I love the Gauntlet but think that it is flawed in certain areas. Here's a few idea for discussion.....
Problems with the Gauntlet
1. The specialty games have too few players.
Those that want to play these, or those that feel compelled to play these (to get their quota of games in) suffer as the positions they finish in are worth fewer points. It is also possible that others may avoid these in order to improve their chances of increasing their end of season points total. They may not feel good enough to play and do well but they will also know that a low turnout for these is likely.
2. The games towards the end of the season have too few players.
This benefits those who played more at the start of the season as the positions they finish are worth more points. They also have more opportunity to get their quota of games in.
3. Not enough people complete their quota of games - the league could be more competitive.
Possible Solutions
1. Create seperate side tournaments for the specialty games (like the Heads-Up Championship) and keep the Gauntlet
to NLHE with the occasional 6-max and maybe one HU. Ultimately, the majority are more interested in NLHE so this should keep numbers up.
2. Have just 12 dates, one each Sunday. E.g. One on Sunday afternoon and that's it - no early and late game. This should concentrate the number of participants every week and everyone will know when it is. I would also be in favour of scrapping the best x scores idea though this isn't strictly in relation to the problems listed above.
3. Having more people completing their quota may be tackled in part by the above points but something that could run in conjunction with the email reminders is a weekly recurring commune/STT/MTT thread highlighting that a gauntlet game is coming up.
What do people think? Any other thoughts? These are just some ideas that I've had - I don't pretend to have all the answers. Comments are very welcome from all but especially from Gauntlet regs.