Poker Stars freeroll revamp

[nevadanick]

It happens because people don't know what the game is, so they think it's like 5 card draw where you draw 3 times. I've seen people end up with quads, full houses, etc. after standing pat on the last draw. I feel like if you are going to enter a game, at the very least google it to learn the rules first...

Don't even have to google it. All the games are explained on the pokerstars website or access it from the site's Main Lobby / Help / FAQ. Many never will or simply do not care. They are playing for fun.

Ever since they started putting the play money games on the freeroll .com section, the .com freerolls have been loaded with the .net players. You can tell that from the white star above their avatar player circle. Many of these recreational players really never care about much of anything.

The triple draw is hilarious, only about 2 players at the first table seem to know it's lo and of those 2, 1 usually thinks A is lo, sad but makes getting a big stack early easy!

Is this all that different from the 7 nlhe freerollers at a 9 seat table who think 3,8o - or ATC for that matter - is worthy of an all-in at the first several tables?

 

[Divebitch]

I've seen people end up with quads, full houses, etc. after standing pat on the last draw. I feel like if you are going to enter a game, at the very least google it to learn the rules first...

Especially unnerving when you folded your Q high to their raises.

The triple draw is hilarious, only about 2 players at the first table seem to know it's lo and of those 2, 1 usually thinks A is lo, sad but makes getting a big stack early easy!

Yep, just had to explain yesterday to this guy who couldn't understand why he lost A-8 or something. And with every game including Badugi where ace is low it's understandable. And this is for both of you...I told him that's why it's called 2-7, and 75432, no flush, str8, etc. He was very thankful I explained. And I could see it in 8-game where someone has no clue, but when you enter a full game of Badugi or 2-7, puleez, do your homework. A little google, there's plenty info out there.

 

[jneal77]

i don't mind the freerolls on stars. In the last few months i have averaged at least 1 ticket a week. Hell i don't mind the new settup. Yes its harder to get a ticket(though not by much) but i like the game variety. I even won a ticket late sunday night early monday morning then another one midday monday. First time i won two tickets in less than 12 hours. One was for limit omahaHI/lo and the other was for badugi.

 

[Divebitch]

Not a 'joke', imo.

Maybe there is a real message here. Are too many people tired of depositing to play nlhe online and losing? Are actual 'deposits' falling off? Stars has a superior marketing team that leads the industry in forethought and innovations, imo.



I wouldn't say increasing available freerolls is 'stingy'. Adding more games while reducing tickets per game probably equals the same number of Round 2 tickets awarded each week and actually requires a player to play more of the game than donking into a huge nlhe chip stack and sitting out to make the ticket at 99 (or 88).

By 'stingy', I didn't mean # of Round 2 tickets. And I realize the total # of tickets are probably about the same, as I replied to rasduce. I meant they are maximizing participation (anything bot NLHE rarely filled up), and giving out almost nothing by a Round 2 ticket. That's also what I meant by 'joke'. Maybe it shakes out to the same as FT giving away @ $100 8x a day, over the course of a week I dunno, too lazy to figure it out. Okay, $5600 vs $4000. I'm guessing with 2400 or 2700 players max, FT is the way better deal.

On reducing players and tickets awarded, maybe you don't recall when a Round 2 ticket only went to the top 27 of 10,000 players and only 24 tickets at an 8 seat game.

No, I don't remember that. That was bad marketing, as can be attested to by the many people still signing up to play them even though there would be 3x as many people in the Round 2 now.

BTW - note that the Badugi's are scattered far away from the 16:30 game on Tilt that we discussed in another thread.

Yes we did. Well, for a while, before the big revamp, seems they were mostly at 4:32 to rival Carbon - but seems they are scattered now.

Carefully look over the new schedule and you'll find the prevailing difference is the HUGE quantity of limit and Pot Limit games being offered. I don't pretend to have all the answers, but 'someone' has a reason for reducing the nlhe FR offerings.

Personally, I like the changes. Instead of having 2 or 3 Round 2 tickets in 'the bank', maybe I can increase that ...

