Cousins of Ron Mexico, winner of the first Blogger Poker Tourney a few weeks back, hits us up with a guest post that talks about claims of rigging in the online poker world. Got a guest post you want to share? Hit us up on Carbon Poker’s Twitter.

I’ve been playing poker online for a while. That was probably obvious. I’m the guy who won the first ever blogger poker tournament on CarbonPoker. Not just any donk off the street can accomplish something like that on his first go around.

In my many years of experience playing on the internet, I’ve tried all the sites. Some are better than others, with CarbonPoker being the best. (I’m not just saying that because it’s in the contract I signed without reading. Really.) No matter what site you’re on, there’s one constant. One platitude you’ll read in the chat box just about every time you sit down to play.

It comes after a bad beat, usually by the avatar that just lost a coinflip. The wording is oftentimes different, but the sentiment always the same – THIS SITE IS FIXED!

It’s usually phrased as a “[Site Name] Special.” Or “only on [Site Name].”

And this doesn’t just come Aces are cracked. You’ll read this after just about any superior starting hand goes down. Just the other night I was short-stacked and went all-in with Ah 10c. A big stack called and showed Ac Jc. After the 4th heart came on the flop the chat box read, “only on [Site Name] lol.”

I felt great. The site wanted me to win the tournament! I was destined to become rich! The cards were virtually stacked in my favor!

And I got knocked out about 10 minutes later.

The sad thing is that I think there might be people out there who believe what they type. People who put actual money on the internet and then assume when they lose to an underdog, that the site determined the winner. Why would you play? And what could a site possibly have to gain? It makes no sense.

Then again, what do I care? I’ve got CarbonPoker on my side.

1.You got ****ed off at the Mcdonald’s guy for DONKING your order when they forgot your fries! (Some would call this a suckout… idk.. I mean you had probably a better than 80% chance of getting your fries… BS)

2.The last time you prepared baked goods you asked “Do I need to preflop the oven?” and you were dead serious.

3.You plan all your days around which tournies you will be playing.(sorry honey I got a valentines day tourny I guess you’re flyin solo)

4.You complain about getting rivered when the guy in front of you takes the last custard filled Long john at the petrol market.(b4stard..)

5.You could list off at least 5 Customer Support reps from merge off the top of your head.(Jared,Gary,Rick,Ethan,Pauline,Spongebob)

6.You actually finished the Christmas promotion at Carbon without dying of dysentery.

7.You purchased a bigger monitor to make multitabling easier.(Lamest one so far I know but I’m guessing you’ve stopped reading)

8.You’re house is littered with various mugs, rubber bracelets, polos and decks of cards from various poker stores.

9.You rattle off that it would be +EV to go to Walmart instead of the fancy store.(One does not simply walk into Walmart… there is evil there that does not sleep….)

10.You have wet dreams about hitting the Bad beat Jackpot at Carbon!(With bbj tables starting as low as $1/$2 LH who could afford NOT to play!?)

If you want to have a crack, simply post your blog in the right forum thread located…here. It must be unique and poker related!

I will be picking winning blogs early next week sometime.

Get blogging!

There are two types of bad beats:

BAD BEAT #1…

When you catch a monster hand but lose to a BIGGER
monster hand.

For example, let’s say you’re holding pocket Aces
and the flop hits A-6-6. That means you’ve got a
full house.

Your opponent goes ALL-IN… and you call. You
think your Aces are the best hand but they’re NOT,
because your opponent has pocket sixes, which
gives him the four-of-a-kind.

BAD BEAT #2…

When YOU have the best hand and your opponent has
the WORST hand but your opponent GETS LUCKY and
wins the pot.

For example, let’s say you have pocket Aces and go
all-in. Your opponent calls with pocket three’s.

The flop hits 2-4-5 and the turn card is a 6,
giving your opponent the STRAIGHT and causing you
to lose the hand.

Now that’s a bad beat.

And let’s face it, the SECOND type of bad beat–
the one where your opponent gets totally LUCKY and
outdraws you– is the kind of beat that just plain
SUCKS. And ****es you off.

In fact, the second type of bad beat is the kind
you REMEMBER the most too. When someone says, “Hey
man, how did your card game go?”, the first thing
that will come out of your mouth will be the story
of that bad beat.

Am I right?

Now here’s what’s interesting…

MORE BAD BEATS HAPPEN IN ONLINE POKER THAN IN
“REGULAR” OFFLINE POKER.

Literally, you’ll see more bad beats happen in an
online poker game than you’ll see at a local cash
game or in a casino.

If you play both online and offline poker, I’m
sure you agree with this statement.

So what’s going on here? Why would it be this way?

There are two popular “theories”…

1. Online poker is rigged.

2. There are more hands per hour, therefore it’s
an ILLUSION that there are more bad beats.

My opinion is that BOTH of these theories are
WRONG.

