To warn my friends ahead of time, it is very likely that this old man will be moving on from “Replay”.
Some four years ago, when I joined the site, I was happy to apply poker techniques I had learned. I won some and I lost some, But generally, my opponents had a basic knowledge of the game and chats were friendly. Both of these considerations do not apply today. At the present time, there is no learning value for me in my playing, as opponents involve themselves in manic moves which have no foundation in standard poker or odds and hit unbelievable luck with absolute crap for hands which have called a far superior opening all-in. Viz: In small game AK goes all-in and flops AK3, Opponent with 74 off calls 5000 bet and wins with a straight!
I needn’t tell you about more hands. You have probably experienced the same. Bottom line, they don’t even approximate hands played in professional tournaments…
Chat, these days, is more than often between cliques, as it was in this case when a spectator applauded opponent’s win as skillful and spoke personally with other players.
This is not why I joined “Replay”!
I will soldier on for a while before I make my decision…
In the meantime, I want to thank all of those friends I have made on the site for their courtesy and play.
I have found the same situation in every forum I have joined . The best defence is to run away from the idiots but that is letting them control you . Most of the time I find a decent table and with that in mind I soldier on as you put it . I would be a shame if you let them run you off but as you have stated , you know real world play whereas my only experience is online . It is frustrating sometimes but I am learning . I and others benefit from players such as you .
Thank you for your comments.
i do not find a good table most of the time… At the present I cosistently face players who have absolutely no poker knowledge whatsoever, but win. Quite simply; I don’t need the stress. I wanted to enjoy my experience with “Replay”, but I don’t!
I see, right now, that you’re playing at a Ring table with a 20k buy-in. Considering your bankroll, I think you’ll find better competition and better experiences at tables with a much higher buy-in. You’re bound to find the type of players you describe at tables with a buy-in of 1/1000 your bankroll. Just a suggestion and MHO. I hope you might shift your approach and stay with RPP. As Tinamou said - “…others benefit from players such as you”!!
Cheers,
Ron
sorry to hear you don’t enjoy it anymore,
but i also like to say i fully agree with vtpc to move up in stakes, considering your bankroll you clearly have some skill in the game, so if you dislike these fishy plays, you could easily move up in stakes to decrease those plays, and increase the amount of better players.
considering the size your roll, and the fact you like to be a conservative player i would advise you to move up from 20K to 500K ring games. with 500K you still have about 50 BI’s which is still being very conservative, but you will probably get much more fun out there.
if this still isn’t enough you could go to 1M BI’s as well. this might not be very conservative but still enough to have a safe BRM.
have 2 say you still find much limping there, but the bingo strategy decreases a lot. so i would say to give it a shot and if you still dislike it here you can leave anyway.
Anhaga, while losing that hand is absolutely frustrating in the moment, it also highlights a few things.
Variance exists. If there’s a 4% chance of your opponent winning a pot in a certain spot - which, assuming there were no flush draws, was the case in this hand - there’s still a 1-in-25 chance of them winning that pot. That’s quite rare, and I’d take that bet all day long, but I have to be prepared to occasionally take a bad beat in order to grow my stack/bankroll in the long run.
Your opponents are making bad decisions that will lose them - and win you! - chips in the long run. There’s a quote attributed to Napoleon that says “Never interfere with an enemy while he’s in the process of destroying himself.” When you see opponents making these boneheaded moves, reload and exploit their bad decision-making! That will require you to practice solid BRM so that you can afford to reload, of course, but at your bankroll size and the stakes you’re playing, it appears you’ve already got that down.
Trust that you’re (probably) making correct decisions by putting pressure on weak hands that should have folded well before they’re ahead of you. A single bad beat doesn’t mean you’re making mistakes. In any game that has a stochastic component, you need to evaluate your play over a significant number of hands. If you’re routinely losing, then perhaps you should reevaluate your overall strategy. However, this was clearly a bad beat that you played correctly. Take heart in the fact that your strategy is solid (at least as relates to this hand), and your luck will turn around eventually.
I noticed most if not all of the responses addressed the bad play situation,i agree it is rampant.
I also noticed no one really addressed the unfriendliness of the tables…I have to say I agree with
Anhaga…this site the least friendly I have ever played at. If I didn’t know better I would think most
players were chat banned ;-). I have pretty many people on my friends list but only 5 or 6 ever talk and kid around…i’m a social person and that is one of the reasons I joined a online site but this place leaves me disappointed. I stay because of the 5 or 6 that I mentioned before.
I agree, there is a lack of civility here. I’m not referring to trash talkers. I mean the silence here is often deafening. Say hello or offer a good hand, nothing. I can understand such concentration when you’re playing cheques but this is chip action.
@lazerlo and @CairnDestop - that’s quite contrary to most of my experience at the tables. Granted, I’m usually the one initiating conversation, but after some prodding it’s rare that none of the other players will start chatting back with me. Then again, I’ll also often show my winning hands, particularly if I run a nice bluff or hold the nuts, which tends to loosen up other players’ virtual lips.
Many thanks to all of you for your encouraging replies. If I catch any of you in a game I’ll chat.
Winston, I am up there with you at 18. have a decent pension, so I can live comfortably.
I have to agree. With no monetary risk, too many hands are played with marginal cards. Of all the free sites I have played on, RP players seem to play the most realistic - but not all players. I will also be considering leaving. Don’t really know a solution, but if the RP folks ever figure that out, I will return and welcome their hospitality and professionalism.
Sad to leave the nice folks I have played against, and wish you all the best.
Yes, please do and if you’re looking for at least one sane player, I’m concentrating on the Ursa Minor games in the 10k sit n gos. I’ll love to see you both! Joan.
