Are Pokerstars too comfortable?

luckylucky

I recently qualified for the APPT Cebu (Philippines). I shoudn't have played it tbh but I did and now to be blunt I can't afford to go there. I've tried my hardest for Pokerstars to give me something in exchange - I don't really care what - even another APPT seat at a later date - when hopefully I might be able to afford to go. I know they have done it in the past for other players - looks like I don't meet the criteria for being a valuable enough player to them.

Now on the one hand I know it's on the Terms and Conditions that if you win a seat you have to play - no refunds and no transfers - so yeah I know many of you will think tough £$%^ and perhaps you'd be right. But on the other hand I know if it's a smaller site such as GJP or Paddypower they'd be much more inclined to try to help you out. I run bad on Pokerstars anyway - so I'm finally throwing the towel in on the site.

So really I suppose my question is are Pokerstars just too comfortable?

5starpool

Did the expenses in the package not cover the cost of going?

Tallamuner

luckylucky wrote: »

I recently qualified for the APPT Cebu (Philippines). I shoudn't have played it tbh but I did and now to be blunt I can't afford to go there. I've tried my hardest for Pokerstars to give me something in exchange - I don't really care what - even another APPT seat at a later date - when hopefully I might be able to afford to go. I know they have done it in the past for other players - looks like I don't meet the criteria for being a valuable enough player to them.

Now on the one hand I know it's on the Terms and Conditions that if you win a seat you have to play - no refunds and no transfers - so yeah I know many of you will think tough £$%^ and perhaps you'd be right. But on the other hand I know if it's a smaller site such as GJP or Paddypower they'd be much more inclined to try to help you out. I run bad on Pokerstars anyway - so I'm finally throwing the towel in on the site.

So really I suppose my question is are Pokerstars just too comfortable?

sell a few per cent of yourself to cover any costs etc good luck with the tourney. keith

luckylucky

5starpool wrote: »

Did the expenses in the package not cover the cost of going?

Expenses were $1650 = €1124 which is basically the cost of the flight from me from Lisbon to there.

I'd have no choice with the flight schedules to fork out for an extra couple of nights in the hotel, plus spending money. So I'd probably need conservatively another €800 or so.

Anyway I was desperate to go when I won this thing but knew that it was going to be a tight squeeze - so I tried in vain to spin up the expense money, this included two times where I finished runner-up for another package .

so now I don't even have the expense money.

Tallamuner wrote: »

sell a few per cent of yourself to cover any costs etc good luck with the tourney. keith

It's not even worth selling a percentage tbh

the value of the entrance fee part of the price is $2150. So even if I sold 100% now - I'd still be out of pocket.

5starpool

To answer your original question, I think a lot of it is due to the fact that Stars sponsor so many events, and something like this in the Phillipines (or Indonesia, I can't remember where) a fairly decent % of people will have qualified via the online route. However, if they gave people the option of swapping for another event, it could skew the numbers for each tournament quite dramatically perhaps. I don't think they are doing it to be awkward to people, but to ensure that each event has a lot of runners so that each event is a headline, rather than only some of them.

That's my take anyhow.

luckylucky

5starpool wrote: »

To answer your original question, I think a lot of it is due to the fact that Stars sponsor so many events, and something like this in the Phillipines (or Indonesia, I can't remember where) a fairly decent % of people will have qualified via the online route. However, if they gave people the option of swapping for another event, it could skew the numbers for each tournament quite dramatically perhaps. I don't think they are doing it to be awkward to people, but to ensure that each event has a lot of runners so that each event is a headline, rather than only some of them.

That's my take anyhow.

Sounds reasonable, but not much good to me. But I guess this is sort of my point, Pokerstars are in effect a big corporation where players like me don't really feature that highly in their priorities when they are stuck, whereas smaller concerns are more inclined to keep their regular players sweet. Pokerstars don't give two hoots about losing my rake/fees and why should they I suppose but on a smaller site it might matter enough to get looked after better.

fatguy

To answer your original question, the answer is yes.

