Hey TakingAShot,
The easiest way to display images is to save the image to your desktop and simply drag and drop it into your post.
Cheers 
Laz
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1) Thanks - That helps.
2) I just tried to purchase a monthly platinum and I got two failed attempts telling me "internal error". Both times my card was charged $59 and then there was a reversal for the same amount. I don't want to keep doing this because then I might trigger the bank's security settings and have to wait to deal with it when the bank opens later today. Can you look into this for me?
Hey TakingAShot,
The best thing to do would be to open a ticket with our customer support team.
Regards
Laz
Originally posted by Lazza61
Hey TakingAShot,The best thing to do would be to open a ticket with our customer support team.
Regards
Laz
Did so. Thanks again. As for drag and drop: I'm sure it's on my end but that's not working, either.
You don't need to use the tags when you drag and drop.
Only certain types of image files are accepted...... .jpg, png, bmp
If you still want to use an image hosting site, ensure that you use the link that ends with one of the above file extensions.
Cheers
Laz
you weren't kidding when you said "a lot change this couple of weeks"
Congrats:f_drink:
Originally posted by cardinhand
you weren't kidding when you said "a lot change this couple of weeks"
Congrats:f_drink:
Thanks. Yeah, I've been doing just about nothing but playing and studying the game this entire time. I'm using all different software extensively, studying more advanced concepts, and preparing to take shots at even higher stakes at the beginning of February (25NL) just to get some exposure there as it's been suggested in coachings.
All in all - aside from actually winning and improving, the mindset needed to do so is creating a lot of positive change in me as a person, not just a poker player. People around me have noticed the difference as I've become more focused, serious, determined, practical, and most importantly patient than ever before.
Since prior to Thanksgiving, this is the first night that I feel hesitant about sitting down and playing. I have spent countless hours studying, playing, reviewing, discussing. It's all here on the site for people to see. In the end, my results after all of that are the same as before all of that. I'm not losing money, but I'm not making any, either. This is, as I originally stated, the least lucrative pursuit anyone could embark upon. This legitimately isn't economically viable for an American. ANY job we get, even if it's literally just standing in the corner doing nothing, would garner far, far more money than online poker will the average or even above average player.
Three times in a row now when my winrate hit 19-20 bb/100, I then go thousands upon thousands of hands without a big pot to play in. That's not realistic. I regularly see the worst players on Ignition getting dealt AA, KK, QQ, KK, AA in succession. I haven't seen AA in 3,200 hands. That's entirely unrealistic and just totally extreme mathematically. Regularly, guys sit down and the first hand they're dealt is the absolute nuts. That's not realistic. I haven't seen the absolute nuts in over 5,000 hands. There are times I sit for 6 hours straight multitabling completely card dead. 64o, 92o, 72o, just 6 hours straight. That's not realistic at all. Further, you'll never see anything like this in live poker. Ever.
For four years, no matter how much I improve, the results are exactly the same. It's so obvious that your winning are artificially capped by these offshore sites and you're only allowed to win so much before they take a chunk, if not all, of it back in an hour. It's blatant, obvious, and stark. Look around at the blogs on this site and others: Nobody sticks with this. Nobody.
I'd sit down to play again but I really just don't have another night and day to throw away on this. /shrug. You can say that a lot of us are failing at the game but that's really not what's going on here. The game itself fails to produce here in 2018. There's just not enough money to be made to justify the time, energy, investment, and risk. I think I'm just going to clean myself up and go get a regular job as literally ANY job I take here in America is going to pay hundreds of times more than what I'm capable of making per week with this. Maybe if I was still 19 I'd have time to work for months without pay but not at 35.
I know I was doing well there mentally but at this point there's just no way I can continue to ignore what's right in front of my face for 4 years of being around this game. Online play and live play are drastically different. That is totally unexplainable. There shouldn't be even the slightest difference between online and live. The fact that you see these outrageous beats and split pots, and coolers, etc online at a rate that you'll never see in live is really all we need to see to know that the sites aren't legitimate. While playing you can almost feel the artificial cap on your winrate kick in. You just go days NOT ALLOWED to play. Shackled, card dead, while the 90/10/0 sees AA, KK, QQ, AA, KK. After four years of that I can no longer just ignore it and believe that it's simply "variance". Not once has "variance" ever led to me being profitable. Only unprofitable. I mean, you put all of this together and it's pretty clear that nothing is ever going to change no matter how much I improve at the game. If it's possible to still make no money after all that I've put into this, then the game's simply not worth playing.
