I realize the importance of being selective with your play on the poker table so as to avoid being a major fish. You don’t want to be chasing after every hand with second rate cards hoping to hit a lucky break. Unfortunately, I find that the players at the two biggest poker rooms in the world - Full Tilt and PokerStars - are a little too selective with what hands they will and won’t play.
And the problem with these super-tight players is that it becomes really hard to win any kind of real money on the actual table. That’s because everyone at these rooms who are in the know just want to sit back, play as tight as possible, and reap the rewards of all the VIP bonuses and rakeback incentives that are commonly given out at Stars and Full Tilt. In fact, many people who consider themselves to be pro or semi-pro players only try to break even on the tables while earning a killing with rakeback.
To me, this just isn’t poker anymore since these sites are littered with cash game players trying to grind as many hours on the table as they can without losing money. There’s really not much of a place for recreational players at Full Tilt and PokerStars since there’s only fodder for those that occasionally step outside of their comfort zone to make money on the actual tables.
Now I certainly understand the importance of providing frequent players with more incentive to play, but I also think the whole VIP and rakeback deals at Full Tilt and PokerStars beckon people to play extra tight. The only thing that I think would loosen things up some is if the UIGEA gets lifted and some of the softer players come back to the game. This way people trying to make money will actually do it on the tables rather than through rakeback deals.