The PPA Wants to Know How This Impacts You -- Post Your Story in This Thread!

[DougL]

I'm a 41 year old engineering consultant. I played live poker for years. For the last three years, I've played poker online for fun and for a bit of side income when it is hard to find engineering work. I'll miss the money, but the convenience and being able to spend time with friends around the world will be a bigger hit.

When I got married and we had our child, playing online provided a great way to enjoy my favorite hobby while not having to spend 3 hours in the car round trip to the nearest casinos (or hopping a plane to Vegas to play for a long weekend). For me, loss of online poker is a huge hit to convenience and will cost me time with my family if I continue by playing live. It is wonderful to be able to play a couple hours after my family goes to bed, from the convenience of my own house. Poker goes from being a zero impact hobby to one that I have to balance against time lost.

The online poker world is a great community. I talk every day to other serious recreational players and pros who are around the world. I now have friends in Europe, Israel, South Africa, and all over the US. If you want to talk about gaining understanding about the rest of the world, share a hobby with people and get to know them. The idea of losing these communities bothers me. I've met in person with poker friends from around the world, and the people involved in this game are great.

I've always known that if I had trouble finding another contract, I had poker as an option to cover my expenses. As a consultant, this backup plan allows me to be more picky about the contracts I take and represents financial freedom. In addition, my poker bankroll provided an additional cash reserve in case something unexpected came up. Given the uncertainty over seeing my online money in a reasonable period of time, the DOJ has hit me twice. First, I have to be more cautious about transition times between clients. Previously, I've had the option of looking for better clients, and bidding larger jobs that take longer to find and allow me to hire other people. Second, the potential loss of my bankroll means that my cash reserves have potentially taken a decent loss.

I'm in nowhere near as bad a shape as the pros who depend on poker for a living. However, the DOJ actions will have a negative impact on my family's finances and potentially force me to spend time away from them if I decide to try to recoup some of my lost income via playing live. Friday was a sad day for all of us.

[tarmangani]

I am a 28 year old teacher and I play poker casually online. It is an intellectually challenging and engaging game of skill that I, not living near a casino, would otherwise would not be able to play.

My story goes no further than that; other than losing my favorite hobby, I cannot bemoan the loss of my livelihood, my dreams, or my future. Even still, my story is that of most players, those who enjoy poker for the exciting, competitive, and challenging game that it is, and who now have had that privilege ripped away from them. Poker is not a crime. It is a game of skill in which adults voluntarily agree to risk their own money, akin to the stock market, that venerable shrine to capitalism on which this country claims to rest.

[XcellentLaydown]

I'm a 26 year old professional poker player. I received my Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration with a minor in Finance back in 2007. While I played the game throughout college, upon graduating I did things "the right way" and took a position in the corporate world. It wasn't very long before the economy went downhill and I was downsized. Trying to find work in these times was the most depressing time I hope to ever experience. Living off unemployment, applying to hundreds of jobs, miraculous to actually get a call back let alone an interview. Months stretched to over a year and you don't even want to get out of bed. So I decided I needed to take matters into my own hands.

I had played poker throughout college but was certainly a losing to break-even player. I felt if there was ever an opportunity to apply myself and take the game seriously, it was now. I had $300 in my Pokerstars account, practiced good bankroll management that I had learned, and simply went to work. I was attached to 2+2, reading anything I could to improve. I thought about the game every waking hour. By the end of 2010 I was consulting with a CPA to ensure my taxes were in order after posting a profitable year that would be tough to match with the job opportunities in my area.

I was on pace for a 6 figure 2011. My girlfriend and I were househunting. I intended to keep making money and gradually branch off into other income streams. All of that is over. I have enough money offline for about 2 months living expenses. As a result of this, and the tax day looming, I requested a wire from Pokerstars for $14k on April 7th. I haven't received it, and don't expect to. On top of that, another $21k sitting on Pokerstars. All I can do is just stare at it and wonder if it even exists. What's worse is taking on investors for the upcoming Borgata Spring Open. Foreign individuals transferring me funds on Pokerstars. I can't even give it back to them. People who shouldn't be subject to the absurdity of all this are suffering.

What the government has done is worse than actually getting laid off. On top of taking away potential income that I have devoted so much time and effort to make, they have taken away what I thought I already earned. I was fired plus "my boss" decided to take back what I already made.

Went to Barne's and Noble today. Picked up the Police Officer Examination Book. Excited to take it, except two of my friends took it over a year ago, did well, and are on the waiting list.

