Rant about pokerstars!

I hate how pokerstars sng's have so few starting chips!! If I want to find out if my hand is good I have to blow off a quarter of my stack just to find out. Here's an example.

PokerStars Game #27815483693: Tournament #160984034, $3.00+$0.40 Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2009/05/04 14:16:31 ET
Table '160984034 1' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
Seat 1: Quinner777 (1550 in chips)
Seat 2: jaykay2209 (1490 in chips)
Seat 3: el espino (1470 in chips)
Seat 4: caoutchou (1450 in chips)
Seat 5: Awsumgamler (1650 in chips)
Seat 6: Don4333 (1210 in chips)
Seat 7: RomanJust (1440 in chips)
Seat 8: Hose Ignacio (1480 in chips)
Seat 9: VILLAVICIO (1760 in chips)
RomanJust: posts small blind 10
Hose Ignacio: posts big blind 20
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to Quinner777 [9c 9s]
VILLAVICIO: raises 40 to 60
Quinner777: calls 60
jaykay2209: folds
el espino: folds
caoutchou: folds
Awsumgamler: folds
Don4333: folds
RomanJust: folds
Hose Ignacio: calls 40
*** FLOP *** [2s 5d Kc]
Hose Ignacio: checks
VILLAVICIO: bets 20
Quinner777: raises 80 to 100
Hose Ignacio: calls 100
VILLAVICIO: folds
*** TURN *** [2s 5d Kc] [8c]
Hose Ignacio: checks
Quinner777: bets 200
Hose Ignacio: calls 200
*** RIVER *** [2s 5d Kc 8c] [Jd]
Hose Ignacio: checks
Quinner777: checks
*** SHOW DOWN ***
Hose Ignacio: shows [Qs Kd] (a pair of Kings)
Quinner777: mucks hand
Hose Ignacio collected 810 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot 810 | Rake 0
Board [2s 5d Kc 8c Jd]
Seat 1: Quinner777 mucked [9c 9s]
Seat 2: jaykay2209 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 3: el espino folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 4: caoutchou folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 5: Awsumgamler folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 6: Don4333 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
Seat 7: RomanJust (small blind) folded before Flop
Seat 8: Hose Ignacio (big blind) showed [Qs Kd] and won (810) with a pair of Kings
Seat 9: VILLAVICIO folded on the Flop

I can't stand it, I just needed to know If he had the King or not, I wasn't completely convinced after the flop, but after the turn ok, yep you got it I'm checking or folding river. But just to find out that simple piece of information cost me 300 chips AND the initial raise of 60. Which wouldn't be so bad except that I only started with 1500! It's a pretty standard situation, and I just wish we could start with say 3000 chips instead of 1500 so I have a little room to negotiate and maybe make some moves!!!

Anyone else feel constantly squeezed with the starting chip stacks??

Comments

  • 1500 ain't bad, try FT's super turbo knockout...start with 300 chips...absolutely NO room to "test the waters" on any hand. But i hear what your saying, 1500 is not alot to start with in any tourney. personally i try to avoid them and go for the "deep stack" 3000 starting chips. Plus i always seem to get alot farther into those then the 1500 ones.
  • For the first few levels of tournies, its easier just to give the other guy credit. When he calls your flop bet, thats enough info that he more than likely has you beat.
  • Not many tricky players at this level.
    At 10/20 you are essentially set mining w 99 and when you got called on the flop you got your answer.
  • +1 ^^^^
  • This was not enough info?

    *** FLOP *** [2s 5d Kc]
    Hose Ignacio: checks
    VILLAVICIO: bets 20
    Quinner777: raises 80 to 100
    Hose Ignacio: calls 100
    VILLAVICIO: folds
    *** TURN *** [2s 5d Kc] [8c]


    Anywhere between 1-6 and sometimes the 11 dollar level people are playing their hands face up. I would play it exactly the same but I check/fold turn and river if someone bets..
  • This was not enough info?

    *** FLOP *** [2s 5d Kc]
    Hose Ignacio: checks
    VILLAVICIO: bets 20
    Quinner777: raises 80 to 100
    Hose Ignacio: calls 100
    VILLAVICIO: folds
    *** TURN *** [2s 5d Kc] [8c]


    Anywhere between 1-6 and sometimes the 11 dollar level people are playing their hands face up. I would play it exactly the same but I check/fold turn and river if someone bets..

    I just need to give people more credit eh? Cool beans.
  • Quinner wrote: »
    I hate how pokerstars sng's have so few starting chips!! If I want to find out if my hand is good I have to blow off a quarter of my stack just to find out. Here's an example.

