Speedyfold Poker Blog

Randy Lew (aka Nanonoko) has set a new world record in volume play in online poker. Although “set” is probably too broad a word in this case. More specifically we should perhaps say “created”, as this was a brand new record so he didnt actually have to beat anything!

What he did was play 23,493 hands over an 8 hour period. He was playing up to 40 tables at a time on Pokerstars. And he made a total profit of $7.65 whilst doing so. Not exactly a profit to set the world alight, but making a profit was in fact part of the volume play being considered a legitimate world record.

Officials from Guinness World Records were there to observe him doing it during the Pokerstars Caribbean Adventure. And nanokoko, who is already very accustomed to multitabling many online poker cash tables, didn’t even take a toilet break. A sure sign of a true grinder!

Some of the tournament field sizes on Pokerstars can be huge. Several thousand players or more can be very common. But how do you navigate such a large field, and more importantly make some profit in doing so?

The first task is to come to the realisation that all of the money worth making is at the final table. So placings such as 14/3500, 22/2340, 11/3165 whilst they might look very good at face value, are basically not a hell of a lot better than a min-cash.

The second task is to make sure you dont get knocked out needlessly early. You cant win a poker tournament if you are not in it. Gambling it up too much when say 40+ BBs deep too early is not really going to dramatically improve your tournament chances, but it will certainly increase the chances of you busting out.

So now try to combine the two. Play pretty tight early on, but as you get a few hours deep into the tourney start to crank it up a bit and take a lot more risks. If the poker gods are with you (which they occasionally will be) and you get to the last ballpark 100 players, now is the time to really start pressuring your opponents. Be prepared to risk your tourney life now in the quest for a big stack here. For every 5 or 6 times you may fail, it will be more than made up for by making a final table and achieving a good score.

If you can get through to the top 100 (of a tourney with 2000+ entrants) about 5-7% of the time, and then convert that to a final table about 15-20% of the time, then you will make profit. Conversely you could finish in-the-money 30% of the time in a tourney and still be making a loss.

In summary, lack of final tables will be the death of your bankroll, so be prepared to risk a lot whilst deep, and occasional bomb out more than you feel would happen in your natural game. The times you get to the final table with a good stack will be the paydays which keep you afloat and in profit.

A $30 million guaranteed live tournament has been announced in London, as part of a new International Stadiums Poker Tour. It is planned to take place at Wembley Stadium, home of internation football games.

It is going to use a rather unusual combination of electronic playing stations, within the stadium itself. ie a sort of a live/online cross-breed. Once the field size reduces it will then become a live tournament in the center of the stadium (where the pitch would normally be).

Initial plans are for it to be a $1000 buy-in with 30,000 entrants targeted.

You can find out more at ispt.com

WSOP Bracelets, WPT Main Event titles, and EPT Main Event titles have sort of become the triple crown of poker. But notable, not the preliminary events of the latter two. And at other fairly well establised series’ like the Aussie Millions, again it’s only the main event that really gets your name up in lights for any length of time.

I wonder whether any other series except the WSOP will be able to create the great value that is associated with simply each and every WSOP event, not just the Main Event. Bracelets matter, in essense.

Maybe it’s the actual physical bracelet, maybe it’s the decent field sizes, maybe it’s all the history. But most probably it’s a bit of all three. It’s not really an easy formula to replicate. Only time will tell whether other prelims become a little more prestigious.

The poker world certainly took a very big hit from Black Friday and the fallout is only just starting to settle a little. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have had their options for playing drastically reduced, and even the remaining options have an element of fear to them, or at least healthy caution. Some of the poker sites that stayed out of the US market (and thus unaffected by the indictment) have been quick to try to capitalize on the shuffle of players, looking to pick up some of the non-US players who felt more comfortable with their bankrolls at a site not involved in the indictment.

We can probably expect a settlement between at least a couple of the indicted poker sites and the DOJ at some point, but either way the wheels are in motion for some potential major changes in landscape in the world of online poker. The end result for Pokerstars, Full Tilt and Absolute Poker is going to have significant bearing on which poker sites are positioned best when (inevitably) online poker starts to be properly regulated in the United States. The likes of Party Poker, Titan Poker, and 888 Poker could all end up doing well.

In the mean time the networks still taking US players (such as Merge and Cake) may boom a little but there is always going to be an element of fear lurking about whether they might be targeted next. None seem likely to get anywhere near the numbers of Pokerstars and Full Tilt despite the lack of competition so to speak. Many Americans are just not quite ready to get involved again quite yet, understandably, and many never will be until regulation happens. Something in the region of 10,000-15,000 players online will be a good achievement for the Merge and Cake sites, but even with these sort of numbers games like Stud and Draw are never really going to get enough players for significant action, but the likes of Texas Holdem and Omaha should have healthly player levels for the Americans happy enough to risk it.

For non-US players many decent, safe, and reputable sites are still out there, and online poker will certainly remain one of the world’s most popular online pastimes.

