Two Plus Two Newer Archives - One possible solution

I want to play online poker without problems, harassment, and uncertainty as much as anybody. (I would prefer to not have to play against multitabling, slow acting hudbots, but that is another story)

I don't have a lot of faith that the current situation is going to be viable for long. Me and all my fish friends are simply not going to go through the hassle and risk of dealing with the current deposit/withdrawal methods.

I have a grand or so left on Stars, and if/when that is gone, I am gone. FWIW, there were a couple of folks at my work who used to play online. They were the typical rec (fish) players. There is absolutely zero chance of them playing online again unless it is completely and unequivocally LEGAL.

Which brings me to my point.

Poker rooms are legal in California. E-poker has already made an appearance and been accepted by some players at Hollywood Park. Satellite betting (over the internet I presume, but don't know) is approved for horseracing.

I propose a blending of these various scenarios to the benefit of poker players, casinos/cardrooms, state and federal tax receipts.

I envision a system I first thought of when I was in Vegas. I saw the sportsbooks full of booths with terminals (The Wynn to be exact). I said to Mrs Fish, "this is how poker is going to be played in the not too distant future".

Now I can see how the current goings on might hasten change and could possibly result in something similar to the following scene.

Ocean's Eleven and other established and fully legal cardrooms set up and act as gateways to a virtual pokerroom on a VPN running over the internet. (I am no computer guy, but you get the idea, a private network pokerroom)

Scattered thoughout the cardroom are the terminals at which you can sit and play "online poker". Things can be set up so that you can't be playing anyone in your immediate proximity. The only thing different so far is that you are playing at a virtual table with players scattered throughout the various participating casinos.

To play, you go to the cashier and get a "bankdrive", a USB thumbdrive that is loaded with however many chips you want. Then you go find a "terminal", actually a PC, loaded with the appropriate software and connected to the internet. You then plug your USB "bankdrive" device. This also allows the PC access to the VPN pokerroom. You transfer the required chips to your virtual table and your are off and running so to speak.

The USB device also acts as a repository for the hand histories of every hand you play. This prevents "meddling" with the chips. When you cash in, the "bankdrive" histories are matched against the server to insure the hands and chip count all match.

Are you with me so far?

Yeah Tuff, but this sucks, I don't want to go to some cardroom in Oceanside to play virtual poker.

Well, let's see if we can help you out.

First of all, let's make the poker software we use available for play money poker games to anyone anywhere. Now bear in mind, it is the same software, but without the USB "bankdrive" you cannot get onto the VPN and access the real money games. The "bankdrive" can only be purchased in person with cash at the casino/cardroom. (Just like the B&M do today)

Once you purchase the "bankdrive" with however many chips you choose, it can be plugged into any terminal you choose. Should you just happen to wander out of the casino and go home, nobody is going to mind too much. Your play money PC is now a real money PC since you have plugged in a perfectly legally obtained "bankdrive", and you are playing on a perfectly private VPN.

Why the hell would the casinos, cardrooms, and especially the state/feds allow this. They aren't going to allow you to leave the premises!

Why indeed? FOR THE MONEY.

For the casino/cardrooms: A player pool of tens of thousands instead of tens of hundreds. Revenue sharing baby, that is the key!

For the state/feds: Tax revenues in the hundreds of thousands to millions.

For the online recreational poker player: Except for having to go to a physical location to get bankrolled, business as usual.

WIN! WIN! WIN!

And now, any questions?

Will there be rakeback?

NO.

Can we multitable?

Not if the casinos/state/feds have their wits about them. The last thing they want is to have Joe Poker try this out and get immediately skinned by a bunch of multitabling sharks.

I can still purchase two "bankdrives" and run two machines, or 3, right?

Heve fun with that, and if you get caught, you will never play on the VPN again, plus penalties.

So the IRS can get an exact accounting of my wins and losses?

Pay your taxes.

What about players who aren't in California? Won't they have to keep folks from Washington, Louisiana, etc out?

Reply from the State of California: What do we care? As long as you purchase your chips in a legal California cardroom, we aren't very interested what you do with them. The more the merrier we say. (Think tax revenue)

Reply from the feds: ibid.

WIN! WIN! WIN!

Tuff