The great "Poker is rigged" debate - Collected threads edition

The only thing that is getting stronger is the fact that normal people, here can see what is inside of you.
Writting such nasty and mean things in a poker community should get you banned.
You are clearly mobbing and disrespecting, not staying on the subject, but using your right to write here to maliciously bully
You are a true life looser by definition.
Please delete your account.

First of all, You said you were ignoring me yesterday. That went well for a day 😉 But since you are unable to ignore the voices in your head as well, this doesnt surprise me.

And results-wise, these were the cash game hands that were mined online on your name in the last 5 years so its an absolute fair sample without meddling.

9k hands, thats all.
Not many hands for a poker expert.
And certainly not a high limit for a poker expert (10nl).
And absolutely certainly not the result of a poker expert (losing ev10bb at micros)

😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃

You are really pathetic. It is about what he found out, not about 9K hands on nl10.
You don't like answering me don't you.
I smell fear and weakness.

I, for one, am extremely jealous of this "expert level" poker player's graph!

You're aware Johnmir claims he's an expert level poker player, right?

Aha, I see now, what your screens mean!

Well, yes, it can be rational to keep monitoring this.

Taking into account, that players call your KK having an ace card really often... So, the real chances to see an Ace on the flop are actually lower then 21,73%...

2% for this deviation. But I would say, you need to get more data here to insist on rigging.

)) Lol, he won't do this. He is here to provoke 😃

In fact, yes, It's not normal, in my opinion. Unacceptable attitude. But we got no rules for this... ))

Thank you, MRP.
Yeah, he uses some "suspicious" information just to spoil my "image" and to change the attention of players from what is really important to what is not.

It's literally is not ANY important who I am. But it's important - what is going on in online-poker direction.

Lol, this graphs look funny, btw, awesome job of me
It's a funny story how I manage to do this.

Btw, is it true - Teflon, seriously -

Some high-limit cash players tried to play 0,1$ NLH cash and lost there? Did you hear about that?

Do you know what players say - "The field is different there, so, high-limit pro cash-players lost there. Just a different game" LMAO 😃

Yep. And in small stakes they are (almost) never folding.

John, so what you are saying is you are a losing player at 10nl but you are a very skilled and winning player at higher limits??? Why is there zero record of that

And you really think players that can beat HS are playing micros but cant beat it there.. another delusional statement from you.

Your graphs dont look "funny". They look like the graph of a losing micro player. Which you are.
The furthest thing you can be from an expert level poker player, which you claim you are. You present yourself as someone with (special) knowledge about online poker but all the facts and results of you as a player show the exact opposite. Which devalues everything you state as facts about online poker, especially ipoker. Where you've played 4k cash games hands total (thats a normal day for a pro) lifetime and were losing. At 10nl... where Hellen Keller would be a winning player.

At least you found a friend in MRP, and by friend i mean another losing micro player who holds a grudge at online poker for failing in it. You are just a bunch of Paisting copycats.

Dude, just delete your account. No one needs a toxic looser.

MRP took a break from complaining in the official Coin Poker Thread, he thinks they are rigging against him as well. The guy cant catch a break🙂
Ironically, he is the toxic loser. The word he uses for everyone who dont believe his and John's biased rantings. But he, Johnmir etc are the undisputed toxic losers becuase they cant beat micros and are very very angry about that (which i get, its quite embarrassing)

But you just should read this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2...

It applies perfectly to you lot. You all have a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities.
And before you dispute your own limited competence, realize that every single raw data suggests (i.e. proves) you have no knowledge about online poker whatsoever.

MRP, just noticed this...

You kidding )) On Party? )))

It is the first room I started my investigations at 🍰

Still remember when a journalist asked some Party's manager "Is it rational for Partypoker to run satellite tournaments with such a big overlay?" (something like that he asked)

The manager answered - "Well, this money will come back to the room anyway". Rofl.

I mean, they don't even hide "players money = the room's money" attitude.

Party - is a special case.

Regarding Coin poker.

About a month ago, I joined a stream of some successful offline/online pro, 46 years old man (I mean, he is not a kid, a poker pro with a huge experience who got the scam model I described in my video from the first try).

He played MTT on Coin.

5 minutes of watching. I tell him (I know this guy, personally) - "Look, after you won a huge pot 3 hands ago this JTs is a provocation of the software. I haven't ever played on Coin, but if the software algorithm is just the same as on Pokerstars and on iPokerYou - will lose chips now on a postflop."

