Least effective incentivizer ever: PartyPoker

**schnozzy** · 17th November 2005, 10:07 PM

I've been too busy to play poker lately (I don't like to play unless I have a few hours free). Party tried to woo me back with this lovely email:

Dear 16-NOV-05,

Our records show that your Party Points account has been inactive for more than 30 days.!

The <my points> Party Points in your account expired at 23:59 hrs on <my username>

The balance of your current Party Points account is: 0 Points.

In future, should you wish to save your points, all you have to do is log in and play at a Real Money table within 30 days of your last Real Money game.

I've played there for a few years, and by my calculations have given them well into the four (possibly 5) figures of rake and tourney fees. Their repayment to me? To get rid of my free shirts and what not, because I took a month off.

They seem to have forgotten that they need me a lot more than I need them. PokerStars has fantastic customer service, and doesn't even expire bonuses, let alone player points.

Maybe someday party will realize that just because they're the big dog, doesn't mean they're the only dog.

**paul1** · 17th November 2005, 10:40 PM

Originally Posted by schnozzy

I've been too busy to play poker lately (I don't like to play unless I have a few hours free). Party tried to woo me back with this lovely email:

I've played there for a few years, and by my calculations have given them well into the four (possibly 5) figures of rake and tourney fees. Their repayment to me? To get rid of my free shirts and what not, because I took a month off.

They seem to have forgotten that they need me a lot more than I need them. PokerStars has fantastic customer service, and doesn't even expire bonuses, let alone player points.

Maybe someday party will realize that just because they're the big dog, doesn't mean they're the only dog.

I used to think they had the juiciest games. Heck, I've played at Poker Room recently and I think the caliber of players is in the same league. They're INSANE!

**schnozzy** · 17th November 2005, 11:00 PM

Originally Posted by paul1

I used to think they had the juiciest games. Heck, I've played at Poker Room recently and I think the caliber of players is in the same league. They're INSANE!

You're absolutely right. It's a myth that the only good games are on party.

I'm a mid-stakes PLO player, and those games are good almost everywhere! And the best part about PLO is that if the game isn't good, you can MAKE it good, without committing chip suicide. It's the only non-tournament game I've found where you can be the action player without being the fish.

**pokeraddict** · 18th November 2005, 05:59 AM

Maybe someday party will realize that just because they're the big dog, doesn't mean they're the only dog.

Paradise did not realize this and lost during the huge poker boom. They are just now getting back into the higher end of traffic. I predict 1 year from this date someone will dethrone Party. You can only treat players and all others involved in the poker community like this for so long before people will stop promoting them and players will be fed up with their crap and move elsewhere. I am not just saying this due my ridiculous experience last week, I have felt this way a while. I can not think of any poker room with worst customer service and there is no way to escalate issues that should be easily resolved at the lowest end of CS.

Poker Stars is obviously poised to be #1 down the road, they already equal Party in tournament traffic and were neck and neck when Party booted all of their licensees. On top of this Poker stars offers superior support and Lee Jones has even visited forums where there have been threads about how to improve Poker Stars.

**paul1** · 18th November 2005, 11:53 AM

Originally Posted by pokeraddict

Maybe someday party will realize that just because they're the big dog, doesn't mean they're the only dog.

Paradise did not realize this and lost during the huge poker boom. They are just now getting back into the higher end of traffic. I predict 1 year from this date someone will dethrone Party. You can only treat players and all others involved in the poker community like this for so long before people will stop promoting them and players will be fed up with their crap and move elsewhere. I am not just saying this due my ridiculous experience last week, I have felt this way a while. I can not think of any poker room with worst customer service and there is no way to escalate issues that should be easily resolved at the lowest end of CS.

Poker Stars is obviously poised to be #1 down the road, they already equal Party in tournament traffic and were neck and neck when Party booted all of their licensees. On top of this Poker stars offers superior support and Lee Jones has even visited forums where there have been threads about how to improve Poker Stars.

Is it my imagination or are the games at Stars getting a little better? I looked in on their lobby today and saw many games with higher percentages seeing the Flop than I had before. And they've got a reload bonus going until the 27th. Think I'll give them a try right now. And I do like their software.

**pokeraddict** · 18th November 2005, 08:24 PM

The games at Stars have been getting better. The advertising has helped them. Pros wearing their logowear and the ads help tremendously. This has also helped the quality of games at Full Tilt and Paradise as well. Stars is not the rock garden it once was.

**paul1** · 19th November 2005, 03:05 AM

Originally Posted by pokeraddict

The games at Stars have been getting better. The advertising has helped them. Pros wearing their logowear and the ads help tremendously. This has also helped the quality of games at Full Tilt and Paradise as well. Stars is not the rock garden it once was.

Cool. I think I'll deposit in a few days. I'll tell you, my plate's so full right now, I'm like a little kid in a candy store. There's so many choices of where to play. Juicey games everywhere. Promotions everywhere. Don't have to leave my house except to get beer. Man, what a life.

I'm on vacation right now and I had been thinking of going to Vegas. But what the heck, who needs it? I can get plenty of action from my computer at home, and I like short-handed holdem and the speed of online play anyway. It's funny because the last time I went to Vegas I took my laptop with me and found myself playing poker online from my hotel room. lol

I know. I'm a sick puppy.

**largeeyes** · 19th November 2005, 06:35 AM

The best part of PokerStars is the instant payment of most withdraws.

**Lord_Have_Mercy** · 20th November 2005, 08:10 PM

Get this im one of the first top players at Party Poker. They told me the exact same thing about my Players Points. And then sent me an email stating that my Players Points had expire because I didnt play within that time period.