Anonymous Poker: Is it good for the game?

[Bev]

Actually , if you have the choice to play a game without showing your identity - username , but still are able to use your ID , then I am for this. But only if it is a choice .
To be able to try different strategies and not get dubbed as a newbie, etc. then it may help people improve their game .

This sounds like it might be appealing to people on a short term/occasional use, rather then a regular way to play.

 

[kgilbz]

There needs to be some kind of indentification on tables while playing online poker.....making players anonymous says a lot about a site's security capability.

 

[paulinhlt]

personally I do not use HUD and play according to the situation. However, that regular player who plays above 8 screens is recommended to use HUD because you do not have time to read the players.

 

[timberwolf94]

Well I'm a horrible poker player so I would like to try it. Maybe it'll help me win. I think a lot of people know me and my style so it would be a big help, but at the same time I like to know who I'm playing against.

 

[bruno13xs]

I found very interesting article but do not know if my risk money playing because I like to know who I'm playing against me feel safe to do so

 

[lovemiscou]

I really liked our CC freerolls on Bovada, we were all anonimous and i did quite well in them, we just played against numbers, no one new who was who and to my advantage huds didn't work, I don't play with a hud. I am all for anonimous cardsroom.

 

[BentleyBoy]

The real question for me here is.... is online poker the same as live poker?

If online poker is (in todays technologically enhanced world) the same as live poker, then devices such as HUDs should be abolished, to allow online poker to be played in the same way as live poker, no need for anonymity, just abolish technological data assistance! If online poker is a different game, and I would strongly argue that it is, from live poker, then the anonymity aspect should be considered as just another crazy new format idea, just like, unfold, and six plus. If you like it, play it. If you don’t, don’t.

For years the world has sought to adapt online activity to fit the previous societal norms of real life. It doesn’t work. There is a new way of life....ONLINE.... which is different and more risky than the real world. The REAL WORL still exists, but Get used to this and changes will be easier to accept.

 

[Vorem]

This Anonymous Poker is not for me! I use programs like HM2 and I like it because I'm trying to take the game seriously.

 

[Luvart]

No, I don't like anonymous poker and I think it has some significant disadvantages in terms of the fairness and integrity of the game.

There are some poker networks that use anonymous tables, but there isn't a major network that uses them and probably never will be. IMO, the best way to go through it, is to have the permanent monikers and at the same time completely eliminate HUD from online poker rooms.

 

[sryulaw]

it makes it difficult in the first hours only, a fish can not get through a shark, I do not know why the rooms are doing it, because it does not change much, because many recreational is there to have fun and is not worried about it.

 

[akmost]

Long story short this new idea cancels the edge in the long term for those who have played against weaker opponents.

In higher stakes people play against ranges and the opponent [yes I am not a high stakes regular] and not only with their hand combination. Having watch a lot of higher stakes regulars videos on youtube/twitch like bencb789 , epiphany77 etc you will understand what I mean. Many decisions and hero calls are opponent oriented. Yes , the screen name is not the only aspect you need to take into account but is an important factor. If you are an observant player after a while you will know what your specific c/r with lead turn or river or if he is unbalances in some spots. Even in CC freerolls you can exploit those patterns if you know well your villain.

For the HUD haters I will state it once again, I don't think that every HUD user before every action look at those colorful funny numbers, and if he does so then I have to admit that he over relies on the tracking program!Biggest mistake ever IMO.

I am not against the new idea and as a poster above wrote I feel the same, even in the same session you can spot the weak from the strong.I would like to try it out at some point. Very interesting article

 

[lilu80]

Imo anonymous poker can be helpful for new players. I don't like anonymous poker, but I think everyone should have a choice what to play anonymous. Players who don't like to learn should bear the consequences of their game. Poker rooms are trying to make random poker with out skills and this is not good. I use only HUD when I play tournament with medium buy-in. Hud is useful for more tables. When we play 1 or 2 tables, I think it's better to play with observation because we will always be ready for live tournaments! Poker rooms are trying initially to help new players by creating anonymous tournaments, etc. They try to convince everyone that everyone in poker can be good regardless of whether they are learning or not. It's an illusion which attracts new players and this is the intention of anonymous poker.

