Online Poker Late Registration
Today I was browsing one of the poker forums that I read on a daily basis and came accross a post discussing what players thought of late registration. The general consensus of the posters was that they really hated late registration, so much to the point that the original poster was looking for other sites to play that do not offer late registration.
In case you don’t know what late registration is, here is a screenshot example from Full Tilt Poker‘s website:
One poster wrote, “When the tourney starts, I want to know how many people are in it….not add 500 to the count.” He continued on stating that he now plays on the Merge Network due to the softer games and lack of late registration.
I personally never really had a problem with late registration because I primarily play turbo tournaments and starting an hour late in one of those puts you at a significant disadvantage with the blinds, but for non-turbo players I can see how this could be an issue as it gives some time to get rid of those donkeys that will ship it in pre-flop with any pair and suck out.
Also, I always thought it was nice if you are running a little late, it gives you a little time buffer so that you don’t miss your favorite tournament. Though as one poster mentioned the length of time on late registration has gotten a bit out of hand.
“It should be 1 level max, not 1 hour. It’s ridiculous. In a live tournament late registration is always 1 level max. I know the levels are shorter online etc, but if you can’t make a tournament after 15 minutes, play another.”
The real decision maker though at the end of the day is the poker sites themselves. Offering late registration definitely makes them more money at the end of the day and also ensures they reduce any chances of tournament overlays. Sure they may lose a player or two as mentioned above, but in the end they are still going to make more money by offering this feature.
What are your thoughts on late registration? Should it be taken away or should poker sites continue to offer it? Does it need some changes? Post your comments below.
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