AmayaStars

[Doobs]

Stars have always had 48 hours before you can withdraw.  Don't think they used to have any playthru criteria tho. 

Party comps - think since they made the structures even lower the 7pm comps finish about 2/3am.  Prob just the 5/6pm fit your end time goal.

Microgaming has a couple of decent comps but Sky-like prizepools.  Don't play 888 but they tend to have faster comps than Party so maybe your best bet .  Havent logged into iPoker in years.  ACR might be worth a look.  I've heard they have some decent PLO8 comps too but they are probably geared towards US time so probably too late but worth checking out.

Thanks Ryan.  I was pretty sure the 48 hour rule wasn't knew and the playthrough requirement was.  Just more nails in the coffin. 

It is a shame about Party.  I would love to play there, but the structures are too long for recs.  I have mentioned it a few times here, but they get ignored.  I don't much care for hold em these days.

Sky is ok, but it is mainly hold em and the O8 sit and goes that run are double or nothings.  I have never really liked those games because of the collusion possibilities and you do see ridiculous folds there.  Might try and get the other games started.

Might have a look at 888.

Has anybody played on america's card room for the O8.  Is there a good skin to play on where UK players don't get done for foreign exchange fees?  Bit worrying that the 2 plus 2 thread talks about banking issues too.

[FUN4FRASER]

I dont think its even a question of  " how far can we push the regs ?"  I think they genuinely dont give a fuck and are driven by greed and shareholders which equals the best money generating avenue.

Rather than cut your nose to spite your face Dave you have to ask the same question every other reg is asking " given all the ridiculous taxes is it still profitable to play poker at stars ? "

They have the most traffic , the best software and biggest variety of cash games and tournaments

Do you quit on moral grounds or be pragmatic and continue to play and effectively make a lesser margin ?

The problem is when will they stop pushing the boundaries ?   I personally dont think they will because casino/sports book etc is more profitable than poker

The treasure chest concept /explanation is both pathetic and comical as if they are talking to delinquents  ( maybe the majority of the market is )

https://www.pokerstars.uk/poker/promotions/stars-rewards/

It would be great if a European site got busy that we could deposit in £ sterling   # bring back the old Betfair

[Doobs]

Hi Fraser

It is the question I am asking myself Fraser.  As well as all the rakeback/cashout changes they have hacked up the O8 games. 

It isn't only the changes to rakeback/cashouts.  The rake has increased too on a lot of games.  There are no longer any 6 max O8 hypers above $30.  The $50 plo8 game has gone at 8.30.  So a few of the games I may have been profitable in have gone too.  Others are ruined by ridiculously long late reg.  So as an O8 player you are faced with $15 games, late night turbos and the massively swingy $320 games twice a week.  There are some $80 knockouts, but they start too early.

I ran bad in the big games on Stars, so I could persuade myself I was still profitable after rakeback if I could select better.  It is really hard to see it now.

I am still profitable overall this year, but stars has been a bit of a disaster again, even before they got even more greedy.   I have been one of the donators on stars, they shouldn't be forcing me out. 

[FUN4FRASER]

Mmmm...I understand..the ridiculous  late reg in every format , the re entries ( like the Sunday million for example) even the fact they take a second reg fee on both re buys re entries

you get double screwed on both deposit and withdrawals   ( same on 888 and PP to be fair)

But with this new rakeback/FPP/ Treasure Chest system they really are squeezing every last $ out of the players

All that said , it is the best software and has the biggest tournaments & security ( I think ) what it needs is competition and at the moment I only see PP and 888 and their tax on deposits and withdrawals ( unless its changed recently) is worse than Stars

Personally , I've decided to start playing more live ,thinking of going to Barcelona in a month hosted by .........  Pokerstars....Sigh  # Is there a realistic option  ?

[bergeroo]

Now is a great time to play live tournies that aren't hosted by PokerStars. 888 and Party are building their live offerings, in particular Party is going in a great direction. There is the MPN Tour (Manchester, Tallinn), the Unibet UK tour and full 1k tour and the 500 Deepstack Open tour. WSOP just announced their circuit stops in Europe. WPT Deepstacks also has 1ks around Europe. In the UK there is GUKPT and GPS aswell as all the great stuff at DTD. Plus there are still one off tournaments like Masters Classics, Irish Open, stuff hosted by Casino's Austria.

