blonde poker forum

I was to be quite honest GUTTED when I heard of the Tribeca sell out to Playtech.

I have tried several other sites and always go back to Tribeca because I love it there.

VC is where I first fell in love with poker.

I enjoy the lobby and have made so many friends through chatting to people all over the world, many who I now have on msn.

I was absolutely delighted when Blonde joined and as the days tick by I am filled with gloom knowing it is all going to end soon.

Anyway enough of the depressing stuff..........my question is......with 4 tribeca accounts I have LOADS of action points.

I have made a point lately of playing any freerolls that are about to start coz im assuming these points will not be transferable...or will they?

I also assume that nearer the closing date emails will be sent out warning members of the closure and all the aps freerolls will be swamped so im trying to get in early LOL

However im going to be gutted if I find out later that they are transferrable and I could have spent them more wisely.

Is there any way of finding out?

BARON??? KEV???  ;slavedriver;

You can sell the BPL action points, perhaps the other skins will just let you cash them in as well.

Very good question, better to know now what's in the pipeline.

Sell them? where?

Not had much luck on the street corner tonight so info welcome ;-)

Just ping a manager, I've not done it yet but I'm told it's relatively simple. You get $5 for every 10k in APs. I think it might just be Bowmans that do this at the moment I don't know about the other cages.

Is that ALL...these freerolls are full of donkeys (though not the war/armoured/well hung donkey like you ;-)

Ok I will stick to the freerolls but info would be appreciated

Yup what Patrick said.

They are redeemable for cash - however I think you need to be at a certain level of loyalty before you can redeem them.

I will however find out exactly what the plan is for non-redeemable APs.

Aaron,

When is the changeover likely to happen?

Suze, unless you have millions then I think freerolls are the best use of your APs.

As long as you have the time you should get more $ per AP.

There's always the slightly overpriced merchandise which takes months arrive. (My Ipod from VC took months and much arguement)

whats gonna happen to the software? I am not up to speed with the whole sellout thing, so I dont know what is going on at all. Is there a thread/link that explains it?

It's looking like May/June but no date has been set yet. I will keep people informed as soon as I know.

I for one am looking forward to the new software and the larger player pool.

Thanks Aaron.

I'm certainly looking forward to a tournament lobby that updates itself and can keep up with play.  The lag the other day was the worst I've seen.  It was taking minutes to register people being knocked out.

Its always been a pet hate of mine about the Tribeca skins.  I'll miss the table graphics though as I started out on there so it has kind of a 'homey' feel to it when I play there.

It is my first home as well.

I'm not convinced about the increase traffic tho. There are less than 3000 players on Playtech now compared to 9.5 on Tribeca. Losing 25% from people prefering different software would negate the extra players already at Playtech.

I agree Sheriff but more to the point we'll have a mixutre of structures, more realistc payouts, better clocks, more value in our comps, more guaranteed prizepools and hopefully a better loyalty scheme.

Also new customer service from the network which to be frank, can only be better. Less cashier issues. The option of private STT's (I think), the list is endless.

I will put this accross as an official question to the people who matter in a phone call tomorrow.

I'll have more for you then mate.

Thanks Baron,

Keep us posted!

I have an account on Titan and Noble and used to play there quite a lot.

The site is full of the most chauvinistically tossers I have come across .

It will be quite amusing so see how they cope with the Blonde deluge :-)

Related topic (barely):

Does anyone know if it is possible to "top up" in a Rebuy on Ipoker? I ask because, I was under my starting stack and wanted to double my chips with an extra buy-in (like topping to 4000 chips at the start of a rebuy on Tribeca) but couldn't figure out how to do it.

[I'd better get used to the software now, if Blonde is going there next year...]

No It is not!!

This is one of the reasons, (I Hope) that certain Tribecca poker rooms will choose a different platform to operate on.

Ipoker rebuys work like this :

1) You CANNOT add on UNTIL you have lost ALL your stack

Poker sites in general seem to have a problem getting rebuys to work properly - quite a few of them seem to have bugs:

iPoker - as above
Tribeca - problem on the last hand (if you bust you can only get the add-on, not the double rebuy aswell)
Party - lets you rebuy if you are all-in during a hand while the hand is still being dealt.

Stars seems to work fine.  Anyone else know of any other bugs around the sites?  I suppose you can plan to work around them if you know they exist but its a surprisingly consistent area for site 'bugs'.

Sheriff

Yes but the Ipoker problem is a big one I think as this will reduce the guarantees/prize pools on rebuy events as you cannot double rebuy.

Where as Party rebuy problem actually INCREASES the guarantees/prize pool as you can rebuy when all in no matter how many chips you have!

There is a thread somewhere on here - can someone locate it & put up a Link to it for Totalise please? (Aaron?....)

