Not sure if serious or pre BF ABC nit

I would actually argue otherwise. Teaching them basic strategy is a good thing to keep them playing. It's not like the stuff you really need to know can just be read and repeated. You have to actually work to be really good at poker, that's not what fish want to do. They just want to learn basic strat and play. Just because a fish reads about complex poker strategy doesn't mean they will know how to actually apply it or put in the work to make it useful.

As someone already said, poker used to be embarrassingly easy. Every single professional endeavor puts out information to the public. Why? To increase the number of participants. Sure, some will learn quickly(faster than you were able to 10 years ago) but not without working hard and putting in the hands.

They talked about this on the 2+2 Pokercast with Galfond the other night. Just because someone watches Phil play doesn't mean they instantly became Phil or are even capable of really understanding what he is saying and using it correctly.

I personally know at least a half a dozen players within the continental United States currently using a VPN to play on Stars regularly

you sir, are the total ******

shut it down before you embarrass yourself any further

Warm Regards

online poker is NOT dead for sure . most peoples (wannabee regs) brains are dead .

The argument that online poker is dying is ludicrous.
What would replace it? Telepathy poker?

Why would anyone relocate to a foreign country as many players have done if a VPN would solve their problems and they could stay in the states. The players who have relocated are competent enough that they have the money to pay for someone with expertise to set up a VPN. I am aware of some big sports bettors who were using a VPN to play on Pinnacle SportsBook. It doesn't exist anymore because several of the Pinnacle investors are still in the US. The company made an agreement to no longer take bets from US customers even though it has always been considered illegal. The offshore books investors who still take bets from the US don't live here and have no intention to visit the US anytime soon. The one's that do usually get arrested. If Pinnacle's software is able to detect and defeat anyone who tries to access and set up accounts from a spoofed location then Stars should be able to do the same. Stars isn't going to be as diligent because it's not a big deal. The Fed's interest in
offshore books activities is much more serious than it is with poker sites.

Online poker isn't dead? Tell that to the US players with six figures on Lock which has less value than Monopoly money.

Because some ppl dont want to live in fear of the IRS/prison.

What makes you think that a US citizen escapes IRS filing requirements just because he relocates to another country?

Correct, forgotten about it, I do not happen to have been granted that special citizenship. But still I suppose it is better to file your earnings from a country where what you do is actually allowed.

I think the negativity is a good thing, theres too many masstabling wannabes already making the games boring for the recs.

Odds on OP will be busto in his dream if he doesn't want to listen to good advice. Heres one from me. Get a/Keep your job. Play part time. Fun + Profit

hopefully strip poker

I will start this by apologizing if this has been said, because it's getting past my bed time so I haven't read every page yet.

Quit comparing poker now to poker then, and you will see the reality is that poker is now and will be alive and well. Online poker is hurting due to the federal shutdown of the largest rooms, but poker is still being played in B&M, basements, kitchen tables, etc all over the US and the world.

Go a little deeper into US history, I say. In the US, prohibition hurt the alcohol and beer industries really bad, but people were still drinking and still creating. Over time, once the prohibition was lifted, the industry returned and is today alive and well.

I may be a bit naive, but I can see a day when poker returns with a BOOM (so to speak). If/when Zynga poker is able to spread the game to Americans openly, and the average drunk can deposit by purchasing a $100 dollar gift card from Walmart the game will once again be a honeypot.

Maybe it's just me being an optimist, but I think happy days are ahead. Maybe we just can't quite see past the edge of our bruised noses thanks to the DOJ?

lol @ anyone leaving 6 figures on a US facing poker site these days

One factor here is the fact that pessimism is something that humans like to spread, for ego purposes. If a player who made $$ for a few years and is now struggling and is moving on, they are going to tend to paint the most pessimistic picture possible of the poker world, so as to feel better about it.

One of the most tilting things people do in life is when they're afraid they're missing out on something, they will look for chances to discredit that thing to others (who usually don't give a ****), just to make themselves feel better. The same thing happens here.

