Archive for March 2014

aScope & iScope creator interviewed

In a continuing effort to keep you updated about our Tools & App sections we’ve interviewed Jamie, the developer of iScope & aScope.

Warren Karp (PokerMD) Hi Jamie and thanks for the interview
Jamie Higgins: Hi Warren, thanks for having me!

warren karp: We’re talking today about both aScope and iScope you’re the developer correct?
Jamie Higgins: That’s right I made both iScope and aScope

warren karp: So tell us a little about what they do
Jamie Higgins: They are mobile apps designed to give a quick, easy to navigate view into your SharkScope data and optimized very much for use on the small screen of a phone.

Jamie Higgins: They’re not supposed to be an alternative to the comprehensive SharkScope website, but more of an extra tool to quickly look-up results or access data when accessing the website is inconvenient (think bragging down the pub to your mates for your big win)

warren karp: Poker players Brag? LOL…but seriously you can really look up any screen name that you want correct?
Jamie Higgins: Yeah the apps work by allowing you to add your own poker accounts, your friends and then any other players (in these three independent categories). One of the neat things it does is aggregate all your own accounts to one overall view, so players with several accounts can easily see their overall results.
Jamie Higgins: It can also show you the tournaments you have played in and the results of specific tournaments

warren karp: So similar to the “Group” function on SharkScope
Jamie Higgins: Yep that’s right

warren karp: Great now Jamie do you also play live poker tournaments?
Jamie Higgins: I’ve played a few live tournaments in the UK, but nothing to major. The biggest was a UKIPT series event (£250 buy-in).

warren karp: The reason I ask is that as a live tournament player I find that “bragging” is also true there and that it’s pretty simple to get players to tell you their online names. With your tool looking them up is very simple
Jamie Higgins: Exactly! If that guy (or girl) next to you is telling you about all their big wins it would be nice and quick to look them up with the app.

warren karp: Sounds like it would be a great addition to your arsenal, what made you develop it in the first place
Jamie Higgins: Well I’m a very keen online poker player (I used to play very regularly a few years back) and I often used SharkScope to look-up players at my table. As a developer by trade who was moving into the mobile area it was a great chance to combine my love for poker with my job (which I also enjoy greatly)

warren karp: I’m sure this version is similar but not exactly what you first came out with….what were the things poker players wanted to see most?
Jamie Higgins: I think the most important thing is usability, as a mobile phone application it has to be simple and quick to operate and the graphs and figures easy to read and interpret.

Jamie Higgins: I had a lot of requests for the iPhone version to add filters, so this is an additional feature in the iPhone. Unfortunately it was pretty complex and time consuming, so the feature hasn’t made it into the Android version yet.

warren karp: How does the usage work on the app as far as searches and advanced searches?
Jamie Higgins: It’s pretty simple each time you search for a players stats, update a player or look up tournament results etc. you will use one search from your daily allowance. The application caches all the data locally, so its possible to use the application and look-up all your stored data without using any more searches.
Jamie Higgins: The apps require a SharksSope subscription to function. At the moment each app comes with a free 200 search package, which will shortly be changing to a free one month bronze subscription.

warren karp: Great so plenty of opportunity to “Scope” out your opponent! In a world where information is king it certainly seems like this is a tool you can’t do without. Anything more to add Jamie?
Jamie Higgins: I think that is a fairly good summary. I’ll just add that you can get the apps from the iOS App Store or from Google Play by searching for iScope and aScope respectively.

warren karp: And of course in the new “Tools & Apps” section on the SharkScope website.
Jamie Higgins: Absolutely!

warren karp: Thanks again Jamie for your time and for giving us the scoop on iScope and aScope
Jamie Higgins: Great thanks once again for having me and good luck to everyone in their next tourney!

SharkyScanner Software you can’t do without

Today I get to interview Anton, developer of the newest poker software that helps you with one of the most important parts of your poker skill set, Table Selection!

Warren Karp (PokerMD) Hi Anton thanks for joining us today
SharkyScanner Anton: Hi Warren.

warren karp: You’re the creator of SharkyScanner but let me ask you first, how long have you been into poker and online poker
SharkyScanner Anton: I’ve been playing since 2007, mostly HU SNGs.

warren karp: Wow long time and mostly online then
SharkyScanner Anton: Have never played offline, it’s kind of prohibited in Russia. 😀

warren karp: In those early days there was no software to use except maybe Mike Caro’s poker odds calculator and SharkScope. Tell me the difference between those days and todays highly technical envoirnment
SharkyScanner Anton: Actually, in those days i didn’t even think that i may need some poker tool to help me win. But the more i played the more i realized that all these tools really work and bring you money. So I’ve decided to create my own software that could significantly increase my ITM.

warren karp: ITM for the readers is?
SharkyScanner Anton: In Tournament Money
SharkyScanner Anton: Or replace with “winnings”?

warren karp: Great so that was the birth of SharkyScanner, what year was that?
SharkyScanner Anton: Started to make it in 2012 maybe. I used it for about one and half year and even didn’t think to open it for public.

