Different room= better/worse game quality?

fletchdad

fletchdad

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As I have stated in a few threads, I play at PKR.com. Since they dont allow US players, all the US players here wont know it, at least not the money tables. There is no real reason why I started there, I just randomly picked a room. I also play at FT, and deposited on FT and PKR, but did most of my initial playing at FT, and as I really suked, lost most of my buy in. As a result of losing, I began to try to find out why I was losing, and that lead to books, HA, and so on, which all led to better ROI. Since my BR was almost gone on FT, but still ok on PKR, I began to play mainly there. I now can play a bit higher, as I am still doing ok there. I am - and have been - working on a number of poker goals, and this will lead to a large increase in my hand volume probably around end of summer. I have an account at PS as well, no deposit yet, but when I start to increase my volume, I want to have better game selection, and it seems FT and PS have the largest volume. I hear about some sites being softer, and so on. So I have a couple of questions, you will see where I am going with this, any other comments or suggestions that are relevant are more than welcome.

What do I want to consider when trying to decide which room to play?*

Is it the site or the buy in that makes more difference in opponent skill level?

Are sites with less traffic still recommended? If so which and why?

Sites better/worse for all games, or sng better here, cash better there, mtt better somewhere else?

Thanks

Fletch

*Edit: I guess the better way to ask this questions is: Why did YOU make your choice, and what is pertinent to you in room selection?
 
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The Gent

The Gent

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For me using FT and Stars was down to volume, always having a game to play, I am impatient at times and you never wait long for a table to open up at either of the big 2.

I have played some of the lesser European sites, Everest and NoiQ and although the standard IMO is slightly worse than the main 2, the waiting time for tables is awful.

As a nice alternative I find UB have good volume and micros the fish are there, not sure at higher stakes.
 
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The Spillage

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I'm sure everyone has different experiences at different sites but here's my 2 cents. I've played a lot on the I-Poker network, at party poker, at Ultimate Bet and more recently at FT and PS. I only have limited experience playing cash games so this is in relation to sit n go's from $5 up to $20 single tables. I honestly believe that there is a significant difference in skill levels between rooms. For me, the big two - PS and FT have a higher percentage of good players than at the other 3 sites that I mention. This is especially true at the $10 and $20 levels where there are a lot of multi-tablers grinding out a living. I find the standard noticeably easier at certain non-US sites - Party Poker and I-poker are unbelievably soft at times. As a European I would encourage you to try both these sites at some point - they both have excellent traffic (not when compared to the big two, obviously, but'll you'll rarely wait too long for a game).

The problem i do have with these sites though is the absence of rakeback. So I've been playing at Full Tilt a lot recently and claiming the 27% back. My ROI is worse at FT but the rakeback helps push my profits to similar figures as at Party and I-Poker. And of course the sheer volume of traffic means I can multi table easily too.

So yeah. Not sure this really answers you're question but for me yes: sites do vary in difficulty but I find there are benefits to playing at some of the harder sites. I tend to split my time equally between Party and Full Tilt these days. I'd recommend trying out as many as you can though and finding what works for you. There's always the intial depsoit bonuses to clear too!
 
tomh7795

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pkr is the slowest site of all time. That has to be said. Full tilt and pokerstars have good volume but i would say bodog or ulimate bet because it's just a little weaker players.
 
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Grinder101

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Started on bodog, moved to stars. Really you can't go wrong with the big guys, meaning FT and PS.
 
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