888 new format and tournaments

[abyk]

The new format and new tournament's are good chance for all members to enjoy it.
This will also encourage new members to join 888 poker.
I like this change and play more, I love it.

 

[fundiver199]

Obviously there is a lot of rebranding or "old wine on new bottles" about this, where for instance the "big fish" has now apparently become the "big shot". But that being said 888 Poker have really shaken up their whole MTT schedule. It could lead to some overlays, until they get the price pools adjusted, so from a cynical point of view its a good reason to play some MTTs on 888 Poker in the near future.

There are also bad news however. Before they had a number of 2,2$ and 5,5$ R+A tournaments, where only the original buyin was raked but not the rebuys and addons. Most R+A tournaments are now 3,3$, and in all of them rebuys and addons are raked. Not that this is particularly unreasonable, but the old ones were a bargain, and that is now gone

 

[fundiver199]

Played a few MTTs on 888 Poker last night, and overall I think, it makes a lot of sense, what they have done. The old MTT lineup consisted of a vast amount of different structures and names for tournaments, which was somewhat confusing and not particularly logical. This has been cleaned up a lot now with for instance most MTTs allowing 3 reentrys as opposed to either none, 2, 3, 5 or indefinite for no apparent reason. The traditional KOs are mostly gone now and replaced by more modern and popular PKOs.

They have also generally shortened late registration periods, which I think is an improvement. Before there was a 3,3$ MTT beginning at 5pm CET with 130 min late registration. Now there is one beginning at 4pm CET with a very similar structure but only 100 min late registration. And they reintroduced "The Classic" with only 70 min late registration and no reentry.

Finally they have gotten rid of a lot of tournaments with small guarantied price pools compared to the buyin. There are less daily MTTs running on 888 Poker now, but those, that run, have larger quaranties. For tournament grinders like myself thats actually not an improvement, since it can make it more difficult to get volume, and larger fields increase variance. But from a competition standpoint it makes sense.

All in all I hope, 888 Poker will gain market share as a result of this new MTT schedule as well as their recently introduced and upgraded software. Competion can only benefit players, and 888 Poker is still very small compared to industry leaders like pokerstars and GG Poker

 

[Trestivo]

888 now with bb and new tournaments is very cool.

 

[DaaBee]

888 What a mess

888 What a mess

I have been playing 888 around 1 year., and this new update is a Mess.

The Update on laptop is not working, the menus do not work. Links go nowhere?

All the Freeroll have 70% Sitting out. How are we supposed to get a game going, if noboby is playing?
The $500 Fabulous Freeroll - you get a Casino or Sports Bet around 10c if your lucky; which is only used when your real money has hit Zero. Why bother playing such games

EX:. I place a bet using bonus and Won. They paid the whole amount as Bonus Sports bet. I would like my win in real money not more betting credits.


Stay away from this Promo of no money just betting bonus.

The new Freeroll Big Shot 55 - Ticket
Why create a poker game where no skill required to win you a ticket. I had over 400K and still got nothing. Just 8 or 10 tickets for the 2 hour plus of play.

Yesterday i spent 1 hour with just 2 players and 6 sitting out. What a mess.
Playing poker is supposed to be Fun in freeroll, not waiting for sitting out to be eaten up by the blinds.

If you like doing nothing for a few hours, and i do mean nothing. Get your freeroll NOW.

Or go for a walk, you will feel much better.

Sorry to say this but 888 you have a messed with games to much,

 

[ToNy70929]

I like 888 poker room. But there is one problem, I can not install the downloaded 888 client on Windows 10 / I have to play online through the browser, which makes many inconveniences

 

[masa11]

11

Hello everyone, I play on this platform, comfortable

 

[fundiver199]

All the Freeroll have 70% Sitting out. How are we supposed to get a game going, if noboby is playing?

Sane people dont want to waste their time on a freeroll, where up to 6.000 people compete for 200$. This is why, they register but dont sit in, basically just hoping to fold their way to a min-cash. If you want a good game of poker, then put money on the table and play. Like even just a dollar for a SnG. Its absurd, how many people spend their time complaining about freerolls in a forum, which is supposed to be for poker enthusiasts.