He got a 3bet on a preflop, and lose a pot later.
But I had to leave the stream. In 3 minutes he types me -
"Noo, what did I push my KQo for!"

Me - "Did the opponent got AA hand?". "Yeah, exactly!".

I told you exactly, the story how it was. I know the software algorithms of 3 rooms - Partypoker, Pokerstars and iPoker. And my experience of the software testing and analysis is just huge. I have never played on Coin, but looks like they got the same algorithm of the game manipulating as these three rooms get. Because it took me 5 minutes to predict hands and the game situation development.

Johnmir, please take the advice of others and seek help. U won't achieve anything and u have no real idea about the game and material u are talking about. It's very obvious.

Those are not "investigations". To investigate something u have to have at least a bit of a clue about what u are investigating.

But will continue to read this mental clown show, it's highly entertaining.

This is massive information for you to have! Your win-rate could be huge - but maybe keep on keeping it low so they don't put two or three of their live watchers on full time alert when you play?

You really should play on Twitch so we can laugh along with you as you give your predictions and we see how much you can exploit the games in real time.

A livestream with postflop predictions would be fun actually. And it would be his best "evidence", it doesnt go any further than stories. Incoherent stories from a rambling madman.

And John could also show us how to grind that amazing 10bb lossrate at 10nl 😃

Lol... You kidding, I have already recorded several games for Russian poker forum, where I didn't commit any mistake... 6 crazy pushes - 1 call on a weaker hand on a buble. In total - 12 pushes in a row with no mistake.

Later I shown MTT where I made 23 pushes and only 3 hands met a stronger hand on the table.

I tried to translate one video of me today. But I don't think you will get the logic of the video since my English is not good enough. Too hard... Really. I rewatched it, but i don't think it's reasonable to publish it.

Lol, while you, guys, talking bullshit another huge forum know that I push with almost no mistakes. People say "well, you just got lucky" lol. At the same time, I almost never miss pushing.

Mike, I have no idea how to organize this. I would do this 100%. But we all good different time, you know...

By the way, may be I can make it on youtube also? (Have never used twitch)

To others:

Guys, your information is slightly "outdated". Because we have already discussed a lot of stuff regarding iPoker on a Russian forum.

Those cashe games - is a special case. I only played "push"/"fold" there. It's pretty hard in a cash game. Without any postflop playing. It was a test of the software. That's why the distance is that short. I just needed to check, is it really possible to "use push-fold in time" strategy in cash. It appeared to be impossible.

Guys, you act like kids. Really. This behavior will only work for some stupid guys, who read "haha, you are an idiot" and keep thinking, that some stupid insults is a significant point of view.

But the problem is that, i'm not aiming to communicate to stupid guys. I try to give some important info for those who got brain. Can open video, can watch reports, can understand it, and make their own conclusions.

Stupid kids will lose their money anywhere besides poker games. Others - should have a choice.

Okay, guys, I will translate you one of my MTTs from Russian into English. It's published on GipsyTeam. (I almost never play nowadays, and this is not some "super successful" tournament). Just ONE OF.

This is just a translation. You can be a bit "out of the contest", sorry.

"We are coming to the main topic.

So, we have checked, how the field on 0,5$ bounty MTT plays in general. And it will be useful for us now. To understand at least approximately, having which hands players are ready to call our pushes, and having which ones - are not.

We have also watched my bluffs - it was more like an "off-topic", though.
Just to stop "fairy tails" of online regular players that bluffing is not profitable in poker and you just need to wait for a push-fold stage and push your stack - since it's less risky 😃 - guys, it's pure fun, really, cause it's not just contradicts mathematics, it contradicts that spoken "poker mathematics" - specifically, the tournament strategy.

Once again, you understand, yes, that just playing according to your hand it's simply impossible to keep your stack playable on MTT. Without exaggeration. Means, without a bluff, at least acceptable level bluff, it's senseless to play MTT, because the game turns into a roulette, when to reach the final table you need to make 50 pushes/calls and never lose any of it (i exaggerate here, but something like that will go on without a postflop).

But I have already managed to join top-20 of these bounty MTTs 300 players twice of 7 tries playing clean push-fold on the second part of the tournament. How the...? We will watch it now "how"...

I'm not showing literally all the hands since there are 173 of them, but still enough hands to go along "the tournament flow".

