Is there a rational explanation for this?

[iceman5]

My last 20K hands at Prima $1/$2NL
$60/hr playing 3 tables...16.5BB/100 hands

My last 10K hands at Party $1/$2NL
$18/hr playing 3 tables....5.0BB/100 hands

Win rates are true win rates (double PT stats)

Im stumped and frustrated. Obviously I can just keep playing at Prima, but there has to be an explanation. Maybe Im playing differently, but I dont see how or why I would be.

The only difference I see is that Prima allows short stacks. There is a $20 min buy in on a $200 table. There are always several short stack around $30-$100 and they almost always stink and donate their money.

That cant be enough to make this big a difference can it?

On the other hand, my $2/$4NL win rate at Party is quite a bit higher than my $1/$2 win rate at Party so maybe its just been a lot of bad beats while playing $1/$2?

[tripdad]

clearly this proves once and for all that party is rigged.

cheers!

[iceman5]

How did I know someone would say that?

[ahnuld]

Iceman, I used to play small nl games on both prima (royal vegas) and party, but I found the prima games to be much better at the low levels. Im currently smashing the .25 .50, but i find its alot easier to make money on these tables than the party 50 tables. Its not luck, people are just awful at prima.

[wtfsvi]

10k hands is not a lot, and the nearest explanation is variance I think.

From what I hear the play is a bit more weak tight at prima though. I'm not sure if that is correct, but if it is, the optimal style of play over there would contain more bluffing obviously.

[iceman5]

I almost never bluff. I play tight aggressive and they just keep calling me.

[wtfsvi]

If you almost never bluff (or semibluff), I think your winrate at prima must on the very good side of variance, or the 1/2 game over there must be very fishy and I should give it a go.

I could be wrong though. It happens often /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[wtfsvi]

..

[TheWorstPlayer]

Variance. Could also be that the opposition's style is different and one suits your style better. Could also be that the interface makes a difference. I know for a fact that I play more aggro at UB where the 'bet pot' button is so enticing than I do at Party where it is a pain to bet. I'm an idiot, but it is true.

[iceman5]

That damned "bet pot" button is why I left UB. It makes bad players make more correct bets in alot of circumstances.

When I said I almost never bluff, I really meant I almost never do things like make an all in turn bet as a bluff.

I probably bet more flops with absolutely nothing than anyone else I play with. I bet draws all the time and will push in with a draw if I get raised and Im playing the right person who I think knows how to fold.

But yeah, the $1/$2 at Prima is incredibly weak. I would say there is about 6 really good players at the entire site, so I almost never have more than 1 of them at my table.

[TheWorstPlayer]

Sounds like a combination of your not adjusting your style to the looseness of Party players and variance.

[jkkkk]

i'm 4-tabling Party $50 NL and its as tight as a gnats ass

someone literally called me on the river when i raised on a 8kj55 board.

i held 88

he held jj

tight as [censored].

[iceman5]

I was thinking that it seemed much tighter also, but then things like this happen..

UTG min raises, 1 call, I reraise to $22 with AA. UTG calls with his QJ and hits a QJx flop.

Button min raises and I reraise to $28 in the SB with AKs. he calls with TT and hits a set.

I limp KK, 2 more limpers, SB raises to $10, I reraise to $35, folded to button who had limped and now reraises all in with 77. he hits a set.

Now that I think about it, I think alot does have to do with variance.

[jkkkk]

aside from hand 2 that just sounds like bad beats, plough throught the variance :-p