if anyone is interested in costa rica, shoot me a pm. i can point out to you to a nice extended stay place very reasonably priced with high speed internet as a starting pont. i made the move here when partypoker went south and am very happy. cheap flights, cost of living low, best weather in the world!!, safe and if you like the ladies you will truly love it.

I don't really buy this argument. Americans count for probably half of the traffic on these two sites. There are a lot of American pros to be sure, but there are many, many, many more American fish.

Im talking to a few other 2p2 members about this...not sure we can make a difference but its definately worth it. I will PM you and any one else who might be intersted shoot me a PM to be added to the list.

anybody from other countries surprised so much americans dont have relatives outside of the u.s??

How about Mexico? Nick Rainey is down there right now...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VQ9M...eature=related

^^ good video for you guys....

With the exemption you have to pay SE tax, which is only a grand or two less than the straight income tax on 90k.

???

I am 6-year pro and I can't imagine going back to real work. Early plan is to enjoy the summer in US, head to Philippines after rainy season (~November), get legal on PS, FTP, PP and maybe open iPoker account. Travel to Vancouver for up to six months when I want to see the western world. Definitely avoid US soil in 2012 and therefore dodge taxes (up to 80K), reevaluate after a year.

I was already planning on Philippines for the winter anyway so I feel pretty ready for that. Vancouver from May to October would miss rainy season in Manila so may be that is a long-term option. Rentals seem cheap in Vancouver. Kinda of excited actually, being forced to make a big move that I may not have pulled the trigger on otherwise.

Correct, I paid almost 15K on 84K in income, Income tax was > SE tax.

How do u do this part? Do u need to open a foreign bank account? Don't u need citizenship?

No, you need a USD bank account which is easy to get in the Philippines. The bank account, + visa, + lease should be sufficient to prove residency.

a bit of a derail, and i know ive been harping on it on many threads, but why arent people willing to look at the other us facing sites in the time being? there are many options out there, and they will only get better now, imo.

i hear you though about leaving this country. i have my rv ready to make the 2 hour trip north if need be.

Games will almost certainly be overwhelmed by regs from other sites who have no other options. Merge/Bodog just don't have enough fish to support us all and if they start to advertise they become a DOJ target. I played on Merge for about an hour before I realized it was futile.

ive been making a living playing on bodog (6 years) and PO (merge/cake; 3-4 years), among others. if you think there arent fish on those you just plain arent aware. also, if ps/ftp were easier (which of course i dont believe) over the past 6 years, then ive made some pretty foolish life decisions.

edit: i should add that i havnet played on ft/ps since 2003.

again, sorry for the derail, but i just think there are options for people right now; you can play at these options while preparing to leave the country, imo.

He is saying many of the US regs that played on Stars/Tilt/UB will start playing on merge/bodog and those games will go downhill because the massive influx of sharks.

yeah this.

But even if that wasnt the case, how are you going to get money off these sites? Its like if a rival gang just came down in your neighborhood and killed everyone who was selling drugs. ****, blood, and guts all over the walls and curbs. You really going to go out on the street corner the next day and try and sling some rock?

yes, i know what he is saying. im saying that degens will come as well, along with the regs. we all know the games have become increasingly tough, and will continue down that path until regulation happens. im just trying to put in a somewhat-non-sky-is-falling perspective.

i will continue to do what i have been doing for years. all of these sites are affiliated with sportsbooks, and obviously already illegal under current laws (in addition to flouting the uigea). this isnt to say that i think everything is roses; things have and will continue to go downhill until regulation happens. all of this is the cost of doing business, and ive had to deal with variations of it for years.

edit: i hope not to come of as a bastard, or like i think what happened thursday isnt important or a huge game changer. it is. i just hope to add a perspective from someone who has never played professionally on the "big two", and for the time being at least considers it business as usual.

can someone confirm the legality of online poker in macau? im asian and can speak canto fluent enough to get around the casinos, i was thinking living there for a couple of years with live mid stakes play with a mix of online would be pretty good. will i get my doors busted in for playing online in commie china?

The Stars homepage is an FBI logo. If you don't think the sky has already fallen, then you are delusional.

good luck with that. I really hope you can. But I doubt it.

The only processors who are going to touch this **** now are going to be just as corrupt as companies like UB/AP, so not only do you have to rely on an already very shady place to play, you have to rely on an even shadier company to not steal your money and actually deliver it.

Just way easier to move somewhere where you dont have to deal with any of that bull****. The world is a big place.

sooo many poker players in Thailand...

i agree alobar that where im at isnt ideal; the entire industry isnt ideal. i will say that i do my homework. i have yet to lose 1 cent since starting this journey in 2003. that isnt to say that i never will. im aware of the risks im taking, in fact i live and play in the state which has made what i do more illegal that it is in any other in our nation.

all im saying is that if you choose you could put a small roll on one of the alternative options while still planning to leave the country. i traveled for a year in an rv last year funded fully from poker, and it was the best year of my life, so you wont get any argument from me on that!

Yes, clearly those aren't THC crystals on this latest purchase.