its too bad stars is going to ban US players, I was just

[vqc]

beginning to like their interface.

8 tabling with them all fullscreened and overlapping was awesome.
stupid ban.

[taipan168]

There was a post on 2+2 earlier today when Lee Jones said that Stars hadn't yet decided its position. There may be hope yet!

[Erudito]

Which pokerrooms are being banned? I am a Canadian and I am not sure how this will affect Canadians here since the politians here love to imitate the Americans.
Could you post the link about this ban? Thanks.

[taipan168]

Wow Erudito, you must have been living in a cave to miss this!

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...gonew=1#UNREAD

[Erudito]

I just being too busy with my job. I was aware of the banning of internet poker in the US. But, here in Canada there has been no news nor any politicians move to ban online internet poker gambling. My fear is that the politicians in Canada will copy the US ban.
Thanks for the link.

[taipan168]

I just being too busy with my job. I was aware of the banning of internet poker in the US. But, here in Canada there has been no news nor any politicians move to ban online internet poker gambling. My fear is that the politicians in Canada will copy the US ban.
Thanks for the link.

I live in Australia where it is technically illegal for companies to offer offshore gaming/gambling facilities but the ban is not enforced. In any case, even in the US the sanction will not be against the individual player, it will be against the banks and gambling sites that accept money transferred from US bank accounts or credit cards.

The real tragedy of this is that big sites like Party will stop allowing US players to play, the volume of traffic goes down, the games become much tougher and both ROI and hourly rates drop.

[Alexos]

Found a good article about what is going on:

http://www.pokerplayernewspaper.com/...le.php?id=1481

[donkbee]

I don't know what's going to happen other than the fact that the games will have much fewer fish now. So yeah, online poker as we know it today is over.

US players might be able to play on Stars still. It will just be a bitch to deposit ...

We'll see what happens. Lee Jones' statement on 2p2 saying that they haven't made a decision either way is both encouraging and discouraging at the same time.

[topsoyale]

As a British player I hopefully have nothing to worry about here.
Seems we get all the benefits here.

Don't even have to pay any tax on winnings until significantly large amounts.

But even for me this is bad news, if you guys are going to be banned (lets be optimistic and say you wont), then thats far less traffic on the sites and far fewer opponents for me to play against.

[Da GOAT]

you should all come to ireland where you will never pay tax ever on gambling and the women are easy.


+EV all round.


The ban is daft, though american politics have a very very poor image abroad.

[Dice Man]

As a British player I hopefully have nothing to worry about here

I really can't see this scenario happening over here in blighty. Gambling is far too entrenched in British culture. I can't move for betting shops around here.

Even if there were issues with offshore casino's/poker rooms, we would always have the likes of Ladbrokes/Hills/Coral ect. - although most of them aren't great.

Having said that our big brother government is finding new way's each day to infringe on our freedom of choice.

There i was, happily downloading an odd BDSM movie, all consenting adults involved, not bothering anybody. I now find i am liable to 3 years in prison for being in posession of such "EVIL". WTF

A few too many practising christians in new Labour for me. The new Labour leader will be Gordon Brown shortly - son of a Scottish Presbyterian minister i believe. Best not vote for him i think, he may well want to save us all from becoming degenerate gambler's.

WTF am i talking about ? Sorry for ranting.

[swiggidy]

^^ You just made England sound like Jesusland

[Alexos]

As a guy studying in finance(not that u need to be to understand it) I think this article describes very well how poker compares to investing...I'm realizing more and more how the US govt is shit.

http://www.fool.com/news/commentary/...ry06100304.htm

[JeffreyGB]

FWIW, the sky is not falling.

Poker is a long term game. We all know this. Politicians (Bill Frist) sucked out on us and have taken a pot away. So? Between the PPA making several valid arguments toward a poker exemption and the WTO violations that this bill creates, there's plenty of premium hands left in our arsenal.

I fully expect that 3 years from now, online poker as an industry will be at least close to what it is now.

[vqc]

FWIW, the sky is not falling.

Poker is a long term game. We all know this. Politicians (Bill Frist) sucked out on us and have taken a pot away. So? Between the PPA making several valid arguments toward a poker exemption and the WTO violations that this bill creates, there's plenty of premium hands left in our arsenal.

I fully expect that 3 years from now, online poker as an industry will be at least close to what it is now.

im waiting for all the chinese people to start playing poker.

[kevster]

Poker is a long term game. We all know this. Politicians (Bill Frist) sucked out on us and have taken a pot away. So? Between the PPA making several valid arguments toward a poker exemption and the WTO violations that this bill creates, there's plenty of premium hands left in our arsenal.

