R
Rational Madman
Legend
Platinum Level
Foreword: Anyone who can play on PP can play on PS, they are outlawed in the same nations as far as I know. If you can't play PS but can play PP then I'd say be an 888 grinder because the caps are lower but rates are pretty identical to PP. https://www.888poker.com/poker-software/limits-and-rake/
For the following argument I use 2 sources each supplied by the own sites. Neither site is to be assumed fraudulent without proof. Especially not PS because they are sexy.
PP: https://www.partypoker.com/how-to-play/software/rake-blind-structure.html
PS: https://www.pokerstars.uk/poker/room/rake/
First of all, before you people bring up their rakeback system that seems "oh so much better" for long-term medium-high stake grinders let's put into perspective why they can afford a much better rakeback system than PS and why they actually owe you more if you are a long-term grinder if they want to keep you loyal.
To explain just how huge the rake between the two sites is to a long term cash game grinder (and also tournament but since I don't play PP I can't find the exact stats but i'm 99% certain they will be taking at least 150% of what PS takes from you proportionally for tournament buyins.
Now let me explain the combined things that make PP end up making you so much poorer for each win you get compared to Ps...
To save the best for last I'll begin going into PP's system and bring up the PS alternative after each point. I will also bring up the least significant points first building up to the bigger difference points later.
Point 1: .5 is half profit? NOT WITH PP
In mathematics rounding .5 is always assumed to be upwards but in reality .5 is neither up nor down no matter how you look at it. The reason that .5 is rounded up is purely to stop a logically unsolvable issue when needing to round. PP uses this method whenever the rake is calculated. So if the rake is mathematically $0.035 to the nearest .001 what they do is take 4 cents every single time. The issue with the physical nature of money is that this means that .5 is not really being considered half in terms of profit and that's literally unfair on the player.
What PS does to solve this unfair issue is they make all .5 scenarios go to the nearest even number (if they did it to nearest odd this would be just as fair) so that .5 in profit really only goes to PS half the time and the player half the time. You may scoff at one cent here or there but imagine playing million hands how many BB's suckout the site has gotten purely because all .5 scenarios are 100% of the time biased to the site.
Point 2: Combining levels
If you think I am lying, you are reading the wrong stats chart. PP's no-limit grinder should be looking at their bottom chart. The top one is for limit holdem.
So, just let me put this idea into your brain...
A micro grinder playing .01/.02 is charged the SAME RATE OF RAKE with the SAME CAP as a .02/.05 and a .05/.1 grinder...
A .10/.25 grinder has to deal with the same rake rates and caps as a 10/20 grinder... And it's not lowered down for the higher stake at all it's definitely only what is reasonable for the higher staked player the cap and rake.
do you know how huge a gap there is between .10/.25 and 10/20? This is not just unfair it's plain idiotic by them to do... How can you even think this is remotely reasonable?!
The higher stakes still group huge amount of BB levels together at totally unreasonable rates for anyone on the middle or lower end of the spectrum of each 'band' of rake.
Ps only groups $0.05/$0.10 to $0.08/$0.16 for no limit holdem and $0.04/$0.08 to $0.05/$0.10. They also group above a certain maximum BB level but that actually helps the high stakes grinders as it means they are paying the same rate and caps as the lowest-of-the-high.
Just seriously please look at PP's grouping and laugh at it. LITERALLY LAUGH AT IT, it is hilarious how unreasonably it's done.
Point 3: BEFORE THE FLOP IS FREE IN PS
I cannot explain this better than that. If the hand ends before the flop in Hold'em or Omaha YOU PAY 0 RAKE and this doesn't just mean when everyone folds to the BB it means when a 3-bet makes everyone fold too or 4-bet etc preflop (stud etc is different but also has its own discounts, feel free to read on the site linked at beginning).
PP has a minimum of .01 for the player to earn so unless everyone folds in .01/.02 you pay rake preflop (this matters much more in higher stakes where even a SB folding to a BB where everyone folded is being charged rake).
