PokerStars 300kVPP Club

[shat4brains]

how much bonus money do you get?

[KarlSpakler]

Dear KarlSpakler,

Congratulations! You have fully earned your Deposit Bonus. Your
PokerStars account has been credited in the amount of $5000.00.

Thanks for participating in the PokerStars 500K VPPs Level Reward Bonus, and
we'll see you at the tables.

The PokerStars Cashier
cashier@pokerstars.com

Clearing this bonus was a big boost to morale. I have been concentrating on improving my limit game lately so I can make a big push to hit SN Elite by year end. As I just won't be able to play enough hands at NL to get there. As it stands, I have probably earned 65% of my VPP playing FR NL and most of the remaining playing 6 max limit games.

As I mentioned earlier in this thread, I am a small loser at 6 max limit games. So I have been been trying to get better at that while mixing in FR limit and FR NL - trying to strike a balance between overall profitability, improving my overall poker game, and accumulating enough VPP to get to Elite.

The game scouting part of it is the most difficult. But it has helped me learn what specific table conditions and situations are most profitable for me. And playing a wide range of limits, FR/6max, and/or limit/NL can really help improve overall game selection.

Playing many 6 max limit games has also helped me improve my play in certain situations where I struggled in NL in the past. I think playing limit allows you to open your mind to a wider range of possible opponent hands and you get the chance to play more hands to the river. So often in online NL the size of the bet or raise will force us to narrow our thinking and our decision making is often over on the flop. With starting stacks of only 100 BB, we are either going with the hand or we are not.

Best of luck.

[TheProdigy]

Damn very well done Karl.

At 230k or 240k myself(haven't checked)

[kidpokeher]

Congrats KarlSpakler!

[TheProdigy]

Karl;

Have you done the calculations as to how profitable SNE is when losing at 6-max LHE and playing less NLHE compared to say you having a 2ptbb/100 winrate at 1/2 or 1.5ptbb/100 or 2/4?

[KarlSpakler]

Prodigy:

Yes... kinda.... sorta. It is a dynamic situation and the exact cash value of SNE for next year will depend on if Stars extends the cash bonuses for FPP. As SNE earn 5FPP for each VPP, while SN earn just 3.5. So I am gambling that the future value of my FPP will offset any short-term pain the losses from 6 max limit may inflict.

I do constantly evaluate my performance in all games and all levels and revise plans and projections. Bottom line considerations do use 200NL performance as a baseline when weighing the cost/benefit. At the moment, the extra value I gain from more FPP bonuses, and potentially reaching SNE slightly outweigh playing just FR NL. That, of course, could change in either direction. I have not played enough hands at 6 max limit to really know what I am working with. I suspect I am one of weaker "regular" players in those games though.

It is dynamic in that I am profitable at some levels of 6 max limit, and not at others. I am working hard at improving in this arena. Also, I am doing well at cherry-picking good FR limit games. Additionally, my results in FR NL have been very good the last 4 months.

I have not perfected any specific formula, other than to constantly seek out the right table and right seat, be very flexible in the limits I play (.5/1 to 5/10 NL and 3/6 to 30/60 limit) and to lean toward playing 6 max limit games when all other factors are equal.

[TheProdigy]

I will be playing limit near the end of the year I think..I am about 50k behind pace for 500k VPP's for the year and think I can lose less than $5,000 while getting it. I don't actually have to clear it by end of December, right?

Anyways, I am thinking I'm gonna need to get about 100k VPP's I think in December. I can 12 table and play like 110k-120k hands that month. What would be my ideal limit for that? (I would play FR, btw)

[Scottyy]

-----I don't actually have to clear it by end of December, right?

Players have until the last day of 2007 to hit a milestone level. The bonus will be added to their account and would need to be earned within 120 days.

Scotty

[mlane]

Lolz its just sick once u reach elite though just imagine once u get passed 1mill vpps and start clearing the 10k bonuses. You will probably be a giant pasty pile of fat at the end of it, but you will have a lot money to buy plastic surgery with.

[KarlSpakler]

Prodigy:

You make about 1.35 VPP at 10/20 FR, 1 VPP at 5/10 FR and about .75 for 3/6 FR. The hard part will be finding enough tables to play 12 at once. You may want to consider mixing in some limit games in November if you are going to just play FR.

mlane:

I am already a giant pasty pile of fat. But I suppose I will probably be even fatter and more disgusting by year end.