100k in 2 weeks used to sound like a lot, but it really isn't these days. I threw it out there without really thinking about it because I'm losing a little motivation. I was serious when I posted it, but it really is a layup now that I think about it.

the thread m2m linked to earlier is one which lists stars' new policy, and their actions of checking the highstakes tables manually in order to warn/boot players in repeated violation of the new sitting out rule - it's ok to sit out if you're away, but if players are noticed to be using it to abuse fish then it's no longer allowed by stars' code of conduct (sorry, don't have the link to hand but it's on their site).

so they are taking steps but i just don't think they are scanning the tables anywhere near enough/carefully enough, since people are not stopping their antics.

Can someone post that link?

A lot of you have been involved with the ins and outs of being an American and playing online poker in Canada, so here's my question:

I saw something recently about Joe Cada getting a new deal from PokerStars. At first I thought it was strange that an American was getting a Stars deal, but then it occured to me that his residence in Michigan is pretty close to Canadian border (unless he has already moved).

That got me thinking. What would be the deal if someone wanted to take their laptop across the border and sit somewhere and grind for a few hours?

Michiganians cross the border and come back within a day or so for all kinds of reasons--shopping, night life in Windsor (right across the river from Detroit), bus tour, visiting a casino. I wouldn't think that crossing the border to grind for 5 hours, and coming home the same day, would be any different. Would it?

You need to have an adress/bank acct in Canada.

Sorry in advance since I'm sure this has already been posted but could someone give me the exact dates of Hotel check in/check out for the 2012 PCA. I have 3 hours left to use up an airline credit.

sorry, was in a rush earlier. here's the link, see points 10 + 11, which have been recently updated:

http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/room/policies/ring/

as to how they enforce them, here's a transcript one player printscreened, and the rest of the same thread deals with the topic:

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...&postcount=244

wouldn't a sit out time bank be a good idea to resolve this?

some guys spend hours sitting out while others spend literally seconds. having some sort of daily allowance of sit out time might improve things.

Great, thanks. I was in an argument with a bunch of players last week sitting out at the high limit limit tables waiting for a recreational player. I had no idea there was an actual rule against it.

Quick question Steve,

You've said before that if we relocate Jan 1 2012 that we can have our account reinstated to where they were on April 15. How would it would if one were to relocate in Nov or Dec of 2011? Would the Vpps reset in the new year or would they continue?

Hmm, then perhaps Cada moved.

This sounds like a great idea to me.

tl;dr (cliffs at bottom)


This is the current situation regarding sitting out if I'm not mistaken:

1. 6max players get 3 orbits before they are picked up from the table.

2. Full ring players get 3 orbits as well (but obvious the length of time is going to be longer due more players being at the table.. thus orbits are a terrible measure, since you are picked up from some tables much quicker than others making it impossible for you to time the actual length of a break, especially if you're 24 tabling).

3. At a HU table, if you sit out, you are automatically picked up from the table after a certain duration of time, regardless of whether you have an opponent or not. (I'm not quite sure what this duration of time is as there is no visible countdown timer)

4. If you are sitting out at a 6max or FR table and no one else is playing, you are never picked up from the table that I'm aware of?.. I've never tested it fully to see.

These should all be held to the same standard imo. And it seems a time bank would be a perfect solution, preferably a visual time bank similar to our decision timer.


A little math behind the current 6max and FR situation..

Currently 6max and FR get something like:
a) 50-65 hand/hr for Full ring
b) 90-110 hand/hr for 6 max

3 orbits at each respectively is (9 players x 3 = 27 hands) and (6 players x 3 = 18 hands).

a) ~60 handshr / 27 hands = approx 30 minutes (seriously??)
b) ~100 handshr / 18 hands = approx 5.5 minutes.


So how long should the timer be? ~10 minutes every few hours a good compromise?

MTT players get a 5 minute break every hour, seems reasonable. But not necessary. I'd say a good measure for cash players would be a 10 minute timebank every 3 or 4 hours. I personally can't go 3-4 hours without a bathroom break while playing due to the rate at which I hydrate. And if I could get up to 10 minutes, I would be more inclined to play longer/fresher hours throughout the day.

This same time bank could be used to help solve the issue of players sitting out when the fish sits out.

Clearly a player would be quickly eating up his time bank if he's sitting out and clogging up multiple tables.