[jkalib]

I am an attorney. I've been playing poker online recreationally for about six years now. I work for the government, so I make considerably less than a private attorney would. I have a very supportive wife and a wonderful daughter. In 2010 we bought our dream house. Because the housing market was so bad we kept our other house and rented it out at a loss. Poker was a way for us to hold things together until the economy turned. We used poker winnings to pay for non-necessities.

With the downturn neither my wife nor myself has gotten a raise in about 4 years. Meanwhile, the cost of living keeps rising. We are trying to pay the mortgages on two houses because we don't want to go into foreclosure. We are also trying to provide more than a bare boned existence for our daughter. Poker is not a necessity for us financially, but it sure helps.

But more than that, poker is a way to relax and unwind. It has been my main hobby for the past ten years. It allows me to challenge myself mentally in an arena completely unrelated to my profession. I feel terribly for the people who have posted here who rely solely on online poker for their income. They have done nothing wrong here. While it is an inconvenience for me, it is ruinous for them.

[umfml]

I have been playing poker for several years now. When I graduated from a top university with a degree in finance, and lack of jobs given the current climate poker was my best option. I'm not in love with poker, but I felt the game provided me a way to make an honest living and provide for myself and family.

Unintentionally, I have probably learned more from poker in the few years I have been playing it than I have from almost 20 years of formal education. The people I have met and lessons I have learned from poker reach far beyond what I have ever learned about people or life from behind a desk.

I feel that poker is a pure and honest game. The difference with poker and other businesses/financial markets is that the motives and goals of both parties in poker is clear...to win the other players money by making better decisions. There is no politics, no hidden agendas, we are making decisions against competitors in an environment where results are provided almost immediately.
Everyone has access to equal information and the playing field is level. I cannot say this same thing about the financial markets that are held in such higher esteem than poker.

If you understand the nature and mathematics of poker, there is no conceivable way that it cannot be considered a game of skill.

Socially, most people look down upon people that play poker such as myself. I think this is likely because they don't understand the game. We are not playing against casinos, we are playing against other consenting adults in a game of decision making skill where information, motives, and results are completely transparent and fair.

I have derived substantial income from poker, and paid substantial taxes as a result of it. Without online poker, there is a good chance I will go from paying money to the US gov, to needing aid from the US government.

If for some reason player funds from this debacle are taken and not returned...it will be very clear and transparent who the dishonest party is in this situation.

I pay rake to online poker sites to provide me a safe and secure platform to play a game of skill that I believe it is my right to do so. They have fulfilled their end of this deal.

I pay the US govt to provide me protection, security, and freedom. Through this shakedown my freedom has been curtailed. If my money located in poker sites is taken by them, not only have they not provided me freedom, but they have stolen from me as well. If this were to happen, not only were my rights violated, but I was also actively stolen from. It is my position that they would not be holding up their end of this deal. I would in effect be paying money to be persecuted while conducting an honest non criminal life.

[SilentButDeadly]

I'm a 22 year old "recreational" player who found some success at online poker. I went to college, got my degree, and work 45+ hours a week at my full-time job. I am getting married in October and depended on online poker as an additional source of income. It increased my personal income by about 70%, which gave me a lot of financial flexibility, especially as I am about to pay for a wedding, honeymoon, and house almost completely by myself.

My fiance's parents didn't pay for any of her college, and she has racked up about $50k in student loan debt, because she attended college (where we met) as an out of state student. Her parents had little saved for a wedding, so I am paying for 85-90% of that myself as well. On top of all this, we are looking for a house to move into after we get married. She has a full-time job as well, but she is currently paying as much as she can toward her student loan debt, until we get married.

I am your typical, mid-western American who simply wants to "live the American dream" of getting married, starting a family, and buying a house. The DOJ's decision has greatly impacted my lifestyle, as I was planning on continuing success in poker to help gather enough funds for a sizable down payment on our first house, while maintaining a solid "safety net" for emergencies. Now, my down payment is sitting in limbo, and I feel helpless, as I am at the mercy of a department who did not think about the repercussions of their actions. Their actions have not been made clear, as to what will happen with our bankrolls, and I think that is unacceptable. I am not a criminal, or a degenerate, as I have never played any form of true gambling like blackjack, craps, lotto, etc. (besides losing $1 at nickel slots, once). I am an American, taxpaying citizen who simply wants a better life for myself and my future family.

