Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Wednesday Luton report please boss

"eye-opening".

It's true to say that many - most? - live players could be described, & often are, by internet players, as being "technically awful". But they make it awkward to play. They call every hand, every street, & if they are hitting cards, they end up with 2 pairs & take pot after pot. They are quite simply unreadable, but there is a way to play against them, though it requires a little thought.

PokerMonkey threw a mini-strop about one such player. This guy, all evening, called any bet in any position if his hand contained 2 cards between 4 & 6. 4-6, 5-6, 5-7, 6-6. Without exception, every time. So he busted J-J, K-K, & A-A, but even still, "good" players were not adjusting to this, & merrily firing away, it was bet-call, bet call, jam call, "oh, you have 2 pairs you fish", followed by a mini-rant to everyone who would listen. Hmm.

Awesome entertainment, though why folks get arsey with so-called bad players remains a mystery to me.*

I ran good all evening, was never below average, or even near it, but took an ugly beat in a peculiar 3 way all-in coup with 12 left, & so started blind-shoving, eventually perishing on the final-table bubble. Very enjoyable, really, & I'll likely play tonight's £100, too.

Got nipped for £500, too - first time in many years that's happened. Think the money's good, but even so, basic error. We shall see.

* I get SO many e-Mails, Facebook messages, etc, next door, about "the disgustingly bad players on Sky Poker, they are so bad, they call with anything, I'm never playing on Sky Poker again, the players are woefully bad."

I really do wonder what goes through the minds of people who write that sort of stuff. They don't want to play really bad players......only poker players could say such nonsense, but they see others write it, & without thinking it through, just repeat it. "Can't beat these bloody idiots, I'm off to 'Stars"...... Good luck with that, guys.

Hmmm  you make calling with mid connectors a bad thing...perfect for busting those that cannot release big pairs or cant control pots

This
It's these players calling others bad who are the poor players imo

Generally, yes. It seems to be fashionable to call anyone who beats you in a hand a "fish". It was that sort of Table that night.

One guy - I swear to God this is true - threw a strop, as he claimed he had lost with Aces 17 times on the bounce.

Yes, yes, of course, mate.

[Sheriff Fatman]

Must be the mood I'm in today but I laughed when I read...

This guy, all evening, called any bet in any position if his hand contained 2 cards between 4 & 6. 4-6, 5-6, 5-7, 6-6. Without exception, every time. So he busted J-J, K-K, & A-A

closely followed by...

I ran good all evening

[tikay]

thought this was quite interesting

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/28/internet-poker/stars-shill-accounts-1041814/


cliffs

-In another thread Stars' head of security posts under an anonymous account pointing out contradictions in FTP's public statements and encourages players to file complaints to FTP's licensing body giving them advice on what to say and how to do it.

-Former Stars employee, now FTP employee, is irked by post and begins outing Stars shill accounts. Including the head of security as above, and mbpoker as being Isai Scheinberg, the owner and founder of Stars.

-Isai has been posting anonymously for nearly a decade on 2+2 praising Stars while artfully implying he is a player without explicitly saying as much.

-Stars 'advocates' dispute it is him, but ultimately accept it is.

-Discussion ensues on whether what he did was right or wrong. Opinions are mixed and generally seem to agree it was wrong but not necessarily harmful.

-People are able to out his old identities on rec.gambling newsgroup due to information gleaned from his mbpoker posts and name. His pre-stars postings provide interesting insight into an otherwise very opaque figure. These newsgroup postings also provides absolute proof that mbpoker is indeed Isai Schienberg.

I must make a quick sick brag, actually.

Exactly one week BEFORE Black Friday, I engaged in a teleconf with two suits from 'Stars, Mr Gabi Campos (CEO), & Mr Jeffrey Haas (Director of Live Rooms, Events & Tours).

Mr Campos never spoke for the 20 minute duration of the call, in fact I'm not even convinced he was on the call, though his PA had introduced him in the intro.

Mr Haas, meanwhile, blew me away, a very business-like, sharp, type. He kept hammering about a particular point, & totally owned me. I had 3 days notice of the call, & had determined to "lead" the convo, but he was so powerful & strong in the way he handled it, & I could not dominate at all.

Some written stuff passed between us during the next few days, early the following week, but I heard no more after Black Friday.

I often think & wonder what it must be like in the 'Stars Boardroom right now.

For the record, I have long held the belief, & stated it a thousand times to anyone who would listen, that 'Stars were the absolute best in the business, by a country mile

When all that stuff came out, I felt the same as I did the day Lester Piggott was sent to prison - my hero was not my hero any more.

[the sicilian]

Wednesday Luton report please boss

"eye-opening".

It's true to say that many - most? - live players could be described, & often are, by internet players, as being "technically awful". But they make it awkward to play. They call every hand, every street, & if they are hitting cards, they end up with 2 pairs & take pot after pot. They are quite simply unreadable, but there is a way to play against them, though it requires a little thought.

PokerMonkey threw a mini-strop about one such player. This guy, all evening, called any bet in any position if his hand contained 2 cards between 4 & 6. 4-6, 5-6, 5-7, 6-6. Without exception, every time. So he busted J-J, K-K, & A-A, but even still, "good" players were not adjusting to this, & merrily firing away, it was bet-call, bet call, jam call, "oh, you have 2 pairs you fish", followed by a mini-rant to everyone who would listen. Hmm.

Awesome entertainment, though why folks get arsey with so-called bad players remains a mystery to me.*

I ran good all evening, was never below average, or even near it, but took an ugly beat in a peculiar 3 way all-in coup with 12 left, & so started blind-shoving, eventually perishing on the final-table bubble. Very enjoyable, really, & I'll likely play tonight's £100, too.

