Scumbags on Pokerroom stud

[Rduke55]

Have any of you come across these people who buy in just for the ante so they have all in protection? If they lose, they rebuy for exactly the ante again. If they win they cash out and rebuy for the ante again.
It's scummy and unfair to the players at the tables. I'd like to beat these people badly.

[Beavis68]

no bodies fault but the cardroom. there was a post about people bonus whoring this way a few weeks a go.

[BeerMoney]

I don't understand how it helps them to be shortstacked. All in works both ways. There are times when you're happy to be all in, there are times when you wish you weren't.

[WhiteWolf]

They do it because it is a +EV situation. They're assured to go to showdown with just the ante invested, and will win more that 1/8th of the time because sometimes the hand that would have been best folds on an early street.

A stinky strategy, and I do think the cardroom should take steps to prevent it with a decent minimum buyin.

[MRBAA]

I would think a complaint would do the trick. PRetty sure it would at Party, in any event.

[Rduke55]

I sent a complaint.
There were one or two people doing this at each table. Since pokerroom only has 5 or so 1/2, tables and 2 2/4 tables this really cuts down on options.

[chesspain]

It can't be +EV to play at a site that allows this.

[masonx]

you are at no greater or lesser dissadvantage from them doing this.. If anything it is just an annoyance and the game gets slowed down. its not cheap

[Rduke55]

I was at one table with 2 people doing this. That means we are essentially 6 handed instead of 8. And what about the people on the waiting list? Also, let's say that I push someone else out of a pot. Since these people are all in my hand gets shown. Every time.
How is that not a bad thing for me?
And Pokerroom used to be great for 7cs.

[Rduke55]

Here's how it's going so far.

My first email:

I play 1/2 seven card stud and the past couple of days I've been at the table
with DonnaMM1. She always buys in for .10 or .20, essentially giving her an all
in every hand. If she does win the antes (say $1) she immediately cashes out and
redeposits 20c.
I feel this is extremely unfair to other players and I've now seen other
players doing it.
I have left tables and am pretty sure others have left tables because of this.
Your 7 card stud ring games are some of the best and fairest on the internet. I would hate to lose them. Can you please do something about this?

Maybe raise the buy in limits or something?

It's ruining the game.

Their response:

Hi Samuel,

Thank you for your recent email.

There is nothing that is wrong or illegal about people who want to spend little
money in a tournament when the buy in allows them. They could be trying to save
money and cannot afford tables with higher buy ins. You have an option of going
to to a game with a higher buy in and you will not experience the problems you
are currently experiencing.

Should you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards,
Zandile

PokerRoom.com Support Team


My response to their response:

It isn't a tournament. It's in a ring game. They put in 10c at a time. One tenth of the minimum bet. Jut enought to cover the ante so they get to see the other streets for free. Essentially they have an all in, similar to a disconnect protection, every hand. They're just all in every hand.
It's not about them affording the table with a higher buy in. This is a scam taking advantage of your 10c minimum buy in. My bankroll is sufficient to play 1/2, not higher. Why should I be punished? I get in one or two 1/2 tables and get stuck at a table with 2 of these people and we are playing artificially shorthanded.
In addition, many of them are obviously bonus whoring.
Even if you raised the minimum buy in to $1 it would prevent this. We are both being taken advantage of. Me, for the reason stated above, and you due to the loss of revenue from the rake and the cleared bonuses.
I really like your cardroom but I feel this is unfair to people who actually want to play poker on it.

[Rduke55]

And I see it as similar to someone disconnecting to get the all-in protection so they don't have to call future bets.

I'm just hoping some other people would write to them about this.

[Overdrive]

I wrote Pokerroom complaining about this months ago, but they obviously haven't done anything to fix it. It is a little strange to me that you can only do this at the 1/2 stud table - the software does not allow you to buy in for just the ante on the 2/4+ tables. This is a very frustrating situation and when it happens at a table I am at I either go to a different table or I just start buying in for the minimum ante too, depending on the mood I'm in. /images/graemlins/mad.gif It will be pretty ridiculous when there are whole entire tables of ante buy in people playing together /images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[Michael Emery]

[ QUOTE ]
you are at no greater or lesser dissadvantage from them doing this.. If anything it is just an annoyance and the game gets slowed down. its not cheap

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually you are at a huge disadvantage if players continue to do this. It should be obvious to you why. These opponents who play strictly for the ante are basically freerolling against you the entire way with garbage they would have folded for a full bet on third. Sure, sometimes they'll have legit hands and wish they had money in front of them to extract more. But all you need to realize is that you get MANY more unplayable hands then playable. This is big time +EV for players that do this. With that said, these players are total scumbags and the site's management is piss-poor if they allow things like this to go on.

Mike Emery

[Jeffage]

I don't play 1-2 stud on there so I don't know about this bug. But I occasionally play 4-8 stud on there when I need a break from Hold Em. These games are very soft, but two major problems w/ stud on there is: No option for a double bet on 4th when there is an open pair; no option to shuffle show cards at showdown.

Jeff

[Rduke55]

I agree that they're very soft. The other problem is that you don't have the option of bringing it in for a full bet.