Timeout -> post/fold to no bet is WRONG

Suggestions & Feedback
1

I had one of those moments today.

I sign up for a 9-seat SNG Turbo, my first game of the day. It’s just getting started, we’re a couple of hands in. I haven’t really gotten into a hand yet, but there’s been some action, one of the players is already down more than half his chips.

In middle position, I get dealt 77. I bet 3BB, and get 5 callers. The flop comes, I don’t get a 7. The small stack shoves all-in. I call, most of the rest of the table does as well.

The turn comes, a 7. I’m feeling good and think about shoving myself, but it occurs to me that would induce my opponents to fold, and I don’t want that. I want to size a bet that will get called. I try to enter a bet, but am timed out before I can do so, and when that happens as you know your hand gets set to Away (post/fold) automatically.

The next player in the hand had checked the box to automatically check/fold the hand, and the player after him checked quickly, and the player after that was already all-in, so the action came back around to me in less than a second, and I was automatically folded out of the hand, EVEN THOUGH NO ONE HAD PLACED A BET THAT I WOULD HAVE TO CALL. I didn’t have any bet to call, and yet I was folded.

I would have won the hand. It was a decent sized pot for the early stage of the SNG, and would have been bigger had I gotten more chips in.

The hand in question: https://www.replaypoker.com/hand/replay/451576473

I was so angry, next hand I just told everyone to call me so I could get out of the table, and shoved. Fortunately a player holding AA took all my chips, allowing me to get as far away from this one as I can. I’m going to have to take a break from playing for a time until I calm back down. I know they’re just play chips, and I’m still upset over it.

But now I’m typing about it so I’ll get to remember it forever. :face_with_symbols_over_mouth:

I’m not looking for sympathy, but I’d like to suggest to the RPP staff that when you’re Away, you don’t get your hand mucked to no-bet in the middle of a hand. That’s horrible in a situation like this.

What should happen is, when you get timed out in the middle of a hand, you get set to check, or check/fold, and then only at the END of the hand does your status go to Away (post/fold).

First time it’s happened to me, and better be the last. Please fix this.

2 Likes
2

Same thing happened to me just a couple of days ago. I drew KK and flopped trips. Took too long to post a bet. Only one other hand and before I could “I’m back” I was folded.
I tilted as well. I figure it’s my fault, but damn, that’s a pretty expensive lesson.
Now you know why people are so quick with the “all in” button.

3

I think the suggestions in one of your previous threads would alleviate some of this pain. I usually just smash the pot-bet or all-in button and call it a day, but some other options would be great…

4

Yes, it would help if there were more options. But I still think auto folding a hand you’re still in to no betting pressure is a defect, and should be corrected to auto-check, and give full timer each bet to give you a chance to stay in the hand. Flash can detect if you are mousing, clicking, typing, and even if you didn’t hit the bet button in time, it is possible to know you are still there, and it really shouldn’t auto-away you if that’s the case. Definitely not in the middle of the hand. If there’s been no input detected when you are no longer in the hand (either due to showdown happening, or due to being timed out of the next bet) then sure, go ahead and mark the player away. But making the hand dead in a situation like this is wrong. It checked for me on the current street, then came back around to me in less than a second to auto-fold? Bull. Check again if it must, but there should be no reason not to give me a second full timer on the next street as well, and then check for me if I still haven’t acted in time.

1 Like
5

Absolutely. Agree 100%.

Another thing I noticed during tournaments at peak times is that the UTG player often gets folded before having a chance to act… immediately after the hole cards are dealt at the start of a hand. This is usually only a problem with the 10s timers and not the 20s ones.

I really think a time bank of some sort would be helpful for a lot of situations.

6

While I understand the frustration, to play devil’s advocate, in a live-action tournament if you don’t act within the allotted time, your hand is dead. At least on this site you’re auto-checked when facing no bet the first time around.

2 Likes
7

I do not think it is reasonable to blame replay for your mistake…

8

It’s not a mistake. I had time, but there was some sort of glitch and I was timed out before my timer had visually wound down. I’m willing to accept that I was timed out of placing a bet on that street, but I should have had more time on the next street, and because of the speed with which the hand came back around to me, I couldn’t uncheck the Away box. My mouse button was actually down on the checkbox, and I was folded out. Normally, a player would have the full timer of the next players still in the hand to react an mark themselves returned, but because of the way it went in this hand, I had less than a second. Watch the replay.

9

While true, they also warn you that they will judge your hand dead if you don’t act, and you’re not on a timer immediately. They usually put you on a timer only after someone at the table requests it. And usually that’s in response to a situation where you must either call or fold to remain in the hand, not when there’s no betting pressure to you.

10

@puggywug ,
I have noticed , if I am grey… my hand gets folded as the hand starts, not as its my turn to act…and I am away… so even if there’s ppl to act in front of me, I’m already folded if I notice and un-grey. I believe the way it would be explained is… unless you are present ( not grey ) when the hand starts, you lose your claim on being “in” the hand… Other poker sites wait untill your turn … to fold the grey person, giving them time to un-grey during a hand if they are racing back to their puter cause maybee they had to go potty.

I’ve learned to live with this kinda, but it think its right… iono…

You also have to remember… if you are not there, and its your turn, and you can check… it will check you, but turn you grey… you better be fast and un-grey before its your turn again, or it will fold ya…
Sassy

11

Did you watch the replay of the hand I’m talking about? It doesn’t sound like it. I had LESS THAN A SECOND to act from being timed out on my turn to the action coming back around to me, at which point there was no bet to call, and yet it auto-folded me. I was still in the hand, because I had a live hand and had called all bets to this point, and there was no bet pressure to induce me to fold or call.
I’m fine with it timing me out on my turn to bet, checking for me, and moving to the next player. I’m not fine with being folded on the next street to no bet, and I’m especially not fine with having less than a second to act to mark myself “back” before getting auto-folded due to the way the rest of the players in the hand had automatic responses ready. Considering that Flash could have been programmed to detect that I was mousing and clicking on the controls, it would be completely reasonable to interpret that input as “not away”. I should be checked, not folded.

If I didn’t bet in time on one street, and it checks me, not muck, then it should be consistent and check again on the next street, and not muck automatically.

And I should not be set to Away until the end of the hand if I haven’t acted. I should get a full timer on the next street so I can have the chance to act, and if I again fail to act in time, I should be checked, not folded to no pressure. When the action comes back around to you in a split second and you’re dead, it’s a bad user experience.

1 Like
12

There were a couple of times I timed out and/or went to bet a major holding and it didn’t register even when there was time. I think often it is a signal strength issue with your internet - not RP. Sometimes when this happens I realize during the next hand I have actually dc’d and can’t bet at all even though the options are there. So I log out and back in (uncheck the option of “don’t show running tournaments” so you can find it).