PokerStars Caribbean Adventure - Online Sats

blueodum

Hi all,

I had about 21K FPPs sitting on PokerStars, not knowing what to do with them. Then I saw that PS has introduced a new qualifying structure for the PCA - SNG steps.

You can buy in at any Step for the appropriate buy-in or you can buy in for Step 1 for 500 FPP (equal to $7.50 USD), so I set myself a goal:

Qualify for the PCA using only FPPs and climbing up the steps.

The last step is number 6 - a $2100 buy-in two table SNG wherein the top 3 ( of 18 ) get a $12 K USD package. Steps 1 to 5 are STTs with the top two (of 9) getting a ticket for a higher step (and some others getting a repeat ticket).

In my opinion, this is the best qualifying system for a major land-based tourney that I've seen. I will end up playing several hundred SNG's, which will mean a higher skill component to the results than if I were to spend the equivalent cash on a dozen or so MTTs.

So far I've spent 11.5K FPPs and played in 40 SNGs (17 of which were entered with an earned ticket). In my ticket bank I currently have three Step 3 tickets and two Step 2 tickets (which is an equivalent to $300 in buy-ins).

Details can be found here:

http://www.pokerstars.com/caribbean-adventure/2008/qualify/

I hadn't played many STTs until I started this, and already my play has improved dramatically. I estimate my chances of success at about 20%.

I encourage fellow forumers to play some Step tournaments; hopefully we can increase the Canadian contingent in Atlantis in 2008.

westside8

These tourneys seems pretty good. I've played a few and got a couple of step 2 tickets but haven't gone beyond that. The first couple steps shouldn't be too bad but I would imagine once you hit the final ones it'll be pretty tough. Definitely a good way to invest those FPPs.

InsaneGuy

It's all good but you can't redeem the coupon as $$ ...
So basicly it's play till you win or bust out, sucks

moose

Wow I wish I had read this earlier. I wasted $75 on a $25rb satellite last night. All you need is top 3/4/5 to move up/maintain/drop one level. The only place they get you is the final 2 table sng. It's top 3 or you start again at the bottom. I'm going to take a stab tonight.

beach2002

I played in one of the $3 rebuy tourny's, it had about 120 people in it, the top two finishers got entry into a $650 tourny. In the $650 tourny there is one $12000 package to the PCA for approximately every 20 people in the tourny. Unfortunately I finished in 5th for $33 cash.

actyper

westside8 wrote: »

These tourneys seems pretty good. I've played a few and got a couple of step 2 tickets but haven't gone beyond that. The first couple steps shouldn't be too bad but I would imagine once you hit the final ones it'll be pretty tough. Definitely a good way to invest those FPPs.

Either a suck at sngs now or these ones are a bit tougher than normal ones. I've played 3 step 2s and can't move on. No donks feeding stacks early like I'm accustomed to.

If you don't use your ticket by the time the pca starts you will be compensated. Not straight $ though, probably w$

moose

Who is up for a 500 ffp sng challenge tonight at 9 pm? We each play 4 lvl 1 sngs and cheer each other on. Then we take whatever tickets we win and move on to lvl 2 and so on.

westside8

actyper wrote: »

If you don't use your ticket by the time the pca starts you will be compensated. Not straight $ though, probably w$

Really? That news to me..but ok.
I got myself 2 step 3s and a step 4 now...we'll see what happens..

actyper

Yeah, pstars rep made a post on p5 regarding that issue.

Quimby

See note 3 below from Stars website:

"Important notes:

1. PCA Steps tickets are valid only for entry into PCA Steps tournaments.
2. PCA Steps tickets are not transferrable to other players.
3. PCA Steps tickets are not redeemable for cash or any other value.
4. Chops are not permitted in PCA Steps tournaments. "

I wouldn't bank on cashouts just yet. I'm sure that Stars wants to send as many players as they can. Last year had 937 players. It's October and they already have 145 on their list in the lobby.