I guess you could say the shit has hit the fan. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued an indictment against the 3 major poker sites that are operating in the US online poker market (Pokerstars, Full Tilt, and Absolute Poker). Basically online poker for US players looks like it could be over for the time being, with the exception of a few smaller operators.

11 people were indicted, 2 from Stars, 2 from Full Tilt, 2 from Absolute Poker, 4 from payment processors, and 1 from a bank. Early indications suggest they are trying to get the payment processors and bank on money laundering and bank fraud, and the poker sites on running a gaming site that they allege is illegal in the US because of UIGEA.

If there’s enough dirt some of it may stick, and the sites may end up with quite a chunky fine. The bank and payment processors are probably screwed if there is enough evidence.

It’s unlikely that the DOJ would fair that well making a case off the back of the UIGEA legislation mainly because of the words “unlawful” and “gambling”. It could probably be argued by a team of lawyers/experts that poker is a skill game and not gambling. And it could probably be argued that the game of poker wasn’t unlawful in the first place, therefore not covered by UIGEA.

Perhaps a little dirt linking them a bit too close for comfort to the payment processors will be the DOJ’s main weapon of fear. But a gambling man (or a man keen on skill based wagers) would probably bet on a settlement being reached at some point later down the line. Pretty shitty for US players though. Tough break guys.

The SCOOP (Spring Championship of Online Poker) is taking place on Pokerstars in May. There are 38 events in total all taking place at 3 different buy-in levels (low, medium, and high). So whatever your budget you can take part in the events of the series. There is a total of $25 Million in guaranteed prizepools so it is certainly a good chance to take a shot at a decent payday. If you sign-up to Pokerstars you will get a deposit bonus of up to $600, matching your own deposit.

Here is the full Pokerstars SCOOP Schedule:

01 08-May 10:00 NL Hold’em (6-Max)
Low: $22
Med: $215
High: $2,100

02 08-May 14:00 NL Hold’em
Low: $22
Med: $215
High: $2,100

03 09-May 11:00 NL Hold’em (6-Max, w/Rebuys)
Low: $5.50
Med: $55
High: $530

04 09-May 14:00 FL Badugi
Low: $16.50
Med: $162
High: $1,575

05 09-May 17:00 NL Hold’em (Turbo, w/Rebuys)
Low: $11
Med: $109
High: $1,050

06 10-May 11:00 PL 5-Card Draw
Low: $11
Med: $109
High: $1,050

07 10-May 14:00 NL Hold’em (Heads-Up)
Low: $16.50
Med: $162
High: $1,575

08 10-May 17:00 NL Hold’em (Turbo)
Low: $11
Med: $109
High: $1,050

09 11-May 11:00 Mixed Hold’em (6-Max)
Low: $22
Med: $215
High: $2,100

10 11-May 14:00 7-Card Stud
Low: $33
Med: $320
High: $3,150

11 12-May 11:00 PL Omaha (Heads-Up)
Low: $22
Med: $215
High: $2,100

12 12-May 14:00 NL Holdem Knockout
Low: $27
Med: $265
High: $2,600

13 13-May 11:00 NL Hold’em (Ante Up)
Low: $16.50
Med: $162
High: $1,575

14 13-May 14:00 FL Omaha Hi/Lo
Low: $55
Med: $530
High: $5,200

15 13-May 17:00 NL Hold’em (2X Chance, Turbo)
Low: $16.50
Med: $162
High: $1,575

16 14-May 11:00 NL Holdem Shootout
Low: $22
Med: $215
High: $2,100

17 14-May 14:00 PL Omaha - 6-Max w/Rebuys
Low: $16.50
Med: $162
High: $1,575

18 14-May 17:00 Triple Stud (Turbo)
Low: $22
Med: $215
High: $2,100

19 15-May 10:00 NL Hold’em
Low: $22
Med: $215
High: $2,100

20 15-May 14:00 NL Hold’em
Low: $22
Med: $215
High: $2,100

21 16-May 11:00 Mixed NL Holdem / PL Omaha
Low: $16.50
Med: $162
High: $1,575

22 16-May 14:00 NL Hold’em (4-Max)
Low: $33
Med: $320
High: $3,150

23 16-May 17:00 PL Omaha (Turbo, 1R1A)
Low: $11
Med: $109
High: $1,050

24 17-May 11:00 2-7 Triple Draw
Low: $11
Med: $109
High: $1,050

25 17-May 14:00 7-Card Stud Hi/Lo
Low: $22
Med: $215
High: $2,100

26 17-May 17:00 NL Hold’em (Turbo)
Low: $11
Med: $109
High: $1,050

27 18-May 11:00 Razz
Low: $22
Med: $215
High: $2,100

28 18-May 14:00 NL Hold’em (Big Antes, w/Rebuys)
Low: $11
Med: $109
High: $1,050

29 19-May 11:00 8-Game
Low: $33
Med: $320
High: $3,150

30 19-May 14:00 PL Omaha Hi/Lo
Low: $11
Med: $109
High: $1,050

31 20-May 11:00 NL Hold’em (1R1A)
Low: $22
Med: $215
High: $2,100

32 20-May 14:00 FL Hold’em (6-Max)
Low: $55
Med: $530
High: $5,200

33 20-May 17:00 NL Omaha Hi/Lo (10 min levels)
Low: $22
Med: $215
High: $2,100

34 21-May 11:00 PL Omaha (6-Max)
Low: $55
Med: $530
High: $5,200

35 21-May 12:30 NL Holdem High Roller (Heads-Up)
Low: $270
Med: $2,600
High: $25,500