If you use a variance calculator and study the subject extensively, it puts things into great perspective. If the same player can be either up 40 BI's or down 40 BI's, with the same winrate, due to variance - then this is most definitely not a skill game. The sample sizes required to even out "variance" and get your true winrate would take some people a lifetime to put in. The game is more luck based than skill based no matter how you slice it.
Truth: I've made more money at roulette, the state lottery, scratch off tickets, and craps than I've made at poker. That's dead truth. During this entire turnaround with my mental game, I have taken so many 80-98% all in beats it's absurd. I've just never mentioned them or let them bother me. Looking back through my database is just about enough to put this game away for good finally. That's not variance, guys. Losing 7 all ins in a row with 85%+ equity? Come on. That never, ever, ever happens in live poker yet it happens online consistently to tons of people. I can't subject myself to being blatantly stolen from like that anymore lol. It's nonsensical and goes against every ounce of intellect and intuition I have.
It's by no means all bad. Dealing with this game has most certainly made just about everything else in life seem much, much easier. I have more patience, tolerance, and acceptance than ever before. Who wouldn't after four years of the above? So, it's not like poker didn't do anything for me but it certainly never provided even the slightest bit of economic profit whatsoever. As said, it is and I'm positive will remain the least lucrative single activity I have ever taken place in. I made more money shoveling driveways when I was 10. Much more, actually.
I have about $1,100 spread across the sites I play on. I think I'm going to just withdraw it and move on. There's so much I could do with that money with absolutely guaranteed profit that it would be the very definition of insanity to continue to use it towards poker when I already know that in another 6 months I'll be sitting right in the same spot I am now. 0 profit.
I only play because I enjoy it -- yes, I'm profitable, but I could make more money in a fast-food joint.
There is so much I enjoy -- learning the math, learning how to read players, learning how to spot and exploit weakness and then applying what I've learnt then modifying how I play and so on.
Like any job, if you don't enjoy it, don't do it -- even if you make loads of money at it.
All the best,
VS
Originally posted by VorpalF2F
I only play because I enjoy it -- yes, I'm profitable, but I could make more money in a fast-food joint.There is so much I enjoy -- learning the math, learning how to read players, learning how to spot and exploit weakness and then applying what I've learnt then modifying how I play and so on.
Like any job, if you don't enjoy it, don't do it -- even if you make loads of money at it.
All the best,
I don't need the game to instantly provide me with riches or just even more money than the average job you can pick up. I need it to provide *something* monetary at this point. They know that gambling is 18/21+ so there really isn't anyone sitting and playing who can afford to just work without pay. I'm sure there's a small percentage who are doing very well financially via other venues and can therefore afford to play poker pretty much infinitely regardless of result. Of course, this is not what most of us are dealing with. I have outside income and also the time to spend on poker. The problem is that although I'm learning and getting better at poker, this is not translating to more money. So, in the end, I look back at all the time and effort put into this (as well as money) and realize that it's just not a viable means of income here in 2018. It's low dollar amounts, at an extremely slow pace of growth, and absolutely no guarantees. You might actually lose thousands. That's just not something that I or anyone else my age or older can invest into. There's just no time for it unless there's at least some consistent profit going along with it.
I've grown to love the game and enjoy studying, playing, discussing, and even just watching the game. Still - the game is all about making money and I just can't continue to justify pouring 100+ hours a week into this when I almost assuredly would be making 6 figures + if I was putting that amount of work in one of a dozen different fields I could get a job in within a couple of weeks. As much as I really don't want to do that, I don't see any other way to get ahead. At least in venues other than poker I'm going to get (more or less) what I deserve for the quality of the work I put in. The fact that this isn't the case with poker just makes people shrug and wonder what the point is.
