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You asked me what I think of Sky Poker? Here is some constructive criticism.
This post feels a bit like giving closure to an ex-girlfriend, i.e. I don't really know why I'm writing it, but I still feel like it has to be put into text.
Let me start by saying that I have been an online professional for 11 years, and I manage to pay my mortgage and support a family of six from playing poker.
I began at Betfair in 2003, and after making £100,000+ profit from mid-range cash games in the first 3 years, I gave up my job as a software designer and launched myself headlong into a full-time poker career. When I look back, this may have not been the wisest decision of my life, as I struggled to average £1000 per month for some time after that.
I started experimenting with other poker sites, Full Tilt, Pokerstars, 888, Ladbrokes, many of you have tried most of them out I'm sure. Again, results were nothing spectacular, never ran too good when it mattered, but I still managed to grind out a reasonable living.
Then I decided it was time to give Sky Poker a go.
The one thing that attracted me at first was the dedicated TV channel where you could see the cards exposed, allowing you to make copious notes on your opponents and improve your own edge. I rarely played the televised channels, however, for this very reason.
Then the beats started, and I'm not talking A-K v Q-Q coin-flips, I mean beats where I had to question what on earth my opponents were doing in the hand calling off their chips. I'm not going to harp on about how unlucky I was, as logic and a clear head dictates that it is only variance. Looking back though I have never played a site where I lost aces and kings all-in pre-flop to baby pairs and trash hands anywhere near as much as I did on Sky Poker. I stuck with it for a couple of years, but it started to cut so deep into my profits and I really struggled just to break even. But that is not really the focus of this thread.
This is mainly about the software, which rarely ran properly when I was multi-tabling, and crashed relentlessly when I had money invested in a hand, on one occasion believe it or not when I had flopped quads, had put £300 of my £500 stack in, and was just about to deliver the coup-de-gras! The computer nearly went out of the window that night I can tell you!
I have even written this post twice, as I had got half way through about 20 minutes ago, before a pop-up appeared informing me of the 1 o'clock freeroll, which I couldn't get rid of and return to this message! I had to close the whole program down and start again!
The only reason I am back today was because of your £5 free offer, so I thought I would have a quick play and see if the software had progressed any. Well it hadn't, and neither had the suckouts, as I got some plum to call off his chips with A-5 v my K-9 on a K-9-2 flop. He calls off my fiver and hits running A-5. Not that I'm bothered about a fiver, but this just typified the things that seem to happen and why I packed my bags and left.
I said this would be constructive, and I will try and say something positive now, and all I can think of is that I enjoy the Top Of The Pots programme immensely, and I think Joe Stapleton is great, so funny!
But back to the negative stuff, and I have to say another thing that used to get to me was the attitude of one of your so-called 'ambassadors' there, and after taking about £600 off him one night I was subjected to an unprovoked tirade of abuse from him. I'm not talking about Julian or Redmond, as they have always been complete gentlemen and true professionals, but that night put me right off getting involved in any live events incase I ever crossed this foul-mouthed idiot.
For the last 3 months I have been playing PKR, and am back to making £2,500 per month with minimal effort. The support team are fantastic (as are MOST of yours to be fair) but software wise there is literally no comparison. The graphics are second to none, they allow you disconnection protection, and my brief foray back into Sky Poker today just confirmed the gulf between the two sites in this respect.
I wish everyone at Sky Poker, apart from you-know-who, every success, but of the plethora of sites I have played, for so many reasons, Sky Poker comes bottom of my list, sorry.
Let me start by saying that I have been an online professional for 11 years, and I manage to pay my mortgage and support a family of six from playing poker.
I began at Betfair in 2003, and after making £100,000+ profit from mid-range cash games in the first 3 years, I gave up my job as a software designer and launched myself headlong into a full-time poker career. When I look back, this may have not been the wisest decision of my life, as I struggled to average £1000 per month for some time after that.
I started experimenting with other poker sites, Full Tilt, Pokerstars, 888, Ladbrokes, many of you have tried most of them out I'm sure. Again, results were nothing spectacular, never ran too good when it mattered, but I still managed to grind out a reasonable living.