Voodoo

moose wrote: »

Who is up for a 500 ffp sng challenge tonight at 9 pm? We each play 4 lvl 1 sngs and cheer each other on. Then we take whatever tickets we win and move on to lvl 2 and so on.

I'll give it a go if we can get others in.

cadillac

moose wrote: »

Who is up for a 500 ffp sng challenge tonight at 9 pm? We each play 4 lvl 1 sngs and cheer each other on. Then we take whatever tickets we win and move on to lvl 2 and so on.

hmm. would be fun. I would rather not sit in the same game. There is softer competition out there.

moose

no no we are not going to sit in the same game

just a little friendly competition with msn chat for some rail advice.

Voodoo

Alright playing a couple step 1's ... screen name fsptcarm

moose

Just registered for one. Gonna run four at once and then move the lvl 2

pm your msn

moose

Dang it! 2nd hand:

PokerStars Game #12670504726: Tournament #64302921, 500FPP Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2007/10/16 - 21:22:21 (ET)
Table '64302921 1' 9-max Seat #4 is the button
Seat 1: trouble (1440 in chips)
Seat 2: Aaronbm (1490 in chips)
Seat 3: hoosier88 (1460 in chips)
Seat 4: oneal7 (1470 in chips)
Seat 5: cdnmoose07 (1480 in chips)
Seat 6: CaptainPL (1500 in chips)
Seat 7: Bobded (1590 in chips)
Seat 8: redarndt (1570 in chips)
Seat 9: VegasFLGirl (1500 in chips)
cdnmoose07: posts small blind 10
CaptainPL: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to cdnmoose07 [Kh Ad]
Bobded: calls 20
redarndt: folds
VegasFLGirl: folds
trouble: folds
Aaronbm: folds
hoosier88: folds
oneal7: raises 60 to 80
cdnmoose07: raises 1400 to 1480 and is all-in
CaptainPL: folds
Bobded: folds
oneal7: calls 1390 and is all-in
*** FLOP *** [8h 6d 4c]
*** TURN *** [8h 6d 4c] [Jc]
*** RIVER *** [8h 6d 4c Jc] [8d]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
cdnmoose07: shows [Kh Ad] (a pair of Eights)
oneal7: shows [Ac Kd] (a pair of Eights)
cdnmoose07 collected 1490 from pot
oneal7 collected 1490 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 2980 | Rake 0
Board [8h 6d 4c Jc 8d]
Seat 1: trouble folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 2: Aaronbm folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: hoosier88 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: oneal7 (button) showed [Ac Kd] and won (1490) with a pair of Eights
Seat 5: cdnmoose07 (small blind) showed [Kh Ad] and won (1490) with a pair of Eights
Seat 6: CaptainPL (big blind) folded before Flop
Seat 7: Bobded folded before Flop
Seat 8: redarndt folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 9: VegasFLGirl folded before Flop (didn't bet)

moose

ok results so far
4 lvl 1
one donk out on a really stupid call
1 Step 2
1 Step 1
$1.50

Watts warns though that a lot of pros are buying directly into Step 6.

blueodum

I've done well in Step 1 and Step 2 tourneys, but have stumbled at Step 3. But I've just earned a ticket to Step 4 in my 7th attempt (2 repeats as well). Sadly I've run out of all the other tickets and I'll have to play a bunch of Step 1s to gather more.

The level of play seems much tougher at Step 3 than the two lower stages.

My own ground rule is that I must collect three tickets at each step before I start playing tourneys at that step (not including Step 6, should I get there). So I will be looking for two more Step 4 tickets in the coming days.

Step 1: 36 tourneys (ROI=+23.3%)
Step 2: 17 tourneys (ROI=+26.3%)
Step 3: 7 tourneys (ROI-28.0%)

total cost: 15,000 FPPs

westside8

moose wrote: »

Watts warns though that a lot of pros are buying directly into Step 6.

Not surprised...seems like these offer better values than the $650s...

moose

Whoops, when you win a step 1, you have to use it in the $7.50s. Wasn't paying attention and bought into another 500 ffp tourney by accident.

