Online poker rigged?

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Unfortuntely the only answer you will get in this forum is "you suck at poker".
But youre probably experiencing the rake factor.
It is mathematically expected that most people who start out as big or small winners will end up as loser (or at least have a tougher time.) later because of the rake.

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When people calculate their winrate in BB/100, they are usually factoring in the rake - so someone who is winning a t arate of 2BB/100 is doing so AFTER the rake has been removed.

[BCl]

Things can only get better..ill try to answer your fears however...but 1st.pacific seems normal?? i played there about a half hr and never looked back. worst players on any site, you can expect to get called to the river just about everytime which leads to players making bad calls (and i think the guy calling you with pckt 8's would qualify as a bad call but you dont give all the details of the hand so its not exactly clear) that then suck out in the end...without the complete hand history its hard to give advice on any 1 hand, but you do realize that you were not holding the nut hand? and that any player who called or raised thought he had a piece of this hand as well? yes you had a big piece but not the biggest piece possible and there were 2 cards to come....post the complete hand histories in the beginners forums and see if you cant get some more helpful answers....these guys obviously are no threat to Raymer either....keep ur chin up, switch sites for god sakes and keep studying the game

[vexvelour]

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Is that "sweet" like how Cartman would say it or "sweet" like, "wook at the sweet wittle puppy"?

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Def. Cartman.

Yes, sometimes I feel like Paradise Poker’s messing with my head. Of course, when a bad beat happens to me, I can’t believe how BAD that player is. I type "nh," which means "nice two-outer." But when I put a beat on someone, I realize I’m a genius. And I also realize that, if I played with better players, they wouldn’t put themselves in a position to put a bad beat on me. Sounds great! Let’s go sit with the pros. Then I won’t have to worry about my aces getting cracked by 6 4 offsuit. I’ll have bigger problems to worry about.

Here’s another spin on online poker being rigged that I’d like to throw out there. Some days I believe it, some days I don’t. Instead of the usual “winning too much leads to crazy bad beats and cold cards” theory, some days I think the site intentionally creates action flops that hit several hands available (folded or not) in order to create more action. The site also makes sure that draws make it. The players involved are irrelevant. Why would a site do this? Entertainment value. Players get bored seeing top pair kicker wars, whether or not they are in the hand. But if more hands are won by flushes and full houses, with capped rounds between, then we’ve got a party that people keep coming back to! It also improves the rake.

I haven’t done any statistical studies on this. I can only offer anecdotes. I understand that online poker (especially low limit) has looser players that call more often. That may explain why weak hands beat stronger hands more online, because in a B&M room, those hands don’t stick around as much to suck out. Another thing is that, when that happens, it tends to stick out more in a player’s mind and it gets an inordinate weight attached to it. But something still bugs me occasionally, like I’m in the Matrix. One thing I (think I) realize is that I haven’t seen a third of the flopped quads in a B&M room that I see online on average. Another thing is when I fold a marginal hand online, the flop winds up hitting it over the head much more than in the card room. “Damn, shoulda played that.”

On the other hand, of the four royal flushes I’ve seen, only one was online. The highest hand I’ve ever hit was in a card room, and it happened like something a poker site would rig up. I hit a King-high straight flush on the turn with a single ten of clubs. My opponent, of course, had the Ace of clubs. That was fun. Another eerie Matrix-style hand I played was at Bellagio. At the river, I had a straight flush. One opponent had the Ace-high flush, and the other had a full house. How’s that for action? Stupid me, they both checked to me and I checked it down because I didn’t realize I was suited. Thankfully, the dealer did.

Any thoughts on poker sites intentionally creating action? I’d love to see some PokerTracker stats to support/shoot down my theory, so I know what to think. Give me the red pill.

Scottiek

[Autocratic]

It has occured to me that making "action flops" etc. appear more often than they usually would by a very small percentage would be able to increase rake profits, while being almost entirely unnoticeable. Either way, it doesn't disadvantage good players to any noticeable degree, even if it is occuring, and there's really no reason to worry about it.

[SA125]

I play in a local live game on a regular basis. In my last 2 sessions, I haven't hit a set with my last 35 PP hands (odds to hit 7.5-1). I started counting at 15. The last one I hit I got runner-runner flushed when the guy called the flop with an overcard and a gut shot.

I've hit only 2 flushes in the last 3 weeks and lost the 2nd one h/u to a higher fl. I've never run this bad in a regular game before. It's beyond ridiculous.

All it tells me is that the more I play and the longer I play, the more likely I'll see what's least to be expected.

I too once posed a similar question in these forums. Since the majority of the public thread responses featured insults and jokes, very little sincere and informed feedback was obtained.

However, since then I have researched the subject from a variety of perspectives (legal, technological, etc.) and gathered as many credible sources I could find. As a result, it is my conclusion that online poker is not systemically "rigged"...but it is not always as even a playing field as some would suggest.

The U.S. Department of Justice, for example, has stepped up its investigations of online gaming, citing "the likelihood of fraud involving the online poker industry as the onus for heightened concern."

Fraudulent activities currently being investigated are as banal as deceptive advertising to as serious as player collusion and the involvement of organized crime. While the fact that investigations are being conducted should not be taken as an indictment of the entire online poker industry, certainly the risk factors must be considered by all consumers who participate in what is still considered, according to federal law, an illegal activity.

In regards to the security and integrity of actual online game play, I have documented many accusations by players of other player's collusion and theories involving technological tampering; however validating the evidence supporting such claims is beyond my ability. Do three people sharing information via the phone at a high stakes NL SNG constitute a conspiracy? Is it possible for a java script whiz to create code that provides him a material advantage over his competitors by knowing hand information? These are questions for which there are a variety of answers.

I do know that the game advertised on television by some of today's poker star is not as "beatable" or "recreational" as it would seem. A single individual playing at home (without the aid of chip management, hand tracking and/or other statistical/analytical poker specific software) plays at a significant disadvantage to professional players who not only possess such software but also share in the house rake through a variety of affiliate programs.

In short, if all the fish were made aware of their odds for survival, at least they'd be prepared for the negative expectations.

I wish you the best of luck.

For Christ's sake.

Hand I saw in live 5/10 the other night:

Folded to one limper (clueless retiree), folded to button (sunglassed WPT wannabe) who raises, SB (good player) 3 bets, BB folds, limper calls, button caps, all call.

Flop is 2-3-6 rainbow. SB bets, limper calls, button raises, SB 3 bets, limper calls, button caps, all call.

Turn is a blank. Same pattern as on flop.

River is a 5. Same pattern again.

SB turns over AA. Button turns over AA.

Limper turns over 3-4o for the straight.

You think stuff like this only happens online?