The release of a new format of poker tournaments called Savage Average is anticipated. Matt Savage, head of the WPT and a six-time nominee…
The release of a new format of poker tournaments called Savage Average is anticipated. Matt Savage, head of the WPT and a six-time nominee for inclusion in the Poker Hall of Fame, presents an innovative approach by foregoing traditional blind level increases. The reaction of the poker community to this novelty is of interest.
In Savage Average, blinds are regulated based on the size of the average stack and automatically increase when the average stack falls below the set value of the Big Blind.
Matt Savage, director of American poker tournaments and executive director of the World Poker Tour, offers the following key advantages of the new format:
- Stable average stack depth: Elimination of the need for additional tournament hours.
- Late registration ends within set time frames, not before a certain level.
- Breaks can be taken until a certain time, not until the end of a level.
- Accelerated removal of low-denomination chips (color-ups) for all players at the table.
Savage also expressed several other advantages of this format, sharing his thoughts on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
According to Matt Savage, the new concept will be tested at Thunder Valley Casino in Lincoln in March. The tournament with a $570 buy-in will be held as part of the WPT Rolling Thunder festival with a guaranteed prize pool of $50,000.
This idea has sparked discussion in the poker community: some approve, while others express caution, fearing that such an approach may provoke excessive caution among players and increase the duration of tournaments.
As with any new ideas, the real effectiveness of Savage Average will only become clear after testing in real conditions and after the poker community gives its final assessment. Perhaps this concept will become a new standard in the world of tournament poker or find its place in the schedule of major poker festivals.