[PoopyPokemon]

I'm a 24 year old junior studying economics, poker has been my only source of income since i was 18, I played full time for two years then decided to go back to school and finish off my degree. I have one year left, and now that poker has been banned I am obviously concerned and have started looking for employment elsewhere. This ban has completely effected my future plans drastically and I will now be moving home in order to save money while i finish up my last year of school.

[mpethybridge]

I'm a 46 year-old former attorney. I quit practicing law in 2007. In 2009, I inadvertently backed into a new, full time job as a poker coach specializing in using poker database software to identify and plug leaks in the games of online poker players.

This indictment has left me essentially jobless. I was making a living supporting my family (my wife was recently laid off) offering a legal service to players engaging in a legal activity (and I was, of course, playing online as well). The forced departure of the major poker sites from the United States eliminated the need for my services for the roughly 90% of my customer base that reside in the United States.

I was also deriving a substantial part of my income from playing online poker, and needless to say, my ability to earn that portion of my income has been eliminated as well. Moreover, I have almost $40,000 in balances on the two major poker sites combined, and this money is now in legal limbo.

I think it is important to note that I have not deposited any money on an internet poker site since August of 2006. Every transaction I have ever made with a poker site was completely legal for both me and the poker site. Nevertheless, overnight, the Department of Justice transformed me from somebody with a year's worth of living expenses immediately available, who was proudly supporting his family with a job he loved, and who was days away from buying a new house in Las Vegas, into someone who is unemployed and cash strapped.

I'll get through it. I have funds available in tax deferred retirement accounts that I can access if worst comes to worst. It is, however, a damning statement on the perversity of our government that the same government that put me in a financial crisis by forcibly eliminating my legal job will also penalize me if I have to access those retirement accounts to weather the financial crisis it caused for me in the first place.

I'll get through it, as I said. I have confidence in my ability to find a new way to make a living. But I'd like someone in authority to explain to me why my government fights tooth and nail against every effort I make to earn an honest living. Mr. Bharara? Anyone?

[BrianBoyko]

I'm a 32 year old amateur poker player, based in Austin, Texas. During six months of unemployment, I killed time by playing an offline poker video game called "Poker Night at the Inventory," primarily because it was funny.

When I got a job, I decided to try my hand at playing poker online. I deposited $100 (a reasonable amount I could easily afford) to play what are called "Micro-stakes," where you typically sit down at a table with about two dollars. I vowed that I would risk no more than $2 a day. That's cheaper and more fun than a lottery ticket!

Because I didn't have a lot of practice, of course, I started out losing money, as I expected. Poker is a game of skill, and with practice, you can improve a skill.

My online bankroll dipped to around $75 at one point, but then two things happened.

A couple of weeks before the raid, I won a "freeroll" on Full Tilt Poker. It cost me no money to enter. In these freerolls, I scored in the top 250 out of 10000 players in order to win entry into a second tournament with cash prises. I placed 42nd in that tournament, beating out 17,000 other players, and winning $12. The money wasn't the important thing of course - I wasn't playing as a career, but I felt really, really proud that I was able to improve my skill to that point.

I also switched up my game from No Limit to Limit. I found that without the complexity of some of the aspects of bet sizing, I was able to win more regularly and more often, as well as play for longer periods of time with less risk. Since switching to Limit, I have been up $18, and I consider myself a "winning" poker player, though only at the nickel-and-dime stakes that I play.

I don't have my livelihood online in Full Tilt. I do have $90 of my original $100 stake, (not including $6 in bonuses). I'd like the money back, of course, I could buy a video game or a nice dinner for my friends.

But what I've lost is significant. I've lost a way to practice my poker, and to get better at it. I've lost the fun game that I enjoy.

Living in Austin, Texas, I don't have the ability to play poker in a brick-and-mortar casino, and traveling to Vegas to play is too expensive - not just in travel expenses, but also in stakes. My $90 bankroll in Full Tilt, playing reasonably, was enough for 22 buy-ins of $4 each at $0.10/0.20. Casinos in Las Vegas - in addition to requiring $300 in airfare and $200 in hotel bills, start at $2/4. In order to buy-in, you need $80 at least. Most places start at $3/6, where you need $120. That's for a single game. It makes sense if you have the money to play higher limits, but for a beginning player like me, it's a losing proposition.

That just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I understand that if you -really like Las Vegas, you might want to make the trip, but I don't really like Las Vegas. Everything is way too expensive.

Organizing a local poker night isn't a good idea either. Mostly because everyone wants to play no-limit Holdem, which is a game I do poorly at. Even so, home games in Texas operate under the same lack of information that online poker has - I'm not even sure if they're legal and no one will give me an answer.