    PokerStars Game #27815483693: Tournament #160984034, $3.00+$0.40 Hold'em No Limit - Level I (10/20) - 2009/05/04 14:16:31 ET
    Table '160984034 1' 9-max Seat #6 is the button
    Seat 1: Quinner777 (1550 in chips)
    Seat 2: jaykay2209 (1490 in chips)
    Seat 3: el espino (1470 in chips)
    Seat 4: caoutchou (1450 in chips)
    Seat 5: Awsumgamler (1650 in chips)
    Seat 6: Don4333 (1210 in chips)
    Seat 7: RomanJust (1440 in chips)
    Seat 8: Hose Ignacio (1480 in chips)
    Seat 9: VILLAVICIO (1760 in chips)
    RomanJust: posts small blind 10
    Hose Ignacio: posts big blind 20
    *** HOLE CARDS ***
    Dealt to Quinner777 [9c 9s]
    VILLAVICIO: raises 40 to 60
    Quinner777: calls 60
    jaykay2209: folds
    el espino: folds
    caoutchou: folds
    Awsumgamler: folds
    Don4333: folds
    RomanJust: folds
    Hose Ignacio: calls 40
    *** FLOP *** [2s 5d Kc]
    Hose Ignacio: checks
    VILLAVICIO: bets 20
    Quinner777: raises 80 to 100
    Hose Ignacio: calls 100
    VILLAVICIO: folds
    *** TURN *** [2s 5d Kc] [8c]
    Hose Ignacio: checks
    Quinner777: bets 200
    Hose Ignacio: calls 200
    *** RIVER *** [2s 5d Kc 8c] [Jd]
    Hose Ignacio: checks
    Quinner777: checks
    *** SHOW DOWN ***
    Hose Ignacio: shows [Qs Kd] (a pair of Kings)
    Quinner777: mucks hand
    Hose Ignacio collected 810 from pot
    *** SUMMARY ***
    Total pot 810 | Rake 0
    Board [2s 5d Kc 8c Jd]
    Seat 1: Quinner777 mucked [9c 9s]
    Seat 2: jaykay2209 folded before Flop (didn't bet)
    Seat 3: el espino folded before Flop (didn't bet)
    Seat 4: caoutchou folded before Flop (didn't bet)
    Seat 5: Awsumgamler folded before Flop (didn't bet)
    Seat 6: Don4333 (button) folded before Flop (didn't bet)
    Seat 7: RomanJust (small blind) folded before Flop
    Seat 8: Hose Ignacio (big blind) showed [Qs Kd] and won (810) with a pair of Kings
    Seat 9: VILLAVICIO folded on the Flop

    I can't stand it, I just needed to know If he had the King or not, I wasn't completely convinced after the flop, but after the turn ok, yep you got it I'm checking or folding river. But just to find out that simple piece of information cost me 300 chips AND the initial raise of 60. Which wouldn't be so bad except that I only started with 1500! It's a pretty standard situation, and I just wish we could start with say 3000 chips instead of 1500 so I have a little room to negotiate and maybe make some moves!!!

    Anyone else feel constantly squeezed with the starting chip stacks??

    For low stakes...
    Assume they play with little deception.

    Make a little post it note and attach it to your monitor.
    Write on it:

    Postflop:
    If he calls a bet and a raise, or a bet on the flop and bet on the turn.
    Anything under tptk is in deep doo doo.
    Check it down.

    Admittedly this is a very simple exploitable way of looking at things but for the micros it will be like looking at their hole cards.
  • Quinner wrote: »
    I just need to give people more credit eh? Cool beans.

    Yeah in this example look at the texture of the board. 2/5/K unless he is playing 34 really what else could he be calling you down with?
  • full tilt worse as your only starting with 33 m zone instead of 50 at joker,donkee,rigged STARS. also alot of people think there jj and qq are still good on that flop:)
  • Same with PartyPoker - 2,000 starting chips, 20/40 blinds and M=33. For the $2.40+0.60 SNGs, each level is only 5 minutes long and the rake is a virtually unbeatable 20%! :eek: At least with your JokerStars' $3+0.40 SNG, the 12% rake is better than even PartyPoker's $5+1 SNGs with 17% rake. The only reason I grind out the PartyPoker SNGs is because of a WSOP league.
    philliivey wrote: »
    full tilt worse as your only starting with 33 m zone instead of 50 at joker,donkee,rigged STARS.
  • Yeah, if you had 3k chips you could have fired the river and still gotten called by tp...gg
  • 1st mistake lvl 1
    2nd mistake UTG+1
    3rd mistake called UTG raise
    4th mistake tried to take pot away on flop, and kept firing on turn when it didn't work
    5th mistake thinking the problem is you don't have enough chips

    lolz.
  • GTA Poker wrote: »
    Yeah, if you had 3k chips you could have fired the river and still gotten called by tp...gg

    That's bullshit and the snarky tone is bullshit, I play low limit poker so I must be worthless right? I don't even understand why you take time out of your life to post on my threads if you don't even give a shit. Go fuck yourself.

