Slow Play - A Rant

SeaRun

SeaRun

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OK, first off, I'll make it clear I'm not talking about a player who gets disconnected, I'm not talking about a player who is thinking about calling a raise or a shove, I'm talking about players playing more tables than they can handle without everyone else waiting for them.

A month and a half ago, I was in two $2.50 X 180 player Turbo N'nGs. I was unlucky enough to be at a table on both tourneys with 2 of the same players, one who was playing at 21 tables and the other was playing 30+. Every hand, EVERY hand, both tables, we had to wait on these players and do nothing but watch their timers.

That night I started a discussion with PS Support regarding slow play, and after a long time of going back and forth, I basically got nowhere.

Now, recently I was in the same format, and had the luck of being at another fantastic table for an extended period.

Here was the layout and situation:

We were about lvl 7 in blinds, so it was getting expensive. To my left was a player who had disconnected early and was sitting out. The next 6 players were all "showing off their timers" each and EVERY hand, without fail. Sometimes they timed out, and then seconds later would be back, before the next hand. To my right was the Tourney chip leader with about 4X my stack, and every round was raising into me. Never once did I have the cards to call him, and of course each round, he's stealing my, and "Sleepy" to my right, blinds. At least 15 minutes this went on, when mercifully I got sent to another table.

Now, in a live game, you know action will be very slow, and you won't see nearly as many hands as you would on-line, but you know that and are prepared going in.

However, there's reasons I play Turbo tourneys on-line, and probably for much the same reasons others play that format. Those reasons do not include watching people's timers waiting for them to finish making decisions as a couple of dozen other tables before ours comes up in the queue.

I've learned to take bad beats in stride, they're part of the game. I've learned cards go cold occasionally and you can basically blind out of a tourney at times wothout seeing anything premium in your hand, but that changes. However, I actually get bent out of shape when watching people's timers for extended periods, I just can't let that go. And in my opinion, it SHOULD NOT be something I need to worry about.

Now, I'd like to read opinions on all sides of this matter. Do you agree with me? Maybe you're one of the people who causes this stress and you think I'm full of bulls**t and should go play Farmville or something? Maybe you don't give a damn one way or the other?

<rant off> Thanks for reading.
 
Carl Trooper

Carl Trooper

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I agree. It is VERY frustrating.

Although I can't play on stars.. I do remember the same thing. I wish they would limit it to a certain amount of table if it is causing the 30 seconds EVERY hand. It isn't fair to other players. And clearly every move PF does not require 30 seconds to think about.

Raise...Reraise... Guy has 6-2 but he is on 30 other tables... so now you wait longer for him to fold.
 
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SpookMBluffwell

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YE$SSSS!!

I know exactly what your talking about!! I cannot stand it when someone is simply playing FAR to many tables at a time...to the point where they are running the timer out almost every hand just becxause they cant keep up!! NOTHING is more annoying!
 
wanderingthehall

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Since I'm a US player, I don't remember how their setup was. I like it when they have a shorter time, maybe 20 sec to act and then if you need longer you have a separate time bank you can activate, but that time bank has a cap and doesn't replenish, or only has time added every hour.

As far as PS response, they aren't going to care what you say, because those guys are generating 15x the rake you are.

I have a very short attention span while playing online, so when I'm in your situation I just play more tables or mess around on the poker forums.
 
SeaRun

SeaRun

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Since I'm a US player, I don't remember how their setup was. I like it when they have a shorter time, maybe 20 sec to act and then if you need longer you have a separate time bank you can activate, but that time bank has a cap and doesn't replenish, or only has time added every hour.

True, but that still leaves 10 or 20 secs for each player with their timer going.

As far as PS response, they aren't going to care what you say, because those guys are generating 15x the rake you are.

Trust me, they're getting more than that off them than me, and I know that I probably wouldn't get any satisfaction out of them, but I enjoyed the conversation with the guy and actually showed him where he proved my points.

I have a very short attention span while playing online, so when I'm in your situation I just play more tables or mess around on the poker forums.

Play more tables = Lowering my skill level at each table, and if several tables of mine have good pockets, I'm doing the same thing to other players as they are, which I won't do..