So won another step 1, plus rolled my step 2 back into another step 1

westside8

FWIW

Hello Wesley,

Thank you for your email.

Please rest assured that no one will lose value they have earned in a
PokerStars tournament; that's simply not how we do business.

Having said that, we haven't decided (yet) what to do about leftover
PCA Steps tickets once qualifying is over. I can tell you two things:

1. It's very unlikely that we'll simply convert the tickets to cash.
2. It's quite likely that we'll roll the tickets over into WSOP Steps
or into cash Step tournaments.

Please let us know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Regards,

Whitehorse.

There is a direct entry mtt Sunday at 5:00 for 10 000 fpp, top 3 get a seat. A ticket to the Sunday million cost me 13 500, so the entry here is roughly equal to $150. If there happens to be less than 250 people it will be an overlay. Might be worth keeping an eye on.

moose

Won a Step 4 ticket tonight. Will probably play it out tomorrow.

westside8

Damn it..got to step 5 a couple of times but haven't gone any further yet...

moose

The sats have been modified now to include a Step 6a which is a 1 table sng with cash payouts in addition to 1 seat to the PCA.

http://www.pokerstars.com/caribbean-adventure/qualify/#steps

BigBoss

moose wrote: »

The sats have been modified now to include a Step 6a which is a 1 table sng with cash payouts in addition to 1 seat to the PCA.

http://www.pokerstars.com/caribbean-adventure/qualify/#steps

I like how they added that Step. I think I might give these a shot.

blackmagicz

Yeah 2+2 influenced that change

actyper

westside8 wrote: »

Damn it..got to step 5 a couple of times but haven't gone any further yet...

How's everybody's step challenge going? I can't get by step 5 either. My last 2 opponents bustout hands have been 72o and 82o.

cadillac

actyper wrote: »

How's everybody's step challenge going? I can't get by step 5 either. My last 2 opponents bustout hands have been 72o and 82o.

Do you mean that your oppontents busted you holding these hands?

Sounds like you are getting blinded off. What was your stack and blinds when this happened?

Quimby

I told myself I'd make 10 attempts (still on my third). I play at work on my lunch hour since I can't be guaranteed a full hour of play at home in the evening with the kids. My progress in levels has been as follows:

1
12334
12333334

actyper

cadillac wrote: »

Do you mean that your oppontents busted you holding these hands?

Sounds like you are getting blinded off. What was your stack and blinds when this happened?

I still had reasonable stack sizes. My last bustout hand had 8BB.

Here is an example of a level 4 one. A lot of players are adapting a simple push every hand strategy which is hard to play against.

PokerStars Game #13184118950: Tournament #66900467, $200+$15 Hold'em No Limit - Level VIII (200/400) - 2007/11/11 - 19:20:45 (ET) Table '66900467 1' 9-max Seat #7 is the button Seat 1: bigjoe2003 (4260 in chips) Seat 3: actyper (5115 in chips) Seat 7: Dapper Dan G (4125 in chips)
bigjoe2003: posts the ante 25
actyper: posts the ante 25
Dapper Dan G: posts the ante 25
bigjoe2003: posts small blind 200
actyper: posts big blind 400
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to actyper [Th Ah]
Dapper Dan G: folds
bigjoe2003: raises 3835 to 4235 and is all-in
actyper: calls 3835
*** FLOP *** [9s Qs 2d]
*** TURN *** [9s Qs 2d] [Kd]
*** RIVER *** [9s Qs 2d Kd] [8s]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
bigjoe2003: shows [2h 7s] (a pair of Deuces)
actyper: shows [Th Ah] (high card Ace)
bigjoe2003 collected 8545 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 8545 | Rake 0
Board [9s Qs 2d Kd 8s]
Seat 1: bigjoe2003 (small blind) showed [2h 7s] and won (8545) with a pair of Deuces Seat 3: actyper (big blind) showed [Th Ah] and lost with high card Ace Seat 7: Dapper Dan G (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)