[William]

Ali,

Poker sites advertise a lot in Europe, but over here, poker is still considered as something you should not be doing. There is also a poker boom, but poker players are not "celebrities" like in the states.

It is important to understand that the online gaming business as it is today is doomed to fail. The internet is a new market, with no regulations, legislations, etc... Because it is global, it is very difficult to regulate but with the sums of money involved (the ones that the sites are making and not paying taxes on) it is IMPOSSIBLE that the actual situation can survive for too long. Govt. are slow in matters like this, but when the engine starts rolling, there is no way to stop it. The sites, no matter how big, wealthy or old they are know all this. They were the pioneers of this golden niche and have made much money out of it, but as it should be, society wants its share (where do you think the good things in life come from if you don't pay taxes) and soon it must be over. Maybe sites will be allowed to continue if they are made legal, become state regulated and pay taxes or maybe the gvt itself will have their own sites. That would be the best for the players as it would remove any doubt about the integrity of the online sites. Maybe it will be all over, I don't know. Gambling has always done more harm than good to society and it is not a few thousand people that are smarter at the game than the rest of the population that are going to change that.

I understand this causes a lot of distress to many people in here (me included) as it is always difficult to accept that the golden goose has been slaughtered and that those nice golden eggs will not be around anymore, but refusing to see reality as it truly is, is just childish.

We can all see how horrible games have become. This happened practically overnight. Yes, I know that there are some super duper good players in comparison to whom we are all fishies and they will probably allways manage, but for the rest of the daily grinders (most of us) our way of life has changed radically and it is impossible to make long term plans concerning online poker.

The poker boom we have lived the past few years is not all good. Of course it is good that more people are playing, but not all are fishies, some learn and make it more difficult for the rest of us. There is a thin line that separates "enough" from "too much" and I believe that we have crossed that line (from the players point of view of course. Too much doesn't exist for the sites). As I said, the really good ones will survive, but all of those that just needed to find a table (or 12) full of players worst than themselves are going to have a very hard time. The fish/shark ratio is just not what it has been anymore.

Sites like this one have also contributed to the situation we find ourselves in. Great when it helps you to become a better player, but how about the 250.000 other? Today players are educated everywhere, books, television commercials (yes, here a site gives one advice a week on a television add; be agressive, beware of the rock, how to play against the maniac, etc... all clearly demonstrated at the table, with babes, known actors, etc... ) Good for them as it attracts more players, fish to begin with, but we are not all idiots, and too many learn and find out that it is very nice to make a living playing half naked from your living room.

Poker like anything else becomes hard when it becomes too popular and too many people play it. If on top of that the gvt does all it can to stop it....

But again, it is easy to refuse to accept reality.

The guy that falls from the 100th floor of a building also things "all's well so far" when he passes by the 50th floor....