Hi CardsChat , want to ask something about my play at Poker Stars & Bodog

Hi CardsChat community. I have visited this site regularly, usually before go to bed to learn about poker, and decided to register as a member 2 days ago (at a special date 20.10.2010). I want to ask member's opinion here. At first time, I use Poker Stars as my playing field, but it seems I never got a decent card to play with, for example, in 1000 hands I played, maybe only 5 times I got premium hands like AA AK KK AQ QQ. So the result is I spent $38 and only have less than a buck left for now. First, deposit $10 and bust, second deposit another $10 and bust, third deposit $10 and bust, last deposit $18 going up to $20 and bust. Tired with this, I try to looking a new playing field and choose Bodog. I deposit $20 at Oct 10, 2010 and my bankroll now stay at $94.88 with around 2500 hands played. What I noticed is I found it easier to get premium hands at Bodog rather than Poker Stars. Any comment would be appreciated & sorry for my bad grammar as English is not my first language.

Bodog is a much softer site as far as the players go. I find it easy to build a bank roll there.
At the expense of sounding like a rigtard, I will say I seem to run card dead at PS and choose to mostly play at FT.

It is no easier to get premium hands at Bodog than at Pokerstars - so don't let that be your deciding factor. Cards at dealt randonly at both sites - so your chances of getting AA, KK, etc are the same at both sites.

Choose your site based on the playing field, game selection, software, etc.

I built my first bankroll playing exclusively at Bodog and Everest Poker. They are both much softer than Pokerstars, which may be one of the main reasons you're seeing success.

Having played for a few years at Bodog, I can tell you from experience, that you don't get more premium hands there. It's as random as the next site.

Thank you for the kind responses & apologize for posting at wrong section also thank you for moving this thread

Yeah, maybe it's not easier to get good hands, just softer. I am consider to withdraw some money from my bankroll at Bodog and looking for other site as my second choice (not Poker Stars at the moment). What do you recommend? Full Tilt? I'm new at Poker District (lol) so I only knew major sites like Poker Stars and Full Tilt, so other recommendation would be appreciated

If you are not going to play at Pokertstars then Full Tilt is your next best option in my opinion.

What games do you play?

I play cash games $0.02/$0.05 (lowest stake available at Bodog) most of the time with buy in $1.50 and combine it with $2 + $0.20 Beginner Tournament SnG which pays 5 places. Sometimes I also play DoN but it's a little bit risky because against BRM (at Bodog, the lowest one is $7 + $0.70 or $7.50 + $0.50 turbo). Which wrong from this for my play? I am open to listen any suggestion here

Make sure before you sign up to another site, you check out the rakeback options.

I'd suggest taking a look at non-US sites, assuming you're not based in the US (I'm guessing Japan based on your username).

If you're free to play anywhere, take a look at Everest Poker, a Microgaming skin like Ladbrokes Poker, or a Boss Media skin like Paradise Poker.

If you're playing $0.02/$0.05 cash games, you'll find decent action on pretty much any online poker room. I'd guess you'll probably have the same problems on Full Tilt that you were having on Pokerstars, because both those sites are pretty competitive.

If you want to help out the people running Cardschat, you can use the links found here to signup to any of those sites, http://www.cardschat.com/announcement.php?f=57 (http://www.cardschat.com/announcement.php?f=57)

Hope that helps.

Also check out Titan if you are not in the US, it is pretty popular.

Thank you PooffyFooffy, I will search about rakeback on this forum

@JMcCabe
Thank you for the suggestion, talking about Microgaming, I remember something. A few months ago I deposit money on a sportsbook which also have a poker room (Microgaming) and I lost a lot at that time. Actually, Everest Poker looks interesting for me, maybe I need to add that to the options for my second playing field.

Update : My bankroll climb to $108.18

One funny moment with Bodog, a few days ago I play DoN, suddenly my connection drop for more than 20 minutes, I lost hope but when I can re-join table, I'm still there with only 100 chips, go all in for next 3 hands, all won, back to 1400 chips or around (I forget the exact number) and won!

Edit : sorry if I'm not reply PM, I tried but it said I can't do that until reach 10 posts

Glad to help.

Bodog and Everest were always good to me. Congrats on the DoN comeback.

