 1 game per QUARTER, they are contributing nothing to the league. If you play 1 game a WEEK, you are qualifying for at least one leaderboard (if not two), and we are meeting our mission statement by ensuring enough quality player are playing in each tournament. We have never strictly enforced the 1 game a week standard because it is reasonable for players to miss a week now and then for various reasons. 1 game a week also ensures the player is dedicated to playing and competing in this league by committing 1.2 million chips and 12+ hours of their time. Consistent, quality level of competition is vital to achieving the mission statement.
Minimum qualification standards: I have no issue with players of lower rank being invited to the Donks. But the qualifying standard for them to demonstrate they can play doesn’t really do that. 4 of 5 in the top 70% and 1 of 5 in the top 50% can be easily achieved by signing up for 5 tournaments playing one hand and sitting out until they are blinded out. That does not demonstrate they can play. I also don’t like the idea of opening the floodgates for any player to get a five game pass to find out whether they can play or not. I think a better qualification standard for lower ranked players is demonstrated performance on Reply. Podium in a regional MTT league, top 10 on a Hold’em leaderboard, make the weekly top list top 10, win a Emerald or higher Gemstone league or a top level finish in other respected league. That is a demonstration they can play. That is consistent with the mission statement. We want the best players to make the toughest NL hold’em tournaments.
Ranking floor: A rank of 15000 equates to about 1.6 million chips a rank of 3000 equates to about 17 million chips. While I dont think too many players are buying 17 million chips, i don’t think it is a stretch to say a lot of people buy 1-2 million chips. People buying their way in to the league vice playing their way was a major concern of the founding members of the league, this floor does make that fear much more likely to be realized. Plus someone with a much lower bankroll may find it challenging to invest 100k a tournament or 500K for “their qualification period” if they aren’t making the money. Even the best players are challenged to make the money in this league. However someone with a low rank and meets my proposed qualification standards is in a much better spot to do so, and hence stick with this league. Again this meets the mission statement.
I understand recruiting people into this league can be a challenge, but I do not want to see hollow membership or participation numbers, I can get that in any Regional MTT. I want this league to be what Badonk envisioned this league to be and frankly has been for the past 6 years “Our aim is to host the toughest NL Hold’em tournaments on Replay Poker.” If we can’t offer that, then we dont offer anything unique.
@southwestmba, though what you say is basically true, you were not here during Badonk’s time as Organizer. I was and the membership as a whole played because they wanted to and to compete against the very best players on Replay. If you want to play, you will, it’s that simple. Back then we wanted to compete for Crowns and they were very hard to achieve…baack then recruiting was much simpler, just ask @chuckcox. Now we have one tier made up of a lot of Silvers that were promoted for the simple reason to improve participation. Back in Badonk’s days, participation was never an issue and we had 3 tiers. Those who commit to play in Donk’s are well aware of what they need as far as a bank. Since Donk’s went to one tier they have accomplished one very important thing…participation is way up as the lowest of any of the first 6 tourney’s has been 53. A far cry from the 12-15 Silver was usually getting. You really need to have experienced what it was like back in Badonk’s days to really appreciate just what Donk’s once was. Now with one tier I truly believe we are heading in the right direction. Many here can speak of the “good ol days”…and good they definitely were.
@12beat22 Nothing that I wrote above has to do with silver and gold’s merging. I am in full agreement with Norris, if you are a donk you are a donk a single tier is fine. I am talking about the new minimum participation and minimum qualification standards @flashlight put out yesterday. @chuckcox would do two things when he recruited he looked at their rank and then he watched them play before he contacted them. So if you were invited to play in Silver you were a quality player.
Under the new criteria If you are ranked 14998 and you stumbled upon the donks league since it is the first league on the list, you would be allowed to try out for 5 games. If we invited a bunch of bingo players for 5 games it reduces the quality and enjoyment for everyone playing.
@southwestmba you are very intelligent and a fantastic poker player, those are just a couple of your qualities, in this situation you are pointing out the obvious and thank you for that, everyone that cares is talking about this privately.