sharkyscanner

warren karp: What was your motivation or in other words what were you looking for from it that didn’t exist
SharkyScanner Anton: The motivation was to automate the search of weak players in lobby by getting their SharkScope stats. Before i always sat first to HU tables and had to play with strong players pretty much often. Then I thought why not to avoid them. And writing SharkyScanner was a challenge for me as well, I just like programming, do it since 14 yo. 😀

warren karp: Programming sounds like a passion to you, did you feel like this was a need in the industry or was it originally just something you thought would help you?
SharkyScanner Anton: As I said before, at the beginning I used it just for myself and had no thoughts to share it with anyone, because it helped me a lot. And sure I realized how helpful it could be for many players.

warren karp: Ok so the big question, what exactly does it do and what do you think is the most important part of the program
SharkyScanner Anton: The main feature is the search of weak players. You just say SharkyScanner what kind of players you want to play with and it searches those players for you. It can be used for searching empty tables as well, which is useful for HU SNG players.

warren karp: And where do you get the data that tells you who’s weal and what parameters makes a weak player in your opinion
SharkyScanner Anton: SharkyScanner requests a lot of stats from SharkScope, so users can select any needed stats to decide who’s weak. The most useful stats are ITM, ROI and Ability score in my opinion.

warren karp: So basically you’ve determined the useful stats from SharkScope and developed an easy to read platform that shows players the best opponents to play against in HU SNGs. What other catagories/games are covered
SharkyScanner Anton: That’s right. Currently SharkyScanner supports any SNG games, the only condition is that player list containing nicknames must be visible in the lobby of a poker client.

warren karp: Sounds like SharkScope has been very instrumental. What kind of feedback are you getting from your subscribers
SharkyScanner Anton: Yeah, without SharkScope it would be impossible to make this software. Since all major bugs have been fixed we don’t get many letters, ha-ha. But I’m really happy to get letters where subscribers say they really like it, ha-ha.

warren karp: So I’d say the major difference in this software is that it pulls the info from the lobby so you can decide who to play against or more to the point which table would be the better fish pond
SharkyScanner Anton: Right, I really don’t know any other software that can do this.

warren karp: Would you say it’s a SNG tool or both SNG and MTTs?
SharkyScanner Anton: Currently SharkyScanner doesn’t support MTTs because there is no player list in lobby for this kind of tournaments. But! I plan to make support for MTTs soon. SharkyScanner will just open tournament lobby and read nicknames there.

warren karp: That would be a great upgrade, I also notice that right now it tracks both PS & FTP is there any plans for expanding to other networks?
SharkyScanner Anton: Now it works just with PokerStars. FullTiltPoker and Ongame rooms are supported too but temporarily unavailable due to testing purposes. It will be available in few weeks. And sure I will do my best to make SharkyScanner support as much networks and rooms as possible.

warren karp: Now that you’re listed and available in SharkScope’s Tools and Apps section have you found that the word is getting out and that it’s in more players arsenal?
SharkyScanner Anton: Yeah, most of our subscribers found us there. Thanks to SharkScope guys!

toolsapps

warren karp: Well that’s great to hear, is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?
SharkyScanner Anton: Just want to say that everybody can try how powerful SharkyScanner along with SharkScope is! Visit our site http://sharkyscanner.com, get free 7-days full-featured trial and go for finishing, ha-ha.

warren karp: Perfect! Our readers I’m sure will take advantage of your generous free trial offer. We really want to thank you for your time today and for building a very important tool for our community
SharkyScanner Anton: Thank you Warren, hope to meet and talk again when we have some brand new features and offers.

Has Full Tilt Poker “Flipped Out” again?

Apparently so but this time in a NEW and EXCITING way!

FTP announced a new tournament format called “FlipOut’ which has 2 rounds that combines an exciting Shootout  All-In format that if you win puts you in the money which then continues in round 2 as a regular MTT tourney with one caveat….You’re already in the money. That’s right get lucky enough to win round one and you not only advance but you’ve cashed!

Fout2

Round one is purely luck and runs from 6 or 9 handed tables down to one with everyone all in on every hand. These will go rather quickly. By the way, this happens very often at the WSOP during the hours before the Main Event is about to start.

Like the WSOP winning that single table shootout gets you into a scheduled tournament that’s upcoming on FTP, in fact once you register you don’t even need to be logged in to advance.

There is also a regular SnG version that plays at 2, 6 and 9 players

Good Luck in round 1 and play good in round 2!

SharkScope adds a new network “The Hive”

With 3 skins The Hive has made a very strong debut. Ranked 14th on Poker Scout after having launched only a few months ago is pretty amazing.

Hive

Traditionally they have Hold’em and both Omaha’s, and a speed version called Instapoker . They also have and a new game called Telesina. Telesina is a variant of 5 card stud which is played mostly in Italy. In fact most of the players on the network right now are from Italy. Telesina must be very popular because they’ve broken into the market in a big way

Of importance to SharkScope readers is that their MTTs and SnGs are strong which is why we’ve added them.

