State of Online Poker in 2019

[Mr_Hand]

As players get smarter and more aggressive, you will see a wider range of shoves and a wider range of calls. Therefore you will ultimately see more “bad beats”. But you can say anything that has a 51%+ chance of winning is a “bad beat” if it looses. Seeing more bad beats doesn’t constitute the theory that it is rigged. I remember the Main Event if either 07 or 08 when quad Aces lost to a royal flush. If that would have happened online, everyone would have cried it was rigged. It was just poker. I’ll say it again, I’ve never met a consistently winning player talk about how it’s rigged. Only players who lose. Sounds like an excuse to me.

 

[fishfood80]

I’m not accusing Smokewood of this at all. So don’t take it that way. But I have had many friends in the past that were losing players, and they all claimed that online poker was rigged. But I continued to make money. I came from a very negative mindset, but with a lot of study and training on my game, as well as combatting the negativity with reading about it, I turned my game around and made thousands. My friends chose not to put in the same time and effort that I did, and they continued to lose and just blamed it on it being rigged. People are always going to find a way to cheat at everything, but it’s not going to stop those who are determined from success.

Yeah I believe most players that say online poker is rigged just haven't taken the time to improve their online game. I know a lot of people say ACR is horrible and rigged and you can't make money. But I've always had pretty good luck on it. Cash outs are quick and easy, and I don't really know why a site would be rigged they make their money off the rake so what do they care who wins.

 

[Mr_Hand]

Yeah I believe most players that say online poker is rigged just haven't taken the time to improve their online game. I know a lot of people say ACR is horrible and rigged and you can't make money. But I've always had pretty good luck on it. Cash outs are quick and easy, and I don't really know why a site would be rigged they make their money off the rake so what do they care who wins.

There’s many different arguments I’ve heard over the last 15yrs. “They’re just building big pots” or “They’re catering to the new, less skilled players”. But my original point remains: I haven’t ran into winning players who believe this way. It’s just losing players. I don’t think that’s coincidence.

 

[andosalado]

I can see a reason why sites would balance good players and bad players by programming bad beats. That would create an equilibrium keeping the money on play on the site instead of frustrating newbies or recreational players that at one point could decide they don't want to lose more money.

I don't believe it be the case though, at least on big sites, because it will imply taking a big risk in case this is discovered (it could end the entire business). Just saying it's not completely absurd that something like that could be programmed to work on the benefit of the site and not the players.

And in the end I agree with both of you, it's far easier to blame the site than to figure out what are you doing wrong, so probably most people complaining about this need to work more on their game and don't let variance upset them.

 

[andosalado]

As an example, last week I lost 10 sitngos in a row. I got bad beated every way you can imagine. I was starting to question my ability, because I'm use to get ITM pretty often. So what I did instead was to analyze this sessions, and what I found out was it was true I got less than I deserved in most cases, loosing hands with 90%, and so on. But I also starting playing worst because of that, playing more hands, too reckless, trying to bluff to much. I corrected that and as of today I'm still a winning player, even after suffering many, and believe, many bad beats in a row.

 

[Rumengh]

I was a regular player of online poker before Black Friday, playing mostly STN low stakes tournaments. For various reasons I stopped playing for several years, but is now back and doing quite well in its first month. What I wanted to know your opinion or insights about how much the game has changed over the years, say from 2012 to 2019

The only major difference that I notice is that a lot less people playing than before .

Please tell me your thoughts.

I do not think that now play a few contrary now play more because now there is even greater interest in poker has more room to play more promotions better graphics all tournaments and whatnot. The future of poker is promising.

 

[puzzlefish]

It's possible to be a winning or a losing player while playing a rigged game. Just because you don't complain about it, doesn't mean you don't know something is up. I can point you to a number of pros who have done well live and couldn't do the same online. So it isn't just bad players losing consistently and complaining. There are good players in there too.

Ultimately regardless of whether online poker is rigged or not (and whether it differs from site to site), it just comes down to players giving it a go and seeing if it works for them or not. Online poker isn't getting shut down from the rigged discussions anytime soon. Many players give their money for the entertainment of trying to win. A few succeed. The question is how much of that success is attributed to skill versus the particular site just spoon feeding good results to a select few at particular times.

 

[Mr_Hand]

It's possible to be a winning or a losing player while playing a rigged game.

What do you mean by “rigged?” Collusion is not the same thing as rigged. Cheating with software that shows your opponents hole cards is not rigged. So what are you saying when you say rigged? Just trying to clarify.