I got 14 now since September, wanna buy a few? I suspect that part of the reason is that not only do they want to entice new depositers with more fun games, but they already have as much of the market share as they're going to get with NLHE. But as you said, there is a reason - and no doubt their marketing pros are top-notch.

i don't mind the freerolls on stars. In the last few months i have averaged at least 1 ticket a week. Hell i don't mind the new settup. Yes its harder to get a ticket(though not by much) but i like the game variety. I even won a ticket late sunday night early monday morning then another one midday monday. First time i won two tickets in less than 12 hours. One was for limit omahaHI/lo and the other was for badugi.

I got 2 in a day Oct 6. Don't remember the games, except is surely wasn;t NLHE. Not really proud of it. More productive things I could've been doing.

 

[empirejeff]

i don't mind the freerolls on stars. In the last few months i have averaged at least 1 ticket a week. Hell i don't mind the new settup. Yes its harder to get a ticket(though not by much) but i like the game variety. I even won a ticket late sunday night early monday morning then another one midday monday. First time i won two tickets in less than 12 hours. One was for limit omahaHI/lo and the other was for badugi.

Yeah I won 2 tikes back to back, right befor the revamp. It was with horse, and no limit omaha

 

[WEC]

My opinion for many of you discussing the Freerolls on PS, is that you may be better off for your time looking at different options for your Poker Time.

If you are looking to make money from nothing...many of you may do better by visiting one of many staking sites that allow you to play with other peoples money and you get to keep 30 to 50% of what you win

 

[brianvoytek]

When I first started playing online poker Pokerstars was one of the first sites I jumped on and I played those freerolls. I wanted to win them so bad, I would make it a point to register in them. I look back now at them and laugh. They're pointless. Your best bet is to play the 10FPP MTTs, atleast you're playing for money. With the Hubbies or Hubble ones, whatever they're called, you play for hours just to get a ticket for a baby mtt on the weekend. You have to go through so many people to win hardly anything.

Bottom line, Pokerstars makes money. Spread the wealth a bit.

 

[Divebitch]

If you are looking to make money from nothing...many of you may do better by visiting one of many staking sites that allow you to play with other peoples money and you get to keep 30 to 50% of what you win

Why would anyone stake you unless you were a pro or damn near it?

When I first started playing online poker Pokerstars was one of the first sites I jumped on and I played those freerolls. I wanted to win them so bad, I would make it a point to register in them. I look back now at them and laugh. They're pointless.

You're so right. I've been playing them for fun really. But it's a major waste of time. Even for practice, you don't see a lot of great play until after the 2nd break. And I could also have fun making real money. I've been playing the micro ring games. I'll probably stick with that for awhile. That and private tourneys.

 

[WEC]

My opinion for many of you discussing the Freerolls on PS, is that you may be better off for your time looking at different options for your Poker Time.

If you are looking to make money from nothing...many of you may do better by visiting one of many staking sites that allow you to play with other peoples money and you get to keep 30 to 50% of what you win

Why would anyone stake you unless you were a pro or damn near it?

Done for various reasons--but it happens every single day for many "ordinary" players

• Some stakers just like to help people
• Some stakers like to stake people who appear as though they may have "game" and start them out at low stakes, and as they win keep moving them up
• Some stakers specifically stake very small games for people with little experience
• Staking seems to actually be fun for many people who like to keep track of their horses and root them on...kinda a community thing
• There are many examples of players who started with nothing and thru staking have been able to rise from as little as .10 to 1.10 stakes up to playing $100 events and/or made many thousands from zip. It is more people than you would think

 

[Worak]

Someone stake me ?

Well you'd better not.

 

[Rasduce]

My opinion for many of you discussing the Freerolls on PS, is that you may be better off for your time looking at different options for your Poker Time.

If you are looking to make money from nothing...many of you may do better by visiting one of many staking sites that allow you to play with other peoples money and you get to keep 30 to 50% of what you win

Sounds like a good plan actually. Can You recommend one?

 

[WEC]

Sounds like a good plan actually. Can You recommend one?

Didn't want to seem like advertsing for anyone...so I sent PM with link to list

 

[dcor]

So if PS freefolls suck, what site has the best FR's available?

I believe thats relative....search around....theres plenty of other posts to see