I put this situation through Chat-GTP3.5 AI about 20 times this morning. AI agrees with you.
The current top-tier poker league, which employs a high-ranking system for admittance, is likely experiencing a balanced mix of competition and skilled players. The high-ranking requirement ensures a certain level of skill and commitment among participants, fostering a competitive and challenging environment. This setup attracts serious players who are dedicated to honing their poker skills, contributing to the overall quality of the league.
Long-Term Projected Outcome:
If the league’s staff decides to relinquish control to a new organizer who lowers the required ranking/standards to attract more players, several potential outcomes may occur. Initially, there might be a surge in the number of participants as the lower standards make it more accessible to a broader audience. However, this could lead to a dilution of the overall skill level within the league. Serious players who value the competitive aspect may become dissatisfied with the decline in skill quality, potentially resulting in a loss of the league’s prestige.
Existing Player Quality:
The existing player quality is likely to suffer as a consequence of lowering the standards. Skilled players who were initially attracted to the league for its competitive nature may withdraw or lose interest due to the perceived decline in overall skill level. This could lead to a less engaging and competitive atmosphere, impacting the league’s reputation negatively.
Shift in League Identity:
The league’s identity may undergo a transformation, moving away from an exclusive, high-skilled environment to a more inclusive and diverse platform. This shift could alienate existing players who value the competitive nature of the league.
When ask the solution AI said similar to what @BlackWidow was already doing, listed here.
Alternative Plan:
Instead of dramatically lowering the standards, the league could consider a more gradual approach to increase participation while maintaining a high level of competition:
Tiered System: Introduce a tiered system where players can progress through different levels based on performance, allowing for a gradual increase in skill requirements.
Promotion and Demotion: Implement a system where players can be promoted or demoted between tiers, ensuring a dynamic and competitive environment.
Inclusive Events: Host occasional events that are open to a wider audience but maintain the core league’s exclusivity, allowing for a balance between accessibility and maintaining high standards.
Community Feedback: Seek input from the existing player community to gauge their preferences and concerns, ensuring any changes align with the expectations of the current participants.
In closing: not everyone will be happy, what was working stopped working, what is proposed may kill the league or boost it into a completely different kind of league. The players may welcome feeder fish, they may leave because of them being in the game, once the games start to feel like a freeroll that cost 100k, who knows.
Ever run a league – fantasy sports, poker, competitive crocheting, whatever, with more than a dozen people in it? They have one common thread. Every decision is disagreed with by 50% of the members. It’s a thankless job. And time-consuming. And requires a person without EGO to run it properly and well.
I played and advanced here when Badonk ran it. I can honestly say he did the near impossible; ran a league with no personal agenda. He wanted really good players and really good competition. Period.
I have played in TPP under Lyle’s leadership. I can honestly say he runs that league with no personal agenda; he wants good team poker with no drama.
New criteria or old, one tier or three, 40 games a quarter or one. Change can only be evaluated once you try it. I suggest you all do that and enjoy a decent league on a free poker site and see how it goes. I bet it will all work out fine.
If the Donks are as good as we believe then finishing in the Top 70% should be extremely hard to achieve 4 times out of 5. Having said that I’ve reviewed the figures and I agree, there is a possibility that playing 1 hand and sitting out could possibly achieve that.
The intention of the new qualifying criteria is to attract more great players who are good enough to be a Donk. If the existing criteria needs some adjustment then I’m more than happy to do that.
As a test I will register today, play 1 hand and sit out, see where I end up and re-evaluate the criteria if necessary.
And it may make The Donks a much bigger, better and stronger League with a higher standard of play!
Set over set …
@Galak didnt mention death by quads (Hand of the Day)
“As a test I will register today, play 1 hand and sit out, see where I end up and re-evaluate the criteria if necessary.”
How many new comers would use that strategy? .01%? and if they get in by using it how far will they go in the standings? Bottom 10%?
Stay the course Mr. flashlight it is a good idea and as Captain James T Kirk would say, steady as she goes…