Ok guys I have put accross some of your questions and thoughts to the head of Bowmans - please remember that the licencees have the choice of where to move, it's not in the skin's hands necessarily. So Bowmans decided to move it's skins to ipoker it was not blonde's choice. That's not an excuse before it's begun - it's just to let you know that some skins wont have a choice where they go.

The migration is more than likely going to be brought forward to mid February or early March at the latest. Again, no date has been set exactly yet but this is looking more and more likely.

So what about your APs?

Well we're guaranteeing you get them (or ipoker points direct quivalent) once the migration is complete - so no need to worry. The Reward scheme for prizes is probably going to come to an end - however the points on the new network WILL still be able to be used for freerolls and will still be redeemable for cash.

If you are still unsure I've instructed Bowmans to allow cash ins for APs over the 100k mark. It's $5 for every 10,000 APs.

As Wardonkey has said though, you're more likely to get more for your APs through the donkfest freerolls IMO.

Wardonkey,

The figures ipoker have quoted to me are 6000 players at peak times.

Now whilst we will be losing our US skins and probably a few more when the migration comes I would guess we will still end up with 6 of our 9000 players that are currently on Tribeca - two thirds is a fair guess IMO.

The should leave us with 12,000 players before Tain are integrated. We expect 3000 more from there.

So after the migration and everything has settled down we hope to be around the 15,000 player mark - 6000 better off than where we are now.

I hope that answers everything.

I'd like to keep this thread running. If you have any more questions please post them on here and I'll try to get them answered for you.

Thanks

Aaron

Is the current tribeca software just being disbanded completely?

Yes.

gtkfhcujxtdcfujcxcj

gutted

Me too.

I'd just gotten used to it :(

my favourtie software, v.quick, v clear and easy to multi-table

Wonder how much it would cost to buy it.  Pab, you win about $500k a night, you can buy it and setup a proper poker-room.

If we empty the bad beat tin, we'll cover it easily!

$500K? Pab wouldn't get out of bed for $500K

Pab won $500k at a 1/2NL game in Vegas.

i had the same thought, surprised if someone doesn't buy it but i imagine they wouldn't be able to run it for a few months so the migration of players wouldn't be affected.

small bug on stars is you can re buy if all in with less than a 1000 chips and if you win the all in you get the re buy to.

don't think it will affect bp poker but bowmans have recently sold all their sportsbook interests to bodog and bet365.

i left betfred because of the clunky interface


i just keep coming back to blonde

so i too am gutted that we are going to lose the best software on the planet


funilly enough i always did ok  on betfred

First - M3, thanks, I didn't think it was possible to rebuy/top-up on Ipoker, at least I can stop looking for the button now :D

It would seem to me to be a major omission.

As for the loss of Tribeca, like a lot of other voices on here I will miss it - it has a lot of flaws, it's undeniable, but its speed and ease of use always compensated for that in my eyes. So many softwares out there - including Ipoker - seem very 'clunky' to me, 'heavy' is another adjective I'd choose. Tribeca always seems light as a feather by comparison, excellent buttons instead of the almost ubiquitous sliders, and very quick action.

Perhaps in time, I will get used to Ipoker, I'm not ruling anything out. The possibilities for running private tables and other things like stud tournaments are indeed an improvement (not to mention table balancing that makes sense), but it is very difficult to see what the merger will become from what Ipoker currently is at the moment, because the traffic is so very poor - especially at STTs.

Lastly,  I heard a rumour that Doyle Brunson's group might be planning to buy the Tribeca software from Playtech and use it to run Doyle's Room as a standalone site... if this is true, I can see Doyle's Room gaining a fair amount of business from disgruntled Tribecaddicts!

Thanks to Baron for keeping this thread going.

Where did you hear that? I pray its true!

Here's a thread that might qualify, entitled 'Tribeca Sold' (http://blondepoker.com/forum/index.php?topic=16837.0). It's from about a month ago.

I was searching around t'internet looking for info on the merger, found said rumour (have no reason to believe it's anything more, yet) on a news bulletin, I'll try and see if I can find it again.

Whoops, over before it was even begun? :D

This isn't the article I read earlier today, but if this is accurate, it looks like the big man tried and failed.

http://www.egamingpulse.com/archives/1867-Doyles-Room-wanted-Tribeca-source-code.html

More news on Doyle's Room (http://www.compatiblepoker.com/DoylesRoom+Going+Strong+Despite+Tribeca+Absence.new.htm) (I s'pose :dontask:)

I guess what I read earlier today was an old bulletin; one of the reasons why I mentioned it was because I was hoping someone would either confirm or deny it for me, save me the legwork :D

Seems mad just to shut Tribeca down, if Doyle wanted to pay for the code to run his room... maybe that's the reason why I wanted to believe it.