(guys, I don't know how it will look, I just opened the replayer and will just comment the screens)

This is the second hand of the tournament. I - fold, because the previous bounty tournament I ended with a profitable all-in TT vs AKo (according to the software algorithm - it's a basic fold)

(yes yes, these kind of folds didn't anyhow spoil my way to top-20. And, considering my bluffs, you can already guess - why. But bluffs are not the only reason)

Already after 10 hands played I catch some sweetness ♥ (I win this all-in)

It's trivial but, of course, it's a fold (right the following hand after a positive 88 all-in) -

5 hands later I get AJo in the first position. But, after that 88 all-in, chances for this hand to be the best on the table, let's say, "are not that big" - l😉.

And, for sure, I won't play a postflop having such a hand. Of course I won't play AJ-AK on a postflop 🤐 - yeah, these are words of a guy, who took 7 of 9 flops having nothing on a board (don't you find this strange that I avoid playing AJo on a postflop?)

(I didn't manage to watch the opponents hands)

By the way, right after a fold of AQo and AJo - the software immediately shown me, that I WOULD hit a top-pair on the flop 3 times in a row in case I wouldn't have folded my hands - yes, it's a pure fun. And we will discuss this, but later. [comment for 2+2 guys - It is already sent to gambling supervision authorities on friday 😀]

Here, I come to the flop and Teddy checks his flopped set on a dangerous desk. As a result - I got a backdoor straight completed on the river. I got few chips (40 thousand) more - "it's online-poker, baby". It's unacceptable to slow play hands here, postflop is not played according to true chances, it's not offline. Though, even in offline it's irrational to check on a flush draw board (taking into account several nuances)

And, in a one hand -

(easy fold, lol, though, in case the table is not too weak I shouldn't have played this hand)

The second game cone IN A ROW -

The third hand in a row (only one garbage-hand skipped) -

It's simply irrational push. But I show guys all the hands I folded. And I have also shown them A9o and ATo folds. I KNOW - that the software will almost NEVER put the third "killed" Ax in a row. And I push it, showing my hand after, just to let players understand once again - the game is Predictable, it's just a sequence of strong "killed"/"clean" hands with respect to +EV of previous several hands played. (By the way, playing like that I will win crazy number of postflop bluffs later, showing every of my hands!)

By the way, since I folded strong hands (Ax-s) again, the software shows me top-pair flopped, a pair flopped and two pair flopped in a row once again

And I decided to pay more attention to this circus. And to calculate all this carefully - will share it with you 😀

After about 50 hands I finally raise on a preflop for the FIRST time -

(obviously having not the best hand of those I got dealt before... Cause only having **** I am able to play after that 88 vs T3o take off, because my EV$ ICM - is critically high on this stage of the tournament))) Both folded, pay attention to this.

So, let's count, how many times I raised or pushed and how many times players called me having at least something. The score is 1 - 0.

After several hands one of big bluffs comes -

And right the next hand I go all-in and win the following pot (guys, it's a complicated decision, prehistory of hands is that I could afford myself to push this. If you remember this - I folded AQo, AJo, A9o, ATo - ****ing enough! Unlikely the software will try to kill me even right after the successful bluff. This is a deep understanding of all the software algorithm nuances, an ability to assess it) -

Here, after 10 game cones played, I rather take into account gameplay of my opponents, that is why I push and call the all-in of Matrix (to get a bounty award)

They don't call me again. The score is 2-0

A standard stuff - I just won few all-ins and only two stacks exceeding me. One of them folded. The next one - right behind me. And exactly this guy got a better hand. But i'm aware

And here, I can confidently raise - who cares about the position, if the software just alternates hands and we know it. Who cares about chances and ranges 😃

Everyone folded. Successful steals score is 3-0

4-0 (I SHOW every of my hands - means, they fold their hands even being aware of me playing sh*t. So what the f.. did they get? 92 and 73? And how the **** do I know this?))

Aces come, no minraise, no postflop, it's unacceptable -

I should be happy to get the blinds, lol. I can only imagine, what would have happened on the postflop. 5-0 - steals.