Microgaming is one I've never played on extensively, but I keep hearing they're soft from friends who play there. If you were losing there though, maybe it's not as soft as I've heard.

Good luck wherever you choose to play!

If you do sign up at Full Tilt, use the Cards Chat forum link, and then got to www.rakebackpros.com and sign up there for rakeback. You will be glad you did.

Okay, I have spent last 2 days searching CardsChat forum about rakeback at FTP, but I don't think I'm understanding it fully.

My conclusion so far is to get rakeback I need 3rd party poker site which offers rakeback (rakeback is not an official program from FTP which every new member automatically get?), am I right about this?

Second, I tried to search rakeback affiliates on google, and I found so many different sites, I dont know which one I need to choose or what is the difference between 1 affiliate and another.

@JMcCabe
Yes thank you for your help, but dont get it wrong, I play without any knowledge or strategy when I try microgaming poker, so maybe that is the reason why I lose

@TheKAAHK
From many affiliate I looking for at google, looks like rakebackpros is the best I can choose, am I right?

Bankroll update : $112.09
Initial deposit : $20

Have a great Sunday, CC

You're right, you must use an affiliate to get rakeback, and rakebackpros is about the best there is.
I learned about RBP this from this thread:

http://www.cardschat.com/f10/endless...r-sites-181097

Rackbackpros is the official rakeback site run by Full Tilt, so you'll never have to worry about them disappearing on you. They're the best choice.

If i was to join Full tilt, should i open an account at Fulltilt first or rakebakpros first

Fulltilt first then when you start to create your account write RAKEBACKPROS in the referral code box.I got this info here towards the bottom of the page.
http://www.rakebackpros.com/

I would suggest you not hurry to another site. You are doing good at bodog. Wait until you can withdraw a decent amount and still have a good Bankroll at bodog.

Do not hurry this along to much.

Thanks JOE

Oh and as dj says, stick to Bodog if your winning.

Poker Stars is one of the best rooms.Cards are random everywhere.I started without deposit on Stars.I won 0.22$ on freeroll and now I have 100$.Play carefully and you will win.

From my experience it did not matter, I signed up for ft with no affiliate, and 2 years later signed up for rakebackpros, and it was fine.
Joe's info might be faster though, I did have to wait a bit.

Here is my stats for 1000 hands I played at Bodog, honestly I don't know if it's good, decent, or bad. I'm all open to critics, so please give me your opinion so I can do better in next time



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Here is my stats for 3000 hands I played at Bodog (I forget to take a screenshot at 2000 hands)



@dj11
Thank you for your suggestion, yes so far I had a good experience with Bodog (except for their connection issues). I'll follow your advice to not in hurry to try bigger & tougher playing field

@vagas35
Yeah for now I'll stick with Bodog, in the mean time I keep reading all info I need about rakeback at FTP. Do you play at Bodog also?

@ljove
Honestly, I love Poker Stars, but don't know why I cannot make profit from them (or break even). Talking about $0.22 that's my exact valance at PS now!

Bankroll update : $121.89
Poker Points : 144 (it should be 204, but I used for buy in 30 points 2 times)
Initial Deposit : $20

onizuka i play most of my poker at Pokerstars and a little at Titan. I have a brother who plays on a lot of different sites, and finds Bodog very fishy.

Fish=money

Run a good sessions last night & this morning, at first trying to compete at 100K cheap seat but lose (buy in $1), after that running 2 table DoN $7.50 turbo and cash them all, then this morning on cash table, I found 1 player who play very loose, always all-in and not stop add chips to table, manage to get profit from that player.

Bankroll update : US$ 144.92

vagas35, how is your experience with Titan? are the players tough or "beatable" ? I'm not from US, so Titan is in my open list too

Good advice here. Patience is a virtue in poker.

My opinion of Titan.
Micro SNG - not busy enough.. not enough games running on there. Fields have a few gd players on each table, & some real bad ones too. I really don't like waiting around for a game to start up though & find that one needs to wait at the $10 buyin level before they fill up. (I'd think it'd be easier to run into colluding players because of this too... although I haven't played enough sng on Titan to notice it).

Micro & low buyin MTT > $5- $33, decent tourneys (some decent structure in the moderately higher buyins)... playing field size is ~100-200 at $20-$30 buyins... and closer to 300-900 in the lower ones (during peak hrs.).

