Is Segregation of Poker Players Too Much?

Player Segregation, a good thing?

Lock Poker recently introduced Fair Play Technology which places players into different groups depending on the stakes they play. There has been much debate as to whether this is in fact a good thing for players and many have voiced their concerns. The actual idea behind it all sounds fairly good in principal in that it puts beginners up against other new players allowing them time to learn the game and not be constantly beat by the more experienced player. The groups are defined as to their rake, win/loss rate, earn rate and recent history and one of the biggest issues that players seem to have at the moment is that they cannot see which group they are in. Lock has said that players will move from group to group depending on their performances and the theory is that as they improve they play against more experienced players. New players can ask to be moved into the 'higher' group and Lock will review these on a case by case basis. So, we can see why they have done this however some players believe that it is not fair and that it really is up to them who they play against and that part of the game is taking on big players and testing your ability.

What the Players are Saying

Players have mentioned that surely this is what stakes are for and that a recreational player would be playing at low stakes anyway, being a recreational player is in fact a form of self segregation and they do not need to be told where to play. Others argue that this roll out has been rushed and the players have not been informed correctly leaving them to forage around on forums for info. Lock has stated that all players questions will be answered, and in fairness taking a look around on the popular forums we can see that they have indeed made an effort to speak with players and explain the situation. The lack of transparency is by far the biggest player issue as they don't know what group they are in, who they are up against, and why they are in it. Maybe this is the usual outburst of the few and it will die down soon and players will just get on with things, but this is dependent on how Lock sell this as a good thing to their players, and at the moment it looks like they are losing on that front.