Top tournament crushers BenCB and Patrick Leonard have recorded an online chat discussing the current state of online poker. The pair are two of the best in the business right now and what they had to say is well worth listening to.
Online Poker – The Fight for Dominance
The conversation takes a serious turn almost as soon as it started. Guarantees and rake are discussed, and it is pointed out that many players ignore the numbers because the game is still beatable.
This leads on to how the fight for dominance in the online poker market, between partypoker and PokerStars, is really the driving force behind the unpopular structures.
The problem is that there are only two poker rooms that offer a full schedule of MTTs. Decisions are now naturally made on a business basis, rather than player oriented, in the battle for supremacy.
Leonard tells how it’s a problem that the people in charge don’t fully appreciate how online poker works for the professionals.
“I think the main problem with the poker industry is that most people who work in poker don’t really understand poker. They haven’t been professional poker players.”
Knockout Tournaments vs Vanilla
The next big topic is the divergence of the popular tournament formats. It looks as if the majority are now favouring progressive knockouts over vanilla freezeouts, but many players don’t appreciate the rake situation.
Leonard points out that with the long rebuy periods, a lot of the prize pool has already gone by the time a late registration is made. For this reason he instructed partypoker to half the rake to make it fairer, but PokerStars refuse to make the same change.
The discussion moves onto how recreational players fare in the new PKO games. Bencb agrees with Leonard on that while their results will be better in vanilla tournaments they enjoy the exciting PKO format more.
This is an interesting point when all poker rooms are trying to do everything they can to protect recreational players and their deposits. Fun players will get destroyed when using mixed up shoving and calling ranges in a PKO. Yet they seem to love the format.
The Pitfalls of Staking Poker Players
Patrick Leonard is well-known as one of the owners of BitB Staking. After giving a concise explanation as to why he thinks it’s not profitable overall to stake players, Bencb asks why he still chooses to do so.
Leonard has listed a number of possible catastrophes in the world of staking, and it really is enough to put anybody off. His answer though, was simple and understandable.
“For us we do it, but if we had to put our hourly rates…we would probably make more money playing poker”
“The reason why I do it is for the community. Because of how they push me, and how I push them.”
He continues with another point that many would-be poker professionals miss when planning the next phase of their life. Playing poker full-time for 10 years gives you only that to enter onto your CV.
Leonard now boasts a number of additional accomplishments to go alongside his poker successes. The staking outfit involves the management of hundreds of players, hiring the right people, and any number of people management skills.
Anything Bencb and Patrick Leonard have to say is worth listening to. There’s plenty more in the entire interview here.
Earn up to 60% partypoker rakeback when signing up through us!
When signing up through VIP-Grinders.com on partypoker, you can now earn up to 60% cashback on partypoker plus take part in the following exclusive VIP-Grinders Promotions with massive extra value:
- $30 Welcome Bonus in SPINS Tickets
- Up to 60% Cashback via the Diamond Elite Club
- 4 x $250 Private Poker Freeroll per month
- Exclusive Party & Bwin Chase
Terms and conditions apply. New customer offer and 18+ only. Should you require help regarding your betting pattern, please visit www.begambleaware.org.