Cash tables (micro) - I haven't played that much ring game on Titan but the bit I have played I find it's looser play than on Fulltilt. I've heard that some others do decently on Titan (ie. Zorba wins on there... so what's that tell ya?.. just kiddin' "Z").

Software is decent enough on Titan these days (not always the case imo... used to kinda suck).
Currently it's 3rd on my list of picks for poker sites (but that depends on what games you play.. and what you're looking for). Me.. it's MTTs. I prefer Fulltilt > Stars > Titan.

Poker Orifice, thank you for your review about Titan, that low traffic made me think twice because right now at Bodog, I am bored to waiting table filled at SnG or DoN, so maybe FTP is the best choice but still need to read more about the rakeback structure and meanwhile do my best to grow my bankroll at Bodog

A question, yesterday I read at other forum about PokerTableRatings, I'm curious and try to open that site, with more curiosity I type my Bodog's screen name and click search, wow I almost jump out from my chair looking all my statistic is there is that a legal site? how can we see other player's stats so easily with only typing their screen name?

(I'm new at Poker, so maybe my question about PTR make you laugh, but I just knew it yesterday and really surprise)

No one is gonna laugh at you for that question, especially when you state being new at poker. Its really ok to ask any question ----- well, most anyway lol ---.
cant answer positively if it is legal, although I am assuming it is, but it is widely known by most players.. It is viewed differently by different players, but many players use PTR and many are outed by PTR. Its probably something you will eventually look at, not only simply because everyone else is. PTR is a controversial site for a lot of people. They have done a great service to the Poker community at times by exposing cheating in certain places. They also will sell hand histories which many players are very irritated or angered by, as it creates a very unfair advantage (except those I guess with so much money that the can buy em all....)

It is, however, a reality, so you will just have to accept it, no matter what you think of it.

AKAIK, it is only cash games. But am not 100% sure.

Yes, PTR is only cash games.

But there are a number of pretty famous sites that track SNGs and MTTs. Some are subscription based, though there are a few free ones as well.

Just want to share some story about my session today, I don't know why but I play way more loose than usually, the result is I am down $22. After that I leave table, try to find another table and different players, going well at start, find people that keep raise on me hoping that I fold my card, then I got my good card, he keep raise on me, after all community card shown, I go all in, and surprisingly he called that, and I won, so my stack at table climb to around $20 from $7.50 buy in.



With $20 (still down around $6), next hand I got and I just call without raise, next player raise $2.00 with , other fold, and last player go all in with ($17.00)usually I fold my hand, but this time don't know why I think I can win this hand, I'm thinking a lot until timer almost do auto-fold, then in my heart I say "My not gonna do any good, but my gonna steal something on river, then decision come, I go all in ($20.60), and surprise person who raise $2.00 go all in too!!

In my heart, I said "good, this gonna make me down even further" and the community card dealt


Showdown won, $57.00 in hand, and that ended my session tonight (yes, it's almost midnight here)

Sorry, I tried to convert hand history, but cannot find one that work for Bodog.

I beleive after playing on FTP and PS for a while that hands that you win on at a different site seem to come easy.....maybe it's the quality of play! I usually go to UB....I do well there after playing on FULL TILT!

onizuka, I find Titan a very nitty site to play on. I play 6max cash micro. I think the site is one of the larger European rooms. As Poker Orifice says the software is good, but at cash the player % at the flop is very low, i find the action quite dull. I much prefer Stars. Tho according to ptr my win rate on Titan is 16BB/100

Thank you for your kind reply and explanation, fletchdad. Do you think I need to register at PTR? or is it worth it to register as a member there?

Olddog21, I read a lot of your posts, can you teach me how to win at MTT or freeroll? everyday I play Bodog freeroll, never cash out

I read something similar about my stat at PTR, BB/100 but I dont understand how to read it need more read about basic poker

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2 days not updating my progress, now is the time, my current bankroll is US$ 190.96

initial deposit : US$ 20.00
start at : Oct 10, 2010

I am so happy with my progress so far, 18 days, turning US$20.00 to US$ 190.96 but I really need to learn more how to play at cash table, loss many times at cash table, but luckily all recovered from SnG and DoN