Haven't Played in a While... Some Random Questions about Today's Game

It's been a couple years since I've paid poker much mind. I have some questions about a few things.. looking for feedback on any of it.

I hope this is the appropriate place to post this.

I'm looking to start right at micro sakes again and work my way up. Mostly cash games and single table sng's. Occasional MTT's. I use Pkertracker 4. I'm a Canadian player and I won't be making a deposit for a week or so yet. I plan on doing a little homework and forum thread cruising first.

1) I have accounts on Pokerstars, Full Tilt, and 888. Historically I've preferred to play on Full Tilt. However after Black Friday I started playing mostly on PS.

Does Full Tilt have decent traffic again? Is it worth looking at as my primary site again? Is there another site I'm not on that I should look at? How's 888 these days?

2) Is full ring dead? Seemed like it was headed that direction a couple years ago?

3) What's the state of fast fold poker? Any thoughts on fast fold vs. standard tables?

4) Is online poker as a whole still growing? Is there a consistent crop of new players coming into the game?

5) And obviously.. any general advice for a guy who hasn't been around in a couple of years who's starting again in the micro-stakes?

Thanks.

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Originally Posted by Killer Sausage

It's been a couple years since I've paid poker much mind. I have some questions about a few things.. looking for feedback on any of it.

I hope this is the appropriate place to post this.

I'm looking to start right at micro sakes again and work my way up. Mostly cash games and single table sng's. Occasional MTT's. I use Pkertracker 4. I'm a Canadian player and I won't be making a deposit for a week or so yet. I plan on doing a little homework and forum thread cruising first.

1) I have accounts on Pokerstars, Full Tilt, and 888. Historically I've preferred to play on Full Tilt. However after Black Friday I started playing mostly on PS.

Does Full Tilt have decent traffic again? Is it worth looking at as my primary site again? Is there another site I'm not on that I should look at? How's 888 these days?

2) Is full ring dead? Seemed like it was headed that direction a couple years ago?

3) What's the state of fast fold poker? Any thoughts on fast fold vs. standard tables?

4) Is online poker as a whole still growing? Is there a consistent crop of new players coming into the game?

5) And obviously.. any general advice for a guy who hasn't been around in a couple of years who's starting again in the micro-stakes?

Thanks.

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1. PokerStars is still #1, and Full Tilt is still #2. They're both owned by the same company now.

2. Full ring is the exact same game as six-max when the first three players fold. If players after that are playing too tight, then you should be able to take advantage.

3. My understanding is that the fast fold tables are somewhat tighter than regular tables, but that's not necessarily a bad thing since a lot of people play like robots in them which equals big money if you take advantage.

4. Online poker has been in a slight decline for a while.

5. Play a solid game and don't tilt. You'll still have an edge, but you have to be consistent.

Good luck btw

I would suggest looking into sites that offer betting as their main service. These kind of sites attract more gamblers than average. Stars has become a regfest and I was stagnating horribly there to the point I was convincing myself I was just getting worse at poker. I've since moved to SkyPoker and I'm finally making money again.

I'm sure a good player will still be able to make money at stars, but any edge you have there will be exasperated at sites like SkyPoker and the like.

PokerStars has been doing a good job of working to mitigate that issue over the long term since its purchase by the Amaya Gaming Group. They've been adding casino games and slots with plans to add sports betting later this year.

I was thinking about maybe a site like Bet365? For exactly that reason... the players seem like they may be more gamble-hearty instead of poker students. I just wonder if there is enough action (especially in the beginning when I'm poking around 5nl & 10nl) to keep my interest.

If you're getting back and getting started at micros again, I don't really see any reason why not. You probably shouldn't be playing more than four tables at a time or so which will be easy to get.

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Originally Posted by spoonitnow

If you're getting back and getting started at micros again, I don't really see any reason why not. You probably shouldn't be playing more than four tables at a time or so which will be easy to get.

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I think I now have my plan.

Pretty much what everybody else said, but couple of things to add:

Re fast fold: the standard is much, much better on all sites compared to their normal tables. Because players are folding more pre-flop, they're making less mistakes preflop that aren't being compounded post flop e.g. Flatting shite from the bb because they're bored, only to then pay off 2-3 streets with top pair no kicker. There's still profit in the games, but if you're aim from poker is to make the most money, fast forward isn't the best way to go. Full ring has been dying for a long time too.

Now might be a good time for you to lean a new variant of poker or learn the mix games. It's possible with the way NLHE is going that a lot of reg types will either quit entirely or move to a new game within the next couple of years, so being ahead of the curve could prove highly profitable in the future.