Poker Sites

**Odyssey7** · 26th October 2008, 04:53 PM

Are there specific sites that people will always avoid playing on?

Reason I ask is that I was always told to concentrate on sites where the worst players hang out ie 888 Pacific Poker. However, its driving me mad for 2 reasons:

1. Bad Beats: Maybe im imagining it but the amount of times im holding AA, KK, AK and find another couple of players holding other top hands is unreal. Bad beats is one thing but ive now been knocked out 3 times in a row holding full houses only to see another full house and of four of a kind call me. Or you see four people go all in pre flop and see the hands come out as AA, KK, AK QQ etc - what are the odds of 4 players all holding top hands at same time?

2. Is there a stage where it helps your game to play better players. On one of the above i was holding pocket 5s in last position so i make a raise and get 2 callers. Flop comes 356 and after 2 checks i raise again. Player in 1st position re-raises all in. Im thinking that he might possibly have AA KK in that position and figure i have him beat so i call all in. Turn and River come out 66 and when we show, im holding 6s over 5s full house and he is holding J6 giving him four 6s. So not only do i think those cards looks suspicious but also playing a better player there is no way he would have called holding nothing more that a pair of 6s (was a double or nothing tournament $20 buy in).

Ive now switched to Poker Stars but not sure whether the confidence i have in the cards falling better is overshadowed by playing better players and not finding so many fish to feed on.

**million$tedz** · 26th October 2008, 07:37 PM

pokerstars is even worse for bad beats.

today i was in a 180 man sng and my mate and me on the same table were watching every hand play out and if u were underdog at least 75% of the time the magic 2 outer card came on the river, so unreal,
and earlier i flopped quads, i dont even no what the odds are for that and then someone done it like 5mins later on the same table!

**ajtombs** · 26th October 2008, 09:14 PM

yeah ut to the poster - that is poker - you will have up and down swings... it happens. i iknow one guy at this club i play at - hes probably the most unlucky person ive seen lol - aces vs 7's - 7 comes on the flop - king 10 vs jack ten - they spike the jack - ace queen vs ace king they hit two pair aces n queens - its a joke really - but the point is, everyone has these ups and downs and it is how you deal with them that is important. - eventually, the cards will even out
the good players are the ones who can accept the'hits' and keep playing normally

as for poker stars e.g final table - i was the big blind next with blind at 300 600 and only had like 2.5k and got dealt pocket 3s - thought sod it all in - big blind calls with jack ten and hits the ten on the river

yeah its annoying - but i kind of half knew that an idiot will call me and have two over cards - so the point is - i could have still managed to 'live' after the big blinds and waited for a better spor - and so not given the stite the opportunity to draw out on me lol

**Barnfather** · 26th October 2008, 11:24 PM

I doubt any poker site would have the motivation, nor the desire for the added complexity to have logic within their drawing cards to always provide an upset on the river.

PokerStars is massive and has so much action happening all over the place 24/7 that strange card draws will be going on all the time. But the same will happen at all sites I would think.

As for playing better players - I'm only a rookie, so my opinion counts for shit, but I much prefer playing decent players as a rule - simply because it reduces the crap-shoot element which you get in micro level SNGs (the $1 buy in ones) and the freerolls. In fact, the more I play in freerolls the more I am convinced that there is zero real skill involved, at least in the early stages. Its real coin-flip territory.

I like the double or nothing tournies as well, simply because of the increased percentage of players to cash, and I think its a great place to practice stuff like super-tight play, blind steals etc.

I have seen the 'hunt out worse players' theory, but whilst it will help win big pots people have no business being in, surely it also brings out the 'freeroll' element as well - ie. people throwing all in with trash cards and hitting lucky on the river. Thats why I'd sooner stick with better players to learn.

**Odyssey7** · 27th October 2008, 12:38 PM

Hmm - maybe i was too eager to think my luck would change with a better site.

Todays Tournament (28 player $5 buy in)

Play tight for first 15 mins before getting AK suited in last spot. Raise the pot and get called all in from player with about half the amount of chips. I call to see that player holding Q3 unsuited. Flop is all rags, as is the turn, before the river reveals...... a Queen.

Later in same game again in last position i call with A6 suited, flop comes down an unbelievable AA6, as im running slightly low on chips due to the above idiot calling me I go all in. One caller who has AQ so im in good shape. Turn brings rags, river reveals, yep you have guessed it .....A Queen.

Why did i start playing poker.