Integrity of Online Poker sites.

AMYBR

How do.  Just looking for a variety of perspectives on online vs live NLH.  I've played now for around 5 years, 3 years seriously and had alot of success in live play.  However i've never managed to transfer this success to internet poker.  I've played at alot of the major sites but have kind of come to feel that I'm not able to play with confidence due to the horrendous amounts of action boards and seemingly impossible bad beats.  I mainly play online for small stakes as entertainment and to hone MTT strategy, rather than feeling that online is a source of income.  I know this is a dividing issue, with elements of internet bot use and certain sites using specified algorithms to prevent collusion after a scandal at a major internet site.  So why is it that we see ridiculous bad beats online over and over?  Is it because its easier to make a bad/loose call my clicking a button, rather than looking your opponent in the eye and physically handling chips? 

Just looking for a variety of perspectives

aussie09

is that just a single ticket, sir, or a return to area51?

unknown_username

 Like you say it is a lot easier to call by just pressing the call button than it would be to push the chips over the line and for every caller you get it reduces the chances of the best starting hand holding up.
 Plus the shear volume of hands you see online towards a live game you are going to see more bad beats per hour anyway. What a lot of people fail to take into account when they talk about the percentage of bad beats though is all the hands won without going to showdown.

TRIP5

Hi Amy..Welcome to the forum!!!!

I think you have to look at Online poker and Live poker as two different games...they play totally differently even though the parts are the same...

Also playing at small stakes doesn't really give you a correct perspective of good online play ether as micro stakes play totally different from mid and nosebleed stakes...

People are much more inclined to kick off from behind their computer about a bad beat than they are at a live venue so you hear more dodgy R N G stories than dodgy dealer stories....Also consider the amount of onliners vs the amount of live players in a casino and you'll begin to understand why you hear more about beats online than live!!

Though you'll still get bad beats at Sky (nature of the beast i'm afraid) the site is a smallish UK based stand alone site that caters for the more recreational player, no bots or tracking software on here!!!

I hope you stick around as the site rocks are the banter is ace however good luck whatever you decide

Hugs, Irene xx
 

Machka

I would imagine the perceived difference is due to the volume of hands seen playing online.  At a live event, what do you get to play, 10-15 hands per hour?  Compare that with online where you could play 40-50 hands per hour single tabling.  Is it any wonder you see more 'incredible' hands online when you are seeing 4x more hands?

AMYBR

Thanks for the friendly welcome TRIP5.

In response to your comment aussie09 the issues i raised in my opening post are not paranoid fantasies, they are real events in the real world that anyone playing online poker should familiarise themselves with.  But thankyou for the sarcasm

I have found sky to be pretty cool actually, i think its a very novel idea to have the accompanying tv channel and its great to see the legend that is Richard Orford off the dole cue

I must confess I am pretty wary of online play, given that it is only regulated by internal means.  But I think the setup is pretty good here.  Could do with more non DYM S+G'S  but the MTT's and cash are good.

Thanks again TRIP5 and DONUT, good luck out there.

Tikay10

In Response to Re: Integrity of Online Poker sites.:

Hi Amy..Welcome to the forum!!!! I think you have to look at Online poker and Live poker as two different games...they play totally differently even though the parts are the same... Also playing at small stakes doesn't really give you a correct perspective of good online play ether as micro stakes play totally different from mid and nosebleed stakes... People are much more inclined to kick off from behind their computer about a bad beat than they are at a live venue so you hear more dodgy R N G stories than dodgy dealer stories....Also consider the amount of onliners vs the amount of live players in a casino and you'll begin to understand why you hear more about beats online than live!! Though you'll still get bad beats at Sky (nature of the beast i'm afraid) the site is a smallish UK based stand alone site that caters for the more recreational player, no bots or tracking software on here!!! I hope you stick around as the site rocks are the banter is ace however good luck whatever you decide Hugs, Irene xx  
Posted by TRIP5

THIS

Tikay10

In Response to Re: Integrity of Online Poker sites.:

I would imagine the perceived difference is due to the volume of hands seen playing online.  At a live event, what do you get to play, 10-15 hands per hour?  Compare that with online where you could play 40-50 hands per hour single tabling.  Is it any wonder you see more 'incredible' hands online when you are seeing 4x more hands?
Posted by Machka

And THIS. Though HPH at Live Events is often less than that.

AMYBR

Just wanted to weigh in on the "online you play/see more hands per hour" point.  This is often raised as a defence in favour of typical online bad beats.  Where I respect that more hands = more % variance it doesnt effect the hand to hand variance. I am mainly referring to other branded sites, as up until now, I've been running good here lol.

As I said in my opening post, just looking for a variety of perspectives but I have taken my hand histories away from the table and often done the math to be in the 10's of millions to one for concurrent hands,  I dont know if I'm permitted to mention brands here but if you look at the software that was introduced in all major sites following a scandal with a company P. Hellmuth was affiliated with you my catch my drift.  If you dont know the scandal that I refer to, as poker players, it would be well worth your time to look into it. 

Tikay10

In Response to Re: Integrity of Online Poker sites.:

Thanks for the friendly welcome TRIP5. In response to your comment aussie09 the issues i raised in my opening post are not paranoid fantasies, they are real events in the real world that anyone playing online poker should familiarise themselves with.  But thankyou for the sarcasm I have found sky to be pretty cool actually, i think its a very novel idea to have the accompanying tv channel and its great to see the legend that is Richard Orford off the dole cue I must confess I am pretty wary of online play, given that it is only regulated by internal means.  But I think the setup is pretty good here.  Could do with more non DYM S+G'S  but the MTT's and cash are good. Thanks again TRIP5 and DONUT, good luck out there.
Posted by AMYBR

Do you really think 'Stars, Tilt, etc, would mess with the RNG? And that billions of hands per year could be played & nobody  - not one soul, (& poker players are cynical & suspicious on the whole) - would be able to prove wrongdoing?

Long shot, that!