I started on VC too - the interface is soooo nice on Tribeca.  Why do the other sites insist on using serif fonts for the cards.  We know the room is a metaphor for a real poker room, but it's not - it's on a computer and the cards should be as easy as possible to read and play.

Stars has a nice interface too, but I've got a soft spot for the Tribeca tables.  They just seem well thought out - and there are plenty of fish too (but I guess they are everywhere?).  Never been that keen on the Tribeca tourneys (except the Blonde ones of course!), much prefer Stars.

I nearly got excited there zim.

Mid February WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP  :'(

Sorry Hools... ;)

I wasn't trying to get people's hopes up, I just wanted to know if anyone out there knew anything more.

I've only just caught up with this thread, and I have to say the person who made the decision to transfer from Tribeca software to iPoker must not play much online poker.

IMO the iPoker software is the worst I have ever come across.

Time to move to poker stars then i guess bye bye vc.  Deffo will miss it gutted

Clearly you haven't played on the Boss network!

 ;iagree;

Was just going to say something along those lines... either that or I was going to rant about Pacific again.     (;izimbra;)

One or t'other.

I shall respond to that in a month or so!

Meanwhile, my friends at Sporting Odds (currently on the Boss Network, ahem) are migrating everyone across to Paradise Poker, which they also own. Should be completed in about a month......

To be fair, I'd probably rank Boss and iPoker on a par. They are both rubbish.

Pacific was the site I started on, so maybe I've got a soft spot for them.  The software lacks a lot, but it's not as offensively user unfriendly as the other two.

The Baron said......

".....Ok guys I have put accross some of your questions and thoughts to the head of Bowmans - please remember that the licencees have the choice of where to move, it's not in the skin's hands necessarily. So Bowmans decided to move it's skins to ipoker it was not blonde's choice. That's not an excuse before it's begun - it's just to let you know that some skins wont have a choice where they go........"

I dont actually see it quite that way. Sure, it's not our decision, if we stay as we are, we get no choice, we get moved on to the iPoker Network. But we don't HAVE to go there - we can simply shut up shop if we want, & set up a skin on any network we wish to. OK, that writes off the investment we made in the blonde skin on the Tribeca network, but so what, its all clean & paid for, so we can go where we want!

I am not saying we should, or will, but, with respect, nobody is going to tell me where I have to go.....! (Old people do get so crusty & obdurate, , eh?)

Tribecca going spare?  I bet Betfair wish they'd waited before buying the software they did buy!

 rotflmfao

I did have more to say about the Betfair software but this post crashed before I had the chance to.

Thats the crazy thing about it, it doesnt appear to be going spare.

Someone has bought it just to close it down.

WHY????

Yes, thats the point.

If Betfair had waited, they still wouldn't have been able to get their hands on the Tribeca code, because seemingly Doyle tried and Playtech were having none of it...

Seems mad. Anyone want to start a "Save the Tribeca Code" Petition? :D

ME ME ME

Where do I sign?

Tribecca = Betamax

Please tell me Ipoker isn't VHS though.

'Fraid so

Don't worry, Pokerstars = DVD  ;)

I am reviewing opinions on this, I really can't go as far to say that Ipoker (from what I've seen of it) is quite as user-unfriendly as Boss; that would take some doing. Ipoker, in the admittedly short time I've been using it, certainly hasn't frozen up on me mid-game, kicked me from all of my cash tables, or put me in a "queue for logging in" for ten minutes, thus stopping me from entering the tourney that I was trying to log in to play.

In all honesty, I have yet to see the poker software that beats Boss for putting up obstacles in my way when I want to give them money.

Ipoker by comparison is slick and smooth in its action; I do have a few minor issues with it, the biggest one though is the incredibly poor traffic and STT selection (which isn't necessarily the most important as regards this debate; I can only assume it will be rectified as soon as the Tribeca legions mix in).

They have a penchant for 10-handed tables rather than 9, which I'm not as fond of (personal preference). However, for cash games they also have 8-max tables. Plus they have a mini-view for the multitablers, so that's a tick in the 'positives' column. But for STTs, they have only 10 seat or 6 seats (or fewer), and the 10 seat tables only go as high as $10; From $20 up it's short-handed, or don't bother... and off-peak you might be in for a bit of a wait even to get a sixer to fill.

The rebuy issue is also a bit of a strange one; the standard rebuy structure seems to be rebuys for the first hour (1500 starting chips, levels: 10/20, 15/30, 20/40, 30/60, 50/100, 75/150), and players can choose to add-on during the break. Or not. There is still the issue that you can only rebuy, though, when you reach 0 chips, and not before! This does mean that if you go broke just before the end of the rebuy phase, you can only get to 3000 chips before the restart, which will be 100/200 (i.e. 15 blinds, M=10, Orange Zone)... at least on Tribeca you can get back to 30 big blinds - with a bit of careful timing! If that isn't amended, there'll have to be a period of adjustment while the double-buy-in players get used to that one!