Some of those players may not have even been +EV to begin with, but ran hot for a couple of years (had a huge tourney bink or two), and variance is slapping them upside the face.

Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of reason to be pessimistic about the current state and/or the future of poker, but the level of overt pessimism will always be skewed more pessimistic by human nature. In that respect, I agree with the OP.

That being said, it's ironic to me to say all this because poker is one of the most delusion-inducing worlds ever, whether as a hobby or as a source of income. So, it's pretty important to stay realistic IMO. That's just impossible to do with all of the variables involved in someone trying to make a steady income from poker.

exactly. Compared with how it used to be its harder work for less money for the majority of regs still around at any stake on any game basically. Does this make it dead, no, it makes it harder, makes the edges smaller and the bottomtier regs on a certain stake get in trouble, move down or quit and get replaced.

Its not that easy anymore, but then again you shouldnt complain if you allready started some time ago. I often think back what if i played poker in 2006 instead of 2010. This is true, but it is also true what if i have to start now against all these guys that started in 2010. That would mean even more work for less money. So it isnt all sunshine but dead, not even close!

it's not dead, last night on merge, in a $60 super turbo, I shoved 8bbs bvb and got called by 78 off suit.

I don't think has anything to do with a VPN, why does the irs care if u use a VPN to play on stars from Nebraska? stars may care but even if they catch ya, that's it, account closed, they will say don't do it again, end of story, no?

having a vpn is the easy part. setting up your banking so you can actually get your money is the hard part.

I already got that, someone help me with the easy part

Good point. Even with a VPN and foreign bank account, you never escape the wrath of the IRS.

poker is superdead...

all sites have 100 regional mutations due to laws and its hard to play versus regional players with same mentality - no more russian, american and south european fishes together in one pool.

there are plenty of info about poker and even fish can study what should or shouldn't do in one day - i don't remember, when I saw preflop overbet for 20bbs and more and I dont remember, when I stacked person with AA preflop when the person didnt have KK or QQ.

ROIs are getting smaller and smaller, people who used to play 180max turbo with 30 percent roi are happy for 10 percent roi now

rakes are ridiculous everywhere, except pokerstars.com

you must play really high stakes to make it worth, when you play games for 20 dollars and less, you must play 10 hours a day be dude with something like average salary

in three years, only luckboxes and super poker nerds will have some profit... maybe 1 percent of all players will have high standard of living thanks to poker. But if million people will play roulette for one year, there can be some statistical exception and few people can be millionaires - same thing will be in poker after few years.

I dont take argument about professionals - yeah, there are maybe 50 people, who can afford to play Big One for One Drop (or who can find people who will back part of their action). All those high roller TV tourneys with 50-200 people - of course you will be on top from time to time, if you are playing it regulary. Those people are just walking billboards to lure average fishes like most people in this forum to pay for rake.

Rake is the only long-term regular winner in all online poker sites and it goes to owners of the sites. I feel pitty for all those people, who are thinking about high standard of living thanks to poker in ten years. If you don't belong between 20 best HU SNG players or 100 best and sponsored live MTT players, you are not one of that lucky people, who can achieve that in 10 years

Damn, look at sharkscope yearly leaderboards. Every year top earners have less and less money and there are very few game types, where leaders have 100k+ Go and find a job or start some business - there is bigger chance to make 100k+ yearly.

poker is not dead as a gambling game for people, who likes to gamble - it is like to say that roulette or slots are dead

however, poker is dead as a game, which where good players can exploit really bad players and profit really nice money from it - exploiting is harder and harder, maybe impossible for most people in this discussion

Latvia just put PS,FTP, 888 and Unibet on blacklist. See PokerNews for story.

Now that PS is a publicly owned company expect them to turn into another Party Poker. Player pool segregation, jackpot sit 'n goes which steal action from all other sngs and are essentially unbeatable, etc etc. If you think its hard to win on PS.com now you don't stand a chance to beat the game in the near future.