Then I decided it was time to give Sky Poker a go.
The one thing that attracted me at first was the dedicated TV channel where you could see the cards exposed, allowing you to make copious notes on your opponents and improve your own edge. I rarely played the televised channels, however, for this very reason.
Then the beats started, and I'm not talking A-K v Q-Q coin-flips, I mean beats where I had to question what on earth my opponents were doing in the hand calling off their chips. I'm not going to harp on about how unlucky I was, as logic and a clear head dictates that it is only variance. Looking back though I have never played a site where I lost aces and kings all-in pre-flop to baby pairs and trash hands anywhere near as much as I did on Sky Poker. I stuck with it for a couple of years, but it started to cut so deep into my profits and I really struggled just to break even. But that is not really the focus of this thread.
This is mainly about the software, which rarely ran properly when I was multi-tabling, and crashed relentlessly when I had money invested in a hand, on one occasion believe it or not when I had flopped quads, had put £300 of my £500 stack in, and was just about to deliver the coup-de-gras! The computer nearly went out of the window that night I can tell you!
I have even written this post twice, as I had got half way through about 20 minutes ago, before a pop-up appeared informing me of the 1 o'clock freeroll, which I couldn't get rid of and return to this message! I had to close the whole program down and start again!
The only reason I am back today was because of your £5 free offer, so I thought I would have a quick play and see if the software had progressed any. Well it hadn't, and neither had the suckouts, as I got some plum to call off his chips with A-5 v my K-9 on a K-9-2 flop. He calls off my fiver and hits running A-5. Not that I'm bothered about a fiver, but this just typified the things that seem to happen and why I packed my bags and left.
I said this would be constructive, and I will try and say something positive now, and all I can think of is that I enjoy the Top Of The Pots programme immensely, and I think Joe Stapleton is great, so funny!
But back to the negative stuff, and I have to say another thing that used to get to me was the attitude of one of your so-called 'ambassadors' there, and after taking about £600 off him one night I was subjected to an unprovoked tirade of abuse from him. I'm not talking about Julian or Redmond, as they have always been complete gentlemen and true professionals, but that night put me right off getting involved in any live events incase I ever crossed this foul-mouthed idiot.
For the last 3 months I have been playing PKR, and am back to making £2,500 per month with minimal effort. The support team are fantastic (as are MOST of yours to be fair) but software wise there is literally no comparison. The graphics are second to none, they allow you disconnection protection, and my brief foray back into Sky Poker today just confirmed the gulf between the two sites in this respect.
I wish everyone at Sky Poker, apart from you-know-who, every success, but of the plethora of sites I have played, for so many reasons, Sky Poker comes bottom of my list, sorry.
Comments
Yes, probably not that constructive is it? Just trying to point out how far behind other sites their software is.
gl to you Stuporman.
I've deleted Stuporman's last post in this thread. Yes he names and shames. Yes it's a baseless accusation. Now that's not saying it's false or true, that's saying as soon as we allow libel and defamation member against member once, we have to allow it all the time. Then anyone can say anything about anyone and it just gets left up. Then it gets legal. Then the forum closes. That's the truth of naming and shaming.
FWIW the person in question has never been a Sky Poker Ambassador or worked for Sky Poker in any form as far as I am aware.
But because I'm feeling nice and you already had the pop up of doom on the very long OP I will print the rest of the post with redactions regarding the player made.
To quote:
Sky IS soft, in fact ALL sites are soft with regards to correct play and getting your money in good. I have seen so much poor, hopeful play, but you can't beat a lucky fool. There are so many players with no discipline or common sense out there. And for the record, it was our friend xxx, who gave me the abuse. I took £600 off him playing heads-up one night and got him on serious tilt. It should have been a few hundred more had he not donked his stack off with 6-4 off at one point and beat my A-K all-in pre. The guy is a terrible ambassador for Sky and I was quite shocked at what he said to me. Good luck to you too, and if you really want to see a good poker site, give PKR a try!
End quote
And I will be closing this thread. As such it would be unfair for me to comment as a player. Stupor, if you wish to discuss this further please feel free to PM me.
Thanks