A small bluff 😀

And it's time to fond a hand, because I just won about five pots playing weak hands in the right moment. And a huge EV has already been collected. I'm going a sweet way according to ICM. Means, the first strong hand should be folded (well, I should fold this anyway) -

But here, I must immediately take into account that I just folded A9o, so -

The steal score is 6-0. 6 pushes - no calls. Just perfect Risk-free stack increase on MTT ♥

Guys, a difficult decision comes, a pretty thin one. First of all - I can see that there is no bigger stack on the table.

The second, I can see, according to the tournament development, that after I folded in the start of the tourney my AQo and AJo - these 66 are most-likely the best hand on the table and I can push it. But it's important to understand that the software algorithm knowledge is not literally something 100% sure. It's still a group of factors to assess, objectively.

I win this all-in. The score is 6-1 (they finally called me!)

And I immediately get the punishment from the software, but I still go for this all-in, since it's profitable on a bounty tournament

And right after the punishment as usual 😃 I can go for -

Stealing score is 7-1 - and I don't steal according to my hand, obviously. I show this to players and they are keeping folding. And there are no other reasons then I simply know, when is acceptable to steal. Means, they got really weak hands "in time".

After this one I fold several hands - K5s, K4o, QJs, and meet a bit better hand then mine A8o (push as an answer to the limp) -

(the steal score is 7-2, they called me)

And after such a wave of negative hands a positive wave of hands starts 🍰

(I don't count it as an unsuccessful steal, because he would call me anyway)

And in 3 game cones, once again -

Steal score is 8-2

After two pushes in a row it's a joke to play the third strong hand in a row once again, in online-poker

But right the following one - why not 😉

I don't count it as a steal, because I didn't push, I called, unfair 🙄

The following hand. You see? Usually, you should just play "every other time". But it's not always like that. There are other nuances and I try to announce it. All of them are described in the detailed software algorithm doc.

And here I commit a small mistake (not too big, since it's a bounty MTT, and the decision is not the worst, but still I didn't "read" the situation well enough. Underestimate that I have already won too many chips for free in the last 15-20 game cones. And the software increased an "aggression level" towards me) -

8-3 steal score

One more bluff -

I fold some hands and get a huge hand. I have no reasons to fold it (I have already lost 88 vs TT two tournaments before having a huge stack. So pocket top pairs should be confidently played) -

Look attentively at this all-in - it's a significantly profitable decision for me with 57% chances and a bunch of chips on the table.

But, the most important - I lost this all-in. And if you understood dozens if not hundreds of my previous posts about EV$ ICM calculation - this is EXACTLY THAT SITUATION, when the software will try to kill me in the craziest possible manner. Because, since I lost this all-in I made a very profitable "cut" according to ICM - guys, it's a complicated stuff, indeed, I understand.

The idea is that, been lost 57% all-in, I told the software - "Okay, in 57% cases my tournament $ share is a couple of thousand dollars - don't forget to pay me it on a distance later".

And the software didn't like this suggestion at all. So, I have to fold the next four (4) Ace Highs! (one of them - I shouldn't have folded, just didn't take the risk) -

And only the 5th Ace high I decide to push (3bet)

(Steal score 9-4)

And I immediately fold this one. Because the situation is critical. It's very hard to play profitable gameplay after that 57% all-in, since I can only push every 5-7th strong hand now -

Get my chips back by bluff -

And right the next hand -

(you can't bluff online without taking into account the following software "tricks". The money will be immediately stolen)

Now - as you wish )) AJs don't push, A7s - don't push. But A5o in early position - push! This is not a game according to true chances. True chances - are waiting for you in offline poker.

10-4 steals.

Right the next hand - fold

And push again. The software doesn't expect me to push having such a weak hand after the fold on 55, means, players don't have anything strong -

11-4

55 was skipped? ATo - push 😉

Again, we can push every other push-fold hand -

12-4 steals

ATo was pushed? A9o - to be skipped.

And here I manage to take an intuitive decision -

I pushed twice in a row - 75o and ATo. Too many chips were won for free. So, the software want let me "leave" after folding just one Ace High. means, I should fold the second Ace High too. The software will most-likely raise the "aggression" towards me and will generate a more rigid wave of "killing hands".

And there is a high probability a push will work here, since I folded A9o twice in a row

Steal score is 13-4 (😮)

How the f*** do I "guess" from one tournament to another, push my sh*t and it's all-right? ))

And right the next hand I get a bit more chips -

14-4

Guys, why I raise here. I do understand how long negative/positive waves the software generates to manipulate the game. And rarely miss my assessments. To understand this stuff you need to try monitoring the game. These raises on a garbage - is a bit thinner game, if you do it "in time". I think, in my case, obviously - I do it right "in time".