And, sure enough, the wave of shit hits the fan regarding US facing sites: https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/showpost.php?p=53434010&postcount=4542
Basically, every single thing I've suspected of going on for years has in fact been going on and is worse today than ever. The industry is literally dying in the US right now as a result of this. There really is no site that one can reliably play on without pretty much knowing that they're going to have to not only beat the rake + opponents + natural variance, but also collusion, bots, super users, and point blank rigging by the sites and their "RNG".
It's lovely to know that most of us have (and continue to) waste our time in an absolutely unbeatable environment. I guess that I've even done as well as I have is a virtual miracle. Live poker seems to be the only legitimate option for a US player here in 2018.
The last several pages in this thread pretty much sum things up: https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/28/internet-poker/where-can-us-players-play-first-post-updated-jul-16-a-1238038/index244.html
Originally posted by TakingAShot
Basically, every single thing I've suspected of going on for years has in fact been going on and is worse today than ever. The industry is literally dying in the US right now as a result of this. There really is no site that one can reliably play on without pretty much knowing that they're going to have to not only beat the rake + opponents + natural variance, but also collusion, bots, super users, and point blank rigging by the sites and their "RNG".
If you really think it is rigged. Don't play and don't bother the rest of us with unfounded allegations.
If you have ironclad proof then report it to the proper authorities.
Start with the licensing authority that issued the license to the room in question, or the government of the country whose laws govern the site.
There have been so many conspiracy theories over the past 10 years that it is impossible to keep track of them all.
A few have had merit. A few poker rooms have been shut down as a result.
The long and short of it is:
If you don't like it don't play.
If you find evidence of wrong-doing, present it to the authorities.
Posting accusations on forums accomplishes nothing.
All the best,
VS
Originally posted by VorpalF2F
Originally posted by TakingAShot
Basically, every single thing I've suspected of going on for years has in fact been going on and is worse today than ever. The industry is literally dying in the US right now as a result of this. There really is no site that one can reliably play on without pretty much knowing that they're going to have to not only beat the rake + opponents + natural variance, but also collusion, bots, super users, and point blank rigging by the sites and their "RNG".If you really think it is rigged. Don't play and don't bother the rest of us with unfounded allegations.
If you have ironclad proof then report it to the proper authorities.
Start with the licensing authority that issued the license to the room in question, or the government of the country whose laws govern the site.There have been so many conspiracy theories over the past 10 years that it is impossible to keep track of them all.
A few have had merit. A few poker rooms have been shut down as a result.The long and short of it is:
All the best,
You don't seem to be understanding that the wave of evidence compiled by online pros here in now 2018 has changed things. We're not just talking about the same rigging conspiracies that have always floated around in online poker. You're asking me for ironclad proof of something that a) you know I personally have nothing to do with collecting evidence of and b) there is no way to prove in an ironclad fashion. The fact is that there is tons of information and allegations in those threads by people who know far more about this than you or I do.
The solution is NOT "don't play if you don't like it". That's the attitude that has allowed this to reach the level that it has. If you continue to play on these sites, you're absolutely complicit in the problem and point blank saying that as long as you win, you don't care. Quite honestly, you're by no means alone in that thought process (it's human) but the kind of cheating we're talking about has become so rampant and widespread that simply sticking our heads in the sand just isn't a viable option anymore. It's time for action and for skeptics like you to accept the obvious that is right there in front of their face. You know this shit's not on the level. Again - you need to read the threads that I linked. 2+2 is currently conducting their own investigation into all of this and is reportedly going to begin disallowing any advertisement or promotion of WPN (by affiliates or otherwise) on their site, PERIOD. That right there proves that we've reached a frontier that we have not previously. This is not just the same old, same old.
As for reporting things to the "authorities": ???? What authorities? There's no governing US body that has any jurisdiction over any of this and the only involvement the US government has had in this scenario is in telling us not to play on these sites in the first place. As for calling WPN's local authorities: In Costa Rica? You're kidding, right?
What on earth does the US government have to do with anything?
They abdicated their position when they shut down online poker almost 7 years ago.
I have ceased to play on several poker sites and networks because I doubted their ability to police their players.
I reported the evidence I had at the time. In some cases, action was taken, I was thanked and to the best of my knowledge, the players were banned. Search the forums here for players who did something shady, were banned then came here and complained that such-and-such a site was rigged, "stole their money" or other whinings.
