Trying to keep an open mind but....

[gary h]

C,mon , I have been playing online poker on and off for awhile now and while some may say variance , i think you are slotted into a computer program much like a slot machine and the program will let you win so much before it takes it all away,

Its the only asumption I can now come to after repeatedly winning X onlyu for the winning to stop very sudden and then no matter what you do you simply cannot win a hand for days or until you have busted your account and reload

I have tried to keep an open mind on this but a computer programme seems perfectly plausible and seeing as it is completely unregulated I have come to the conclusion that I am throwing good money at something I can not win at in the long term simply because i am part of a computer programme.

I am currently in the middle of a losing streak thats is about 22 hours of play over 3 or 4 days that regardless of what hole cards I get or how I play the hand I have lost the hand if it has gone to showdown, this happens recurringly over and over , I put X amount in my account I win a little then it takes it all , I reload I win a little it takes it all

I go on plenty of car forums , football forums and play in a live league a couple of times a week at my local footy club, when I play live poker I DO NOT get anywhere near the variance (if thats what you want to call it , I would call it a landslide) in live games that I get online , I know I am not a very good player in the whole context of the thing but something just does not add up!

Now I am sure some of you will say well just dont play which is fair enough but I like playing poker .... I dont see or know anyone else winning consistently playing online ,

Variance is one thing but going 22 hours with out being able to win a single hand at show doown is quite astonishing

[scrawnybob]

hi

I dont mean to be negative but poker is fundamentally different to casino games

casino games = house edge = ultimately the house will win over time

poker = player v player = winners and losers
(and in the meantime the house rake for sitting at the game)

there isnt any incentive for the house / poker room to bias one player over another - they get their rake either way

the simple fact is that 9/10 players will over the long long term be net losing players ... now that may mean only marginally for most but bottom line is that the big winning players win from the majority of bad, rally bad or just so-so players

that is exactly the same as in live games ... however the days of online games being GENERALLY softer than live games have gone

recreational / weak live players - the fish in casinos etc still exist and dont show much interest in improving

however online that is no longer the case a good number of online players join forums, read books, read online strategy etc and get better ... thus giving each other more of a game

that means you need to lift your game online - whereas live is easy to spot the easy money at the table IMHO

hope thats a help - but forget the conspiracies IMHO

cheers scrawnybob

[Peteyweestro]

Even though i agree with you Bob, it is so frustrating when i go a week where i can almost do no wrong, then go into a 2 week spiral where my pocket A even get slapped around

[rgchan]

So you believe in the Doomsday switch theory. Many people also believe when they make a withdrawal somehow the poker Site magically puts them on a no win list, It would be impossible to do and as bob pointed out wouldn,t benefit the Poker site as you may never return. You have to shake those negative thoughts.
Rg

[Limey777]

I like to tell my buddies that my account has had the doom-switch flicked on it. It’s a term they’re all familiar with and we get a good laugh about it.
As stated here and in most forums this phenomena usually happens right after a withdrawal. I have my own theory on this, one most people will be familiar with.

Lets say I have 1.2k in my account and I cash out 700. The first thing I want to do is get 1.2k back in my account so I’m playing catch-up poker (for lack of a better term) I’m in a big hurry and making bad decisions to try and build my BR back up ASAP. I can tell you from experience, it’s never worked in the casino and I’m guessing online is no different.

You don’t have to withdraw to feel the wrath of the "doom-switch". Burnout can be another factor, one from which I fight from time to time.
There’s another online myth that states if you don’t play your account for a while, when you come back you run hot again. My theory on this, well of course you do. The frustration (tilt) has had time to subside and you’re able to play smart (or smarter) again.

Variance is one thing but going 22 hours with out being able to win a single hand at show doown is quite astonishing

I totally agree, that’s a pretty disgusting run of luck, if it were me I’d turn the comp off for a week and if it didn’t improve move on to the next site. I hope your BR can withstand the pummeling.

it is so frustrating when i go a week where i can almost do no wrong, then go into a 2 week spiral where my pocket A even get slapped around

Petey, you’ve played enough to know by now that Aces are only put in the deck TO be slapped around

[scrawnybob]

hi

I think I'd mentioned similar factors as limey has in previous similar thread

I 100% agree with Limey on this and can also analyse my own play in much the same way ...

there is a huge factor to accept and that is that we / players play differently under different conditions but are actually mostly unaware of those factors

this is why terms like "scared money" at one end of the spectrum and "on tilt" at the other are so important to be aware of.

I know for a fact that I play differently at different sites ... that has alot to do with my perception of the players but also how comfortable I feel with the software ...

and also the state of my account at sites and also my history of wins or losses with them

again this is also a mixed blessing ...

sometimes as mentioned the fact that you've cashed out several / numerous times on the one hand might make you play "like the winner you are" OR it might make you "feel like your Luck might change"

all these different factors WILL combine to make you play marginally differently at times ... for some players that marginal difference can be the difference between winning and losing

playing with scared money or with cocky money is IMHO why you have "good" and "bad" runs and BTW variance is mathmatically and scientifically calculated over a pretty long perios of events - so these swings mentioned are well well within the realms of variance

cheers scrawnybob

[Dan Abnormal]

OK if everyones gonna talk about death switches and all that.

ALL I NEED TO ONE THING and I will have my answer

THE RNG's on these sites. Once the pocket cards are dealt, are the other 5 cards set in stone or are they just spinning like a slot machine until its time for the card to turn over.

If its the first, then there is no chance of being set up and even if its set up to make you fail, everything has to fall into place, the right people folding and you playing

BUT NOW IF ITS THE LATTER, Just dont tell me if its the latter PLEASE DONT TELL ME IF ITS CONSTANTLY RANDOMIZING ONCE BETTING HAS STARTED

[hojediade]

OK if everyones gonna talk about death switches and all that.

ALL I NEED TO ONE THING and I will have my answer

THE RNG's on these sites. Once the pocket cards are dealt, are the other 5 cards set in stone or are they just spinning like a slot machine until its time for the card to turn over.

If its the first, then there is no chance of being set up and even if its set up to make you fail, everything has to fall into place, the right people folding and you playing

BUT NOW IF ITS THE LATTER, Just dont tell me if its the latter PLEASE DONT TELL ME IF ITS CONSTANTLY RANDOMIZING ONCE BETTING HAS STARTED

Both are available.
Depends on the software itself, so that you'd better check first before depositing if you can't stand the second choice.

[XPOKERCHIC]

It does seem a bit predictable at times. I can win with any hand or lose with any hand, but being ahead on the flop don't mean a thing in online, cause people don't fold if they have a pair, no matter how small, or if they have a draw. In live poker people chase, but not as often as online. I am taking a break right now and getting some reading in. X

[BluffYou123]

I feel your pain and don't want to give you the "variance" answer.

All I can say is if you keep making the correct decisions in the game, you will be a winning player over the long run.

I too shared the same beliefs but I have slowly become a better and better player.

I am not saying I'm a world beater by any means, but it certainly is great to see improvements in my game and $$ added to the bankroll.

I wish you the best of luck in finding some weaknesses in your play and working them out of it.