Getting tired of constant river beats on Pokerstars

I am a UK player also, and Pokerstars has to prove their RNG is fair and realistic before they can obtain a license to serve UK customers.

Every poker player will run worse than they have ever done before.

I am also experiencing a downswing after a huge 150k hands upswing. I've dropped 12 buy-ins in the last 4k hands played. Hitting top set on the flop and losing to a runner runner straight. Flopping a full house and being counterfeited on the river to another runner runner. The same feelings you have now I have also been experiencing the last few days. Playing my c-game because every time I pick up AA or KK I know I am going lose to some freakery.

I have played over 3million cash game hands and during this time have experienced huge winning and losing streaks. I once ran so bad on Pokerstars I considered quitting the site convinced it was rigged. But I managed to reason to myself that I was only experiencing negative variance and will eventually ride out the storm. I did but it nearly drove me mad. I was predicting runner runner suckouts as if I had a crystal ball and could see into the future. The negative variance lasted for some 200k hands.

If you haven't run bad at live yet it's because you are running good. I ran good for 150k hands which is the equivalent of two years worth of full-time live play. I have also run bad for 200k hands.

A moderator should be able to recommend to you information on the mental side of the game. This is essential reading material which you may find very helpful.

If I were you, and I mean to be helpful here, I would refrain from sending emails to Pokerstars complaining about the RNG and your bad luck. As part of their UK licence conditions they must do everything possible to prevent vulnerable people from gambling. Those not enjoying their poker fall into that category. Just a friendly warning.

Hi Arthur

It was a long long while ago when i emailed Pokerstars and I mean a few years now, I have run bad live many times, i know we all have at some stage but I have never lost so many hands when your so far in front, even to to one outers on the river, runner runner is becoming the norm, and I too have considered using a different site.

I put my grey hair down to being 55, but ive a feeling its down to continuous bad beats on Pokerstars.

I have the same experience and for the moment quitted Pokerstars. Whoever I speak, they have this experience of getting f** on the river on Pokerstars. While not having this experience at other sites.

Always keep this in mind:
- Why would Pokerstars care who wins a hand? They get paid either way.
- How many hands do you play live in a night ? a few hundred at best. On pokerstars, you play thousands in the same time. It's human nature to remember the bad onces. Live you may have a few bad hands a night, online you get ten time as much because you play ten time as much.
- bad runs are a fact of poker. Get used to them or quit. Don't blame the dealer, don't blame yourself, don't blame your operator and deffo don't blame your opponent, he is your atm ♦. Blame the game !

We don't call it "Riverstars" for nothing...
But let's be serious now, it's just a simple variance. Shit happens. I'm 1700bb below EV this month and it's killing me both inside and outside. But as much as I shout at my monitor about how Stars are rigged, deep down I know it's nothing more than a variance.

Take a deep breath and calm your mind. Your thoughts make it even worse. Take it as a challenge for your mindset

Do you play regular tables or ZOOM poker tables?

The number of hands per hour is a lot higher for online play, which means you will also see more bad beat rivers dealt (in the same time period) than when you play live.

Estimation of hands per hour played:
LIVE PLAY: 25-30 hands
Regular FR: 70-75 hands
Regular SH: 90-95 hands
ZOOM FR: 200-250 hands
ZOOM SH: 270-320 hands (10 times more hands than you would play in a live session!)

I quit PKR years ago for similar reasons.
PokerStars, on the other hand always seemed just minor swings.

I am 18 buy-ins down from the last 6k hands played. About five of those buy-ins are down to pure tilt.

I have got my mental game issues also. While I don't spew stack after stack until the red mist subsides. I do, occasionally, rage jam into a fish with any2cards after they bad beat me with trash.

Yesterday, I decided to 3/bet squeeze 6 players and managed to thin the field to two players. A short stack and late caller. The late caller paid 30bbs to see a flop with pocket fours and flopped a set against my top pair. I completely raged after that, jamming the arsehole with any2cards. I've been caught out doing this a few times as the villain then picks up a big pair, or the next player to act gets dealt a monster.

Anyhow you are not alone. I just hope I don't spaz off another 22 buy-ins like I did during my last big downswing.

