It’s difficult to run a successful mid-major tour 

The preliminary ballots for the GPI Global Poker Awards were sent around last week and when I got to the ‘Mid-Major Tour’ category, I stopped to dwell on its importance. The upper echelon of poker gets most of the fanfare, grassroots recreational poker is the lifeblood of the game, but there is this crucial in-between tier in which both enthusiastic recreationals and grinder professionals exist. 

It’s difficult to run a successful mid-major tour for a number of reasons. You need to find nice but affordable destinations. You need to build partnerships with local operators. You don’t want to skimp on dealers and floor staff because that’s a surefire way to put off the players. 

needs to attract an online partner to run satellites but it might still be expected to cover guarantees

An operator at that level can’t afford to sink too much money into advertising and promotion so it needs a good ground game when it comes to social media, Facebook groups, forums and other ways to communicate with the players. It probably needs to attract an online partner to run satellites but it might still be expected to cover guarantees. 

In short, the overheads eat into the majority of the registration fees. The margins are slim. There’s plenty of inherent risk. The established tours have earned their status. Their owners and staff have put in the hard yards. 

Europe boasts several excellent mid-majors

In the US, everyone raves about the Run Good Series (RGS) and they have won the GPI award a record three times. RGS CEO Tana Karn seems like a shrewd operator who knows his customers and treats them well. I had the pleasure of interviewing RGS Vice-President Hayley Hochstetler last year and it is obvious that she is focused on player experience too.

On this side of the pond, there are several excellent tours. The revitalized Pokerstars regional tours are a welcome addition to the schedule but they were a mixed bag last year, some hitting big numbers while others flattered to deceive. The Grosvenor UK Poker Tour (GUKPT) seems to go from strength to strength each year with record-breaking fields. 

It would seem as if corners must be cut but that is never the sense you get at UDSOs

Another mid-major tour worthy of note is the Unibet Deepstack Open (UDSO), run by veteran Alex Henry, which differentiates itself by having a €550 ($598) Main Event. If a €1,100 ($1,196) tour struggles to wipe its feet in Europe, imagine how hard it is to run festivals on half the fees. It would seem as if corners must be cut but that is never the sense you get at UDSOs. Quite the contrary in fact. The locations are beautiful, the dealers are superb, and the tournament structures are actually better than the vast majority of €1,100 buy-in Main Events. 

Q&A with Unibet Deepstack Open’s Alex Henry 

This week, I sat down for a chat with Alex Henry of UDSO to discuss his plans for his tour’s 15th season.

David Lappin: Congratulations on making it to Season 15. Looking back on the 14 years, were there ever any times when the tour struggled, maybe in the early days? 

Alex Henry: Thanks a lot! While I wouldn’t call it a struggle, we certainly faced two big challenges. I created the DSO tour when I was the live events manager for the online poker room Chillipoker. In 2012, when that company closed down, Alex Dreyfus, its CEO, kindly asked me if I wanted to keep working with him on other projects, develop the tour, or try something else. 

the tour got through this period thanks to the players who showed support and loyalty

I was really attached to the tour, but we had to find a business model just after Black Friday, in a period when land based casinos were not really interested in medium level buy-in poker events. Luckily, the tour got through this period thanks to the players who showed support and loyalty for a brand that valued good structures at a lower price point. 

The second challenge was during COVID times when no live events were possible for almost two years. We could have definitely not have survived that period without Unibet who committed their unflinching support to us. 

DL: Your tour has grown year-on-year to the point now where some of the events are really big. Do you now think of these big ones as flagship events? 

AH: Yes, definitely there are some events that are different from the others: big ones like Paris, Malta, and Annecy. They are untouchable but there are also smaller stops that are really important for local community like San Remo or Gujan Mestres (both 450 entries in average). Last year, we also had the UDSO Marrakech for the first time and I am happy to say that we have renewed that collaboration for next September. 

DL: What new place are you going to in 2024 and why did you choose it? 

AH: The main new location for 2024 is Barcelona! I think that this stage will take place from June 13 to 16 but the event will be officially announced very soon. I’m also thrilled to announce a new partnership with The Hendon Mob Championship. From January 29 to February 5, we will be in Liechtenstein for a UDSO Cup. The Cups have a lower price point but nonetheless, Unibet.com will be hosting dedicated online satellites for it. I’m very hopeful that we will have more partnerships with The Hendon Mob this year.

DL: For the last few years, you have sponsored the Malta Poker Festival (MPF) – one of the two big home grown poker brands on the island where you live. What do you think you and DSO have brought to that particular event? 

AH: We started to work with MPF in the first year after the COVID lockdowns. Even though the brand is young, Ivonne Montealegre and the Portomaso casino manage to get a lot of attention for the Festival, enticing a lot of different partners who all contribute to the massive attendance. 

It is also a policy that we don’t allow the tournament to drop below a 25 big blind average

I bring my experience and the values of the UDSO brand which I believe helps with some of the finer details. For example, we changed the structure, introducing our 50k stack with 50 minute levels. It is also a policy that we don’t allow the tournament to drop below a 25 big blind average. In my opinion, that can really make the difference at key moments in the tournament. In terms of promotion, I am grateful to Unibet.fr & Unibet.com who both run online satellites all year long for packages and tickets that can be used in Malta.  

DL: As someone who has played quite a few DSO festivals, what impresses me is the structure that you have created at a very reasonable price point. Most €500 ($544) tournaments are very fast with players making the money on Day 1. Why is it important to you to give the players a better playing experience? 

AH: Thanks a lot and yes, you are right… we always envisaged the UDSO events as having playable structures that can be enjoyed by both amateurs and professionals. I am always looking to make sensible changes and keep with what works for the majority of players and as such I made the decision to modify the structure by removing the 100/200 level and creating  a double level at 1000/1500.  

DL: For ten years, your tour has been sponsored by the french facing side of Unibet Poker but in more recent years, you have been running satellites on the .com client too, which seem to be very popular. What has that continued sponsorship meant to you?

AH: I really couldn’t dream of a better partner than Unibet for the DSO. Their slogan ‘By players for players’ could also be the UDSO mantra! When we started working together ten years ago, we used to qualify two to three players per week. Those days, more than ten players win a ticket or a package each week. This makes a big difference because you really get to know the regular online players who accumulates live tickets, plus there are always new amateur players showing up who are discovering the thrill of live for the first time. 

DL: Finally, I want to ask you about the DSO Belt. As a child of the 90s, I watched a lot of WWE. Why did you choose this and what is the response of players to a perpetual belt instead of a perpetual trophy?

AH: I found it hard to find something representative of the brand for a long time but then in 2018, we introduced the Champion’s Belt. It immediately resonated. Coming out on top after 34 hours of playing cards meant that you had been through a proper battle. After a few photos with the perpetual belt, we take it back but always engrave the winners’ name on it. They also get to bring home their own Champion Belt. Most of the comments from players and people in the industry are positive so that tells me that it’s a good idea. 

Upcoming UDSO events can be viewed on their website. The UDSO Cup will be held in the Portomaso Casino in Malta from January 25-28. The UDSO Aix De Provence will be from February 27-March 4. The Malta Poker Festival Main Event, sponsored by UDSO, will take place from April 22-29.