How Bad is Sky Poker?

[GlasgowBandit]

Anyone any thoughts on this site?  I have like most on here watched "the Open" and been astounded by some of the bad play. 

But I have figured out why  there are so many bad players, they have a feature call the Hot-O-Meter, this is terrible it informs you what hands to keep and what you should discard some of the holdings it says you should hold onto rather than fold are diabolical.  I wonder how many players decide what action to take by this feature.

Who came up with the idea of a hot-o-meter?   

And as I type this I go bust in a wee £3 turbo when I flop the nut straight having limped from SB with TJ - flop came 8 9 Q with two diamonds some numpty found a call with K 5 to a bet and a re-raise and when the 3rd diamond came he was not for passing to a bet for all his chips when he called with and he only went and rivered another diamond.

Its just not funny.  I wonder if he used the Hot-O-Meter?  It sounds like something they'd use on one of those limp dating shows on the telly.

[Dingdell]

Surely bad play rewards the good?  I won a sit and go last night so easily it was fantastic.............mind you I had just listened to DC's cd...

[Claw75]

out of tonight's game already -    lost to    sums it up really!  As Dingdell says though, I'll take those players every day.

[GlasgowBandit]

I think long term bad players are profitable for the better players. 

I have a few gripes about the whole thing though in particular the structure, and also that silly hot-o-meter.

I am also out as I type versus - UTG the gun min re-raised my BB and I pushed and he still found a call!  Arrrrghhhhhh!

[Ironside]

trying to get a comp with 400+ runners into 3hrs 30 mins the structure is going to be poor and you have to move with NE2 if they are hot or not you cant fold a pair or a big ace in this structure so alot of what you think is bad calls with crap hands is actually good play IMHO

if sky removed the animations of the cards being dealt it might speed things up a little but when you think that tonight a player turned up late in teh studio after only 40 minutes was down to only 95tc with the blinds at 300/600 the you dont have time to wait for a hand or to play "REAL POKER"

[Acidmouse]

Bad players are great if you are actually given time to trap them.

[fearisthekey]

I know the software needs sorting out. The hotometer encourages bad play if I lost a lot I would sue them lol.
I raise mid position  flop  I raise, other guy pushes all in, for a massive stack, I have to call, he shows 
what on earth is that all about he must have thought he was Gus Hansen or got a read on me or something

[bhoywonder]

i managed a cash last time i played

doesnt say much fo my game then


lol

[Snatiramas]

Okay first question
How many of us have been in a big live tourney and been sucked out on?
Second question
Does Sky poker bring new people to the game?
Third question
Do you read the tournament structure before you enter a tourney?

My personal view is this. In answer to question to number 1 I reckon all of us have.
In answer to question 2 there is no doubt that it is appealing to some people that have rarely played
In answer to question 3 ladies and gentlemen you pays your money and takes your choice.

So what I am basically saying is that bad beats happen in all types of poker and will happen more in events with more rookies. I think if you know nothing about poker but want to try it the hot o meter does help to some small degree. I remember somebody swearing at me the first time I played on line for doing something outrageous and getting lucky. I actually commend sky for getting new players into the game as some of them may eventually try playing live in my local cardroom and maybe just maybe they could get together with some live venues to give people the chance to play live having played on Sky poker.

As regards your bad beat bandit I can only give you the following advice that was given to me on the subject. Half the people you tell the story to are not interested and the other half are laughing at you. To overcome this I have devised a new game called great suckouts I have done or fantastic moves I got wrong.........these are much more entertaining

[witney]

good site..

[GlasgowBandit]

As regards your bad beat bandit I can only give you the following advice that was given to me on the subject. Half the people you tell the story to are not interested and the other half are laughing at you. To overcome this I have devised a new game called great suckouts I have done or fantastic moves I got wrong.........these are much more entertaining

I wasn't really bothered about the beat it was only a couple of quid I was messing about with while waiting on a few other tourneys started elsewhere. 

My main gripe is that blimming hot-o-meter - I mean who came up with that idea?

Some of the situations I encountered with it where holding in the BB it advised to hold to a raise
In the C/O it advises to get rid of 78o in an unraised pot.

[russwhl]

they could try a two or three night tourny with slower structures, bigger buy in and larger starting stacks to run alongside the open, and then just dip into it like velocity. Just a thought, might get better poker. they would have three lanes then, and be able to contrast the play.

[tikay]

they could try a two or three night tourny with slower structures, bigger buy in and larger starting stacks to run alongside the open, and then just dip into it like velocity. Just a thought, might get better poker. they would have three lanes then, and be able to contrast the play.

I will forward your suggestion to the powers-that-be, but running Online Comps which last over three nights is fraught with software complications. Still, you never know.

[Ironside]

i am not sure who thought of the hot o meter but they asked brian wilson for hand advice and i think tikay might have had a misread

[fearisthekey]

Hot o meters are a really bad idea for a site. Do they encourage bad (losing) play? Undoubtedly. It is within any site's interest for its players to get better. If fish keep getting preyed upon by sharks they will stop playing. If they get better the balance is restored a bit and the site wins as money keeps swilling around, not just sharks like glasgowbandit taking everyone's money