Stars have the best software, but it could be better.
They have the best tournaments, but they could be better.
They have the best support, but it could be better.

There's plenty of room for someone to overtake them, but nobody seems to be trying that hard right now. apart from FT, they all prefer to tackle a different section of the market instead.

However, their bonuses for small stakes players are awful in comparison to most, and they can't seem to find a way to stop players from donking off their expenses money.

jimbling

I can understand why PS wouldn't want to let you have the cash, or transfer to another tournament... it makes things awkward.

Have you asked if you can transfer the prize to another player if you can find someone interested?

luckylucky

jimbling wrote: »

Have you asked if you can transfer the prize to another player if you can find someone interested?

Nope I didn't ask that. I didn't think of it tbh, but I'm pretty sure at this stage given the tone of the emails that it won't be forthcoming either.

coillcam

Tallamuner wrote: »

sell a few per cent of yourself to cover any costs etc good luck with the tourney. keith

I was thinking the same. I am sure some of the boardsies would have no trouble snapping up a % or 2.

luckylucky

coillcam wrote: »

I was thinking the same. I am sure some of the boardsies would have no trouble snapping up a % or 2.

Thanks very much but as I say its kinda pointless. Even if I sold 100% it might not cover the cost of the flight plus expenses. Knowing my luck I'd finally end up getting a big cash in one of these donkaments when I have to give away 100% of it.

I've just excluded myself from pokerstars for 180 days - a small gesture but at least they don't get any more rake or tourney fees from me - actually they've probably done me a favour - I can get back to grinding small stakes somewhere else and maybe I'll start being a winning player again

wannabecraig

luckylucky wrote: »

Nope I didn't ask that. I didn't think of it tbh, but I'm pretty sure at this stage given the tone of the emails that it won't be forthcoming either.

I'm nearly sure you can sell that ticket on, not for full price maybe, but I'm pretty sure you can sell it.

ArmaniJeanss

luckylucky wrote: »

Even if I sold 100% it might not cover the cost of the flight plus expenses. Knowing my luck I'd finally end up getting a big cash in one of these donkaments when I have to give away 100% of it.

Go to boards.nl and sell 200%.

Dub13

luckylucky wrote: »

I'd have no choice with the flight schedules to fork out for an extra couple of nights in the hotel, plus spending money. So I'd probably need conservatively another €800 or so.

I think you are overestimating the your cost for a couple of days extra,my old man is just back from the Philippines and its dirt cheap.

Did you win this via the Steps..?

luckylucky

Dub13 wrote: »

I think you are overestimating the your cost for a couple of days extra,my old man is just back from the Philippines and its dirt cheap.

Did you win this via the Steps..?

Nah I won via the sick 3xR route. I almost won another ticket twice - Was all-in with AJ v KJ heads up when K hits on turn just a few days ago. And just yesterday I blew a 1.3 million to 300k lead in heads up.

I could possibly stay on somewhere cheaper but even if it's just another few hundred euro the total cost is too much now.

thenutpeddler

luckylucky wrote: »

Nah I won via the sick 3xR route. I almost won another ticket twice - Was all-in with AJ v KJ heads up when K hits on turn just a few days ago. And just yesterday I blew a 1.3 million to 300k lead in heads up.

I could possibly stay on somewhere cheaper but even if it's just another few hundred euro the total cost is too much now.

If this package is causing you so much hassle why are you trying to qualify for others?

luckylucky

thenutpeddler wrote: »

If this package is causing you so much hassle why are you trying to qualify for others?

I was mostly trying to qualify for the same one again, if you win the same package twice you win tournament dollars instead of the package and would have meant I could afford to go.

Hoki

Write it off as a bad debt & dont bother going if its gonna put u under that much financial pressure, cutting your losses might be better than making the hole deeper .

dannydiamond

I can sympathise with your position to a certain extent but...