I'm not making money, I'm not making a living. But online poker is the only way that I can really reliably play because of my location and because I choose to be responsible with my money and not bet what I can't afford to lose.

[ShipShipHooray]

I am a 50 year old Partner in a global strategy consulting firm. I have played poker online for about a year. I have made a little money, but for me it is really about the intellectual and psychological exercise, I love the mental discipline and pure mathematical logic that surrounds the game. I don't really gamble and this has no relation to gambling for me. In fact the monetary aspect of it is what keeps the intellectual exercise real and doesn't exist in "play" games. I actually started on Zynga and realized that it was uninteresting because people didn't care whether they won or lost.

Politically, I am a centrist, not anti-government. For me, this is the first time I feel truly let down by my government. I often don't agree with government actions or policies but they are grounded in some rationale. This is different, this is government taking away something I enjoy for no reason at all. I am angry, and the actions are saddening.
I will spend my poker time reading or watching movies, life will go on and I am fine. But am left feeling a huge degree of cynicism that this is the act of government officials who, being too incompetent to do anything that would truly make our lives better, stumbles down a path drunkenly guided only by their own idiocy.

[El Guapo]

I am a 34 year investment professional. I have been playing poker since I was literally a kid. From the age of 13 my friends and I would play poker pretty much whenever we could. We were all so called "jocks" as we were all on the football team, basketball, baseball, track etc. But we were different than your typical jocks, instead of partying and drinking, we would spend our evenings and weekends playing poker. Usually for hours on end and into the early morning.

Even though our parents did not like the fact that we played for real money, we were at someones house and not out doing who knows what.

I have been playing in cards rooms and casinos since I was able to, and as soon as poker became popular and internet poker was somewhat mainstream I have played online. Online, I would assume I am a losing player. I don't really keep track. I play low stakes and primarily play for fun and enjoyment.

I have a very different experience from online poker. I have experienced a community unlike any other. Some of my best friends are now people and players I have met because of poker and online poker. I have even made some business acquaintances.

This past year a bunch of us went to Vegas and I met some of these people in person for the first time. I have introduced my wife and children to some of these people.

Without online poker I would have never made these acquaintances who have had a very positive impact on my life. I know this is much different than many of you who are financially affected by this, but I thought this might add a more human element to this, than just a bunch of young guys trying to earn a living.

[FoldNow13]

I am a 24 year old professional poker player. I have taken the last few semesters of college off to pursue what i love to do. I have recently started to coach players from all over the world and it made me realize, again, how amazing poker really is. I could do what i loved along with teaching other players from around the world to succeed at what they loved. If poker were NOT a game of skill coaching would not improve players results. After i started coaching my students every single player showed improvements with most of them being drastic.

At this time i have to put my summer plans on hold. i was going to go to the WSOP for at least a few weeks like i have the last 3 summers. now i have to start playing live poker games around town for a fraction of the amount of money of what i am able to play for online. to play live i will have to play hours that are not desirable taking away a lot of my time that i am able to spend with my girlfriend. i was lucky enough to keep around 30% of my money offline so i am not worried about paying rent in the next few months but am worried about what i am going to do after that. I have around $20,000 tied up between full tilt and pokerstars not knowing if i will ever get these funds i worked so hard for.

Now it seems my only option is to go back to school in the fall and graduate sometime in the next two years. Graduating college does not mean i will be able to find a job though and go into the corporate grind like the government wants all of its citizens to do. i live in Michigan. We all know that Michigan has one of the worst economies in the United States right now and jobs are not easy to come by. Many of my friends that have graduated from college have had to leave the state to get work and leave their families. Some have had to take jobs that do not pay well. Others have not found jobs at all. Poker was going to allow me to have very solid income while allowing me to stay close to my family. I am a tax paying citizen that has had my dream and freedom to do what i love taken away by the government. The USA joins North Korea today as one of the few countries in the world that does not allow their citizens to play online poker.

[kauch12]

I am a 27 year old online pro and have been playing professionally and paying taxes for 4 years. It has been an interesting journey for me to say the least. In the beginning of my career I would become frustrated and affected negatively by the natural losing streaks of the game. Over time and countless hours of studying I was able to improve. Every year my mindset improved and naturally my results followed. Last year I read "Treat your Poker Like a Business," and something clicked, I finally felt like I had 'made it' and treated my poker playing as a business and a job, because that's exactly what it is to me. I no longer paid attention to results in the short term because there was no reason to. If I worked hard and put my time in and consistently played to my ability the money would be there in the end, and it always was. The peace of mind this brought me was incredible. I had done it.

