Ok so lets get constructive then. I found your staking thread, where you share your username on PokerStars, and here is, what Sharkscope has to say under "Insights":
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Predictions:
This player is unprofitable, and unfortunately, the performance of similar players gets even worse over time. Games involving higher stakes should be approached with caution; players with similar profiles often start entering higher stakes games as they play more, which increases losses more often than not.
Recommendations:
- You’re currently losing more at higher stakes; you should avoid these more expensive games for now.
- Do not play at stakes higher than $3.
- Think about joining a coaching or training site to help boost the quality of your game.
- Improve your end game by studying ChipEV models using tools such as the ICMIZER Suite.
- Use the SharkScope Tournament Selector to find easier tournaments.
- Use the leak detectors found in the SharkScope Hand Tracker to identify which hands you may be playing incorrectly.
- Your finish positions indicate that you may be playing tournaments too passively. Upping your aggression level should lead to greater success.
- Avoid playing Bounty and 6 Max tournaments and focus on playing SNG and Turbo tournaments.
- Some of your losing streaks are statistically improbably for natural variance, suggesting you may have a tendency to go on tilt. If you lose multiple games in a row take a break.
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These insights from Sharkscope should not always be taken as gospel. For instance the part about "Avoid playing Bounty and 6 Max tournaments and focus on playing SNG and Turbo tournaments" might be skewed by results in games, you played a decade ago, and that dont even run any more. So that one I would not nessesarely follow.
But the points about limiting yourself to cheaper games and finding ways to study and improve are definitely good and solid advice. You are down over $9.000 over the years, so instead of spending more money playing up to $22 MTTs, which you are not beating, then why not spend some money on software such as PT4 and ICMizer, which can help you improve your game?
And its definitely also more usefull to spend time watching some training videos like the free CC 30-day course instead of worrying about finding "patterns", or how the Flutter Entertainment Group runs their business.
My results are screwed as you correctly point out this is expected through extreme variance in MTTs and because right now like ive mentioned in this thread I haven't pkayer seriously invested on PokerStars since 2013/14. Alot changed since 2010 black friday including the closure of the staking platform, PokerbyTrade that I was a very successful horse. So now my play is recreational testing the site out again. Im getting a feel for the games and trustworthiness of security. So because of this my
bankroll management is non existant. Completly impacts the data analysis. Thats not down to problem gambling. Thats because I have the income to player higher stakes if wish. Customer annual source of wealth checks verified this hence why im still active on the site and not involuntary pushed off or have financial limitations imposed. Alot of the 9k losses are cash. I found that since I broke away in 2016 that the games seemed harder and the set over sets or bad beats were relentless. So I now refocus of Mtt bounty builders. 2022 and 2023 I was beating these games. Many final tables and a number of 1st and second place scores contributed to the profits. Alot of my play and strategy involves very high risk +EV decisions when down to the final 5-10% of the field. This comes with high risk and high reward. Like I said im testing the games. Not grinding for now. Im testing my abilities to make a final table and take an Mtt down. There is also great satisfaction in winning an mtt too. Thats why we a player with a real passion for the game plays them.
I too like you say take everything Sharkscope says and provides statistically with a pinch of salt. Not every bit of data over the tables is recorded for whatever reason. The more reliable sources of info I found was OPR and Poker Pro Labs. The later unfortunately no longer exists.
As I said in my staking thread I was profitable. I knew the games I was crushing and stuck with them. 18/45 man turbos. $4.50 180 mtts. 10 man ko's and the $3.30 180 man Turbo. Rebuys. The some of these dont exist anymore. The pools are too low and formats have changed. So yes im testing the field on Bounty Builders. These are the most popular and most heavily promoted games on PokerStars.
Now 2024 and this year I've noticed things have changed in these games they are harder too beat. The biggest factor is a widespread online problem that isn't going away. Bots, bot rings and collusion. These games are the most profitable for them and easiest to exploit second to mystery bounties. They are not interested or focused/programed to take the tournaments down. They are programed to exploit and target as many bounties as possible. Thats where their profits are coming from. Which if you think about it makes sense. Because a bot farm running multiple accounts in 1 Bounty tournament. That can lets say cover 5-10% of the field wouldn't have to work too hard to recoup the buyins and marginalise their profits just by play a very LAG exploit strategy targeting regs and tight passive recreational players for bouties. Against the regs they can open up their range and use more aggression to try and complete their hand because im the context of volume and the attributing factor they could flood 5-10 of the field maybe more. The maths swings in their favour. PokerStars argues the case that this isn't going on. But it definitely is. Its too difficult to handle. The accounts are popping up faster than they can close them down. This is across the board on all
poker sites. Now I dont even have to using poker tracking software to identify this as a huge problem.
GTO also has a very negative impact on results because players some players pay for the courses but still dont fully understand the concept. They pay for the charts and watch a few videos. Run a few scenarios using the available tools but cannot implement the strategy properly in the games. This resulting is so many unusual plays and higher variance. Again can make it harder to identify a bot at your table.
My personal opinion is
online poker is going down hill rapidly since the Russia invasion into Ukraine. This comes from my professional view and expertise in the security industry in close protection and risk management. You can laugh this off all you want. But the large number of bots are coming from Ukraine,
brazil and
argentina. Coincidentally all three countries are involved in major conflicts and both Brazil and Argentina cartel heavily influenced. So where better to outsource extra funds and also launder money. Online poker rooms and casinos. Like I said previously the regulation and licensing means nothing. Its all a front to impose legitimacy because they need a customer base. All parties are making money by hosting and regulating. All poker rooms and casinos operate offshore and in jurisdictions where they cannot be indited for any wrong doing.
So where does that leave us?
You either trust or you dont. Or your cautious.
You have to trust your money is protected by the word of the Pokeroom or online casino doing everything in their power to takle this problem or they are complicit. Given the current geo political climate. Its a 50/50 coin flip.
Yes I have concerns and feel in my mind I have experienced recently a few unusual anomalies and have questioned them. We live in a world of free speech and I exercised that to raise my points, ask for the data and was refused. The refusal doesn't look good when you way up all these factors. Its not an accusation. Its not a conspiracy and it's definitely not me venting my anger or frustration in my losses. I dont give two shits about the losses. Its an expected part of the game. I know I can hit an upswing again if I manage my bankroll and play volume again. To do this I want to know and be confident that the platform I choose to do this is legitimate and safe. Trust is paramount!
Now I also play GG poker and haven't deposited no more than $100 since I opened the account. Most of that I lost on
slots. A stupid idea 🤣🤣. But if you check my results you'll find im profitable and my sharkscope predictions, insights, analysis and results are totally different to PokerStars.
My GG username is : Dogshead1
Now GG also have a massive problem with Bots and Bot Rings even playing as low as the lowest micro flip and goes and battle royal games. My results are better at GG because huds are valuable In easily identifying these.
Something I believe PokerStars should implement into their software. It doesn't solve the problem of the huge influx and continual influx of Bots and bot farms but definitely helps the player make informative decisions at the table with the data. Because one thing over looked is all data the bot and bot rings have on you. He'll I would even go as far as to suggest that the software should identy the Bots at the tables so you know what your up against. Like I said this is a problem thats never going away. You shut them down. They just keep popping up.
Finally any game that or where cheating could be implemented will always be targeted. The question is now. As we are in such a tipping point in the realms of AI capability. How do they move forward?
If I have any agenda at all. It is to ensure that the game I love and have a passion for is fair. Properly regulated. Hosts are transparent and currently evolving in the best way possible for game integrity and Fairness for the real player.