You voluntarily enter a satellite for a live tournie, you win said satellite and now this is a problem,stars won't accomadate a swap,so you apparantly take a certain 'tone' with them?

You run terribly on stars and right after winning something you bail?

You then post about stars being 'too comfortable'? in what sense? To be fair if you can't go don't play the satt.

As I originally stated I see how this has come about but it is all of your own doing really,offloading your frustrations on stars,while understandable is a little silly really. I think all you can do now is flog off %s and go out there and enjoy it.

The Improver

sell about 70% and raid the copper jar;)

luckylucky

dannydiamond wrote: »

I can sympathise with your position to a certain extent but...

You voluntarily enter a satellite for a live tournie, you win said satellite and now this is a problem,stars won't accomadate a swap,so you apparantly take a certain 'tone' with them?

You run terribly on stars and right after winning something you bail?

You then post about stars being 'too comfortable'? in what sense? To be fair if you can't go don't play the satt.

As I originally stated I see how this has come about but it is all of your own doing really,offloading your frustrations on stars,while understandable is a little silly really. I think all you can do now is flog off %s and go out there and enjoy it.

Well you're right and you're not right as you've sort of taken my points at the worst outlook in regards to me.

I run terribly on stars both before and after this - NOT JUST BEFORE - that win was just a temporary blip - I needed to try to win extra cash to afford to go - so it wasn't as if I blew the money on booze and drugs or something - i blew it on stars trying to win more so I COULD GO instead i just ended up losing more - tbh you could say they've done me favour by not accomodating me as I probably should have abandoned stars before now and I'll probably save what I've lost by not playing there again. If it wasn't for Mtts(mainly on stars) I'd still have a healthy bankroll.

I agree with you I shouldn't have played the sat in the first place. I like playing poker during the day and these far off destinations often have tournies during the day when there's nothing else interesting looking available - it's more of a spur of the moment give it a go kinda thing - STILL I shouldn't have played it, but us poker players do tend to be overly optimistic

Yeah and maybe your right in that it's sour grapes on my part now - but on the other hand Stars have got an extra $3350 out of me not going and that hurts when I know which of the two parties needs that more - I think they could have done something for me at least - it's not as if I haven't played there much - and as I also stated I do know they have accomodated other players in the past. My other point is that if it was a smaller site they WOULD be more accomodating - I was ill before for a PaddyPower tournament and they allowed what turned out to be a very lucky replacement for me.

Anyway yeah you could say it's a dig at Stars but it's not a rant and rave dig at them- I'm not saying people shouldn't play there but with a player base of twice their nearest rival and nearly 5 times as big as ipoker I think they are defo very comfy.

jbravado

You should get the money from somewhere and try to play imo.

luckylucky

jbravado wrote: »

You should get the money from somewhere and try to play imo.

As I say even if I got 100% of the tournament part of the package = $2150 it would at best match the whole cost for me - what would be the point. How do you think I'd feel if I finally got big cash only having to give most or all of it up - I wouldn't mind giving up 30%ish - but giving up virtually all my win would be sickening. it'a lose-lose scenario for me.

Nope, unfortunately Hoki's right I'm just going to have to cut my losses.

wannabecraig

luckylucky wrote: »

As I say even if I got 100% of the tournament part of the package = $2150 it would at best match the whole cost for me - what would be the point. How do you think I'd feel if I finally got big cash only having to give most or all of it up - I wouldn't mind giving up 30%ish - but giving up virtually all my win would be sickening. it'a lose-lose scenario for me.

Nope, unfortunately Hoki's right I'm just going to have to cut my losses.

Sorry, but have you tried to sell it on? The market place forum on 2+2 has loads of these sales every day. Are you a poster there? Look into it. I'm a poster there, if you're not a member let me know and I'll look into it for you.

luckylucky

wannabecraig wrote: »

Sorry, but have you tried to sell it on? The market place forum on 2+2 has loads of these sales every day. Are you a poster there? Look into it. I'm a poster there, if you're not a member let me know and I'll look into it for you.

