FTP vs STARS - My view of Both after 3 yrs +

[Hsunami]

How many people here consistently play the same stakes on both sites? I dont, cause I want to take advantage of either star's FPP or FT's rakeback. I assume most people take the same approach. I have multi-tabled small stakes limit ring games on stars for couple years, but I started playing FT recently since they offered me a bonus.

I have some observations from playing on FT.
As soon as i started playing, I realized the players are very different than PS at the same limit. Most players on FT are ultra aggressive (==better? or !). It might have something to do with 9 handed VS 10 handed as blind stealing is more important? It is also the norm to open raise with any PP or SC from even EP. It's rare to see aggressive games like this on PS. Anyway, so I observed a lot of hands played in this similar fashion. UTG raises with 33, UTG+1 3 bets 88, and MP wakes up with TT or JJ. In PS games, a case can be made it might be proper to fold if you are the MP, but there is no way you can fold in FT games, since people's raising range is much wider. OK, now throw in one of the blind who calls with some sort of SC like 79s and the other blind calls with 2 paint. Now you get what the OP described as action. Once the pot is this big, no one is folding the flop even with small PP. So you might see a flop of 36T, and you get action. I am not saying the same situation doesnt occur in PS, but the preflop action is usually not 3 bet or capped. IF its 3 bet or capped in PS, its usually not with small PP or SCs. So I guess the more people chasing long shots, the bigger chance they will hit their miracles.

As for "rigged" action boards and rivers, I have seen a lot more set over set pots won by rivered gutshots or runner runner flush draws on FT. At least it "seems" that way. It may just be the fact that so many people are in the pot for lots of bets, so they stick around to draw to the end. FT games are definitely more volatile than PS games as far as I am concerned.

Based on my limited experience on FT, thats how I feel. Again, I doubt many people play both sites simultaneously for similar stakes, so I tend to side with the OP on this issue. FT is most likely "NOT RIGGED", but it just plays a lot differently and in turn, a lot of "miracles" seem to happen.