In other cases, clear evidence of collusion was ignored. I withdrew my money and left.
If, as you report, and as the 2+2 thread indicates, investigations are underway then I will happily leave that investigation in their hands.
I am not complicit, nor do I condone such activities. I do what I can. One of those is to continue to play on sites I trust.
I did read the link you provided.
The first post I read contained the line:
My view and statements on the subject come from first hand experience. I've played more than 200k hands on the site over the last year in 6max nlhe cash games from the smallest stakes up to the mid-stakes.
200K hands over a range of limits? This is supposed to prove anything? Give me a break.
The link calls out only one network. I've no experience with Chico, however, so I can't speak from experience.
To generalize that room's behaviour (assuming that the allegations are true) to the entire industry is somewhat irresponsible.
Actually, Costa Rica is quite a forward country, and as far as Latin American countries go, it is one of the ones I actually would trust.
I did not read the entire "Where can I play in the US" 2+2 thread, but I did read back a few pages.
I saw no evidence of wrongdoing, but a lot of reference to allegations.
I loved this quote:
WRT Chico and WPN, I had talks with both of them about the sudden explosion of botting/collusion/super-user talk. I've been made aware of certain measures they are taking in response.
However, and I know the lambasting will soon begin, I'm not at liberty to discuss said measures with the general public. If my word isn't good enough, and the logical idea that the sites themselves don't want this behavior (or even the perception of this behavior) existing on their sites, then there is nothing more I can provide for you and I would advise you to steer clear of both sites.
For that matter, I would advise you to steer clear of all online poker. And live poker. And the stock markets. And anything that involves money. Human beings will attempt to take advantage wherever possible when money is involved. Companies will fight back. Sometimes the warfare is, unfortunately, asymmetrical (think of DDoS attacks for example) and difficult to deal with. Games of cat and mouse are played every day.
(emphasis mine)
What evidence did you find?
Do you still play poker on line?
If so, where?
All the best,
VS
Originally posted by VorpalF2F
What on earth does the US government have to do with anything?
They abdicated their position when they shut down online poker almost 7 years ago.I have ceased to play on several poker sites and networks because I doubted their ability to police their players.
I reported the evidence I had at the time. In some cases, action was taken, I was thanked and to the best of my knowledge, the players were banned. Search the forums here for players who did something shady, were banned then came here and complained that such-and-such a site was rigged, "stole their money" or other whinings.In other cases, clear evidence of collusion was ignored. I withdrew my money and left.
If, as you report, and as the 2+2 thread indicates, investigations are underway then I will happily leave that investigation in their hands.
I am not complicit, nor do I condone such activities. I do what I can. One of those is to continue to play on sites I trust.
I did read the link you provided.
The first post I read contained the line:My view and statements on the subject come from first hand experience. I've played more than 200k hands on the site over the last year in 6max nlhe cash games from the smallest stakes up to the mid-stakes.
200K hands over a range of limits? This is supposed to prove anything? Give me a break.
The link calls out only one network. I've no experience with Chico, however, so I can't speak from experience.
To generalize that room's behaviour (assuming that the allegations are true) to the entire industry is somewhat irresponsible.Actually, Costa Rica is quite a forward country, and as far as Latin American countries go, it is one of the ones I actually would trust.
I did not read the entire "Where can I play in the US" 2+2 thread, but I did read back a few pages.
I saw no evidence of wrongdoing, but a lot of reference to allegations.I loved this quote:
WRT Chico and WPN, I had talks with both of them about the sudden explosion of botting/collusion/super-user talk. I've been made aware of certain measures they are taking in response.
However, and I know the lambasting will soon begin, I'm not at liberty to discuss said measures with the general public. If my word isn't good enough, and the logical idea that the sites themselves don't want this behavior (or even the perception of this behavior) existing on their sites, then there is nothing more I can provide for you and I would advise you to steer clear of both sites.
For that matter, I would advise you to steer clear of all online poker. And live poker. And the stock markets. And anything that involves money. Human beings will attempt to take advantage wherever possible when money is involved. Companies will fight back. Sometimes the warfare is, unfortunately, asymmetrical (think of DDoS attacks for example) and difficult to deal with. Games of cat and mouse are played every day.