Which brings me to another potential solution. What if we could earn longer time banks as we play? It would be a perfect way to make the players experience the best long term in all aspects, you earn longer breaks the longer you play, which you need due to fatigue/bathroom break. And at the same time it combats against bumhunting players who sit-out/clog tables.

Recommendation:

0-29 minutes played consecutively: 1 minute time bank.
30-59 minutes played ": 2 minute time bank.
1 hour played ": 3 minute time bank.
1.5 hour played ": 4 minute time bank.
2 hours played ": 5 minute time bank.
2.5 hour played ": 6 minute time bank.
3 hours played ": 7 minute time bank.
3.5 hour played ": 8 minute time bank.
4 hours played ": 9 minute time bank.
4.5 hour played ": 10 minute time bank.
5 hours played ": 11 minute time bank.
etc.

..would be awesome imo.


Cliffs: Players start play with a 1 minute sit-out time bank at all ring tables. Every 30 minutes of play they are awarded an additional minute to their sit-out time bank.

I've been lobbying for this as well. I play 6-max fast limit tables and what inevitably happens when I need to take a break is that some tables are a lot slower than others so I'm sitting out at tables waiting for the big blind to hit me at others so that I can be sitting out on all of them. I then rush to do whatever I need to do and get back to the tables - I usually have less than two minutes before I'm booted from at least one table.

We should get the same as tournament players, five minutes per hour of sit out time. That's completely reasonable in my opinion. My suggestion was to give SNE's more sitout time since we are multitabling for hours at a time and really could use the breaks.

Link to where Steve said this? Is this just for snes?

continue.

what about in july?

how long would it 'continue' for? Until Dec. 31st '12?

+1. I am also confused.

You have 5.5 months to keep SNE from the moment you relocate and have your account reinstated.

Example:
1. I'm relocating July 31st.
2. I will start with 240K VPP.
3. I will have until mid January 2012 (5.5 months later) before I lose my SNE status (assuming I continued to earn my 50K VPP each month).
4. I don't want that to happen, so like a good boy I'm going to plan to get SNE by December 2011.

Is it for everyone? Steve could you be clear on this? Are you saying we can keep our vpps and whatever we get the rest of this year rolls over into 2012?

What about just Supernovas?

I got back on Stars around June 23rd but from August 15th until September 15th I will be back in the states. Will the one month away count as one of the 5.5 months?

That was my understanding, but I'm not 100% certain, Steve should definitely verify. I personally didn't look into it much because I had planned on getting SNE by December of this year.

EDIT: But now that I think about it (brain seems to be working again), I don't think it rolls over into 2012, because that would screw things up for SNE 2012. If you relocated in December 2011, and then finished your SNE 2011 pursuit in April 2012, would you have until Dec 31st 2012 to get SNE for 2012? or April 2013? Seems doubtful.. so I imagine that if you're planning on relocating late in the year and want to get SNE, you might as well wait until Jan 2012 to start with your April 15th 2011 vpp total, and try to finish up 5.5 months later on May 15th. I apologize for the previous misinformation.

Not sure, I imagine it works exactly as it normally would if BF never happened. In other words, you are going to start with your VPP from April 15th, you don't meet the requirements that normally pertain and you'll lose it.

Yeah, one month away will count against your 5.5 months. And if you happen to come up short of 50K VPP in both August and Sept, then you'll lose SNE status.

+1 to the needbeer time sitout thing. However I think having a starting timebank of 3mins>1 mins and add 1.5 minute increments instead of 1. 11 mins timebank after 5 hours isnt that long.. I mean you still need to hurry up in order to get to the bathroom/get drinks or food. Lets say you do take a break after 2.5h and after 5h, you still have 5.5 mins for both right?

No. There are no unusual circumstances for players who are not from the US.

If you are from the US, when you relocate you will have your VIP Status reinstated and you will be able to maintain it by continuing to earn the standard number of VPPs each month (7500 for Supernova, 50k for SNE)... anyone relocating at this point will have that ability through the end of the year.

Whenever you relocate your yearly VPP total will be reinstated as well. If you relocate in 2012, this will still be the case but you will not be able to buy any milestones or stellars already purchased in 2011.

So if I start in 2011 and it continues on into 2012 what happens when I hit SNE in 2012? Am I back to zero to start the official 2012 SNE grind or will I just continue until the end of the year when it will be back to zero.