How do you feel about Forum Tournaments

[RiverQueen]

How do you feel about joining into forums just so that you can play in their tournaments whether it be for points, freerolls or buy-ins. Do you feel you have an advantage playing with the same people each week or would you prefer to just go into a poker site and join annonymous games so no one knows your style of play and you don't know theirs either.

Personally, I prefer the forum tourneys to the "stranger at the table" tourneys. I find that I win more by knowing the style of play most of the other competitors show to have.

[The Professor]

It can certainly be an advantage to know the types of players you are up against in advance but you also give away an edge as they also know the type of play you are - but you can always mix it up a bit.

But with community events you also get the social aspect of being around people that you know and interact with and can have a really good laugh with.

It's the aspect that is sometimes neglected in Online poker - it's quite an un-social activity. Thats where forums such as this one, and events that are run for those forum communities bring that element back in and you can really get to know your online friends in that community and they can be really fun social events.

So for that sense I would rather play in events for communities where I know them, and they know me well - even if it does sometimes give away slight edge.

[PokerPrincess]

You make a very valid point there Professor. I think I'm in total agreement. Playing in communities such as this where there is interaction both in the forum and at the tables make it more than "just" poker, it's like having a poker party with your friends.

Although there are no friends at the tables.... LOL just kidding. From a social point of view there is but from the cards and money aspect NOT.

[najdoyza]

I don't play much outside of forum games anymore. I much prefer them. Part of it is knowing your opponents and their playing styles and part of it is that I think forum players tend to be better overall than the general players.

I don't play public freerolls at all anymore, it's a complete waste of time and you know that for the first half of the game there's so little strategy involved anyway. When you spend the first hour, or more, of a tourney playing all in or fold...well, where's the fun in that? That's not really poker - it's bingo with cards.

[royalspades]

I wish i could say yes but I am now receiving so much email from announcements and spam I can't keep track which forums are which. I wish I could get notifications when certain people were on in the forums, because as I get to know people in a forum community then i feel like if i would play them i would be playing actual people and not just "usernames".

[pocketjacks]

I haven't played a lot of private games. I only started playing online less than a year ago and a friend introduced me to a forum and said it was much better than the open games that anyone can play and you could learn better strategies from other players instead of books. But I have to say that so far from what I have seen, the players who play the private games seem to be more stable if not just better overall players.

[Sweetness]

I totally agree that the players in forums are better players overall. If they don't learn while they are a part of the forum community it is only because they don't go into the forum and read what is written there.

They also don't go and ask how others feel they could improve their game. In a forum community you will get answers from some Great Players. That is the purpose.

Also, if people are only in the forum for the freerolls they will soon lose interest because they will constantly be beaten out of the money spots.