Joined: Oct '11
Location: Sweden
Age: 32 (M)
Posts: 1410
Hello everyone! Long time no see!
I've been so extremely busy with my personal life that I simply haven't had enough time to dedicate to poker and certainly not to any forum. But I've quite recently (late september) started playing a little bit again. Given that I'm quite short on time, it's mostly Zoom at PokerStars that's been my game of choice.
I'm not exactly sure about what my winrate is, but I've played mostly 2NL and some 5NL from time to time. I started with a $50 bankroll and after that I've cashed out a little bit over $200 (christmas expenses) and ended the year with $60,83. So far I've played only half an hour this year and I've got roughly 40,7 bb/100 which I know certainly isn't a realistic number and it's a way too small sample size.
In any case, on to my actual question: I can with certainty say that I'm beating 2NL (probably 5NL as well but I don't have a big enough sample size to say with 100% confidence) with a pretty good winrate (probably some run-good as well given the money won). What I did notice recently was that since I last looked, GG Poker has now been offically approved for swedish players which means I can play there without having to pay any taxes on my winnings!
Now the dilemma: PokerStars has, from what I've read, a little bit tougher competition (not saying much for 2NL which is like stealing candy from a kid), but they also have a little bit lower rake. GG Poker has softer opponents but also higher rake, but they actually offer cashback even to Swedish players.
I wonder what is worth it the most for me as a zoom player? I am short on time mostly, so I rarely play more than 1,5 hours at a time. I generally play 3-4 days a week on average. Should I stay on Stars with some lower rake, or should I switch to GG and pay some higher rake but benefit from a small cashback?
Joined: May '09
Location: Croatia
Age: 39 (M)
Posts: 20539
For me its hard to say because now every poker site is blocked in my country, but somebody who is more on this sites should me smarter! Good luck whatever you decide and hope that you will make profit from your games!
Joined: Oct '11
Location: Sweden
Age: 32 (M)
Posts: 1410
Had a little bit of a look-around and it seems that this forum isn't even close to as active as it used to be a few years back... that's really sad, I loved this forum a lot!
Joined: Jan '12
Location: Slovenia
Age: 32 (M)
Posts: 1407
I think for nl2 it's probaly not that matter where you play. Just play put the work in and you will climb the stakes. I played both and it's not too much different. When you will play higher, then is more important to have room with good rakeback, weaker player pool, good promotions, good reputation room etc. For now i will just focus on grind. And good luck with your project, keep as updated. Much cashback you won't have from nl2 on gg either. If you would have more time, then you will get from leaderboards and from time to time you win some c$ from flipouts. Hard to say.
Joined: Oct '11
Location: Sweden
Age: 32 (M)
Posts: 1410
Yeah, climbing the stakes won't be an issue. When I put in enough time during a year, I usually end up at a healthy bankroll for NL10. But then Christmas comes along and I'm forced to withdraw to be able to buy my kids some good presents and have a nice Christmas and new years eve dinner.
I am however expecting quite a big raise (about $400/month) at work soon so next Christmas I probably don't have to withdraw anything, or at least not as much. We'll see where I eventually end up.
In any case, I'm guessing that NL2 player pool isn't all that different no matter where you play, lots of fish. However, I'm mostly interested in how the rake compares given that stars has a lower rake structure while GG has a higher rake but also cashback. I'm guessing it might just even out in the end, maybe worth switching to GG after I've climbed to NL10 to benefit from a weaker player pool there.
I'm currently at $87ish since the start of the year. I am maybe a little bit too conservative but I usually employ a 100 buy-in rule for zoom so I'm not even properly rolled NL2! It'll take a while before I'm at $500 to start playing NL5.
Joined: Aug '08
Location: Poland
Age: 41 (M)
Posts: 804
I won't comment on GG Poker because I have a suspended account there, which was suspended in strange circumstances. I have never played there for my money, and when I want to make a deposit, a blank page appears and the support is unable to help me, unfortunately... As for PokerStars, it seems to me that it has changed a bit for the better after the worse and worse changes earlier. I guess they felt competition from GG Poker and the outflow of players caused by legal regulations in various countries.
Joined: Dec '16
Location: Germany
Age: 37 (M)
Posts: 32
I do personally have totally opposite tastes for game, as OP, I do prefer tournaments with long structure, as I think only there I can overplay my opponents with more experience and patience. And the quick-games do have too much of gambling part in it and variance is huge over there, so I’d rather stay away from them. But I always love to see, when someone gets back to the game, as I love Poker very much and wish, that as many people love it and play too! Good luck at your games and have fun and good winnings too!
Joined: Aug '08
Location: Poland
Age: 41 (M)
Posts: 804
alienat3d you're right, I'm of the same opinion. I believe that all fast and very fast games such as turbo, hyper turbo, etc. are a lottery of cards and it is impossible to gain an advantage over your opponents. Anyway, I started playing poker many years ago and in the past most tournaments and SNGs were in normal formats, where the tournaments lasted for a very long time. I believe that these quick games are money grabs, casino rake and games for gamblers.
Joined: Oct '11
Location: Sweden
Age: 32 (M)
Posts: 1410
Honestly, I prefer tournaments much more too. But I'm so short on time that it's not an option for me. I work a very demanding job with some crazy hours and on all days of the week, and on average I'm also working 30 hours of overtime every single month.
On top of that, I also have my family with a wife and two small kids (7 and 3) that I want to spend time with. My time for poker is limited to the few times a month that I actually have some spare time after everyone else has gone to bed.
Joined: Jan '12
Location: Slovenia
Age: 32 (M)
Posts: 1407
Erru... now you have promotion on gg poker. 50% percent rakebaack i think for a month or something, i don't see it on their page, but it show's when i open the client. So maybe play there. And iff you have job and money for poker just on side, maybe take a little more aggresive brm and go to nl5, i didn't see too much different then nl2 on gg. Just my advice. The most important is that you are confident and not play scary money. Gl and keep us updated.
Joined: Oct '11
Location: Sweden
Age: 32 (M)
Posts: 1410
@Rogerio10 Thanks a lot for the tip! I'll see if I can diverse some of my pokermoney over to GG! While I certainly have enough money to play poker, I do have a wife who hates gambling. I try to tell her that poker isn't really gambling, but she don't want to listen. So the bankroll I have is all the pokermoney I have. If I bust the roll, It'll take a lot to convince her to let me reload without a big argument. That's why I'm so concervative with my bankroll.
Update: played for roughly an hour today, +$3,50 so I'm at roughly $90 now.