My favorite quote is, "Once you achieve greatness, you can see it in all things." Not saying I achieved greatness yet, but I know what it takes to achieve, and it's a tireless work ethic and dedication. No matter the craft, that is what it takes. Now I'm worried that with the DOJ actions I might not be able to achieve the greatness I am so close to. This was going to be my breakthrough year, where I put it all together, and was able to buy a home and get married to my amazing and supportive girlfriend of 3 years. After making tax payments at the beginning of this month for 2010, and getting the majority of my liquid funds frozen in my Full Tilt account, I am essentially unemployed and near broke. This would be enough to crush the me at the start of my career, but not now. I have been knocked down before and have always re-emerged stronger and hungrier, and this instance will be no different.

Through poker I have learned that there are natural ups and downs in every facet of life. All you can do is your best, day in and day out. Whatever comes of it is ultimately out of your control, but if you take pride in doing your best everyday at your job, at your relationship, as a son, as a brother, as a friend you can live a truly happy and fulfilled life, I know because I've done it. Right now I am going to do my best to make my voice heard. Poker is not a crime. It is a game of incredible skill and mental strength. I've been through the ringer, and came out a better person. I have met many friends through poker and now I hope many more. Let us fight for what is right. Many thanks to the PPA for all the work you do on behalf of the player. I look forward to fighting the good fight and eventually achieving the greatness I ultimately desire.

Best regards,

Adam Kaucher
kauch12

[tbrick412]

I am a 23 year old soon to be college graduate who will be graduating in 3 weeks. I am moving to a new state and will be looking for a full time job. I had planned on poker paying for everything I needed as it has for the past couple years, paying my way through this last part of college. I definitely did not make enough as alot of people here, but poker was able to cover alot of my cost of living month to month.

I have been growing so much as a player lately, and booked my best month ever in March. I was feeling great with a positive outlook on life for the first time in a long time, and then this news is just so crushing that it has been all of I have been able to think about as of late.

At the moment I am backed so I don't have alot of funds tied up online, but I sincerely feel for my backer who does, and I also banked on future cashflows for myself to help fund my future and help me out in the job search process (which is not easy in this economy)

This news has been so unbelievably crushing to me and alot of other people, and it's just really hard to wrap my mind around the options I have for my future right now. I do have a place to live, and no kids or anything to support so I can't say my situation is as dire as some, but this definitely hurts everyone in the poker community in different ways.

I feel pretty privileged to have been good at poker and good enough to show a good consistent profit, and make a good amount of money over the past couple years. We all knew this news was coming, just not like this and not that soon.

Good luck to everyone.
-Taylor Bricker

[andrrruw]

Originally Posted by RazzSpazz

Story:

I recently graduated with two B.S. degrees, one in Microbiology and one in Molecular Genetics. Currently looking for a full time job, but have been unsuccessful so far. I do work 15 hrs/wk part time, but the pay is poor and the job is not fun. I also have about 14k in government student loans that I must begin making payments on in September of this year.

I play online poker for extra income on the side, and typically make 3-4 times more per hour than I do at my part time job. The money made from online poker was going to go towards my monthly living expenses and student loans while searching for a full time job. After graduating, I've worked really hard on improving my game (finally have some free time!), and am positive I would have been able to pay off the entire balance of my student loans in one fell swoop - a personal goal of mine.


However, with the recent shenanigans by the DOJ I am unsure if I will ever get my 5,000$ of hard earned cash back that comprises my online bankroll. They have yet to make it clear what they will do with my money now that it has been seized. Their actions are preventing me from participating in my favorite hobby, earning money, challenging my brain with the math/logic/psychology inherent in this game, and socializing with other poker players from around the world.

If my employment situation does not improve soon, several months from now I will have but only a small paycheck coming in every other week to live off of, and the funds I currently have saved in my bank account will be gone.

Definitely not a tragic sob story, but it's still an unpleasant situation to be in.

Looking forward to hearing stories from other posters. Good idea for a thread.

I am in almost the EXACT same situation. Just graduating college with student loan debts that I planned on paying back through poker. Also, I basically have been living off of my online poker money for the time being, making about 3x more than my part time job. With this income stream gone, as well as a VERY large portion of my current bankroll frozen online (both poker and life), I will be very pressed in the coming future in terms of paying bills and making ends meet while finishing school and searching for a job.