I would say that if you play live you certainly don't need to play PokerStars tournaments! Yes of course the 1k and 5k main events in Barcelona are great tournaments, but there are loads of great tournaments to choose from.

[Longines]

Hello Grant,

Thank you for your email.

To maintain the high level of integrity associated with our products, and to adhere to our licence regulations, players are unable to withdraw or transfer funds from deposits, without first wagering these at least once (x1).

In jurisdictions where our player to player transfer tool is available, the same wagering requirement applies. Funds received by transfer must be wagered before they can be withdrawn, or transferred once again.

This is not a new requirement; the only change has been to integrate it as a feature within the cashier to reduce the impact on our customers by reducing the number of transactions that are cancelled (due to no wagering) and the associated delays and inconvenience.

The relevant balances are displayed separately in the Cashier window to show you which part of your total balance can be withdrawn:

    'Available': This is the total balance in your account derived from deposits, winnings and any other credits.
    'Available to withdraw':  This balance is derived from your total winnings from playing in cash games and tournaments and is the amount from your available balance that can be withdrawn.

Please note that the 'Available to withdraw' balance should not be added to your 'Available' balance, the 'Available to withdraw' amount displays ONLY the part of your total balance that can be withdrawn.

If the two amounts displayed are identical, this means that all the funds in your account derive from winnings, and you can withdraw the total balance.

Please note that the requirement to clear deposits and/or funds received by transfer are NOT rake-related, the applicable funds must simply be wagered on a 1:1 basis on our Poker, Sports or Casino sites.
Regards,

Krisztian
Stars Security

To enhance the security of your Stars Account, we strongly encourage you to set up our additional security features; Stars PIN, SMS Verification, RSA Token and Security Questions.

Activation of these features is extremely simple and can be completed within the ‘Account’ menu within our software.

We will NEVER ask you to confirm your login credentials or password via email, phone or chat facility or in any way. We do not advise giving your login information to anyone under any circumstances.

[Longines]

Krisztian,

Many thanks for the copy & pasted reply.

Please point out where in the Gambling Commission's Licence conditions and Code of Practice the x1 wagering requirement is documented.

For the second time, please arrange for my full balance to be withdrawn to my nominated VISA card in the next 72 hours.


Yours sincerely,

[Doobs]

Krisztian,

Many thanks for the copy & pasted reply.

Please point out where in the Gambling Commission's Licence conditions and Code of Practice the x1 wagering requirement is documented.

For the second time, please arrange for my full balance to be withdrawn to my nominated VISA card in the next 72 hours.


Yours sincerely,

At least you got a reply.  I am still waiting. 

The whole think just makes no sense.  Imagine going to a racecourse or casino with £500 to gamble with.  You run bad and decide to quit when £200 down and security don't let you go until you have wagered the full £500.

It is absolutely ridiculous to claim that UK gambling regulations force you to do this. 

Keep up the good work. 

[FUN4FRASER]

Now is a great time to play live tournies that aren't hosted by PokerStars. 888 and Party are building their live offerings, in particular Party is going in a great direction. There is the MPN Tour (Manchester, Tallinn), the Unibet UK tour and full 1k tour and the 500 Deepstack Open tour. WSOP just announced their circuit stops in Europe. WPT Deepstacks also has 1ks around Europe. In the UK there is GUKPT and GPS aswell as all the great stuff at DTD. Plus there are still one off tournaments like Masters Classics, Irish Open, stuff hosted by Casino's Austria.

I would say that if you play live you certainly don't need to play PokerStars tournaments! Yes of course the 1k and 5k main events in Barcelona are great tournaments, but there are loads of great tournaments to choose from.

great post ,you are right and of course  UK players dont have the associated travel costs going abroad and the WPT looks even better especially since the DTD tie up ( not too far from me )

Barcelona is second best to Vegas in my opinion so having missed V this year just fancied Catalan

[bergeroo]

Now is a great time to play live tournies that aren't hosted by PokerStars. 888 and Party are building their live offerings, in particular Party is going in a great direction. There is the MPN Tour (Manchester, Tallinn), the Unibet UK tour and full 1k tour and the 500 Deepstack Open tour. WSOP just announced their circuit stops in Europe. WPT Deepstacks also has 1ks around Europe. In the UK there is GUKPT and GPS aswell as all the great stuff at DTD. Plus there are still one off tournaments like Masters Classics, Irish Open, stuff hosted by Casino's Austria.