Got nipped for £500, too - first time in many years that's happened. Think the money's good, but even so, basic error. We shall see.

* I get SO many e-Mails, Facebook messages, etc, next door, about "the disgustingly bad players on Sky Poker, they are so bad, they call with anything, I'm never playing on Sky Poker again, the players are woefully bad."

I really do wonder what goes through the minds of people who write that sort of stuff. They don't want to play really bad players......only poker players could say such nonsense, but they see others write it, & without thinking it through, just repeat it. "Can't beat these bloody idiots, I'm off to 'Stars"...... Good luck with that, guys.

Hmmm  you make calling with mid connectors a bad thing...perfect for busting those that cannot release big pairs or cant control pots

This
It's these players calling others bad who are the poor players imo

Generally, yes. It seems to be fashionable to call anyone who beats you in a hand a "fish". It was that sort of Table that night.

One guy - I swear to God this is true - threw a strop, as he claimed he had lost with Aces 17 times on the bounce.

Yes, yes, of course, mate.

LOL...yup that was Athey..serial whinger..actually had aces...reraised..got a fold and moaned he didnt get any action..oh he finished third..he sure run bad lolz

[tikay]

Must be the mood I'm in today but I laughed when I read...

This guy, all evening, called any bet in any position if his hand contained 2 cards between 4 & 6. 4-6, 5-6, 5-7, 6-6. Without exception, every time. So he busted J-J, K-K, & A-A

closely followed by...

I ran good all evening

Lol, good spot, but no, it was not me, sadly. My range is a tad narrower. Think I played 2 hands in the first 3 Levels, in fact. But I was very much enjoying what was happening.

[the sicilian]

Must be the mood I'm in today but I laughed when I read...

This guy, all evening, called any bet in any position if his hand contained 2 cards between 4 & 6. 4-6, 5-6, 5-7, 6-6. Without exception, every time. So he busted J-J, K-K, & A-A

closely followed by...

I ran good all evening

Lol, good spot, but no, it was not me, sadly. My range is a tad narrower. Think I played 2 hands in the first 3 Levels, in fact. But I was very much enjoying what was happening.

You didnt mention how bad you ran in the eye candy stakes 

[tikay]

Must be the mood I'm in today but I laughed when I read...

This guy, all evening, called any bet in any position if his hand contained 2 cards between 4 & 6. 4-6, 5-6, 5-7, 6-6. Without exception, every time. So he busted J-J, K-K, & A-A

closely followed by...

I ran good all evening

Lol, good spot, but no, it was not me, sadly. My range is a tad narrower. Think I played 2 hands in the first 3 Levels, in fact. But I was very much enjoying what was happening.

You didnt mention how bad you ran in the eye candy stakes 

Shush, I have my image to protect.

I got a massage at the table from Sinny, though.

[the sicilian]

if ur a good boy i might wear something tight tonight and hope to get u on my table

[celtic]

if ur a good boy i might wear something tight tonight and hope to get u on my table

Have you got anything to wear that isn't tight?

[redarmi]

I won't be arguing with anyone on this, no point, but I am utterly convinced that the EU Trade Commissioners & Financial watchdogs must be reading all this stuff, being worded by the Americans, & be considering pulling the plug on 'Stars & Tilt, & having a European version of Black Friday. And everyone will wake up all shocked & surprised, & think "wtf, what about the money I have on deposit with them?" They need not worry, they will all get their money back, (after some delay), but I am convinced it will happen.  It's all about "fit & proper persons" (to run a Company that holds huge amounts of punters funds).

If this was to happen I think it is very unlikely that customers would get their money back in full.  The whole idea of these firms segregating funds doesn't, in my opinion as  someone who has been a director of an online gambling company,  work in the way that punters think it does.  When you deposit money with Stars, for example, there isn't then a deposit made with an account in, say, Barclays thatb they then cannot touch.  For a start if they are using payment processors then those processors withold a portion of the deposit for a pre arranged period of time, then all of the processors require an amount of money held on deposit and, as we have all found recently, these processors are often working at the greyest margins of legality.  I would imagine it would only take one of these processors to go under/run off/get nicked to cause any of these firms some cashflow/financial problems but whilst the market is still operating they have the cashflow to get through it.  If the EU decided that they were going down the US route then a lot of these firms would no longer be viable and would, at the very least, have trouble meeting their obligations to someone like Stars given their own capital requirements.  This is without allowing for any of the shareholders/owners at Stars realising that they no longer had a viable business but were sat on a pile of cash which is legally pretty much theirs to do with what they wish.  Is anyone naive enough to think that customers would be the number one creditor in this situation??  Personally I would be pretty surprised if the EU would (or even could) go down this route but if it happened I am pretty sure it would mean real meltdown.

[the sicilian]

if ur a good boy i might wear something tight tonight and hope to get u on my table

Have you got anything to wear that isn't tight?

Yes I got one of ur Celtic tops

[boldie]

if ur a good boy i might wear something tight tonight and hope to get u on my table

Have you got anything to wear that isn't tight?

Yes I got one of ur Celtic tops

VWP!

[TRIP5]

Scary times for the trustworthy & gullible alike.

Possibly my favourite line ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!

xx

[tikay]

Today, I shall mostly be on holiday. No Poker, no forums, no e-mails, no PM's, no nothing.

Tomorrow, Poker for Heroes, in Nottingham.

Have a good weekend, whatever you do.

[RED-DOG]

no nothing.

How does that work?