 

[puzzlefish]

What do you mean by “rigged?” Collusion is not the same thing as rigged. Cheating with software that shows your opponents hole cards is not rigged. So what are you saying when you say rigged? Just trying to clarify.

By "rigged" or "rigging" in online poker, I am talking about a site manipulating the dealing of hole cards and community board cards in any way, for any purpose, so that there is more to any poker game than just the poker game itself.

 

[RuiAbreu07]

hey guys

i am very happy to be here

 

[rmcmullen2003]

All the people who talk trash to the new players, fishes, deters them from playing too I believe. It never made any sense to me why people would do that. Why would you degrade someone for playing badly. So what they got lucky one hand. There is no reason to call them a f****'n idiot donk.... Let them keep playing that way the odds are in your favor then you should win a majority of the time.

 

[edenman1]

I got away from it for years, and just started playing again.. Seems about the same amount of players as before, and more or less the same gameplay. Its still fun

 

[andosalado]

All the people who talk trash to the new players, fishes, deters them from playing too I believe. It never made any sense to me why people would do that. Why would you degrade someone for playing badly. So what they got lucky one hand. There is no reason to call them a f****'n idiot donk.... Let them keep playing that way the odds are in your favor then you should win a majority of the time.

This is just a product of frustration I think. And frustration is a product of not fully understanding the game and having a big ego that obscures your own mistakes.

 

[andosalado]

I got away from it for years, and just started playing again.. Seems about the same amount of players as before, and more or less the same gameplay. Its still fun

To me it's seems there are less players than before, but perhaps it depends on the kind of game you play. On sitngos particulary there was a lot more players before I think.

 

[jfitzg414]

Online poker is completely rigged, unsafe, and unregulated.
Play live or don't play at all....

agree with totally smokewood. If you know anything about AI programing the longer you play the more you will loose . The site in IMHO seeds bots and you play against your ai profile

 

[jfitzg414]

As an example, last week I lost 10 sitngos in a row. I got bad beated every way you can imagine. I was starting to question my ability, because I'm use to get ITM pretty often. So what I did instead was to analyze this sessions, and what I found out was it was true I got less than I deserved in most cases, loosing hands with 90%, and so on. But I also starting playing worst because of that, playing more hands, too reckless, trying to bluff to much. I corrected that and as of today I'm still a winning player, even after suffering many, and believe, many bad beats in a row.

Do you really think you can after being profiled

 

[jfitzg414]

Do you really think you can after being profiled

Do you really think you can win after being profiled

 

[puzzlefish]

Wouldn't be surprised if this did happen. Especially in fast fold poker, where after playing for an hour straight I will suddenly see someone who I have never seen before appear at a table with a large stack, jam all in with subpar cards, hit their draw, and then disappear.

 

[andosalado]

Do you really think you can after being profiled

What do you mean?

 

[tomk7788]

Nevada, Delaware and NJ are the only states I'm aware of that allow online poker. A lot of players thought Obama would be an advocate for online poker but unfortunately Black Friday 04/15/2011 pretty much drove a nail in the coffin.

 

[BobbyMorton]

There are less players now but that will all change when Americans are allowed to play again.I am from Scotland and think it is a disgrace if you live in America you cannot play poker online.

 

[DAVID KEHRER]

its going to happen soon as the players get what they want always works that way.

 

[Poker Orifice]

I really don’t know what’s so hard about it. I received multiple withdrawals from Fulltilt at 5k a piece. They could have just sent me a 1099 with them like the casino’s do. Problem solved. I get to play and they get taxes.

Or just tax the deposits (& set it up with processors so deposits are easy!). Isn't this what they do in the UK now? (or something along those lines)

 

[Poker Orifice]

As players get smarter and more aggressive, you will see a wider range of shoves and a wider range of calls. Therefore you will ultimately see more “bad beats”. But you can say anything that has a 51%+ chance of winning is a “bad beat” if it looses. Seeing more bad beats doesn’t constitute the theory that it is rigged. I remember the Main Event if either 07 or 08 when quad Aces lost to a royal flush. If that would have happened online, everyone would have cried it was rigged. It was just poker. I’ll say it again, I’ve never met a consistently winning player talk about how it’s rigged. Only players who lose. Sounds like an excuse to me.

100% agree!

 

[Poker Orifice]

And the rigtards jump in on another discussion thread... hijacking it with unsubstantiated malarkey.
sigh