Mixed Reviews for Party

Hey, after reading the reviews for party, I noticed theres a lot of mixed messages. 1) Some claim it is the worst place to play with tons of bad beats 2) its the best place, a lot of fish and easy to clear bonuses.

So my question is, which one is right?

If you're a losing player then its #1, if you're a winning player its #2..

Well, in a way, they are probably both right - when you play against a lot of fish, they tend to call you down with the worst of it, which inevitably leads to more bad beats.

For the more experienced player, you understand that bad beats are part of the game - especially when you're taking advatange of poor players (think of all the times they DIDN'T hit and you took their stacks!).

For the less experienced, a few bad beats strung together can drive you insane and make you think the site is rigged and totally sucks.

So, to recap PartyPoker-
Tons of bad beats - that can be partly true.
The easy to clear bonus is true.
Lots of fish is true.
Worst place - not true.
Best place - open to opinion.

People's definition of Bad Beats differ as well. They happen but if you slowplay a hand and somebody hits on the river to beat you , it's NOT a bad beat. And there are understandable beats as well. You have 44 on a board with A49 board and keep betting. An ace comes on the river and the guy with A9 hit the higher boat. Yes you were ahead, but you can understand why he's still in the hand. Top two pair.

Party is the best place because the stability, ease of getting full tables, fish, bonuses are simple to clear, reconnection works correctly. It's the best package out there.

At my home game on Saturday, I was all-in with 36o VS Q9s on a board of 696.
Turn: 9.

I'm not playing anymore because live poker is rigged!!

EasyT

It is certainly profitably to be called down by the fish but make sure that when you hold AA and are betting and being called on a 2 flush 2 straight flop that you are prepared to fold when that card comes that completes the draws.
If someone will pay anything to draw then you have to put down hands when those draws complete.
If you dont you will lose money through bad beats. If you do then you will make money from overcharging people for their draws.

To build on what Pelion said, especially in limit games at PP - where the majority of players at a table can be fish - it becomes a crucial part of making money to know when to fold on the river.

Frankly, at PP especially when going in to a basic 2/4 or 3/6 Bad Beat (where I find the most fish), it's more about picking your opponents than, honestly, even position. (This might be sacrilege to some at this forum.) Over time you will be able to determine over a very short observation who at a table is good or bad, who is a fish, etc. Then you have a lot more to work with than just personal skill and luck.

I have left PP for other sites many times but always wind up coming back. It's just reliable for fish. Sometimes the best tables for me change - I've played nothing but one of $50NL, $100SnG's, $10MTTs, $3/6 shorthanded, etc. for multiweek-long periods over the last several months - but you'll find your good spots. The occasional change is always good when you're down on your luck.

I do like PP bonuses. They give an excuse to make deposits, earn 1000 extra PPs which goes a long way towards 15/1 100k freeroll qualifiers, and you just withdraw once you clear. The only bad thing I must add is that December's bonus was only 15% max 75 for me, and required a whopping 12x to clear. 900 hands for $75! Not good for beginners. I know that some people got better bonuses (someone posted in OPR they got 25%max100 with 7x).

Party
good for bonuses
full ring games are rock gardens, but 25nl is ok. 6max is ok too, but again there are BETTER places to play.
limit is a gold mine on party