Right now there are only 3 skins on the network

HivePoker.com

PlanetWin365Poker.com

And YachtingPoker.com transferring from the PokerPack

We are contacting the skins now to get a great deal for our SharkScope users….Stay Tuned

PokerMD interviews Marc (AznAllin0O7)

warren karp:(PokerMD) Hi marc (AznAllin0O7) thank you for joining us today to talk about Tournament Poker Edge and SharkScope and what they’ve meant for your career

marc: TPE and Sharkscope have both been very important in helping me grow as an online poker player. Playing is obviously very important, but studying off the felt is also very key in becoming a top notch poker player. Early in my career I was a sit’n’go specialist and SharkScope made it easy to spot the fish. Knowing who is beating the game and who is giving away their money is a huge advantage going into any game. TPE helped me plug a bunch of leaks in my MTT game which has resulted in some great success. From Preflop sizing to adjusting to villains opening range, TPE has been a blessing. With over thirty different professionals to choose from its impossible to find a style that doesn’t fit anyone’s game.

AznAllin0O7-Stats

warren karp: As you know TPE is one of our advertisers, how did you find out about it? and how long have you been using them?

marc: My buddy was watching videos on TPE about two years ago after he saw an add on 2+2. I joined a year later when i decided to give up playing sitngoes and give tournaments a shot.

warren karp: So you specialize in both, is there one you prefer over the other?

marc: MTTS. Playing Sitngoes is a brutal grind. I remember 20 tabling Double or nothings in my pajamas just trying to make rent. All i needed was a 3% roi and than with the added rakeback i could hit my monthly goal. SharkScope helped me track this allowing me to know exactly what i was making per hour. I love mtts though and will never go back.

warren karp: So you started watching Videos and you’re obviously a quick study, when did you start making videos for them and become a coach/mentor?

marc: I was a member for around 6 months before i met Casey Jarzabek (aka Bigdogpckt5s) who took a look at my SharkScope graph on Pokerstars, and asked me to do a DON series for TPE. After my first series, he quickly talked me into playing mtts. I started watching all of the videos, taking bits and pieces from each pro to improve my game. I never looked back to sitngoes after starting mtts and TPE was the reason for this change.

warren karp: So you’ve mentioned our beloved SharkScope many times, in terms of what SS has done for you describe it for us in your own words

marc: SharkScope makes the game easier to beat. Anytime you have added information on your opponents you are at a massive advantage. Having the ability to filter someone’s stats per buy in is a massive tool in reading a player’s ability. It was also very important for me to track my own results and SS made that easier. I literally know what my hourly is in a turbo/non turbo for every buy in I play. Frankly, not using SS or TPE is a massive leak in a player’s game.

warren karp: One of the reasons we’re interviewing you is that you are atop one of our Leaderboards. “MTTs for Merge“. What does that mean to you and how hard do you think it is to get there and maintain it

marc: I would be lying if i said i didn’t wake up every morning and check SharkScope to see if I am still number 1. I want to be the best in the world and this is a small step towards that goal. Staying number 1 will not be an easy task as I am running incredibly above EV for the first 2.5 months and there are a ton of great players on the Merge network. Having said that, I work very hard so I expect results. A fellow TPE pro, Daryl Jace, has been coaching me this year and has had a massive impact on my game. With his help, I’m staying motivated and plan on staying a top this list.

SharkScopeChart For AznAllin0O7

warren karp: I also notice that many of the pros on TPE play Live Casino MTTs, do you also transition into offline play?

marc: Oh yes, i take a two month “vacation” to Las Vegas every year for the World Series. The live grind is brutally slow, but i enjoy interacting with people and chasing the dream of winning a bracelet.

warren karp: Having played many live tournaments I’ve noticed that players very readily tell others their online screen name. Do you ever use iScope to get their stats?

marc: I have not used iScope but any application that allows me added information would be very useful. How does it work?

warren karp: iScope is an app that basically mirrors our search feature so when you’re out there in the trenches and can get a players screen name, you can do a search on them

marc: Amazing, i’m downloading on my iPhone as we speak.(Warren-Also in Android)

warren karp: This has been great, last thing can you tell me what your goals are for 2014 online and the WSOP

marc: Online- I want to stay number one on the Sharkscope leaderboard. My goal for the World Series is simple, ship a bracelet for the TPE nation!

warren karp: Ok marc, thank you very much for your time and continued luck in 2014! We’ll all now be watching the leaderboard so play good! LOL

marc: NO pressure now, hahahaha. Thanks for offering such a great product, my bank account says tytytytytytyty

FullTilt funds returned by Garden City

This past week saw 80+ million dollars returned to former FullTilt players

“US facing sites increased about 5%” over the first weekend according to sources

There’s going to be more to come as people find that cash in their bank accounts and decide to give online poker another go!

Remember this is the time of year players try to qualify for the WSOP

Sites like Carbon Poker and Americas Card Room have set up bonuses for those who want to jump back in.

Hope That Helps!

Warren