 

[xbronk]

I like to study the players to give value to each one and to be able to evaluate the forms of the game, both weak and strong, that is why I prefer not to play. Anonymous Poker seems to me a disadvantage for my game

 

[wlad20082009]

I've been leaning more and more towards anonymous poker lately . I don't want the enemy to know about my game . Of course and I need information about the enemy . So it's a question of either playing blind or gathering information . It all depends on how often you play in the same tournaments with the same opponents or every time you play in other tournaments .

 

[veritasi]

i even didn't know that such thing exist, i think i'll try it if i'll have possibility, i don't use any poker program including HUD, but many of my opponents have it, and this gives them advantage

 

[57noona]

I think it will help people that don't play that much.

 

[step055]

I Think that anonymous table gives a chance to relax and play without paying attention to reputation of other players. It helps to escape pressure.

 

[PsychoVas]

Every trainer or professional poker player starts his lesson or advice with the motto: "You play the player and not the cards"!
Every book I read, every video I watched was about ranges, tendencies, LAG, TAG etc. Anonymous playing provides no information. Therefore, a serious player has no advantage. Thus he'd have to revert to a beginner's state where you play based solely on your hole cards. Anonymous tables may be good for recreational players or for relaxing. Not for anyone that takes poker seriously.
So, I am against anonymous tables, 100%. I don't mean that they have to be banned, I mean that there has to be an option to choose in what kind of table you like to play.

 

[NoPlace4U]

Ive never play in an anonymous table and i use a HUD but i would prefer them over regular tables.

 

[Pickat]

Personally I don't care for anonymous tables . I don't use a HUD but I make mental notes as I play and that's hard to do with just numbers for names and it just seems to take something from the game .

 

[hugh blair]

For the grinders in online poker, HUDs and hand histories are a great tool to help study the game, look back on past mistakes, and create profiles against "regs" or even just who you are sitting at the table with.

But some sites have done away with that completely, in and effort to protect the new or recreational player from the shark, by instituting anonymous tables. Players are typically assigned a number, and don't even display their username. But does this really protect the fish, or does it help the sharks to hide in plain site?

Read our article: Anonymous Poker - What is it? and learn about exactly what Anonymous Poker is, and what it means for the game. Are you infavor of anonymous tables, or do you prefer to keep your HUD? Come back here and share your thoughts!

Well anonymous poker could save you time trolling through mountains of pointless information when in reality a tournament is going to boil down to an AKVQQ or similar type hand and flip when blinds rise.
I would still play anonymous or not would not concern me the main hud sits on top of a persons shoulder between the two ears above the chin and under the scalp.

 

[Andrew Popov]

I think it's good for poker rooms and bad for players. All players - and experienced "regulars" and fish playing for fun. Maybe for fish a little better than for the rest of the players - the real fish still does not have any skill, she does not care who to play with anyway. For all other players - it's bad. Poker is a game of skill - one of the components of which is the ability to properly assess the villain, make up his range of games, preferred strategies. In anonymous tables it is almost impossible. It is enough to change the player - and all the accumulated information loses its meaning.

I believe that the next step in poker rooms will be the appearance of anonymous tables in Zoom (poker with a permanent transplant). For poker rooms, this also opens up a huge space for all sorts of manipulations. All this kills poker as an honest game of skill.

 

[oriole]

I'm up for anything that's beneficial to casual players. If that means that my HUD will be useless then so be it. I also think that there should be 4 table limit and better bot prevention system in place.

 

[bmw1983kaz]

I'm not sure either way tbh.

 

[Aristodemus_]

I like the idea only for the concept that people shouldn't sit down at a table with a sign around their neck stating exactly how they will play the game. I'm not a fan of these HUD's for that very reason. Part of poker, for me, is working out your opponents playing style and betting accordingly. Obviously if you know people and their style from previous tournaments then that is an advantage gained from experience.
That said, I'm not sure playing against a bunch of random numbers rather than names is the answer.

Lastly, it's pretty condescending to suggest good players use HUD and bad players don't.