Who's sitting out?

[George2Loose]

Thurs Thrill looks like it might have a decent overlay. Might tempt a few striking back.

Also will be interesting to see what type of weekend stars has. Might be huge with all these strikers eager to get back on

[SuuPRlim]

if everyone hadnt told stars they were striking, then stars almost certainly wouldn't have noticed.

Which effectively makes it a pretty meaningless strike.

I do get it though, it's a situation that hugely affects a group of people and that group have no control over it, it's a frustrating thing but maybe a feeling of togetherness in the strike will boost morale and at least make people feel as if they are in some control of this, even if the reality of it is they aren't.

[arbboy]

if everyone hadnt told stars they were striking, then stars almost certainly wouldn't have noticed.

Which effectively makes it a pretty meaningless strike.

I do get it though, it's a situation that hugely affects a group of people and that group have no control over it, it's a frustrating thing but maybe a feeling of togetherness in the strike will boost morale and at least make people feel as if they are in some control of this, even if the reality of it is they aren't.

Stars have made these changes because they don't want the business of the players who are striking otherwise they wouldn't be making the changes in the first place!  Going on strike is one of the funniest things ever as you are doing exactly what they want in advance of the changes.

[Oxford_HRV]

The only way a strike will work is if they lose chunks on guarantees one Sunday for instance. Also note this would be ineffective at dusk if you had a rake/incentives issue there lol

[George2Loose]

Think the point of the strike was more symbolic then to hurt stars bottom line. It's just impossible to sustain any type of long term resistance to the stars machine

[Rexas]

Think the point of the strike was more symbolic then to hurt stars bottom line. It's just impossible to sustain any type of long term resistance to the stars machine

Meh, I'd like to think that if they keep taking the piss some other site will step up and try to be a proper competitor.

[George2Loose]

Been saying that for years. Just isn't going to happen

[arbboy]

It can't happen for the same reason as betfair has never had a serious competitor for 10+ years.  These industries are all about scale and the 'first in' advantage.  It is huge to the point where it is the only thing that matters.  Both businesses have probably been terribly run but because they were in first and crushed in the early days it is GSM (game set and match) for any realistic competitor.

Poker players are arriving in the same world as most pro sports bettors did 5 years ago.  Welcome to reality.  Think of the positives.  You have had 5 years more milking the system before it run dry than we did.

[George2Loose]

They have the player base, the guarantees and most importantly the best software by a mile. Suck it up or move on

[arbboy]

They have the player base, the guarantees and most importantly the best software by a mile. Suck it up or move on

A lot of decent pros already have.  Most guys i know who still play online poker for a living never play on stars for these reasons.  They are always going to exploit their 'monopoly' position.  Most of the online grinders i read about moaning just don't udnerstand how business works.  I totally agree with them in the fact they have 'stolen' money by changing the 2 year deal on SNE and the points system to starscoins.  That is just theft.  I have no issue with you barking on that.  A strike will not change a thing though on that.  That is totally out of order.  The only reason they are trying it on it because they have such a big global monopoly power brand wise and/or the new owners have paid way over the odds for a product and need a return on it.

As for the rest of the changes they are totally within their right to do whatever they want.  If it doesn't suit a load of kids in their bedrooms tough shit.  Suck it up and get a real job if you can't beat the rake.  PS (and any other gambling site) doesn't owe anyone a living just to maximize the value of their brand to their shareholders.    They have invested 10 years of profits building this 'first in' edge they have to have total global domination.  Now they cash in from the casuals.  If you can't beat it then move on.  Get a job.  Don't waste your time striking.  

99% of stars global customers couldn't care less about ur concerns.  They pay a price to play poker because it is their hobby.  They expect to lose like most gamblers.  They don't really care either.  That is why stars are doing it.  The loud tiny minority don't pay the bills.  The silent huge casual majority do.  That is the reality.

In a perfect world another company would step in and offer what stars are.  The reason they don't is two fold.  One - they can't offer the scale to make the product pay.  Secondly, customers like u would add nothing to their business.

[Doobs]

Think the point of the strike was more symbolic then to hurt stars bottom line. It's just impossible to sustain any type of long term resistance to the stars machine

I think they probably need to start with an aim to the strike that most people can get behind, and more importantly that stars could emphasise with.   If they were striking for even rakeback for all and/or lower registration fees then I would be all for it, and if they were selling that message to stars then I think they'd get a more sympathetic ear from stars.  But most posts seemed to be about loss of supernova and supernova elite.  I have felt for years that Supernova like rewards, rake races and the like are detrimental to the long run health of the game.  It is hard to feel much sympathy for a movement whose main aim seemed to be to maintain a 300% difference in rakeback between us and them.  Right on brothers.   

I would find it much easier to object when registration fees were increased to levels beyond where the game could be profitable.  I'd also happily object to the shabby way they introduced stars coin for already earned benefits and the loss of rakeback on higher stakes tables*.

* though I am not averse to getting rid on the very high stakes tables.  It must be a money laundering nightmare for stars with a bunch of big punters shipping large sums on and off the site to play 50 hands of 50/100 that probably don't even earn the site enough to cover the transaction costs of moving the large sums on and off site. 

 

[George2Loose]

Striking is just too tough to organise. A boycott of their live events would be easier. How many of those players moaning are going Prague? And what % of player base who play live also play online?

[arbboy]

the other thing that makes me laugh is when these online bedroom nerds say 'we loved the previous owners but hate the new ones'.  The previous owners have selfishly cashed out and sold the firm at a premium (they don't care less about you) now the new owners who have paid the premium to the legend set  up guys who are on a beach enjoying your cash have to get a return on their investment to justify the fee they paid to the 'great set up owners' you laud.  Comical.  If they loved you and the concept as players they would never have sold out.  They sold out because its business. 

[Rexas]

Might just go around as many places as possible and shout "stars is rigged but party isn't" :p

[SuuPRlim]

striking is never really going to work because there is no "union" collectively it's in everyones best interests for the strike to continue, individually it's not and actually even worse so it's way within everyone's personal interests to not strike whilst everyone else is striking.

It's a move that stars wouldn't have taken lightly and you would assume that they would have predicted player backlash on this scale - IDK if they thought people would go to the extremes of striking - so they must have prepared for this and factored it into the decision, which means they likely have a strategy lined up for how to deal with player unrest and seem very unlikely to deviate from what they've decided now.

Might be wrong.