Point 4: The caps and rates are just far lower
Read for yourself on the sites, imagine any huge potted hand and how much more the player wins on PS than PP.
Thanks for reading.
For the following argument I use 2 sources each supplied by the own sites. Neither site is to be assumed fraudulent without proof. Especially not PS because they are sexy.
PP: https://www.partypoker.com/how-to-play/software/rake-blind-structure.html
PS: https://www.pokerstars.uk/poker/room/rake/
First of all, before you people bring up their rakeback system that seems "oh so much better" for long-term medium-high stake grinders let's put into perspective why they can afford a much better rakeback system than PS and why they actually owe you more if you are a long-term grinder if they want to keep you loyal.
To explain just how huge the rake between the two sites is to a long term cash game grinder (and also tournament but since I don't play PP I can't find the exact stats but i'm 99% certain they will be taking at least 150% of what PS takes from you proportionally for tournament buyins.
Now let me explain the combined things that make PP end up making you so much poorer for each win you get compared to Ps...
To save the best for last I'll begin going into PP's system and bring up the PS alternative after each point. I will also bring up the least significant points first building up to the bigger difference points later.
Point 1: .5 is half profit? NOT WITH PP
In mathematics rounding .5 is always assumed to be upwards but in reality .5 is neither up nor down no matter how you look at it. The reason that .5 is rounded up is purely to stop a logically unsolvable issue when needing to round. PP uses this method whenever the rake is calculated. So if the rake is mathematically $0.035 to the nearest .001 what they do is take 4 cents every single time. The issue with the physical nature of money is that this means that .5 is not really being considered half in terms of profit and that's literally unfair on the player.
What PS does to solve this unfair issue is they make all .5 scenarios go to the nearest even number (if they did it to nearest odd this would be just as fair) so that .5 in profit really only goes to PS half the time and the player half the time. You may scoff at one cent here or there but imagine playing million hands how many BB's suckout the site has gotten purely because all .5 scenarios are 100% of the time biased to the site.
Point 2: Combining levels
If you think I am lying, you are reading the wrong stats chart. PP's no-limit grinder should be looking at their bottom chart. The top one is for limit holdem.
So, just let me put this idea into your brain...
A micro grinder playing .01/.02 is charged the SAME RATE OF RAKE with the SAME CAP as a .02/.05 and a .05/.1 grinder...
A .10/.25 grinder has to deal with the same rake rates and caps as a 10/20 grinder... And it's not lowered down for the higher stake at all it's definitely only what is reasonable for the higher staked player the cap and rake.
do you know how huge a gap there is between .10/.25 and 10/20? This is not just unfair it's plain idiotic by them to do... How can you even think this is remotely reasonable?!
The higher stakes still group huge amount of BB levels together at totally unreasonable rates for anyone on the middle or lower end of the spectrum of each 'band' of rake.
Ps only groups $0.05/$0.10 to $0.08/$0.16 for no limit holdem and $0.04/$0.08 to $0.05/$0.10. They also group above a certain maximum BB level but that actually helps the high stakes grinders as it means they are paying the same rate and caps as the lowest-of-the-high.
Just seriously please look at PP's grouping and laugh at it. LITERALLY LAUGH AT IT, it is hilarious how unreasonably it's done.
Point 3: BEFORE THE FLOP IS FREE IN PS
I cannot explain this better than that. If the hand ends before the flop in Hold'em or Omaha YOU PAY 0 RAKE and this doesn't just mean when everyone folds to the BB it means when a 3-bet makes everyone fold too or 4-bet etc preflop (stud etc is different but also has its own discounts, feel free to read on the site linked at beginning).
PP has a minimum of .01 for the player to earn so unless everyone folds in .01/.02 you pay rake preflop (this matters much more in higher stakes where even a SB folding to a BB where everyone folded is being charged rake).
Point 4: The caps and rates are just far lower
Read for yourself on the sites, imagine any huge potted hand and how much more the player wins on PS than PP.
Thanks for reading.