Party Poker...going downhill in quality?

[silcnlayc]

I figured I would post this here since it says post your experiences of poker here (a tad redundant but what the heck).

I saw someone ask about the step games at PP and I used to love them until the quality of players got so bad that it was just a waste of money playing there at all anymore.

Don't get me wrong, PP has some super great game setups but what good is that when you have an idiot pool to play with? (Thats what I call the players there, no offense meant, just my observation and experience lately)

I belonged to PP long before the TV's, etc, proclaimed it to be such a great place (think there was around 400 of us at the time I started and joined) to play at, so I have been around PP quite a long time and paid my dues (fees, money, whatever)

I quit playing there almost completely (only 3-4 times a month do I play now to remind me why I quit) because a good game you cannot get. NO-ONE folds, all-ins are like just another bet, 7-2 os is the greatest hands to play etc. I even moved up a few notches in the money tourneys to see if I can outrun these idiot players, but alas, even in the higher ranks...they have come out to spoil the fun of a good poker game.

I have lost so much to garbage hands it has become ridiculous. Players holding 7-J os, Q-5 os, ect seems to be the method to play now. If you play any pairs as in Aces or Kings..etc..you are sure to lose to the players that will play ANYTHING...no matter what. Raises mean nothing to these players...

I have caught a few outright by calling thier all-ins and to see what the heck they were holding even it if meant getting knocked out..I was amazed at what cards they all-inned with and and knew I had them beat but as sure as the sun comes up, thier garbage hands 8-5 os flops 3 of a kind and they WIN on the river!

Unbeleivable, but true...so I moved to Paradise Poker and am having a little better luck now with higher money tourneys and somewhat better quality of players....and more wins under my belt..as for Party Poker....they can keep it..and thier great games..sad to say cause this is one poker lover that won't be back for sure..

Shame such a great place turned out to be so bad in the long run..

[paul1]

Shame such a great place turned out to be so bad in the long run..

If you are not able to beat the players at Party, I'm afraid the problem is with you, not them. I mean no disrespect at all. But there's just something you are not understanding about poker.

Party is by far the easiest poker site to win plenty of money at. You need to adjust.

[pokeraddict]

If you are not able to beat the players at Party, I'm afraid the problem is with you, not them. I mean no disrespect at all. But there's just something you are not understanding about poker.

Party is by far the easiest poker site to win plenty of money at. You need to adjust.

Agreed. If you are at a table with a bunch of people that do not fold you have to adjust. You cant be a bully since noone folds but since there are so many callers it gives you great odds on draws that can win huge pots. You have to tighten up in some ways when you get heads up but also loosen the start hand requirement and draw possibilities. If you are in a 70% flop game with virtually no preflop raises it can work out to flop mediocre hands like middle suited connectors or little pairs, if it is a loose wild game with lots of raises sit back and wait for the big hand, it will come.

[BingoT]

I have to say one thing to this.
"That's Poker"
you get that anyplace you play. but I would not stay in just to go Fishing for that jackpot of a hand.
If you feel you have to stay in the hand you stay if not you fold.
You get on a cheap table I 99% of the time I would myself stay in all the way.
No one behind a keyboard is going to bluff me out.and I win alot at PP maybe you have been on a table I played at and most do stay in to the end.

[buck]

I tend to agree with all but the orginal poster. One must adjust the play based on the players. "Silly hands" are played and one has to recognize such. I don't mind 3 people going out on the 1st hand of a SNG, usually the winner of such gradually is brought back to the fold.

I had asked the question on another thread on steps to get opinions on level of play higher.

I go to other sites and have limited table options unlike PP.



Buck

[silcnlayc]

"if it is a loose wild game with lots of raises sit back and wait for the big hand, it will come."

I have tightened up, and I am winning again, but at Paradise Poker. Reason I kept going back to PP is because I did like the site and did enjoy the games selections...but it got to where as you said, the big hands would come (AA or KK) and you would call thier all ins and lose to thier j-7 os ..straight on the river..

It has become very predictable the beats anymore (guess from playing so much and so long there I could tell you once I have seen thier hands if I was going to win or not..truly...for the river would always favor the underdog 80% of the time..

I adjusted my play at PP for a long time and made it into the money for the Million Dollar tournies 4 times, the 1/2 mil trnys twice ..and a few other big game tournies, but the sit and go ones are the ones that have gotten really bad...I should have specified that earlier..and those are the ones are like the most, at Pardise now

[pokeraddict]

I think the play at Paradise is even worse then Party. Many if not most serious online players and pros will not play there anymore. They once had the best software, now it still the same 5 years later but others have passed them. There are also other issues such as delayed hand histories and support that was once top of the line going downhill. Many pros were also upset at the introduction of sports gambling and blackjack which tempts the fish as well as the serious players into -ev bets, something no other major stand alone poker room has as far as I know.

[guesswest]

Personally speaking I look for weak games rather than avoid them, that's why I play at Pacific a lot even tho it's software/CS/everything is terrible - weakest game I've found anywhere. I play at Party for much the same reason. You do have a lot of really bad players, and implicit collusion, which is a challenge in tourneys since you can't take long term PE frequently. But in a cash game, it's a wonderful thing to see, it creates more variance but also more PE. My advice, for what it's worth, is to throw away hands like AQ etc in those games, and play hands like 67 suited more. Look for cards that are more likely to be live (people play high cards, even idiots play them more), and that will make big hands if they do hit. That and be faithful to pot odds and realistic with implied odds, should clean up those games pretty easily just doing that. It sorta came up in that other thread that was just going on, but IMO if you have someone drawing against you in a cash game you don't neccesarily want to shut them out, you just want to make it a bad math call for them, so you'll see more suckouts but make much more money overall if you are getting called. Also bear in mind that no two cards in holdem are hugely better than a random deal, it's really not that unlikely to get aces etc busted heads up, and 3 way you're not even 50% - expect a lot of suckouts and for it to take a while before good play reflects as profit.

RE: Paradise, I can see why a lot of people would avoid it on account of the software etc, but I don't think any pro is avoiding it on account of the games being weak, that's a blessing not a curse.

[guesswest]

This thread just reminded me of a really cool article I read ages ago. Which though I'd gone through dozens of poker books at the time, and though it is fairly simplistic/brief, actually turned out to be about the most useful poker advice I ever read - just dug it up on google for anyone that's interested:

http://www.pokersavvy.com/article/wildholdemi.html

[nafanny29]

guesswest that was a very enjoyable read inded. And I wholeheartedly agree with it