Publisher's Note and online play

[pzhon]

I mainly play online, so I usually don't pay much attention when Mason Malmuth discusses B&M cardrooms. However, the June publisher's note contains a gem:

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the manager decided that he would give $25,000 to the first player who played 500 hours on graveyard shift...
the additional games he would create every night would drop more than the $25,000 that he would give away.
... every broke poker player in town showed up, and these disgusting, smelly people drove off their regular customers. The room was shut by the casino a few months later.


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This is analogous to many online situations.

Many poker servers are in the process of learning the same lesson: A promotion that seems to pay for itself in rake may not be profitable.

One controversial position I (and some others) have maintained is that the value of a player to a poker server is not the nominal amount of the rake paid. A winning multitabler may not be as valuable as a collection of casual gamblers who pay the same amount of rake.

What is the online equivalent of being "disgusting and smelly?" Obviously, berating fish is one way to be worth less to a poker site than the rake you pay. Less obviously, winning too efficiently is another.

[uDevil]

TruePokerCEO is one who seems to agree with your view:

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4. ODoyle's Lessons .... What ODoyle really showed to us last year is that a site filled with experienced 8 tabling players needs even more fish fed into it than one which does not offer deals to the top, successful players. A rock heavy site will not sustain itself long. Sites need to get a supply of new players, to support successful players.


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[Mason Malmuth]

Hi Devil:

The most successful poker rooms are the ones with the good games. I think that's your point.

Best wishes,
Mason

[mackthefork]

I've been saying this for ages, it seems obvious to me, this is why I'd like to see an end to certain incentives which are only available to those prepared to break the rules. Obviously people who are barely breakeven without these kickbacks disagree strongly.

Mack