Here’s why:

First off, I genuinely believe online poker is NOT
rigged. I mean, c’mon… Do you REALLY think these
multi-billion dollar casinos would need to RIG
hands?

They make their money from tournament entry fees
and rakes… and trust me, they’re making plenty.

OK, so what about the second theory?

Well, I do agree that there are more hands per
hour in online poker than offline poker. There’s
no disputing that.

But I don’t think that’s a good enough reason…

Because my belief is that there are MORE bad beats
that happen per X number of hands ONLINE than for
offline poker.

For instance, let’s say you played 100 hands. And
let’s say you caught two really bad beats for
every 100 hands at a casino. That’s 2%.

In online poker, you’re likely to catch FIVE or
even TEN of those really bad beats per 100 hands.
That’s 5-10%.

So the fact that you’re seeing MORE hands doesn’t
explain the HIGHER PERCENTAGE of bad beats.

Still with me?

OK, so now let me give you MY “theory” about this.

It’s not really a theory. Just good old simple
logic, actually.

Here it goes:

The reason there are more bad beats in ONLINE
poker is because the very NATURE of online poker
leads people to PLAY DIFFERENTLY.

The CARDS and ODDS are the same.

It’s the PLAYERS that aren’t the same.

What I mean is that for online poker, a LARGE
portion of players adopt the style of
LOOSE-AGGRESSIVE.

Translation? Manic.

They act irrationally… play hands they shouldn’t
play… and bet way too aggressively for most
given situations.

Why?

Because online poker isn’t as “real”.

The money isn’t as real. I mean, heck… the
casinos give you so much “free” money when you
sign up, how COULD it feel real?

The cards aren’t real. The chips aren’t real. The
table isn’t real. NONE OF THAT STUFF EVEN EXISTS.

All you see when you play online poker are some
silly little animations. And you hear some
“clickity-click” sounds of fake chips.

That’s it.

Nothing else.

Period.

And if you LOSE a game, all you have to do is make
three or four mouse clicks and you’re INSTANTLY
playing another game.

And hell, you can PLAY ten games at once if you
want!

You can literally play poker against 100 players
AT THE SAME TIME!

It’s a different world, my friend.

Now… let’s get back to the bad beats.

The FACT that players are LOOSE-AGGRESSIVE is what
leads to the SITUATIONS where bad beats happen.

Here’s why:

1. Players bet their draws more or call large bets
with draws or OK hands (i.e. bottom pair).

2. More players are involved in every pot.

3. The pots are bigger, since players are more
aggressive.

When these conditions COMBINE TOGETHER, it creates
an environment where there are a lot of BIG POTS
and bad beats.

It’s not that the cards are “rigged”.

It’s that the betting patterns and playing styles
are DIFFERENT than what you’re used to.

And when you combine that with the fact that you
see more hands per hour, it inevitably leads to
seeing a lot more “crazy” hands and bad beats than
in regular poker.

HATS OFF TO JASON, LIAM, SHANE & ANTHONY !!!!!!!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE GREAT HOSPITALITY !!!!!
They were sure to see that we had “No Worries ” in the land down under.
It was quite an event being in Melbourne,as I was there to support 2fast443allin during his play at the Poker News Cup Tournament.
Carbon Poker should be very proud of them.They even assisted a couple we introduced to them who were not affiliated with site . I have been to a lot of places and never have been treated so well. They didn’t make it about “It’s our Job ” they were truly friends and made sure that all had a great time.We had a fantastic dinner together,and the fun continued from there late into the evening.
We were a bit sad to leave as we will miss their company, but we will cherish the great times and memories made while there.I sure we converted some players from other sites as well,because they saw how Carbon Poker took care of all of us during the entire trip and not just while they were playing cards.

Thank you very much Ladybug02.

( Picture is :Ladybug02, 2fast443allin & myself after our first day of Main Event play)

‘…That is hilarious! And so true. Many times I have come across poker in everyday living. My knowledge of poker has saved my behind many times in life.
One example, and this for the men out there. Situation comes up between you and your wife. Doesn’t matter what. You are put into the position of answering a loaded question. Women load there questions all the time. So how do I answer? your thinking to yourself. Do i tell her, “yes, that dress does make you look fat.” Hmmm… Not a good choice, what else? I know… I can say “no honey, that’s a dress makes you look so beautiful.” Hmmm… nope she knows this answer is full of bull. Not that she’s fat, but that she thinks so. Hmmm… What to do… what to say… Hmmm… Ahh poker. The third option, Hmmm… the bluff. Hmmm… I GOT IT! “Honey, I know you dont have the the right dress, why don’t you go shopping and surprise me with the most beautiful dress you can find.” The third option. This answer will save a mans marriage, and maybe even his life. The best part is, while she’s out shopping forever for the “perfect” dress. You get to be alone to play poker without having to worry about the wife calling you to take out the trash while your on the final table. the1steve’