Is it just me or is PP getting tougher...

mack23 · #1 06-09-2004, 01:05 PM

OK I will admit it: I am becoming a bonus whore. One can deny this for only so long, but 50% deposit bonuses, free poker books, and free chip sets are just too appealing to ignore! These temptations have drawn me to 2 new poker sites in the last couple weeks, (Party is the only site I had played until now) and the results are surprising. When I saw 700 and 1200 players seated at these new sites, compared to 25000 at PP, a red flag went up right away. "They are all pros!" I thought to myself. Then I played a SNG and pretty much folded all the way into the $$ as others made rookie plays, including the 2 big chip stacks going all-in head to head with 4 players left (I was severly short stacked) and after that the player in 2nd place moving in against the chip leader when I was on life support. On the second site the first thing I did was enter a multi-table re-buy tourney... and won. Yes there were many fewer players and a much smaller payout than a PP multi, but still... getting 1st place is quite a feeling! "Wow this is fun, I should have done this a long time ago!" is the new thought process.

So here's the point: These 2 "new" sites I am referring to are partner sites with online casinos. I need to play on them a lot more to make an educated decision but so far it feels like I am playing a skill game while the others there are gambling. Many of the players there are probably carry-overs from the casino or just there to claim a bonus or prize... any of you come across this situation? I am starting to feel like even though there are so many newbies on the old Party, there are also soooooooo many good players there now as well, and since it is a straight poker site the game may be tougher than other places! I'm interested to hear what you think....

-Mack

Puffin · #2 06-09-2004, 01:19 PM

So are you gonna tell us what sites? Or is that information way to valuable for the enitire two plus two community.

mack23 · #3 06-09-2004, 01:40 PM

Didn't want to sound like I was promoting these other sites or anything. One is Pacific Poker, which I see ads for here on this forum, and I believe it to be a pretty well known site. The other I had NEVER heard of before, it's called Aztec Riches.

BradleyT · #4 06-09-2004, 01:33 PM

These smaller sites will be great places to play once Ed's book is released.

mack23 · #5 06-09-2004, 01:42 PM

Would you mind telling me who Ed is and what his upcoming book is about? Or a link to a relevant post would be just fine as well. Thanks!

Gallopin Gael · #6 06-09-2004, 01:51 PM

He's our "Noted Poker Authority" (NPA) and is coming out with a book Small Stakes Hold 'em; Winning Big with Expert Play by Ed Miller, David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth.

It'll be a fun read and the next on my list.

Puffin · #7 06-09-2004, 01:57 PM

Never heard of Aztec. But your assumptions about pacific are right. Its a pretty insane site. I played there a while ago and went on a bad run of getting out-drawn all the time and haven't been back since. Now that they have NL tournys I may deposit some money there and check out their incredibly loose games again.

Ed Miller · #8 06-09-2004, 08:41 PM

He's our "Noted Poker Authority" (NPA) and is coming out with a book Small Stakes Hold 'em; Winning Big with Expert Play by Ed Miller, David Sklansky, Mason Malmuth.

We just got the cover proof from the printer today and it looks great! With the cover done, 2+2 plans to start posting it for online pre-sales shortly. Also, it looks like it will be available slightly earlier than planned, so watch out... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Gallopin Gael · #9 06-09-2004, 08:43 PM

Sweeeeeet!

Can you confirm if there's a gun on the cover?

TimM · #10 06-09-2004, 08:56 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Also, it looks like it will be available slightly earlier than planned, so watch out... [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Good, I need this one quick.

I had such a good run in my first couple of months of playing, then around the end of March I started trying to get more aggressive post-flop and tightening up my starting hands (from 22% VPIP to ~16%), because I thought that's what your supposed to do. This really killed my win rate. I constantly found myself putting in lots of money with top pair, good kicker vs 3-4 opponents on various draws, and I was winning a lot of small pots and almost none of the big ones. No I have to try to figure out what I was doing right before and how to go back.

I considered whether the sites could be getting tougher, but really had to reject that idea after looking at my opponent's play.