Pokerstars Dons

[DiamondDixie 12]

PokerStars will no longer offer Double of Nothing Sit & Go Tournaments as of February 15th, 2011. This is not a decision that was made easily as these tournaments have proven to be quite popular with players. However, after thorough evaluation, PokerStars has decided that the format needed improvement.Newly introduced ‘Fifty50’ Sit & Go tournaments have been deployed to provide an alternative for players who have previously played the Double or Nothings. Fifty50s have many of the same attributes that attracted players to Double or Nothing tournaments:• Half of the players who enter the tournament receive a payout• The tournament ends when half of the players remain• There is no shorthanded play• They end quickly• They have low rakeFifty50s differ from Double or Nothings in their payout structure. Only half of the prize pool is distributed evenly amongst the top half of finishers. The other half is distributed based on chip count, with each chip having an equal value.This difference means that players always have some incentive to care about the size of their chip stack, whereas in Double or Nothings this was not always the case. This added element makes the Fifty50s a more skilful and, to many, more interesting format. The value of each chip in Fifty50s also makes situations where some players may softplay each other less attractive than in Double or Nothings. Some forms of poker invite this sort of implicit collusion more than others, as the rewards are greater and costs are smaller for making such plays. The Fifty50 format is an improvement over the Double or Nothing format in this regard as there is always a cost for a player to make a decision that doesn’t maximize the size of their own chip stack.While it is understood that many players may miss the old Double or Nothing format, improvements and changes to game formats are necessary from time to time. While the loss of a familiar game format can be frustrating or annoying initially, PokerStars is confident that Fifty50s will prove to be a superior tournament format.RakeThe rake structure is different for Fifty50s than for DoNs. It’s somewhat higher for Turbo Fifty50s than it was for Turbo DoNs at most stakes, but is lower at the $1 level. The rake for normal speed Fifty50s is significantly lower than it was for normal speed DoNs. The Double or Nothings offered rake that was in most cases twice as much for normal speed tournaments than for turbo tournaments. The Fifty50 rake is more in line with other PokerStars Sit & Go tournaments. PokerStars is currently evaluating all Sit & Go offerings, including rake. The stakes offered and rake for Fifty50s are in line with the changes planned for all Sit & Go Tournaments on PokerStars in the coming months.If players compare Fifty50 rake on PokerStars to the industry standard for similar Sit & Go tournaments, they will find that the comparison isn’t close; the PokerStars’ rake is much lower.http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/28/inter...-2011-a-976192/

[king_tanner 84]

don't like it! I liked being a big stack in double or nothings so I could raise 5000000 hands in a row. I liked short stacking so I could fold and wait for someone to screw up so I could cash with 300 chips at 500/1000 blind levels.I want half! I don't want cash based on my chip count! Don't like this!

[CorvairShaggy 5]

don't like it! I liked being a big stack in double or nothings so I could raise 5000000 hands in a row. I liked short stacking so I could fold and wait for someone to screw up so I could cash with 300 chips at 500/1000 blind levels.I want half! I don't want cash based on my chip count! Don't like this!

I actually like them better. In $10 DONs I could post an even ROI, and now that they are fifty50, people still play them the same, but now you get rewarded for having that 4:1 chip advantage, when the field is playing uber-tight just to min-cash. Made the dynamics a bit more interesting. I think now I may be posting a +ROI on these. Not enough to hoot and holler about, but if I play 2 and win 2 in a night, it usually can cover my loses on the other 3-4 sngs/tourneys I play.

[serge 904]

Not totally related to thread but when and why did Pokerstars decide to take away the cities identifying players?Now its just countries.

[wsox8 10]

Not totally related to thread but when and why did Pokerstars decide to take away the cities identifying players?Now its just countries.

Here is what PokerStars Stefan said about it on 4"Re: Reasons for the change from city to country: We have been evaluating player feedback and both display options and after careful consideration decided that displaying country will create a better playing environment.Without going into the specific details, country is a lot less prone to abuse than city, not only because it cannot be freely changed in the client (and it is not practical to not allow city changes), but also because verifying the country is a more accurate process."

[HighwayStar 8]

I can still see cities on tables and in lobbies. Maybe I skipped an update somewhere accidentally. Maybe I'm special.

[TrueAce13 18]

Light green= your fish tag?

[HighwayStar 8]

Light green= your fish tag?

must be since you have it too.

[tbrick412 0]

too much collusion in the DONs to offer them anymore I think

[FCP Bob 1,312]

too much collusion in the DONs to offer them anymore I think

The problem isn't just actual collusion but the appearance of collusion to a casual player as well that's a problem. A lot of the time a correct play appears to be collusion and any game that makes a casual player think he's being cheated when his opponents are playing correctly has a major flaw.

[TrueAce13 18]

The problem isn't just actual collusion but the appearance of collusion to a casual player as well that's a problem. A lot of the time a correct play appears to be collusion and any game that makes a casual player think he's being cheated when his opponents are playing correctly has a major flaw.

didn't even think about this, but definitely a good point

[tbrick412 0]

i'm a casual player and I quit cuz i thought i was being colluded against :(but ya you are spot on bob