Red Star has been almost completely devestated by the reduction of live players we used to have as many as 5 live tables going on Monday, Thursday and Saturday nights, now its about 10-14 regular players with 3-5 occasional players and then 2-5 "new-ish" or once-a-month players.. meaning at best we have 3 tables a night. more often 2 or sometimes just 1
there are a LOT of players that I know played for years that have stopped playing (and not going to another poker room... just flat out not playing anymore).
I am one of the guys who has been advocating we stop playing bomb pots.
I stopped playing the PLO bomb pots more than a year ago, and I just watch over and over as newer players to PLO keep getting stacked, and eventually they stop coming- because they made be ok at holdem, they keep getting stacked when playing short stacked PLO.
I am firmly convinced the once a round double board PLO bomb pots is whats killing the game. we are playing 1/2 or 1/3 with a max start stack of $500 or $1k, and usually if a pot size bet is made on the flops, by the turn, anyone still playing playing and wanting to continue is committing anywhere from 15- 75% of their stack (lots of players start with $2-300) to see the river, and then having to risk their whole stack on the river bets.
the actual dealing of the hand and then the after-hand counting and board chops and chip chops esp if its 3 or more at showdown is resulting om most bomb pots averaging 5+mins to be finished... in what is supposed to be a hold em game. and usually in an hour there are 2 bomb pots. meaning somewhere between 15-20% of our paid for hours are watching 4 or less players go to the river and then watch as someone has to tank call with their hand.
compare that to holdem where even with everyone calling a 3 bet pre and going to the flop in holdem the hand usually ends on the flop or turn, takes a minute, maybe 2 and the next hand is being dealt.
Ive starting convincing several of the regulars by pointing out we play 10+ mins an hour on bomb pots, where that same time could have another 5-ish hands dealt instead. and in the last month we have occisionally been able to have a HE only table without the bomb pots... until they combine tables and we have to have bomb pots cause a chunk of the regs insist on them.