I would say that if you play live you certainly don't need to play PokerStars tournaments! Yes of course the 1k and 5k main events in Barcelona are great tournaments, but there are loads of great tournaments to choose from.

great post ,you are right and of course  UK players dont have the associated travel costs going abroad and the WPT looks even better especially since the DTD tie up ( not too far from me )

Barcelona is second best to Vegas in my opinion so having missed V this year just fancied Catalan

Agree that Barcelona in August is pretty great.

Actually I've got to say that the satties for the 1k in Barcelona on Stars have been pretty good this year. Lots of big megasats, some of which have had overlays. Even feeder sats that had added seats which is almost unheard of on Stars.

[Doobs]

Now is a great time to play live tournies that aren't hosted by PokerStars. 888 and Party are building their live offerings, in particular Party is going in a great direction. There is the MPN Tour (Manchester, Tallinn), the Unibet UK tour and full 1k tour and the 500 Deepstack Open tour. WSOP just announced their circuit stops in Europe. WPT Deepstacks also has 1ks around Europe. In the UK there is GUKPT and GPS aswell as all the great stuff at DTD. Plus there are still one off tournaments like Masters Classics, Irish Open, stuff hosted by Casino's Austria.

I would say that if you play live you certainly don't need to play PokerStars tournaments! Yes of course the 1k and 5k main events in Barcelona are great tournaments, but there are loads of great tournaments to choose from.

great post ,you are right and of course  UK players dont have the associated travel costs going abroad and the WPT looks even better especially since the DTD tie up ( not too far from me )

Barcelona is second best to Vegas in my opinion so having missed V this year just fancied Catalan

Agree that Barcelona in August is pretty great.

Actually I've got to say that the satties for the 1k in Barcelona on Stars have been pretty good this year. Lots of big megasats, some of which have had overlays. Even feeder sats that had added seats which is almost unheard of on Stars.

Love Barcelona too.

Bergeroo, are you still going to play King's Casino.  It is a bit offputting when the casino owner allegedly welches on a £2m debt?

[The Camel]

Someone on 2 plus 2 is claiming everyone does it. 

I have been limited at most major uk bookmakers and can't remember any of them stopping me withdrawing.  Whilst there are exceptions, such as bonus clearence and suspicuous transactions, I have never heard of anybody having to play through a deposit without an attaching bonus.  Though I dare say it could happen on some really crappy sites.

And just to check, I deposited some money on Shy Poker this afternoon.  I didn't play a single hand and then withdrew more money than was originally on the site (before the deposit) a few hours later. 

I am pretty sure I have done similar many times before.  You deposit a few hundred quid to make a series of bets and they limit you to 27p on a race on television (hello Sporting Bet), there is little else you can do other than withdraw. 

No communication from Stars yet. 

I am hardly Stars defender, but I can't blame them for requiring a playthrough to withdraw.

Each deposit and withdrawal costs them money. If people are just loading up and the withdrawing without play, it costs them.

Some of their other policies are far more obnoxious.

[FUN4FRASER]

Hello Grant,

Thank you for your email.

To maintain the high level of integrity associated with our products, and to adhere to our licence regulations, players are unable to withdraw or transfer funds from deposits, without first wagering these at least once (x1).

In jurisdictions where our player to player transfer tool is available, the same wagering requirement applies. Funds received by transfer must be wagered before they can be withdrawn, or transferred once again.

This is not a new requirement; the only change has been to integrate it as a feature within the cashier to reduce the impact on our customers by reducing the number of transactions that are cancelled (due to no wagering) and the associated delays and inconvenience.

The relevant balances are displayed separately in the Cashier window to show you which part of your total balance can be withdrawn:

    'Available': This is the total balance in your account derived from deposits, winnings and any other credits.
    'Available to withdraw':  This balance is derived from your total winnings from playing in cash games and tournaments and is the amount from your available balance that can be withdrawn.

Please note that the 'Available to withdraw' balance should not be added to your 'Available' balance, the 'Available to withdraw' amount displays ONLY the part of your total balance that can be withdrawn.

If the two amounts displayed are identical, this means that all the funds in your account derive from winnings, and you can withdraw the total balance.

Please note that the requirement to clear deposits and/or funds received by transfer are NOT rake-related, the applicable funds must simply be wagered on a 1:1 basis on our Poker, Sports or Casino sites.
Regards,

Krisztian
Stars Security

To enhance the security of your Stars Account, we strongly encourage you to set up our additional security features; Stars PIN, SMS Verification, RSA Token and Security Questions.