36 21-May 14:00 HORSE
Low: $22
Med: $215
High: $2,100

37 22-May 10:00 NL Hold’em (6-Max)
Low: $22
Med: $215
High: $2,100

38 22-May 14:00 NLHE Main Event
Low: $109
Med: $1,050
High: $10,300

It would seem the Full Tilt Pros are getting a bit of a lock on the all time poker winnings list.  Some of which relates to tournaments which perhaps are a little too exclusive to be included.  

If we take Erik Seidel for example, who by all accounts has been doing fantastically lately.  The bulk of his winnings do however come from very exclusive events, often with very small fields.   Often you also find that Team Full Tilt in particular are the group of pros most rolled to play them.  

Let’s look at it in more detail.  Here are Seidel’s latest scores which propelled him to the top of the All-time money winners list:

3rd March 2011 Won the $25K NBC Heads-up - $750,000
27th Feb 2011 Won the $25K High Roller at the LA Poker Classis - $144,570
27th Jan 2011 Won the $250K Super High Roller at the Aussie Millions - $2,472,555
22nd Jan 2011 3rd in the $100K High Roller at the Aussie Millions - $618,139
13th Jan 2011 4th in the $25K High Roller at the Pokerstars PCA - $295,960

If we take the $250K buy-in at the Aussie Millions as case in point.  This attracted just 20 entrants and 11 of those were either Team Full Tilt members or Full Tilt Red Pros (5 of the former, 6 of the latter).

Similarly with the $100K event just about a week earlier.  Out of a tiny field of 38 players, half…yes 19 players were Full Tilt players (10 Members of Team Full Tilt alone).

Let’s not take anything away from Seidel’s acheivements.  Clearly he is on his A-game to win such events against such tough opponents.  But it does also feel increasingly a little like an old-boys club rather than a true all time money winners list from open tournaments.

Pokerstars have recently introduced Home Games, a very nice addition to their software where people can effectively run their own little sub-site within Pokerstars. They can decide what poker games are offered and what tournaments are run. They can approve whoever they wish as members (eg friends/family/colleagues), they can run leagues, and they can even customise the look of the club by adding logos and changing colors.

All games are offered from Holdem, Omaha and Stud, right through to likes of Triple Draw and 8-Game. In cash games you can decide on the game, the limits and on the table size. In tournaments you can decide the start time/date, the blind speed, the starting stack, the pay structure, the table size, and whether rebuys are allowed or not. You can choose whether a particular tournament’s outcome will contribute to a league, and you can decide over what period the league is run. Overall there is a lot of power and flexibilty in what you can do and it has certainly raised the bar in online poker software. You can create up to 3 clubs yourself and you can join up to 10 clubs, so you can get involved with several (eg one for work, one for friends, or whatever). Each poker club can have up to 50 members so you can create quite a sizeable “home game” really. Even if you have just 4 or 5 of you as a family who want all the flexibilty of the sotware and not having to shuffle cards or anything then the feature is great. Leagues tables and the like all become a walk in the park.

Some of the other things you as Club Manager can do is decide on the club name, and grant admin powers to other members. So if you have someone whom you trust to run some games or tournaments when you are not around, you have that flexibilty of handing over a bit of the power.

From Pokerstars point of view it is a great opportunity to encourage a few new sign-ups. If someone is into online poker the home games feature might just be enough for them to persuade a few friends/colleagues/online buddies to try it too. So all in all it is a great idea both from a users point of view and for them as a site commercially. Worth checking out for sure, and making use of all the features.

To set one up click on the Home Games icon in the main Pokerstars lobby. Then click the Create a Poker Club button. You will need to enter a club name and an invitation code (of your choice). You will then be given a club ID number and immediate access to your private poker club. For friends to join you just give them the club ID number and the invitation code. They simple enter that info, again via the Home Games icon. You will get an online prompt anytime anyone has submitted the correct details and you can choose to then approve them or reject them. Once approved they will have access to play the poker games/tournaments within the club. You can get emails sent to you when new people try to join, so if you dont have pokerstars open you can still be kept informed of club activities.

It’s once and a while that poker software additions really make you sit up and notice, and this is certainly one of those occasions.

Macau (the Chinese gambling haven) saw some crazy poker action recently. Durrrr, Ivey, and Juanda were amongst the players gambling it up at HK$5000/10,000 blinds and sometimes HK10K/20K blinds. The Chinese businessmen they were playing against had very deep pockets. John Juanda started off as the big winner. Durrrr was initially stuck put recoved and ended up quite a big winner. Ivey was at one time HK$15 million up (about $2million USD).

The action was taking place at the rather salubrious Starworld Casino in Macau