2006/11/02

It's not rigged, it just sucks...


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Could you guess my post was going to be about Absolute Poker? I think Absolute Poker is by far the worst poker room left available to the US Marketplace. The software seems to lack security, and the tournament play there is unlike anything I've ever seen...

Now as my disclaimer, I'm not saying anything "is" how I am framing it. I'm saying to me, "it seems" to be this way. I'm not an expert on software, and far from an expert on the mind of donks... so, I'm just saying this is how it seems.

So, for the second tournament in the last three times I've played AP, I've known of someone who has played in the same tournament from the same network. There is seemingly no security measures that prevent this... There's something very wrong with two players sitting at the same table in the same MTT finishing the other's sentences - the wrong person often responding to commentary to the other. Using mommy's laptop while playing on your PC at the same time doesn't sit well with me. Nor does someone and their entire family from each registering for the same tourney, thus resulting in knocking the same player off ten times just to win the tourney. This to me, is a huge security risk.

Additionally, not that I'm saying it's rigged, but I've never seen so many times a board helps a subpar hand improve over a made hand.

Example 1:

Absolute Poker
No Limit Holdem Tournament
Blinds: t75/t150
9 players
Converter


Stack sizes:
UTG: t1265
UTG+1: t4030
MP1: t5635
MP2: t6465
MP3: t3345
CO: t510
Button: t2115
SB: t2800
IMHERE4BEER: t1125


Pre-flop: (9 players) IMHERE4BEER is BB with
4 folds, MP3 raises to t450, 3 folds, IMHERE4BEER raises all-in t1125, MP3 calls t675 (pot was t1650).


Flop: (t2325, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: t2325)



Turn: :10c (t2325, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: t2325)



River: (t2325, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: t2325)



Results:
Final pot: t2325
IMHERE4BEER Shows Qs Qh
MP3 Shows 6s Jh

Disclaimer: I know he was on a bluff and had the correct odds to call. The board just seems to work against me constantly here.

This comes after an earlier in the night stinger, that while not necessarily "as bad" still hurt...

Example 2:

Absolute Poker
No Limit Holdem Tournament
Blinds: t10/t20
9 players

Stack sizes:
UTG: t1500
UTG+1: t1500
MP1: t1500
IMHERE4BEER: t1500
MP3: t1500
CO: t1680
Button: t1480
SB: t1340
BB: t1500

Pre-flop: (9 players) IMHERE4BEER is MP2 with 9s 9h
3 folds, IMHERE4BEER raises to t80, MP3 folds, CO calls t80 (pot was t110), Button folds, SB calls t70 (pot was t190), BB folds.

Flop: kh 9c 2h (t260, 3 players)
SB checks, IMHERE4BEER bets t80, CO folds, SB raises to t160, IMHERE4BEER raises to t520, SB raises all-in t1260, IMHERE4BEER calls t740 (pot was t1960).

Turn: ks (t2780, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: t2780)


River: 2c (t2780, 1 player + 1 all-in - Main pot: t2780)


Results:
Final pot: t2780
IMHERE4BEER Shows 9s 9h
SB Shows Kd Qh

I can go on... four to the flush on top of my set, four overcards touching random donk's non-connecting, non-paired undercards, etc.

Between the board working against me (again, not saying it's rigged, fixed, or anything, just saying that more often than not on THAT poker room, I FEEL as if it's against me...). And between not being comfortable as stated above, and knowing that players are using multiple accounts while at the same table, it's just not a poker room for me. I'll not play there, nor will I reccommend anyone else do so.

Mike