What is Ratholing? Why are they hated?

  • Thread starter Thread starter PoKeRFoRNiA
  • Start date Start date
PoKeRFoRNiA

PoKeRFoRNiA

Legend
Bronze Level
Awards
1
Poker Chips
118
Casino Coins
0
I have been playing Rush. I always buy-in full 100bb and have auto top up. Unlike standard tables where you have to buy in back for the previous amount u sat with, you can rathole in Rush. You can click "stand up" and then click on a seat to buy back in with any amount you want. So while I have a friend watching me through teamviewer, I sat in with 100bb, doubled up to nearly 200bb, stood up, sat back in for 100bb and continued in Rush. He asks me why I rathole. I responded that I know myself and I'm not a good post-flop player who can manage 200bb, and 100bb is enough already. People seem to hate ratholers as much as short-stackers. May I ask why?

I can understand people hating short-stackers but I'm curious what's bad about ratholers.
 
People hate ratholers because they're taking money out of the game that they are unwilling to put at risk. IMO though doing it at Rush is perfectly fine if you're not comfortable playing deep. At a regular table if you take someone's stack they can reload and try to win it back but that's not true at Rush. Win a stack at Rush and it might be 20 hands before you see that player again.
 
What Hillbilly said, I rarely play Rush, but when I do if it is for some promo or something, ratholing is my break even strategy.
 
WVHillbilly said:
All SS are ratholers but not all ratholers are SS.
Click to expand...

Not always - I've been short stacking because I kept getting hit with coolers in Rush and I wanted to limit my bankroll losses while I try to clear the promotion. But if I do double up (or more), I don't rathole because I'm perfectly happy to play a big stack as long as losing it won't damage my bankroll that much.
 
x2486 said:
Not true - I've been short stacking because I kept getting hit with coolers in Rush and I wanted to limit my bankroll losses while I try to clear the promotion. But if I do double up (or more), I don't rathole because I'm perfectly happy to play a big stack as long as losing it won't damage my bankroll that much.
Click to expand...


Fine.
All GOOD short stackers are ratholers not all ratholers are GOOD short stackers.


Happy?
 
x2486 said:
Not true - I've been short stacking because I kept getting hit with coolers in Rush and I wanted to limit my bankroll losses while I try to clear the promotion. But if I do double up (or more), I don't rathole because I'm perfectly happy to play a big stack as long as losing it won't damage my bankroll that much.
Click to expand...
Sorry, what WV was trying to say was that all good short stackers are ratholers.
 
Now I realise that WV beat me to it. Damn that hillbilly.
 
Man, that got jumped on. 🙂 Okay, I suck at short stacking, but I'm not bankrolled for full stacking. Fact is, I don't even like Rush, but it's the fastest way to clear the promotion.
 
x2486 said:
Man, that got jumped on. 🙂 Okay, I suck at short stacking, but I'm not bankrolled for full stacking.
Click to expand...
NO. You actually need more BR for shortstacking than you need for 100bb poker. What stakes do you shortstack because if it is at 10nl, you have enough money to play 2nl or 5nl so your argument is invalid.
 
I'm doing 2/5 nl. I lost about $17 doing full stack for four days. I'm up $2 after short stacking for three days. Why would I need a bigger bankroll to short stack?
 
what i was trying to say (and i dont really say anything most of the time) was that 2$ shortstacking and 2$ full stacking is not the same. More swings shortstacking.
 
WVHillbilly said:
People hate ratholers because they're taking money out of the game that they are unwilling to put at risk. IMO though doing it at Rush is perfectly fine if you're not comfortable playing deep. At a regular table if you take someone's stack they can reload and try to win it back but that's not true at Rush. Win a stack at Rush and it might be 20 hands before you see that player again.
Click to expand...

Ty. I got another question from this. If person that I wiped out left after losing, then is it ok for me to leave immediately also or is it still considered ratholing for leaving immediately after winning? Just asking for future reference since I do plan to play standard ring games in the future.
 
Yes it is still ratholing. You are still taking money off the table. Obviously if you have a legit reason it is fine but if you are switching tables it is not cool
 
If someone went south on me, Id probably like it.
 
Last edited:
I am not positive that is the correct term...
 
Last edited:
Just a quick question, doesn't the Ferguson BR management system involve ratholing sometimes?

Bill
 
From what I've read ... A short stacker gets in a game w/ about 20 bb's, waits for big hand, then gets all in b4 the flop when there is a big pot;
Rat holing is leaving a table as soon as a big pot is won.
 
Last edited:
In live play it is frowned upon as well, but called "going south?"
Click to expand...

Going South is when you take money off the table and still continue to play.
i.e. Have $400 in front of you, slip $250 off the table and put it in your pocket and then only play with $150 in front.

Where ratholeing is not illegal (some players just don't think it's very ethical), going south is not allowed.

I was playing at the Venetian one night and ordered food. I grabbed some chips off the table to pay for it and the waitress wouldn't let me. I only assumed it was a form of going south that someone got cranky with. Meh.
 
marginal said:
what i was trying to say (and i dont really say anything most of the time) was that 2$ shortstacking and 2$ full stacking is not the same. More swings shortstacking.
Click to expand...

If they had 1/2 Rush I would play it full stack, but I only have $70 on Full Tilt right now so that's only 14 buy-ins at $5 compared to 35 at $2. So far, I'm seeing fewer, smaller swings while playing short stacked. But even if I go on a run of bad beats, I can handle 2 1/2 times more of them if I play short stacked instead of full stacked.

Also, when I'm short stacked, I can't afford to play marginal hands. And since people are so aggressive in rush, I can rarely see a flop cheaply and I'm usually forced to fold unless I hit the flop perfectly, but premium hands seem to get paid off better than in a regular cash game.
 
PooffyFooffy said:
In live play it is frowned upon as well, but called "going south?"
Click to expand...

Sorta like what the Steelers are going to do as we go thru the remainder of the NFL season.... Sorry had to get that in there... Hate the Steelers but love getting their fans going. 😀
 
Back
Top