Nice analogy

[JeffreyGB]

Poker is a long term game. We all know this. Politicians (Bill Frist) sucked out on us and have taken a pot away. So? Between the PPA making several valid arguments toward a poker exemption and the WTO violations that this bill creates, there's plenty of premium hands left in our arsenal.

Nice analogy

Thanks. Before poker, I thought I'd make spare change through my hobby of writing. Had an outline and a couple of chapters of a time travel novel that attempted to use a twist on religion to explain how several major events in our history were the result of a time-travel cult who specifically went back and changed things to shape the world in the best way they could. Someday I will return to it and write that book...it'll just probably be half a century from now.

[kevster]

Thanks. Before poker, I thought I'd make spare change through my hobby of writing. Had an outline and a couple of chapters of a time travel novel that attempted to use a twist on religion to explain how several major events in our history were the result of a time-travel cult who specifically went back and changed things to shape the world in the best way they could. Someday I will return to it and write that book...it'll just probably be half a century from now.

Well if the poker world does collapse, you'll have more time to write your book

[Da GOAT]

tell me though.

is it banned in vegas and atlanta? arent they the only states where its legal to gamble. just what i heard.

Ireland like UK have tradition that we drink and gamble. there was a brief mention of closing down our casinos. our casino are actually gentlemen clubs you have to join before entry (so bring ID to get in)and therefore work around the fact that casinos like vegas (where you can just walk in)are illegal in ireland.

Our government have chosen to just regulate the industry instead.

[gingerwizard]

I think things will turn around. The reason the US has pulled the plug is that all internet gaming is based off shore. Poker is huge money and the US don't want to allow companies in gibralter or malta sucking all that revenue. The situation is analagous in many ways to the iraq for oil idea.

Heres what i think will happen. Obviously if you're in the US you'll be able to play if you're serious but the oceans will be depleted so for us fish lovers are gonna have to get our teeth into tougher meat.

The appeals for poker to be treated as a separate case from general sports betting (which is what the original US law made illeagal) will eventually work with a provisio that US based sites sanctioned by the US govt may only be used and only for what may end up being labelled 'skill' games such as poker. (Just so they can keep an eye on things of course).

Then the US people will start to play again (cos its massive on tv over there right?) and we from the UK and the rest of the world will flock to their site for the action. Now the biggest poker room in the world is contributing to the US economy and paying its vast tax bill to your federal reserve. Its an irresistable proposition.

Or you can say im into my conspiricy theories whatever.

Maybe it really is true that 'freedom' means you are free to do exactly what we tell you to do.

[swiggidy]

Our government have chosen to just regulate the industry instead.

Hmmm, you may be on to something...

[JeffreyGB]

...with a provisio that US based sites sanctioned by the US govt may only be used and only for what may end up being labelled 'skill' games such as poker. (Just so they can keep an eye on things of course). ...

This is even further against WTO agreements. At least currently there's some difference between the live service aspect offered by casinos in half the states. If there are US companies running online gambling sites, then the supporters of the ban have even fewer legs to stand on (and I guarrantee there would be related law suits).

[donkbee]

im waiting for all the chinese people to start playing poker.

oh god me too

[LimpinAintEZ]

think regulation will be so great? Between rake and taxes, your going to have to be 1 hell of a player to survive...

[JeffreyGB]

think regulation will be so great? Between rake and taxes, your going to have to be 1 hell of a player to survive...

Some of us already pay taxes on our winnings, so we don't see it as much of a problem. There might be more need to document costs of doing business (i.e. record losses/buyins) so that you could itemize them for deductions in the end, but I don't think it would result in a signficant difference for someone that's already paying taxes. If you're not paying, well...

That argument has to do with income taxes, however, which is completely different from the $3 billion figure that everyone is throwing around. That $3 billion, as I understand it, is strictly coming from what is estimated as the government's cut on the rake.

[givememyleg]

im waiting for all the chinese people to start playing poker.

oh god me too

i'm not. i use to play a lot of computer games and chinese people totally wtf pwned everyone... i don't want to get wtf pwned playing poker.

[Xianti]

i use to play a lot of computer games and chinese people totally wtf pwned everyone... i don't want to get wtf pwned playing poker.

The Chinese certainly have geek skills. But they definitely don't have poker skills. They are hardcore GAMBLERS.

[taipan168]

i use to play a lot of computer games and chinese people totally wtf pwned everyone... i don't want to get wtf pwned playing poker.

The Chinese certainly have geek skills. But they definitely don't have poker skills. They are hardcore GAMBLERS.

I agree with this. At Sydney casino 70-80% of the patrons are Asian (Australia's population is 5-10% Asian). There are some NL Hold'em poker tables there and these guys play like they're playing blackjack, they'll call preflop raises with ATC, call big bets down to the river with bottom pair/two overs etc.

I guess they might replace the fish that we'll miss from the USA.