I post on 2+2 infrequently. I'm pretty sure you can't sell a package on. You can sell tournament dollars and w$ but a tournament package as far as I know, but I'd like to be shown that I'm wrong

wannabecraig

K, i was pretty sure you could do this. Any stars won't let you trade for Tourney dollars?
Well on a personal note, if it was me I'd be there. Chances like this don't come around all the time.

YULETIRED

Lucky, go to the thing FFS.
You can find a room for 25 dollars a night, the Phillipines is very cheap . I reckon 400 is enough is you want to just play your tourny, get knocked out, have a nose around the Phillipines for 2-3 days and bring back presents for the entire Lucky clan. It's not Monte Carlo you're going to
Don't eat anything with a collar on it.

suilen

luckylucky wrote: »

As I say even if I got 100% of the tournament part of the package = $2150 it would at best match the whole cost for me - what would be the point. How do you think I'd feel if I finally got big cash only having to give most or all of it up - I wouldn't mind giving up 30%ish - but giving up virtually all my win would be sickening. it'a lose-lose scenario for me.

Nope, unfortunately Hoki's right I'm just going to have to cut my losses.

I'll offer to take 30% of your action, $645. If you can get a couple of hundred euros together then you should be able to manage to go surely and still have a decent chunk of yourself?

wannabecraig

Do you have a link to your stars/sharksscope ratings? Might take a piece too and send you there.

HeeHawsCantona

Lucky check PM

Flushdraw

PM playable hand (Denis Reyes)

He's from the Phillipines and would be able to help you out in relation to places to stay/taxis/eating/brothels etc

luckylucky

suilen wrote: »

I'll offer to take 30% of your action, $645. If you can get a couple of hundred euros together then you should be able to manage to go surely and still have a decent chunk of yourself?

Thanks a lot, very much appreciated but I still don't see how I can do it. The maths don't add up - even were I just to cover the cost of my flight that's approx 1650/2150 = 76.74% of the value of the tournament entry.

wannabecraig wrote: »

Do you have a link to your stars/sharksscope ratings? Might take a piece too and send you there.

This is my OPR rankings - i don't want to give my Pokerstars alias out here as you can imagine.

120 days Rating: 98.62% Rank: 13,384 of 967,854

Year 2009 Rating: 77.40% Rank: 344,176 of 1,523,043

Year 2008 Rating: 99.76% Rank: 2,503 of 1,062,266

it looks good enough but I'm actually down money as I often go far but keep missing out on the big money. If you don't get some big scores in these mtts then you lose.

tbh I've only ever cashed once in a major live event so I'd be very reluctant to say I'd be a good investment.

I truly appreciate the goodwill of you guys. I'll have a sit back and chat with the missus (who doesn't want me to go btw) and see if there's anyway I can do this but I don't think it's likely.

wannabecraig

K, thanks for being honest about stats. Think you should go to stars and ask if you can sell you ticket, they may allow you to. Good luck with your decision.

Oh and btw poker > missus.

Suited

Show them this thread?

Moro Man

Poor you.......

Alot of pokerstars players make their living playing satts for the Weekly Million / EPT/WSOP Qualifiers and not playing the finals.

No other site leaves you unregister from an event you qualify for (have full tilt recently changed? maybe ) so I don't see the PokerStars losing any sleep over your complaints. Try asking I=Poker to unreg you from a tournament:rolleyes:

Hard to see how you can complain as you won a $5k package from a $3 rebuy tournament ( how big was the overlay? ). There would have been alot of people playing these tournaments just for the expenses with no intention of going.

califano

luckylucky im beginning to think the real reason you dont want to go is because your a racist:).

luckylucky

Moro Man wrote: »

Poor you.......

Alot of pokerstars players make their living playing satts for the Weekly Million / EPT/WSOP Qualifiers and not playing the finals.