    I'm not firing all three streets but I DID fire two, which fine, is probably a mistake, but to make a decent sized bet on the turn to figure out where my hand is required a decent amount of what I started with. All I wanted was some simple information, I'm not making any moves in fact I'm just trying to play some solid poker, figure out whether I am beat or not. Once I knew I was beat there is no way I'm betting the river but if I had more starting chips at least it wouldn't have hurt the chipstack so much.
  • moose wrote: »
    1st mistake lvl 1
    2nd mistake UTG+1
    3rd mistake called UTG raise
    4th mistake tried to take pot away on flop, and kept firing on turn when it didn't work
    5th mistake thinking the problem is you don't have enough chips

    lolz.


    Urgh!! I'm not trying to take the pot away here I was trying to see if 9's were good! And what did you mean by 1st mistake lvl 1?
  • Quinner wrote: »
    And what did you mean by 1st mistake lvl 1?

    Blind level.
  • But I still don't get it, what was the mistake?
  • Quinner wrote: »
    But I still don't get it, what was the mistake?

    I am not sure, but I think he means people play much looser at lower blind levels and are more likely to see flops with marginal hands.
  • Graham wrote: »
    I am not sure, but I think he means people play much looser at lower blind levels and are more likely to see flops with marginal hands.

    Yes that's your problem. You are out of position with a marginal hand. You have no reads on your opponents. You are calling a UTG raise. The pot's not worth playing for. WTF are you doing in this hand? As you said, you pissed away 25% of your stack in the 1st level. Why?

    Here's another thought. The dude min bet the flop. He wants to know where he is. If you are ahead, it's not a scary flop and can afford free cards. Why not flat him and see what BB does? Costs you at most 20 chips if you are behind because if BB comes out with a c/r it's an easy fold. Makes you more if you are ahead because you might get UTG to fire again on turn but if you are ahead and you go with your 80 raise and everyone folds you get nothing extra. You are now controlling the pot size instead of creating a big pot just find out if you are ahead or not.

    Later in the game I'm probably repopping UTG+1 with 99 preflop because I want the guy to feel pressure to fold and take down his bet + blinds. The pot is now worth the risk. But early on, there is almost no value in playing this hand against an UTG raise.
  • gta poker wrote: »
    yeah, if you had 3k chips you could have fired the river and still gotten called by tp...gg

    ha :)
  • I agree with the set mining at this level and the flat call of that min b on the flop. K10 KJ KQ are all likely calling hands preflop in this setting, so you're better off hoping to see the turn cheap for a suckout rather than raising to get the info. It's true that a lot of people play their hands face up at this level (not sure who said that earlier in the post but very true). The other thing that seems to happen A LOT at this level, especially early, is people check raising with top pair. Flat call the min bet and I'm pretty much willing to bet the farm that buddy with KQ makes it 80-120.
  • Quinner wrote: »
    But I still don't get it, what was the mistake?

    playing for real money
  • GTA Poker wrote: »
    playing for real money

    Ahh of course!

    This is of course valid onliy if you high rollers even consider 3 dollar mchappy meal sng's "playing for money".
  • Cerberus wrote: »
    I agree with the set mining at this level and the flat call of that min b on the flop. K10 KJ KQ are all likely calling hands preflop in this setting, so you're better off hoping to see the turn cheap for a suckout rather than raising to get the info. It's true that a lot of people play their hands face up at this level (not sure who said that earlier in the post but very true). The other thing that seems to happen A LOT at this level, especially early, is people check raising with top pair. Flat call the min bet and I'm pretty much willing to bet the farm that buddy with KQ makes it 80-120.


    No, the check raise is giving us low limiters too much credit, what actually happens in reality is that he checks the flop, calls the min bet, check calls turn, and then shoves any river. Only to get looked up by Newbs like me who thinks that his line makes NO SENSE and that of course he must then be bluffing.

    FML.
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