blindkitty1

Nick Steiner
Will you be offering another method of deposit to Israeli players come launch, then?

I believe I read somewhere that you will allow bitcoin transactions (after you've initially stated that your regulator does not allow them). What's the latest on that?

As an Israeli player who's very hyped for playing on RIO Poker, I really hope that you will find a deposit method that we can use.

With that said, I will continue to do what I can to promote your site.
I admire what you're doing and think it's great for online poker - Even if I won't be able to participate in the games myself.

Hey Nick,

Given that
A. Poker players have traditionally been given nicknnames such as "Action Dan", "Any Two Stu", etc.
B. you always advocate simplification of strategy...

How would you feel about being known to the poker community as "Simple Nick"?

" Fish wont se the avatar expression that is not shark like and be offended or realise they need to improve, they will see the avatar they chose, only the other players will see the dynamic avatar based on his playing style. ( Non issue) "

That's actually not the case. Phil confirmed that players will be able to see their avatar's expression change, it's just that the avatar itself will always be the one you selected.

This is only real issue I have with the polices announced in this post. The software shouldn't be telling fish that there's something strange with their play by giving their avatar a goofy expression, imo.

Everyday I really hope that you are correct about that, as that would make it a moot point. Also I realize I've been posting nothing but criticism in this thread so far, so just to clarify my position: I am super hyped for RIO Poker and really want it to succeed.

Copying this from 2p2, where Kilowatt made an excellent point that I'd like to see Phil address:

Re: Phil Galfond to Start a Poker Site
The dynamic name idea is pretty good. It allows you to identify a fish for the day, but not to bumhunt him for eternity. It also prevents pros from angle-shooting by leaving and coming back shortly after, and pretending to be brand new players.

However, the dynamic expressions suck.

Their software is basically going to commit the cardinal sin in poker: The venue telling a player he is bad.

Most people who play poker -- even the fish -- have a delusion that they're far better than they actually are.

The weak-tight guy doesn't think he's weak tight. He thinks he's just smart enough to wait for the best hands and is sure get his money in the best spots.

The tiltmonkey doesn't think he's a tiltmonkey. He just thinks he is aggressive, and that aggression is a necessary skill to win in poker.

The inconsistent/weird player doesn't think he's making a lot of inexplicably dumb moves. He thinks he's being unpredictable and hard to read.

Now the software is going to label everyone:

"You're too tight, so we're making you a sleepy guy! See that, everyone! This guy is so tight that he must be sleeping! LOL!!!"

"You're playing like a tilting head case, so we're giving you a screaming lady avatar! Get it, guys? He's playing like a woman on her period! ROFL!!!!"

"You're playing like a weirdo with inconsistent, suboptimal moves! So guess what? We're going to make it look like you're drunk and/or retarded. Isn't that hilarious? This player is a retard! AHAHAHAHA!!"

This is an absolutely dreadful idea.

The site should NOT be auto-labeling players with its opinion of their playstyle.

I've played with so many people -- mostly recs -- who were COMPLETELY UNAWARE that their playstyle was unusual/bad/different.

These avatars are basically playstyle-shaming. If you don't play well, everyone will see it in your avatar.

Ugh.
Kilowatt

An idea I've had that may ease the conerns of those that feel anonymity will make poker feel less competitive:

Cash game leaderboards. Opt-in only. Monthly winnings will be tracked by the site to determine the rankings but will not be publicly displayed. So, something like:
Last Month's Biggest Winners At 100NL:

1. Username1
2. Username2
   Etc...
   Down to the 10th biggest winner or so, so big losers aren't shown even if they've chosen to opt in. And of course, since the usernames are not displayed at the tables, this will not hurt the best regs' action, but will still afford them bragging rights and encourage a competitive environment.

Phil Galfond

Have you and your team read this blog post from Alex Scott, MicroGaming's Poker Manager?

A World Without HUDs

Specifically this part:

"Observation 6: Losers Lose More at Anonymous Tables, and Go Broke Quicker

Despite Observation 5 being so obvious, I think this will be a bit of a surprise to many. Again, because more money is changing hands, losers lose more. Bad players’ mistakes are amplified because pots are larger. When they bluff the river and get snapped off, that river bet is typically bigger.

This will probably shock those operators who bet the farm on Anonymous Tables, thinking that they would protect new and weak players. Our evidence says that they don’t. In fact, weak players lose more and have an even shorter lifetime than they would if they played regular tables. This is the other key reason that anonymous players play fewer hands – they have already gone broke."

I would love to hear your thoughts on the points he raises as they seem to contradict the rationale for your decision to make RIO HUDless.

Best of luck with your new site. I would love to see it become the industry leader.

Tyler, great video. A couple of questions:

1. In your 100NL video you advocate a different approach to high rake games, namely trying to take down the pot pre-flop and using 3x open raises. As that video was posted a year ago, I'd like to ask if you've done any work/sims since then that have made you believe this isn't the correct approach for these games. As others have mentioned, this video is very different from what are used to seeing when Elite coaches make 50NL videos.

2. If 2.5x opens outperform 3x, are smaller 3-bet sizing preferable to larger ones?

Hey Nick,

I'm currently on a bit of a heater and would like to ask if you think having the urge to open the window and shout "I AM THE GREATEST NLHE PLAYER OF ALL TIMES AND SHOULD BE WORSHIPPED AS A LIVING GOD BY POKER PLAYERS EVERYWHERE" a sign of healthy confidence or winner's tilt?

Also, how far are the pools on major sites from settling into an equilibrium (no exploits left) in your opinion?