[Dan Druff]

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KBZ,

I 100% agree with you. Without any regulation, even the "established" places carry lots of risks. However, sticking w/ the biggest sites is likely to at least reduce the risk somewhat.

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100% agree with this.

I have actually said this for years, which is why I laughed at young punks who would flash 200k bankrolls at smaller sites.

All sites have some degree of risk, but the "Big Two" (Full Tilt and Pokerstars) have too much to lose if a major scandal unfolds. Therefore, it is in their best interest to always run an honest shop.

The smaller sites -- even medium-sized ones like AP and UB -- always pose a greater risk for trouble. This includes both sides of the security coin -- cheating by the staff (as in this situation) and being a victim of bogus cheating accusations (i.e. getting your funds frozen/confiscated for no reason). The latter is actually a much greater danger than the former, but now we see that both can happen.

It is true that smaller sites often have better games than Tilt and Stars, but you're giving up some security and peace of mind. Like everything else in life, it's a risk-reward situation. I do play on small sites, but honestly, nothing that happens at these places surprises me. I try to keep my roll functional but relatively small in those places.