 

[imnoobpoker]

The new 888 poker tournaments

Hi all,

Wondering what you find of the tournament changes at 888poker. Personally I do not like the change, because lots of low entry (50c) tournaments have been deleted or changed to a satellite for a bigger tournament.

This will result, I think, that more people with a lower bankroll will play SnG and later start playing tournaments. Moreover, this will also raise the bar for playing tournaments due to higher entry fee.

 

[DaaBee]

Sane people dont want to waste their time on a freeroll, where up to 6.000 people compete for 200$. This is why, they register but dont sit in, basically just hoping to fold their way to a min-cash. If you want a good game of poker, then put money on the table and play. Like even just a dollar for a SnG. Its absurd, how many people spend their time complaining about freerolls in a forum, which is supposed to be for poker enthusiasts.

I play SnG small stakes most days.

I think you missed the point. The new Freeroll games are all Sitting out.
Bonus is not a bonus if the payout is more bonus credits. I won a sports bet and they paid me in sports bet credits, not $$$.

 

[ramdon p358]

It is a step in the right direction. It would be good if they modified the format of the spins, the fact that everyone is all in automatically is not a great idea

 

[fundiver199]

This will result, I think, that more people with a lower bankroll will play SnG and later start playing tournaments. Moreover, this will also raise the bar for playing tournaments due to higher entry fee.

But maybe thats actually not such a bad thing? If you are new to running, you probably dont choose to begin with a marathon. And in the same way it can make a lot of sense for new poker players to start with small tournaments like SnGs, before they jump on the big ones, that lasts for several hours.

 

[Uranus]

Yes, a good change.

However, one thing I dont like is, on some tournament, lets say 5$ buyin Omaha 200$ GTD, you have 3 rebuys allowed (for 4000 chips), but no addon.

It would be better if the tournament would be... lets say, 4$ buyin, 3 rebuys allowed, and one 5$ addon for 8000 chips?

Just an iddea.

The point is that when the rebuy period is over, there is no signal that announces you "hey, this is the last hand you can rebuy after".

 

[imnoobpoker]

But maybe thats actually not such a bad thing? If you are new to running, you probably dont choose to begin with a marathon. And in the same way it can make a lot of sense for new poker players to start with small tournaments like SnGs, before they jump on the big ones, that lasts for several hours.

But then is there less fish in tournaments , less money for me

 

[fundiver199]

But then is there less fish in tournaments , less money for me

Ha ha. I have not yet played enough after the changes to have an informed opinion about, what they have done to game quality. But I would tend to think, its more or less the same. The real difference is, that the bar has been raised for those, who are trying to grind up a bankroll playing MTTs. To do this will now either take more time, because less tournaments are running, or you need to begin with a larger deposit, so that you can compensate by playing a wider span of buyins. But then again making it easy for grinders was certainly also not their purpose. They solely have the recreational players in mind and are trying to give them, what they want. Time will tell, how well they have succeeded with that.

 

[pjokay]

Ha ha. I have not yet played enough after the changes to have an informed opinion about, what they have done to game quality. But I would tend to think, its more or less the same. The real difference is, that the bar has been raised for those, who are trying to grind up a bankroll playing MTTs. To do this will now either take more time, because less tournaments are running, or you need to begin with a larger deposit, so that you can compensate by playing a wider span of buyins. But then again making it easy for grinders was certainly also not their purpose. They solely have the recreational players in mind and are trying to give them, what they want. Time will tell, how well they have succeeded with that.

Why does recreational have to be associated with turbo? Do recreational players not want to try and get better too and not have high variance in their games, do they not want to try and play with skill?

I am extremely disappointed to see they have made nearly all satellites turbos. In fact in the entire day I could only see one mutli-step satellite running at normal speed or sub-satellite and one $16.50 satellite which is quite a pricey satellite. All the others are gone. Turbo sats require so much luck and feel your spunking your money away. They have also made the 80+ club game a turbo. I have only just reached that level and finally glad to play one of the club games that was not turbo which gives you a chance to run deep if you play well, but now its become a jackpot game like the others. With the amount of club games could they not have left the only normal speed one, at normal speed? All their other freerolls are turbo's or super turbo. However to play this one you had to invest significant rake in the site but they have now made this like all the rest. I am a recreational player but do not want to throw all my money on turbos.