No other site leaves you unregister from an event you qualify for (have full tilt recently changed? maybe ) so I don't see the PokerStars losing any sleep over your complaints. Try asking I=Poker to unreg you from a tournament:rolleyes:

Hard to see how you can complain as you won a $5k package from a $3 rebuy tournament ( how big was the overlay? ). There would have been alot of people playing these tournaments just for the expenses with no intention of going.

Sometimes poker players find themselves in a rut - comes with the territory. I sincerely hope you don't find yourself in a similar situation. But do kick me while I'm down - always a decent sized minority who just love to do that, thankfully not all are like you and even though no doubt most people rightly think I'm an idiot for getting into this situation at least they are sympathetic coz they know it might just might happen to them.

And fyi it wasn't a $3 Rebuy it was 3xR Rebuy - which on Pokerstars means 3 times the normal length of rebuy period - I think it was a $22 rebuy fwiw

Moro Man

luckylucky wrote: »

Sometimes poker players find themselves in a rut - comes with the territory. I sincerely hope you don't find yourself in a similar situation. But do kick me while I'm down - always a decent sized minority who just love to do that, thankfully not all are like you and even though no doubt most people rightly think I'm an idiot for getting into this situation at least they are sympathetic coz they know it might just might happen to them.

And fyi it wasn't a $3 Rebuy it was 3xR Rebuy - which on Pokerstars means 3 times the normal length of rebuy period - I think it was a $22 rebuy fwiw

I've been in a rut for years....

How big was the overlay? You didn't seem to get anything for coming 2nd in the other tournament.

luckylucky

Moro Man wrote: »

I've been in a rut for years....

How big was the overlay? You didn't seem to get anything for coming 2nd in the other tournament.

I came 2nd twice in the other tournaments for the Cebu event - I got $800 for one - that's gone in vain as I tried to spin it up. And if you said I got nothing for the other one I'll take your word for it - I think I didn't alright. There is only very occasionally an overlay though for these btw and when there is it's not normally much - even though you seem to have got it into your head that there was - remember it's not a $3 rebuy (there's $22 and $11 rebuys - I was playing both of them) like you thought I was saying, either way overlay or not it makes no difference to my situation.

Anyway we've established you don't think I merit any sympathy, fair enough I certainly didn't expect it from all quarters. Still $3350 is too much of a hit for me right now not to have said anything about it. If it wasn't a lot of money to me then I'd be going to the Philippines.

mdiver

Don't buy the ticket if you can't win the lottery.

wendelsailor

luckylucky wrote: »

I came 2nd twice in the other tournaments for the Cebu event - I got $800 for one - that's gone in vain as I tried to spin it up.

Hindsight is great and all but if you'd just kept all the expenses and sold some of yourself you would have been fine. I think trying to spin loot that quickly was (not to sound rude) incredibly stupid.

Try hoodaki.com if you get the money together.........they tend to have really cheap flights to anywhere in the world.

luckylucky

wendelsailor wrote: »

Hindsight is great and all but if you'd just kept all the expenses and sold some of yourself you would have been fine. I think trying to spin loot that quickly was (not to sound rude) incredibly stupid.

Try hoodaki.com if you get the money together.........they tend to have really cheap flights to anywhere in the world.

You're right - I had actually planned to do exactly like you said. Part of the problem was my wife wasn't keen on me going - so I wanted to spin the loot up to make it easier for me to go without having any big 'discussions'.

Moro Man

luckylucky wrote: »

Anyway we've established you don't think I merit any sympathy, fair enough I certainly didn't expect it from all quarters. Still $3350 is too much of a hit for me right now not to have said anything about it. If it wasn't a lot of money to me then I'd be going to the Philippines.

Pokerstars are pushing very strongly their LAPT and APPT events at the moment, the reason I presume is to corner the market in these locations. If they leave everyone unregister from these tournaments they would be down on entrants and the better players will be playing the satts with no intention of going so the players they are aiming for will find it harder to qualify....

