on-line poker

[Trader333]

I am looking at using Betfair because I already have an account with them and they do tournaments that are well priced, does anyone else have a view on them ?


Paul

 

[Bigbusiness]

I am looking at using Betfair because I already have an account with them and they do tournaments that are well priced, does anyone else have a view on them ?


Paul

There is a good review here http://www.pokerlistings.com/betfair-poker

I played there for a while and their cash games are OK but I didn't like the tournaments, as the blind structure was designed for speed and I felt that didn't suit my game.

Before signing up, it is worth looking in to rake back. This is one site that I have used and they have a deal for Betfair http://www.rakeback.co.uk/betfair.htm

 

[Pat494]

I have the poker academy programme on order so that should "ginger" up my game a bit. Had a poor run recently and dropped back to the bottom table again. I think it is because I have been chasing marginal cards such as middle pairs, king eight, etc. getting into a betting frenzy and losing to better hands.
One player couldn't lose ! He had pocket Aces twice in three hands ??
Maybe his Dad owns the joint ?

 

[PKFFW]

I once had pocket A's 5 times in a single table sng tourney! I kept showing them even when everyone folded cause I just couldn't believe I had gotten them again!

 

[Bigbusiness]

Found this poker site that pays back all the rake. Seemed too good to be true at first but I suppose they get interest from all the money deposited and extra traffic for their sports gambling site. The number of players is quite low at the moment but I am sure that will change when people realise how much they can save playing there.

http://www.worldpokerexchange.com/norake.asp

 

[Pat494]

Poker Academy has arrived and I've had a few goes on it. It looks VERY good. Just what one needs to improve one's game without losing any more dosh !!

 

[Pat494]

Found this poker site that pays back all the rake. Seemed too good to be true at first but I suppose they get interest from all the money deposited and extra traffic for their sports gambling site. The number of players is quite low at the moment but I am sure that will change when people realise how much they can save playing there.

http://www.worldpokerexchange.com/norake.asp

BB
Interesting concept - no rake.
I've just had a look at the website and it looks OK, but I couldn't see what the minimum stakes are without joining. Perhaps you might know ?
Have you applied the - can I get my money out again test ?
Thx
Pat

 

[Bigbusiness]

BB
Interesting concept - no rake.
I've just had a look at the website and it looks OK, but I couldn't see what the minimum stakes are without joining. Perhaps you might know ?
Have you applied the - can I get my money out again test ?
Thx
Pat

The minimum stakes are 10/20 cent. Might be a while before I take money out, as I had a bit of trouble with the last hand I was going to play before cashing out.

I was using some of the profit I made last week with pokerstars. Sod's law struck as I was dealt 10,10, the flop came down 10,J,2 so I raised. One other player re-raised, so I thought he was probably on a draw and went all-in. He called with KQ, hoping to hit his straight and of course it arrived on the river. Don't feel bad about it, as I had the money in with the best hand but I will have to make some more profit on another site to deposit again. That will teach me to manage my bankroll properly

 

[Bigbusiness]

Here's some stats for my nl cash games, mainly against the Xenbots, in poker academy. Not enough hands to be significant yet but I have started playing this tight in real games and have been doing a lot better than when I was playing more hands. Still find it hard to hit the fold button so often but it is nice to make money from cash games for a change

 

[Pat494]

A seemingly trivial but I think important point I have learned the hard way is for a beginner to stay in the bigger games and find another game if there are less than 7 players.
Quite a few times i have hardly noticed the other players drifting off and been left " eyeball to eyeball " with what turned out to be a very competent shark. Needless to say I must have seemed like a tasty snack for the predator.

Great programme on TV last night - perhaps you saw it. The Hendon mob ( top international poker players ) got set up for a scam and were Conned completely by the team.

 

[Bigbusiness]

This might be nice, for those that don't like using their own money. Dreampoker are giving $10 free when you sign up to play at their site. Had a go on the 5/10 cent NL tables and I now have $28 I did this once with a free £10 and took it up to £260 before loosing the lot on one hand, so I will be a bit more careful this time.