A whole hour of rebuys is a long time, however. Again, I'm assuming that this is to make up for the fact that one can't double-buy, so they give people more time to build a stack through all-innage, as well as to give the site more time to make its money from them. I am wondering how much control the operators have over this facility, whether they can create, say, a 2-level rebuy tourney - as is possible on Tribeca... or for that matter, how much creative freedom they have over tournament starting stacks, blind level structure, and so on.

Another issue that I have is the fact that the tournament info screen (the one that shows your position relative to other players, gives info on average stack sizes, etc.) actually locks itself to my desktop and can't be moved; when it's up, the main "lobby" screen - for accessing cashier, options, etc. - is also unavailable. It's seems just to be a glitch really, it means that I have to set where it will go on my screen before the tourney starts, so that the screens aren't covering one another, or move the tournament window itself.

Ipoker has Hold'em, Omaha and O/8, (Limit and Pot Limit), and Limit 7 Stud - but not Stud 8/b for some reason (that I can find). Also, there are no Stud tournaments, but then there probably has been little demand for them on so small a network; the stud tables themselves don't seem to be overrun with action.

I understand they have private tables/tournaments as well, although I have yet to see one.

Ipoker also supports Poker Tracker for Ring Games AND Tournaments, something that Tribeca always lacked.

Maybe there are reasons to be cheerful in all of this... unfortunately from our point of view it seems we - the end users - will only properly see if the final result is worth it, when it's a done deal - it's very difficult to judge what the network will become based on what it is now (3k max players).

I play a lot on Tribeca, I very much doubt I would play more than the odd Blonde tourney on Ipoker.

When tribeca disappears most of my business is likely to move to a PokerRoom skin.

Yeah i feel the same, i will probably switch more onto crypto, and dare i say it.....stars.

I am fairly confident that at least one Tribecca client will choose to move to a new provider rather than sign to ipoker

I just pray one of them gets their hands on the Tribeca software!

I definitely like the new Crypto software - though I do wonder if Stars' lawyers like it as much.

The new racetrack tables on Full Tilt are good too and they have a good game selection.

PokerRoom is an interesting one. I had a Eurobet account when they were a Party skin, and they then migrated over to PokerRoom. The software is fine - though the uncanny likeness of one of the avatars to a Spitting Image-esque Queen is a bit disconcerting - and they certainly seem to get a good amount of traffic.

You can bet on it Paul......

I imagine one of them will, would make commercial sense to me, providing the price wasn't too high

It looks unlikely this will happen.

That's why i have resorted to prayer!

A fair review Zim,

I too have my doubts. However I think with the increased player turnover and the sheer capital the Ipoker owners are throwing at this there is potential to get a lot of it right. To be blunt, they just cant keep 15,000 people happy with the current set up in their STTs and tourneys. However the owners seem to be trying to make Ipoker one of the leading online cardroom networks and spending money hasn't been an issue for them so far, so let's hope the development continues.

I have not been in touch with Ipoker directly yet but my ongoing requests for improved gaming (structures, starting stacks, STTs etc etc etc etc) cant fall on as deaf ears as with Tribeca. From what I hear they listen to their skin managers advice with interest - that'll make a nice change!

More news on the changeover - it is likely that the software change will only be an update - NOT a new download. New usernames and passowrds etc wont be needed except in the odd scenario where your username is already in use.

Just seen something very interesting on Ipoker:

Deepstack Rebuy, private and password protected

3000 starting chips, rebuys till first break

10/20
20/40
30/60
40/80
50/100
100/200

(note the lack of 75/150 that is the usual level 6 on Ipoker!)

So that would appear to answer almost ALL of qs from above: YES, deepstack is possible, YES altering blind levels is possible, YES private (password protected) tournaments and cash games - inc. $5.50 private STTs to replace "Blonde Extendeds" and even something like the 'Cash with Pab' idea that was floating around earlier this year.

Still, for those of us Tribecaddicts trying to keep an open mind, the optimism of Baron and Snoopy has to be balanced against the pessimism of some very successful online pros, most of whom seem to be expressing the opinion that Playtech isn't to be touched with a bargepole.

As for Tribeca companies that won't be moving to Ipoker - does anyone have any firm intel on that?

I do but i can't reveal for national security reasons.

If the network can do it then that's good news for us as I'll be requesting better comps and private STTs for our players. Top stuff. As long as they can I'll make sure they will.

As for licencees not moving to Ipoker, I'm fairly certain the US-majority skins such as Doyle's Room wont be coming as Ipoker wont be accepting US players.

Ah, gotcha, for some reason I'd already accepted that, I thought we were talking about the euro-companies.

But Jack, thousands of poker accounts are at stake!