Sounds like a great strategy to get these tours up and running.

What was your excuse for not going to pokerstars?

I thought the Phillipines was in Spain?

It would be quite obvious to them that you had no intention of going so I don't think it can be held against them for not giving you a cash out option.

As for sympathy I could think of a lot of people more deserving of it. The country is full of people out of work , losing their houses, forced to emigrate etc etc but you blew the expenses money for a trip to the Phillipines and can't afford to go. turn down offers of selling part of yourself because its not worth it.... blah blah... are you waiting for Dermot Desmond to pop up and offer to drop you there in his private jet?

YULETIRED

Bottom line morrow man is, you don't pi$$ on someone when they are down. I think he was looking more for empathy, as sympathy is not to be found in the poker world. I think pokerstars are correct to refuse it but equally I'd like to think Lucky got to play this game somehow. A shame to miss it out on the trip. Over to the missus.
Run better Lucky.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Why not send them a mail suggesting the possibility of a ticket swap for the same event with someone who is heading over. Failing that it looks as if you will have to pass up the opportunity which is a right pain in the ar$e.

Oh and Moro Man stop being such a tit!!

luckylucky

YULETIRED wrote: »

Bottom line morrow man is, you don't pi$$ on someone when they are down. I think he was looking more for empathy, as sympathy is not to be found in the poker world.

Sympathy was totally wrong word alright, too right it doesn't exist in the poker world. More empathy like you say.

DrJFF

i was at the APPT in Auckland recently and i was talking to a guy from canada and he was like a low stacks player and he qualified for a seat only for APPT Macau and he told me it took him maybe 10emails with a lot of pleading on his part before they changed the seat to one in Auckland cos it was worth the same price

i think why they are less accomodating with you is because there is only 2stops left on the APPT the one in Cebu which is worth ~$5k and the Grand final in worth ~$9k,

maybe ask them could you change it to a stop on the LAPT that is on later, be very persistant in your emails.

gl

digiman

Could you come up some story that would prevent you from going and ask them to swap it for a Galway package? PS support are usually really good. I remember before I didn't unregister for a Step 4 which went ahead and I got blinded out worth $200 or so an they issued me a new one at their loss within 30mins. If you havn't emailed them already it is definetly worth a try.

digiman

Also, just advice for anyone, for some of PS new tournaments in places that are a long way from Ireland the expenses package they offer doesn't always cover your flight and hotel. I remember last year going deep in one of them and afterwards when I looked at flights to Auckland at short notice the expenses woundn't cover the flight never mind hotels and other stuff

Dub13

I always assumed all PS packages included hotel..?

luckylucky

DrJFF wrote: »

i was at the APPT in Auckland recently and i was talking to a guy from canada and he was like a low stacks player and he qualified for a seat only for APPT Macau and he told me it took him maybe 10emails with a lot of pleading on his part before they changed the seat to one in Auckland cos it was worth the same price

i think why they are less accomodating with you is because there is only 2stops left on the APPT the one in Cebu which is worth ~$5k and the Grand final in worth ~$9k,

maybe ask them could you change it to a stop on the LAPT that is on later, be very persistant in your emails.

gl

I've tried just about everything email-wise and they didn't budge, tbh I take a lot of peoples points about if they make an exception for one 'n all that - but the thing is and your reply is a case in point - they do make plenty of exceptions, yours is not the first or 2nd one I heard.

I'd take a package to just about anywhere - I just can't afford to go right now.

digiman wrote: »

Could you come up some story that would prevent you from going and ask them to swap it for a Galway package?

My mistake might have been I told them the truth.

Dub13 wrote: »

I always assumed all PS packages included hotel..?

They do but just for the bare minimum of the tournament - which normally only lasts a few days - so if you want to stay extra nights you pay for it. Going half way around the world for just 3 or 4 days stay would be kinda madness - and more likely than not not feasible flight-wise anyway.