 

[fundiver199]

I am extremely disappointed to see they have made nearly all satellites turbos. In fact in the entire day I could only see one mutli-step satellite running at normal speed or sub-satellite and one $16.50 satellite which is quite a pricey satellite. All the others are gone. Turbo sats require so much luck and feel your spunking your money away. They have also made the 80+ club game a turbo. I have only just reached that level and finally glad to play one of the club games that was not turbo which gives you a chance to run deep if you play well, but now its become a jackpot game like the others. With the amount of club games could they not have left the only normal speed one, at normal speed? All their other freerolls are turbo's or super turbo. However to play this one you had to invest significant rake in the site but they have now made this like all the rest. I am a recreational player but do not want to throw all my money on turbos.

Its true, that they have made some changes to make some of the games run faster. Before there were some satellites with 8 min blind intervals, and now its all 6 min blind intervals or 5 min for the cheapest satellites. Not sure how the cheapest were before, because I never played them. The cheapest regular tournaments are now mostly with 8 min blind intervals, and before there were some with 10 min blind intervals.

So is this an attempt to meet player demand, or is it an attempt to earn more rake by making the games run faster? I will argue, its probably a bit of both. There is no way around the fact, that its good for poker sites, if games run faster, because then on average people will play more games.

However there is also no way around the fact, that when people get to choose as in the SnG lobby, then the faster tournaments (turbos) tend to be more popular. And in the same way I think, the majority of players will actually be ok with the fact, that a 2,2$ MTT runs with 8 min blind intervals, so that it takes a bit less time to min-cash for 4$. Or that a satellite runs with 6 min blind intervals, so that the total time for playing the satellite + the target tournament is reduced just a little bit.

And there are still lots of tournaments with 10 min or 12 min blind intervals. There are even some called "Voyage", which start with a very deep 250BB, and where late registration run for 170 minutes. So if you prefer to play with slower blinds, then maybe focus less on satellites and buy in directly instead.

Finally I dont quite agree, that no skill edge can be found in tournaments with 6 min blind intervals. I have played those quite a bit on 888 Poker and done very well in them including the satellites. When it gets down to 2-3 minutes, as in most of the freerolls, it does get kind of silly though. But then again poker sites are not exactly obliged to offer freerolls in the first place. So one can hardly blame them for creating a structure, where people bust fast, so that maybe they go and spend money on other games. This is at the end of the day the only reason, why freerolls even exist.

 

[77ecos]

I am delighted with the new tournaments and formats, in tournament hours it is also great because they have good tournaments practically 24 hours a day, I have not seen much player traffic and at the moment it is not so difficult to win satellites, it is very good what they did to improve

 

[Maxmustdie]

I love 888poker because there are a lot of freerolls

 

[pjokay]

Its true, that they have made some changes to make some of the games run faster. Before there were some satellites with 8 min blind intervals, and now its all 6 min blind intervals or 5 min for the cheapest satellites. Not sure how the cheapest were before, because I never played them. The cheapest regular tournaments are now mostly with 8 min blind intervals, and before there were some with 10 min blind intervals.

So is this an attempt to meet player demand, or is it an attempt to earn more rake by making the games run faster? I will argue, its probably a bit of both. There is no way around the fact, that its good for poker sites, if games run faster, because then on average people will play more games.

However there is also no way around the fact, that when people get to choose as in the SnG lobby, then the faster tournaments (turbos) tend to be more popular. And in the same way I think, the majority of players will actually be ok with the fact, that a 2,2$ MTT runs with 8 min blind intervals, so that it takes a bit less time to min-cash for 4$. Or that a satellite runs with 6 min blind intervals, so that the total time for playing the satellite + the target tournament is reduced just a little bit.

And there are still lots of tournaments with 10 min or 12 min blind intervals. There are even some called "Voyage", which start with a very deep 250BB, and where late registration run for 170 minutes. So if you prefer to play with slower blinds, then maybe focus less on satellites and buy in directly instead.