(emphasis mine)
What evidence did you find?
Do you still play poker on line?
If so, where?All the best,
The investigations and responses to the allegations by long time professionals who have supported the site for years prior have by no means come to a conclusion. This is the very, very tip of the iceberg. You said you would sit and await the conclusion/results of these things and I suggest you definitely stay tuned. I'm doing the same. You seem to acknowledge that things do indeed look a bit heavier this time around so I'll just leave it at that for now and we'll all see how this unfolds in the near future.
I am not really playing much right now. A few HUSNG's here and there this week and that's it. I'd more than love to devote myself to this game (as I think I've shown in the past) but what's going on really, really kills the motivation and desire to do so. The cash game tables (specifically) just cannot be trusted and I have no way of knowing if my 7,000 hands of absolute card death are legitimately just variance or - as is more than likely the case - just the site artificially holding myself and others back, redistributing wealth in a manner so that what's really going on behind the scenes is virtually impossible to detect or prove, but also making absolute sure that at the end of the day, the site and it's house players are making a fortune. I mean, these things that everyone is noticing have just gone on for too long, to too many players, for such a high dollar amount that it's impossible to believe the site's are legitimate. Again - nothing that you'll see on these sites resembles live poker whatsoever. There is just a such a drastic deviation in what you see between the two poker mediums that the cat really does become totally out of the bag. We really are talking about scenarios like joining a table, 3 players immediately sitting out, 3 other players taking their place at the same time, and then repeatedly hitting you for set over set, etc. Odds that are so astronomical that it would be laughable if it weren't a matter of theft. We have online pros losing 80%+ of their all ins with 70%+ equity over large sample sizes. We have 2 outters hit for full stacks by the same player multiple times in the same hour. Users that seem solid all of a sudden going all in pre with 89s for no apparent reason and the flop coming down 899, villain winning a huge pot, and then immediately sitting out/leaving the table. How many times can things like that go on (they're constant) before someone says "wait a minute here"? Well...that's the point we're at. People are saying "wait a minute, here".
https://www.pokerscout.com/us/
They've changed the entire site as it pertains to US players. They won't even mention the offshore sites by name anymore and specifically direct players to playing in one of the state run online casinos. Further, if you look up the traffic for sites like Ignition, WPN, and Chico here at primetime on a Friday night in February...they're dismal compared to even two months ago. There is absolutely no question that things have changed.
I think it's entirely realistic to believe we may be sitting in 2023 looking back at the era after black Friday as being marred with cheating and theft, ultimately leading to the virtual death of online poker (definitively this time) in the US.
I watched the Joe Ingram vid about ACR. It's pretty compelling/obvious case of botting/cheating to be honest. I would switch to Global Poker, since it is legal in the US, and super soft. I am not sure what the botting situation is there, but from my friends that do play there they are making a killing.
Originally posted by Chowchow12
I watched the Joe Ingram vid about ACR. It's pretty compelling/obvious case of botting/cheating to be honest. I would switch to Global Poker, since it is legal in the US, and super soft. I am not sure what the botting situation is there, but from my friends that do play there they are making a killing.
To be totally honest: The entire sweepstakes model of Global, having to swap "points" for cash on Paypal (yawn), and the thought of depositing on yet another site - after what has gone on here - just isn't very appealing to me at this point in time. If we're really down to one legitimate site for US players to play on, it's all but over anyway. The fact is that a lot of what's left of the US market is going to feel the same way. People were already extremely disenchanted and now this? ...pfff
Originally posted by Chowchow12
I watched the Joe Ingram vid about ACR. It's pretty compelling/obvious case of botting/cheating to be honest. I would switch to Global Poker, since it is legal in the US, and super soft. I am not sure what the botting situation is there, but from my friends that do play there they are making a killing.
I was pointed to those videos as well.
I didn't make it all the way through -- Joe talks and talks and talks at great, but says very little of consequence.
He does show some activity that is similar to the stuff I saw on the rooms I quit playing at.
Like I said -- I'll wait until these investigations run their course.
All the best,
VS