One more bluff 🙄

One more push -

Steal score - 15-4.

Guys, let's make a small pause here.

I show guys on the table ALL MY HANDS after each game cone. And I shown guys on this table -

- bluff on 96o - without draw, clean bluff
- push on 75о
- push on АТо
- push on К9о
- raise on 82s
- bluff on Т6о - without draw, clean bluff

What do you think? Have I ACCIDENTLY guessed having 86o that they were going to fold their 8BB stacks both, once again? )))

Lol, they just haven't got a sh*t, and i know this, the game goes in a wave-like scheme, everything is readable. There is no any random stuff here. But it should be... I thought we played poker game here )) Do we? 😃

Let's continue.

The last two A9o have been folded, this one - push ))

16-4 steals

Push -

17-4

We keep pushing, 77 is a too strong hand to fold it (do you remember that Antoha138 guy? He just openly played KK and AA hands. Should we expect him to get some pocket top pair once again right after AA hand? The software will very rarely go for an "open" rigging the game in such a rush manner. The game would look to unnatural then)

18-4

And right after this one - fold. I just stole a too big pot. If you remember my video about SnG 9 max? KJo comes right after the push - is an online-poker classics.

Since I just made 4 pushes in a row, I manage to realize and fold the following hand here. I understand that my stack just made a huge jump -

And in 2 game cone I go for this move 🤐 -

Well, I commit a mistake because I decided to take into account a "real" poker factors.

According to the software algorithm - I should have folded the hand, because I have already pushed crazy number of times having pocket low pairs. And the software uses it by dealing me 33.

But few hands ago, I saw a hand, were Frisbaldik also raises like that and folds to a 3bet. I miscalculated cause of this. And, of course, my concentration in game is not infinite, guys. 3 hours of the game monitoring and, simultaneously, monitoring of my hand history and opponents decisions. Constant bluffs and playing garbage. Just didn't manage to keep attention in game. Literally.

In the conclusion. My raises -

Look at the hands I had to raise 😵

In easy words - how many times could I afford to play a good hand? And how many times did I have to push my sh*t? All the ****ing game was played with a garbage in the best possible manner. And I have to play every tournament like that. But I would handle this, it's not a problem!

The main stuff - what for should I try hard? I tried hard to show you the game. But after Pokerstars, where, after this gameplay, I managed to lose 20 of 21 all-ins right before the final table - is it really reasonable to keep participating in MTT without turning 4+ tables on simultaneously? But I don't wanna play not against opponents, but according to some "average" numbers. Everyone got his own playing level and got his own interest in poker game.

Well, yes, even me - I didn't manage to get the finals. The luck-factor difference is such an enormous that even such a weak players managed to take me off. I didn't manage to finish without mistakes.

My pushes

They called me on a better hand 3 times of 23 pushes??? While I have been playing out of chances nor position? 😮

13% mistakes... According to my positions just meeting of 88+ ; АJo+ - is already 20%.

You have already got 5 such tournaments in the topic described.

Before this one - I made 12 pushes in a row (!!) the way so that no one even called me on a better hand. Not when I pushed A5s from UTG nor 93o, nowhere. Once again, it's not a statistical proof. Hands of players are hidden, and it's always possible to say that they just decided to fold any hand except AA. (Or did they decided to fold AA also? 😮))

Guys, I know the "answer", but I want YOU to know it.

I'm moving to assessing of a flop hitting frequency of folded hands. It's all very interesting there."

Sure, but I think it would prove your point much better on Twitch. (Have you had a browse in our Twitch forum, at https://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/244/y...)

Here's a five-minutes YT that will teach you everything:

Most people will agree that when you have a mind like yours, it's simple.

-
-

Wow, you've officially surpassed Paisting as most delusional and insane person on this forum
You still havent shown the video though. Unedited raw data is something you dont understand.

Also, the mining sites show stats and you weren't playing a push-fold strategy at 10nl (imagine thinking that is the way to win btw)
Especially since you can predict board outcomes flawlessly, push-fold doesnt seem quite optimal doesnt it?🙂

You played your nitty 23/16 style and lost at 10nl, not because of testing the software, but because you lack the knowledge of poker to even beat the micros

Stop wasting your time, Slugant, he doesn't communicate with stupid people!