Finally I dont quite agree, that no skill edge can be found in tournaments with 6 min blind intervals. I have played those quite a bit on 888 Poker and done very well in them including the satellites. When it gets down to 2-3 minutes, as in most of the freerolls, it does get kind of silly though. But then again poker sites are not exactly obliged to offer freerolls in the first place. So one can hardly blame them for creating a structure, where people bust fast, so that maybe they go and spend money on other games. This is at the end of the day the only reason, why freerolls even exist.

It seems like they have dropped a lot of the regular speed tournaments but will look for some of the deeper ones you mentioned. I am not a big fan of all these re-entries I thought they were cutting down on them but can see one of the no re-entries has now been flipped to a re-entry.

They have increased the payout structure which is very good although think it would be more accurate to count the re-entries as players like most other sites, But if this had not changed was going to stop playing there as was entering tournaments that were getting a 9% payout structure which was a bit too tight.

I was not saying their was no edge in turbos but I think it does increase variance and reduce overall profitability and you have to take more chances with weaker hands although do think it reduces edge. Also in the past the site has not had the fastest dealing with sometimes random pauses making it even more turbo. If your good at short stack play you have an advantage. Not sure why so many opt for turbos though but this is heavily presented. The main thing I like about the sats on 888 though is they finish on time for the tourney whereas on Stars they drop you 30 mins to 95 into late reg not giving the option to play the whole tourney. Another big thing they need to work on is the software crashes.

 

[pjokay]

Another factor is they have reduced the point/coin redemption. I see they have removed the option to buy the $16.50 tournament ticket with gold coins, not sure why they have taken this away, but this seemed to be the best use of gold coins.

 

[TaigaMaster]

at least they are changing something ... it's time to change this site

 

[pjokay]

at least they are changing something ... it's time to change this site

Yeah needed to change, at the payout structure there previously was absolutely awful. Will look to see what they have to offer but if the site is focusing on turbos I will be avoiding a lot of them.

 

[masa11]

I don't like the software, the old one was better

 

[fundiver199]

I am not a big fan of all these re-entries I thought they were cutting down on them but can see one of the no re-entries has now been flipped to a re-entry.

I think, re-entries should be allowed, as long as late registration is possible. Otherwise players showing up on time are massively penalized by "late registration snipers", who get an ICM-advantage by showing up late, and can also hunt around for potential overlays. I am ok with limiting it to 3 re-entries though, because this protects people from tilting and losing their bankroll by firing one bullet after another. Personally I rarely re-enter more than once or sometimes twice except in the R+A events.

Its also just a business reality, that re-entries are needed to create large pricepools. Last year 888 Poker introduced "The Classic", which had 70 min late registration and no re-entries, and this was a massive failure. They ran with constant overlays, and one by one they were taken down again. They were reintroduced with the latest update, and I suspect, the outcome will be a similar one this time.

They have increased the payout structure which is very good although think it would be more accurate to count the re-entries as players like most other sites

I did not mind the way, it was before, but I think, the deeper payout structure will be popular with most players, and I dont mind that either.

I was not saying their was no edge in turbos but I think it does increase variance and reduce overall profitability and you have to take more chances with weaker hands although do think it reduces edge.

I agree, that a fast blind structure reduce skill edges and the ROI, that can be achieved. But it can be compensated to some degree by weaker fields and also the fact, you spend less time on each tournament. Its obviously a balance, and I think, 888 Poker has hit a pretty good one now.

Before a tournament like the 5,5$ "big fish" had 12 min blind intervals and 160 minutes of late registration. It took around 4 hours to just get in the money, and in my opinion that is simply to much, when a min-cash was only 11-13$. I guess, they have taken a peak at PokerStars, where a similar "big" MTT run quite a bit faster.

The main thing I like about the sats on 888 though is they finish on time for the tourney whereas on Stars they drop you 30 mins to 95 into late reg not giving the option to play the whole tourney. Another big thing they need to work on is the software crashes.

Personally I prefer satellites, that reward tickets, because this allow me much more flexibility. But if they reward seats, then I certainly want to be placed in the target tournament, before it begin, and not after an hour or so.