Activation of these features is extremely simple and can be completed within the ‘Account’ menu within our software.

We will NEVER ask you to confirm your login credentials or password via email, phone or chat facility or in any way. We do not advise giving your login information to anyone under any circumstances.

Spoke to a few players and this seems to be true ( been a policy for years ) , you have probably never noticed before because you have either won/lost or more importantly not requested a withdrawal until after 48 hours

the fact the available balance is now highlighted has brought this matter to the fore

My advice is play it through on the poker or just wait until you want it for poker ( maybe buy in for a live event) because Im pretty sure you wont get a result unless you comply

Obviously it fucking sucks  but that is standard with this lot  .

[FUN4FRASER]

Now is a great time to play live tournies that aren't hosted by PokerStars. 888 and Party are building their live offerings, in particular Party is going in a great direction. There is the MPN Tour (Manchester, Tallinn), the Unibet UK tour and full 1k tour and the 500 Deepstack Open tour. WSOP just announced their circuit stops in Europe. WPT Deepstacks also has 1ks around Europe. In the UK there is GUKPT and GPS aswell as all the great stuff at DTD. Plus there are still one off tournaments like Masters Classics, Irish Open, stuff hosted by Casino's Austria.

I would say that if you play live you certainly don't need to play PokerStars tournaments! Yes of course the 1k and 5k main events in Barcelona are great tournaments, but there are loads of great tournaments to choose from.

great post ,you are right and of course  UK players dont have the associated travel costs going abroad and the WPT looks even better especially since the DTD tie up ( not too far from me )

Barcelona is second best to Vegas in my opinion so having missed V this year just fancied Catalan

Agree that Barcelona in August is pretty great.

Actually I've got to say that the satties for the 1k in Barcelona on Stars have been pretty good this year. Lots of big megasats, some of which have had overlays. Even feeder sats that had added seats which is almost unheard of on Stars.

Love Barcelona too.

Bergeroo, are you still going to play King's Casino.  It is a bit offputting when the casino owner allegedly welches on a £2m debt?

I thought this , obviously insane if the guy is skint and collecting all the tournament money

https://www.highstakesdb.com/7998-leon-tsoukernik-on-matt-kirks-lawsuit-it-was-an-unenforceable-gambling-debt.aspx

[bergeroo]

Now is a great time to play live tournies that aren't hosted by PokerStars. 888 and Party are building their live offerings, in particular Party is going in a great direction. There is the MPN Tour (Manchester, Tallinn), the Unibet UK tour and full 1k tour and the 500 Deepstack Open tour. WSOP just announced their circuit stops in Europe. WPT Deepstacks also has 1ks around Europe. In the UK there is GUKPT and GPS aswell as all the great stuff at DTD. Plus there are still one off tournaments like Masters Classics, Irish Open, stuff hosted by Casino's Austria.

I would say that if you play live you certainly don't need to play PokerStars tournaments! Yes of course the 1k and 5k main events in Barcelona are great tournaments, but there are loads of great tournaments to choose from.

great post ,you are right and of course  UK players dont have the associated travel costs going abroad and the WPT looks even better especially since the DTD tie up ( not too far from me )

Barcelona is second best to Vegas in my opinion so having missed V this year just fancied Catalan

Agree that Barcelona in August is pretty great.

Actually I've got to say that the satties for the 1k in Barcelona on Stars have been pretty good this year. Lots of big megasats, some of which have had overlays. Even feeder sats that had added seats which is almost unheard of on Stars.

Love Barcelona too.

Bergeroo, are you still going to play King's Casino.  It is a bit offputting when the casino owner allegedly welches on a £2m debt?

I will play some of the satellites and the phases for the German Championship at Kings next month  if they look good value and if I get through I'll be there - I'm not going to go out of my way to make the trip though... I guess it is easier for me as I don't need a flight so can arrange a last minute trip if necessary. As far as Leon goes, yeah I mean I'm not really in the know about the high stakes scene or anything so I don't have an opinion about him but it seems to be a pretty bad decision from him to not pay the debt and ruin his rep, unless we don't know the whole story.

Party runs the tourney as far as I'm concerned. I'll be buying in through party and paid out through there. He just owns the venue. Be interesting to see if everyone ignores this news about him and tours still go there and how it all shakes out.