Oh, how I wish to possess such high IQ levels as self-proclaimed experts with threads to nowhere and scholarly analysis of (checks notes) 0.50 SNGs

Certainly ahead of his time, just like this guy:

https://www.instagram.com/faaji_vibes/re...

nah Im still waiting for some actual evidence

He wants to show irregularities in poker yet the only thing that doesnt make sense in his data is why a professional level player cannot beat 10nl.

I just wanted to die right after I finished 2 hours of translating that tournament from Russian into English. I'm not a native speaker, and it's a huge problem here.

My conversation on the biggest Russian forum started from exactly the same stuff "You are a newcomer in poker", "You suck in analysis".

But here in English i don't feel able to keep a good level of "transparency" of my ideas. I'm not sure it's actually possible.

At the same time, yes. If some people go for unnecessary insults, i'm not sure i should keep communicating.

And also, look at what donjonnie says -
"John i obviously wont waste my time on your "research" for more then a few second"

So what, Teflon? I mean, should I keep talking to this guy? This is kind of obvious disrespect and he does his best show me this. Well... Do I think I do not deserve to talk to this kind of people? Probably. Am I big-headed? I think i'm just normal, if I don't wanna continue talking to him. Open disrespect. Lol, I'm socially active adult man.

Did you hear I insulted anyone here in the chat at least once?
Can I? I don't even need to "insult" to tell something this guy will remember forever, especially in Russian. With no any curse word been used.
I have no idea why guys decided they can keep talking like that? Cause they are far enough not to regret about that, lol? Is it a responsibility absence using?

Cool, Mike, thank you, I will study this.

I just have got a crazy amount of things to "prepare" regarding the topic (analysis, letters, forums). That is why i'm so "slow".

I can think of many other reasons why you are so slow.

Also, all your posts dont suffer from any language barrier. They suffer from you having zero poker abilities or understandig of raw data.

You were given the answer like 3 months ago but you insist on continuing to embarrass yourself instead of taking the L and moving on:

I can end this whole thread in this one post. Number one it may be random, it may not be random, but nobody will ever prove it one way or another. It's an impossibility.
Number two if someone did prove it it wouldn't matter people are still going to play no sight is ever going to get shut down because of it they probably won't even get fined because of it.
Number three if possibly could be not random. We will never know. The reason they give you is that the online games are tougher because the players better. Which is complete BS. The same losing player that's playing one two in a casino is the same losing player that's playing 50 no limit and 100 no limit online. It's the same suck. They're not better online as a whole. The only reason it's harder to win online is because the average pots are way smaller so you have to win more pots in order to effectively win the same amount of money you would live. I mean if you take 200 no limit the average part live is probably somewhere between 65 and $80 online at that same level the average pot is probably $30. That is the only difference online players are not better. I play pot limit Omaha and they are as sucky as any of the live players you have ever seen they just hit miraculous amounts of hands. So the point is you'll never be able to prove it, even if you did prove it it's not going to matter because no site is going to get punished for it. No player is going to quit playing even if it was found out that it wasn't random. And there's probably no way they're rigging any site to make any one particular player lose. The main reason you go through these longer down swings is the wind rates are smaller online. And like I said it's not because the play is a better it's because the pots are way smaller

If one post could end this thread it would have already been done. But yours certainly doesnt even come close.

First of all there is the issue of proven guilt. I can make claims here that you are a cheater and say "well i cant prove he is cheater but he cant prove he isnt so therefore the truth lies in the middle". This is not how it works. There is an innocence til proven guilty (at least in court, on a poker forum it might innocence til likely guilty). But even then the delivered evidence should be of quality and preferably from someone with knowdledge (like the guy who did the data analysis on bot farms on acr, very credible stuff). Both these things dont apply to Johnmir in the furthest.

Second you claim players now are not better than they were in the past. As someone who plays poker daily for almost 20 years I can say with full confidence that of course players are now way way better than in the past. This might not hold true for the random fish popping in but the regs are definitely way better. And of course they are, because study material is wider available and of more quality.
I have always been a decent winning regular at midstakes but if I could play the games of 10 years ago with the skill-level I have now I would have been a millionaire. And this is certainly not meant as a brag, its acknowledging that the average skill level of the (winning) reg is increasing substantially. Winning HS regs in the old days had many many leaks that in todays environment wouldbe exploited massively.