Carbon Poker Freeroll Fury

[SycoSteve]

An even better deal today. Another ticket earned for, effectively, $0.07 in rake paid, and got to pocket about a buck in profit.
Same $0.02/0.04 PLO H/L -- well, full ring 9 handed instead of 6 max -- as this is a little more cost effective as pots are more
likely to be raked whether you're in the hand or not, especially if the table likes to limp a lot preflop.

Think I was active in maybe a half dozen hands [out of about 40 or 13-16%] altogether but the river was my friend today so
ended up enough in the black to erase yesterday's losses.

Think I had a feeling it would be an easy qualifying day since I hit the straight flush on the first hand I was dealt.

[eberetta1]

Two nights in a roll, I missed out on being in the money, (top 151 paid lowest payout of $2.71), because I could not hold my blind which would have put me ITM. Yesterday my K-rag lost to a higher kicker KJ so I placed 154th, tonight my pair of 6's lose on the river to a flush so I placed 161st. Back to the drawing board.

[eberetta1]

Good job SycoSteve. Made up for my bubbles. Earned $3 one night and $4 another night. I like qualifying by playing on the 9 player tables too. Like you say, more cost effective.

[SycoSteve]

Good job SycoSteve. Made up for my bubbles. Earned $3 one night and $4 another night. I like qualifying by playing on the 9 player tables too. Like you say, more cost effective.

It's a little late now, but here's a dirty little secret I think I uncovered about meeting the criteria when taking the "raked hands" route. The Carbon web-
site promotion page says:

• Players can get 1 FREE entry daily by playing 25 Raked Cash Game Hands or 5 Sit & Go's/Tournaments at any stakes.

It seems that "playing", for purposes of meeting the criteria means, simply, that you have sat in for 25 hands at a cash game table where rake is taken.
How much rake, even if it is zero, does not matter. All you need is to be dealt a hand. Do three full orbits at a full ring [all 9 seats filled] $0.02/04 pot-
or no-limit cash game table and you'll meet the criteria. So, if you do the 3 orbits and fold your blinds each time, it will cost you $0.18 maximum. Even
at a fully filled shorthanded [6 players seated] table you'll only need a shade over 4 orbits, or $0.24 maximum, to meet the criteria.

[If you are sat out waiting for the big blind to come around to start, those hands in the waiting period do not count.]

I do not know if the programming for the tracking of the hands for qualifying is flawed -- in that 25 raked hands are needed and the software is not
counting correctly --or if they hope that the players will read the criteria the way it was written and believe that they will need to have 25 raked
hands and will generate more rake for the room. I know I thought that the latter was the case until I started keeping track. . .



Meh, I'm not enthralled with the promotion when all is said and done. Between the couple of cashes and some money won going after tickets I'm ahead
less than a dollar total after taking out cash game losses and rake. Not really worth the effort to keep getting kicked in the ass by donkey after donkey
after putting in the time to qualify. I have enough coupons to get through the last few days so at least I don't have to risk/forfeit any more money for
such honors.

[eberetta1]

At the beginning of the Carbon Freeroll Fury my bankroll was $8, now it has $26. Not the worst promo and not the best. At least it created some hubbub, versus almost the dead silence that is creeping through the online poker world. I hear that Carbon has gotten rid of U.S. players from 10 states recently. Smaller player base. Poker Maximus is right around the corner.