The decline of online poker
Written by Benn Hodapp, Thursday November 20 2008
Not so long ago, a poker player could head over to an array of sites like PartyPoker.com or FullTiltPoker.com or any number of others, sit down and play some good old fashioned poker. But thanks to the Unlawful Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, people have been driven away from the cash game luxury these sites once brought.
After doing some research on my own, there is still raging debate about whether or not playing poker online for money is indeed illegal. The sites I named above do not allow U.S. residents to play real money games, but sites still exist that allow for real money to be exchanged electronically.
My friend and I used to play online poker for money. We would strategize with one another, talking out our next move and whether or not the jerkass to our right just tried to buy the pot, if he had something worth raising like a donkey or if he was just bluffing his ass off. On our best days we would walk away with anywhere between $40-$100. We didn't get addicted, we played about twice a month. We didn't bet the deeds to our houses, nor did we promise our first born because we totally had a flush draw on the flop.
The bottom line is, and will always be, that hardcore gamblers will find a way to gamble. I, for one, don't know how to go about finding gambling in a land that denies it, but those who have an addiction do. But for the casual players, an extremely innocent good time has been taken away.
So now I, and millions of others, have been driven to Facebook and MySpace to get our poker ya-yas out. And while I have met a number of great people whom I cherish dearly on these social networking green felt tables, the gameplay itself has left much to be desired.
Back when playing for money was a reality and huge numbers of people were on the sites, the game was played largely like a game would be played amongst friends or at a casino. There were bluffers, sure, but because it was real money, bluffs were made strategically and with purpose. I can't tell you how many times some numbnuts joins a table on Facebook and goes all-in 22 consecutive hands regardless of what he has or where it is in the hand.
So while I cannot really say for certain whether or not online poker for cash has been abolished completely, I can say that the onlike poker that still exists has been largely dumbed down and the great game of poker has suffered because of it.
Guys like Chris Moneymaker, Phil Hellmuth, Greg Raymer with his stupid glasses among others all made poker the biggest thing to happen to online entertainment since porn ... or so I hear. Now it's all gone and I am left to wonder why there is still poker on ESPN 17 hours a day.
This law has me quite irritated and perhaps a change in the White House could lead to a change back in what I am allowed to do with my pocket money.
I call your BS law, Washington. And I'm all-in waiting to hear a single worthwhile word from you on why it is worth a damn.
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