When looking at variance, and our skill level vs our results, it is always worthwhile to play with the "Risk of Ruin" tool.
When you go to this site it shows you the results of 20 simulations where the "normal" winrate is 2.5 BB/100 and each run is 100K hands.

It is truly stunning to compare the best and worst results.

Play with the parameters...
Enjoy.
https://www.primedope.com/poker-variance-calculator/

BRAZILIAN BINGO

I'm more concerned with the Brazilians who go all in pre-flop with nothing and win 80% of the time. They can't play. Bingo players at best. They ruin the game of poker for what it is. They play early tournament like it's the final table and succeed.  The amount of pre-flop A/Ks, A/10s I've folded because of Brazilian poker players is what makes pokerstars a disgrace. They need to give the Brazilians their own server. 

Take a look at the ratio of Brazilians in any tournament leaderboard and tell me it's not weird. Especially if you know how they go all in pre flop with 10/9 (os) or J/8 (os) all the time.

The Russians get a bad press. They are a bit strong in betting but they're nowhere near as ridiculous as the Brazilions.

I suspect Brazil is a good place to shelter pokerstars own accounts. I think Brazil is a cover for pokerstars rigging system.

Originally posted by RobEyr849
BRAZILIAN BINGO

Hi RobEyr849,
Welcome to PokerStrategy.com!

You picked a rather unsympathetic audience for your rant.
Although we all feel your pain, most of the member here recognize that regardless of what country they're from this sort of hyper-aggro play occurs on all rooms.

I understand that you're upset at the moment, but you've accused PokerStars of criminal activity.
If you have evidence, report it to the appropriate authorities.
If you don't, wait until you get it before doing so.

Best Regards,
VS

I can provide a quick explanation for how pokerstars RNG works, I actually wrote a paper about it when I was in college for a statistics class, got some really interesting info from their support, if it is of interest from the community here I can create a thread talking about it.

Originally posted by RobEyr849
BRAZILIAN BINGO

I suspect Brazil is a good place to shelter pokerstars own accounts. I think Brazil is a cover for pokerstars rigging system.

I'm sorry, but considering the huge amount of successful Brazilian players on PS (one of my best friends actually is a WCOOP champion and got 2nd place on this years SCOOP) your rant is just silly, don't mean to be rude, but as Vorpal said, if you do have any evidence just report it.

Cheers, mate.

People whith negative ev in long term should not crying for rigged, and juste work on her game...

Originally posted by tieppofer
I can provide a quick explanation for how pokerstars RNG works, I actually wrote a paper about it when I was in college for a statistics class, got some really interesting info from their support, if it is of interest from the community here I can create a thread talking about it.

I would be most interested in reading your paper.

Even the "quick explanation" would be useful.
I'm curious how even a 64-bit computer can conceivably create the 8.1 x 10^67 permutations of a 52-card deck.
I'm told it has something to do with "atmospheric noise" but I've no idea what that is.

If you do decide to post, please start a new thread.
Most members just totally ignore whining posts -- including this one.

Cheers,
VS

I will find the material I used on my paper and make a thread about it, the paper I wrote is in Portuguese so it would be easier to just write an explanation.

I look forward to seeing it!

My story goes like this: I have played liftime around 35k SNGs (from 6-180man, BI 0.5$-3.5$). I had almost 30% ROI on 0.5-1.5$ and 14% on 2.50-3.50$. In that many games I had many times downswings from 15-30BI, nothing shocking.
But last 500 games that I played were just unreal and sick to the stomach, -80BI. I really just cannot belive the BS that is happening. I literally just cannot win the hand and I cannot understand how is this even possible. People are hitting everything and everything that can go wrong goes wrong.

Few examples: I c on the BB with T8, flop 885 and one guy shoves 25BB with a4off, turn 3 river 2. Then sick situations like BvsB, BvsBU when having <15BBeff, for example I shove from SB 11BB with 22 BB calls with 33, shove AJ BB has AQ, shove KT, BB has KQ,... Then numerous times AK and KK runs into AA, losing like 4/5 of flips and they are hitting 3 outers like nothing and all other sick beats. Its really just unreal. I have never thought that online poker is unfair or rigged. But last three weeks I have a feeling that something very very fishy is going on on PokerStars.