In a nutshell, if player is playing 20 tables and is slow on each, that's 160 players (minus others who are doing the same so don't care) he's affecting.
 
imtheman

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Sorry for the rant, but seriously, if you flop the nut flush, how many of you slow-play it and how many of you try to pick up the pot right there?
 
domeburglar

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This problem is soo much worse playing live sometimes.. There is no time clock.. So youll get the guys "thinking" for 2-3 minutes.. The worst is when someone gets caught trying to bluff and then they tank like its a tough decision to fold.. We all know ur gunna fold, just save us the time and move on to the next hand
 
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1blanqueanu1

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Well, the timer is a tool that will provide rooms to give you time to think when you got to make such tough decisions or jugas multiple tables.
Maybe I can annoy people to use the timer, but it is something you have to give people, I mean to have the timer, and it is not eternal, I mean after a few seconds or minutes reaches zero, then there is a time limit.
In fact there are people who utuiliza timer as strategy, either to make time and make it someone removed, either to displease others or whatever, I think it is not good to complain about something that is mandatory to have to play
 
Poker Orifice

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Sorry for the rant, but seriously, if you flop the nut flush, how many of you slow-play it and how many of you try to pick up the pot right there?
He read the thread, lol.:stupido2:
 
Q

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That doesn't only happen when a player plays more that 1 table or even near the bubble. Some players just like being that rude. Of course you got nowhere when talking to 'support' because as there is such thing as a 'time clock' means its not possible to break timer rules. So yes, they're within the sites rules. Its really a bummer that the majority finds themselves at a table with one so self centered and disrespectful of the pace. It really removes a lot of the fun. So thus I'm trying to teach myself how to remain cheerful though these bummers.
 
SeaRun

SeaRun

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Well, the timer is a tool that will provide rooms to give you time to think when you got to make such tough decisions or jugas multiple tables.
Maybe I can annoy people to use the timer, but it is something you have to give people, I mean to have the timer, and it is not eternal, I mean after a few seconds or minutes reaches zero, then there is a time limit.
In fact there are people who utuiliza timer as strategy, either to make time and make it someone removed, either to displease others or whatever, I think it is not good to complain about something that is mandatory to have to play

The bolded part of your post is exactly the point of the timer, I think. Maybe it was put in there for those to multi-table to the extreme as well, I don't know.

However, when it's abused (as Quasimodo says below), it's unfortunate, and like Quasi, I'm also trying to learn to not let it bother me. I've been successful in learning to accept bad beats and laugh at 'em, because I know it's a part of the game we love and also, at times, I'm on the good side of the bad beats.

That doesn't only happen when a player plays more that 1 table or even near the bubble. Some players just like being that rude. Of course you got nowhere when talking to 'support' because as there is such thing as a 'time clock' means its not possible to break timer rules. So yes, they're within the sites rules. Its really a bummer that the majority finds themselves at a table with one so self centered and disrespectful of the pace. It really removes a lot of the fun. So thus I'm trying to teach myself how to remain cheerful though these bummers.

Well said!:beer:
 
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dasher

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This problem is soo much worse playing live sometimes..
It may happen live on a few occasions, but if a player repeatedly stalls, the dealer should be asking him to step it up. Talk to the manager if it keeps happening.

No way, this problem should be worse live. Find a different place to play if it is.
 
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Cleobulle

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I don't really mind people playing too many tables, they usually don't play their A-game. What I don't like are players letting time go in large tournaments involving leaderboards, just hoping action (and eliminations) continue on the other tables.
 
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stlbluesfan

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I'm on your side on this one, its very annoying. I have played 3 tables at a time some but can't imagine more than that because I would just be timing out on at least some of them. I understand that they aren't bringing their best under those circumstances and now and then you can steal some chips because they time out but I would rather maintain a nice pace to the game.
 
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IvanShovski

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I agree that these massive multi-tablers can be quite annoying but you should find some consolation in the fact that they are quite easy to exploit. They typically play a very limited range of hands and do not want to get too involved in post-flop play. These players will tend to fold to your raises more frequently then they probably should.
 
IPlay

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I agree it is very annoying.

As for this "Sometimes they timed out, and then seconds later would be back, before the next hand. To my right was the Tourney chip leader with about 4X my stack, and every round was raising into me. Never once did I have the cards to call him, and of course each round, he's stealing my, and "Sleepy" to my right, blinds. At least 15 minutes this went on, when mercifully I got sent to another table."

Why don't you try 3 betting light and defend your blinds and maybe he will back off a little.
 
wanderingthehall

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This problem is soo much worse playing live sometimes.. There is no time clock.. So youll get the guys "thinking" for 2-3 minutes.. The worst is when someone gets caught trying to bluff and then they tank like its a tough decision to fold.. We all know ur gunna fold, just save us the time and move on to the next hand

You may not have a physical timer ticking away, but live you can call the clock on a player. I don't play at high enough levels to have much experience with this. I'm assuming at higher levels tournaments/poker rooms have established times they will give a person to make a decision. The couple of times I've seen it happen the poker room manager basically came over and made a call along the lines of "I'm giving you 2 more minutes to act." And then sticks around, if the player doesn't make a decision in 2 min, the manager declares his hand dead.
 
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