How truly soft is Party?

GimmeDaWatch · #1 06-10-2004, 05:58 AM

This question is addressed to those posters on here who regularly play the 15/30 or thereabouts limit games on Party Poker. I was playing the NL25 tables there for couple months, and the players were in large part pretty awful so I did fairly well, but in the end I got bored and went back to playing tournies and the like at Stars, which I think everyone can agree is a superior site, even if the games arent as good. Anyway, I've read several posts on here about how good/soft/juicy the 15/30 games are at Party, and my question is how beatable are these games? Do you think any straight-forward ABC tight player obeying the laws of "Winning Low Limit Holdem" etc. would make the standard 1BB an hour on these tables? I dont know that Ill give it a go regardless of the answer, but I was just curious about experienced posters opinions?

Monkeyslacks · #2 06-10-2004, 06:03 AM

n/m

Enon · #3 06-10-2004, 07:02 AM

The play is extremely aggressive and someone who has only played low limit poker will get slaughtered in these games.

Also, a word of warning, as other posters have mentioned, the fish are starting to bite back. The games are getting even more aggressive than they were a few months ago.

I was always told the swings can be huge, but I gerenally stayed away from marginal +EV situations that hugely shrank my fluctuations. But lately after having great success with 15/30, these last 2 weeks and approx 12k hands have given me about a 10k loss. Yeah, $10,000. Its no fun and especially if you are plan on playing with a low limit bankroll.

NYplayer · #4 06-10-2004, 08:07 AM

The swings are huge, at least in my experience. I've played 55K hands and I've had 3, yes 3!, $7K downswings. of course I feel like i got very unlucky during those periods and my overall results are still quite good. the bottom line is that you have to have the bankroll and mental calm to be able to handle these situations.

davidross · #5 06-10-2004, 08:47 AM

I don't know if soft is the right word for them, but they are very beatable. I still see people playing any A and suited K from EP, chasing to river on gutshots etc. ALl the things that made 3/6 games good.

But there is a lot of aggression, much of it bluffing. THis makes for some expensive call downs.

My win rate at 5/10 6 max tables was around 2.11 BB's / 100 hands, and atr 15/30 it's 1.5, so I think it's fair to say the games are somewhat tougher, but still beatable.

1800GAMBLER · #6 06-10-2004, 08:47 AM

1. Skipping limits and moving to here is a good way to lose.

2. You wont be ready for thre variance.

MMMMMM · #7 06-10-2004, 08:53 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Anyway, I've read several posts on here about how good/soft/juicy the 15/30 games are at Party, and my question is how beatable are these games?

[/ QUOTE ]

The games are pretty good and pretty juicy but I wouldn't exactly call them soft, because soft to me implies passivity, and passivity is what you are least likely to find in these games.

You've heard the phrase "put on your seatbelt", haven't you? Put on your crash helmet too and you'll be wearing the right gear.

DeucesUp · #8 06-10-2004, 08:58 AM

I'll echo what others have said that there is A LOT of very poor play, but the games are VERY aggressive and you will also run into several very good players at any table you sit at.

It's been a while since I read Jones, but I think a player trying to follow his "formula" at these table would have a very rough time. First, his book is intended for primarily loose-passive games which the Party 15/30 ones are definitely not. My impression is that the mistakes you see are not so much a whole bunch of players limping with complete trash as you might see at 1/2, but rather 1 or 2 players cold-calling 2- or even 3- bets cold with moderate trash. Still big mistakes, but it takes a different strategy to exploit it fully.

Also, I think there are some semi-advanced topics which are critical to success in these games which I don't think are covered in depth in Jones. Things like isolation plays, stealing and restealing, heads-up play with the blinds, when to make thin value bets and big laydowns and just generally making pretty substantial situational adjustments to basic strategy.

Perhaps a tightened up version of WLLHE strategy would be adequate to beat the game simply because of the number of maniac fish dumping cash into these games, but my guess is that a "Jones style" player, even with a fair amount of experience at low-limit tables would struggle in these games.

Roy Hobbs · #9 06-10-2004, 10:33 AM

Every time I leave pokerstars for a while, and then decide to go back because the software is so much better, I almost immediately regret it. The limit hold'em ring games are so much more aggressive there. And the average skill level is much higher. While you may find your share of loose aggressive maniacs, you will likely be contesting pots two ways against them. Personally, I prefer looser more passive games, which are in abundance at Party. I can't imagine why someone, even a tournament player, would make pokerstars their site of choice.

RH

SinCityGuy · #10 06-10-2004, 11:28 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Also, a word of warning, as other posters have mentioned, the fish are starting to bite back. The games are getting even more aggressive than they were a few months ago.

[/ QUOTE ]

This might be true, but perhaps a bigger problem is that the fish to shark ratio has been steadily shrinking due to the better players playing multiple tables.