It is a Prima network site and shouldn't have any problems. There is a review of the site here www.pokernews.com/dream-poker/

 

[Trader333]

Do any of you play the tournaments where your maximum loss is limited by the fee to join ?

If so what is your view of them ?


Paul

 

[roberk]

I"ve played thousands. The rake is excessive, the main advathage is that you have a fixed loss - like buying options.

 

[Bigbusiness]

Do any of you play the tournaments where your maximum loss is limited by the fee to join ?

If so what is your view of them ?


Paul

Up until recently, I found them easier to make money than cash tables. The blinds increasing makes the game more interesting and the single table tournaments usually last less than an hour, so you know how long you will be playing. The multi-table tournaments can go on for several hours.

I prefer the poker sites that move the blinds up slowly, as the fast blind structure is hard to play when you don't get good cards. VCpoker and Pokerstars have a good blind structure, the Prima sites are a bit too fast for my liking.

I"ve played thousands. The rake is excessive, the main advathage is that you have a fixed loss - like buying options.

I presume you mean the tounament fee? There are some sites that don't charge too much and www.worldpx.com currently refund all entry fees.

 

[Bigbusiness]

I was struggling a bit today in a cash game and was just about to give up when I flopped quad 10's. I only held one 10 and the other 3 were on the flop. I think the odds of this happening are 9799/1. The odds on getting paid for that hand are also slim, as most players don't like betting in to a flop like that. I played it slow but thought I might as well go all-in on the river, to try and make it look like a bluff. It worked, as the other player in from the flop called me and I won the $137 pot. Must be my lucky day

 

[PKFFW]

Trader333 if you are just learning poker I think tournaments are the way to go. As BB said, if you can find some that raise the blinds at a slowish rate then you can potentially play 50-60 hands or more at a single table sng tourney all for the buy in fee. This is a great way to see lots and lots of hands without risking too much. It also has the advantage of getting you used to a tournament structure so if you do get good and eventually want to enter live tourneys you know what to expect.

The psychology of tourneys compared to cash games is like short term trading is to investing. Totally different. So once you have the fundamentals of the game down you may want to specialise in one or the other. Until then I reckon the tourneys are the best ground for learning.

Cheers,
PKFFW

 

[Bigbusiness]

This was nice today. I flopped the Ace high straight and the other player tried to force me to fold. The second king on the turn was a bit worrying, as there was a possible full house that beat my straight but he took a long time on the river and then bet $64. It just didn't feel like he had a hand that could beat the straight and I thought he was on the hearts flush draw and missed, so I called. Lucky I did

Not quite sure what he was doing calling my pre-flop raise with that hand and the bet on the river was a bit desperate, as he could only beat a bluff. Will have to try and play him again.

 

[Pat494]

Beats 9-5 and it seems that not all the people at the lowest tables are "fish" - just the people betting small with what little they have (left) !!

 

[Trader333]

Not quite sure what he was doing calling my pre-flop raise with that hand and the bet on the river was a bit desperate

Yes the world is full of idiots and well done on capitalising on this.

Also thanks to everyone who is replying to my questions. Although I havent yet played internet poker I have played a lot since a child in normal table games.


Paul

 

[Bigbusiness]

Yes the world is full of idiots and well done on capitalising on this.

Also thanks to everyone who is replying to my questions. Although I havent yet played internet poker I have played a lot since a child in normal table games.


Paul

Hi Paul,

Poker is a bit like trading. 90% of players loose or break even but it is possible to make money by working harder at it than they do. I found tournaments were profitable right from the start but I have struggled with cash games. Hope I am now consistently profitable at them as well but still have a long time to go before I am certain.

I have found Poker Tracker is an excellent software package to monitor other players and to analyse my own play. Poker Academy is a good simulator and while not the same as real play, it does provide a good way of practising without having to use money.

Rakeback and bonus money can also make the difference between winning and loosing. There is a good guide to some of the rakeback sites here.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showthreaded.php?Cat=0&Number=3722865&an=0&page=0