(no sure this is the right forum..) ...... anyways:

I haven't been playing of late.. when I stop to think about it, since 2008 I haven't bothered with it - that's not to say I don't like poker anymore but just to a recently the wife, kids, work and all that (well that is my excuse lol).... but seriously the time that I would have put into poker before, these days instead I'm running around after my kids, making sure **** gets done haha .. I've got more time these days -
my son is older and at school - and so I have started to play more poker online. I miss them night staying up late watching Paul Ivey play $1500/$3000 no limit on Full Tilt hahahaha, miss them nights ...... anyways back to what I was going to ask:

Has online poker gotten easier or harder since 2008?

I remember reading Doyle Bruntson's (not sure on spelling..). book Super Systems 1999 I think .. after reading that book I felt that I had some valuable information, the kinda information that only one or two other people at the table would hold.

These days it feels like every man and his dog, knows table position and what hands to play ... is there money to be made or is it more of a stagnant pond?

If I do get back into playing poker as a side job/ just for a little bit extra money, the difference between now and 2008 is I have realised the importance of money management .. getting into the share market has aided.that big time IMO.

But yeah, are there as many fish around these days? What is the standard of play on the $1/$2 tables? Anybody recommend a new book to read?

Hi KAZ1983, welcome. Lots has changed, depending on the stakes you choose to play. I suggest you test the waters at stakes lower than 1/2$ no limit (if you meant no limit). There are great books to bring you up to speed on whatever your favorite kind of poker is. The limit holdem “bible” is still probably Small Stakes Holdem by Sklansky/Miller/Malmuth (it applies to higher stakes as well)

For no limit holdem, much much has happened at the stakes that matter. The math is real complicated, and the books by Miller or Janda (especially Janda) are recognized as top of the top.
There is an online book called The Grinders Manual that is widely regarded as essential, and gets good reviews.

There is a Books and Publications subforum here on 2+2 and you should go there and find some reviews that will point you to the books that fit your speed.

Super Systems by Doyle ''Texas dolly'' Bruntson was always my favorite but that's in the ''oldie but a goodie'' pile now ..... something a little more recently written might be a great idea.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the average winning 25nl reg in 2017 is a better player than the top nosebleeds regs from 2008. It's basically an entirely different game.

I appreciate your humbleness, and I really am not intending to be a dick but it is a little hard to take you seriously when you say "Paul Ivey" and "Doyle Bruntson". I mean come on man, the second one you even did twice! How serious are you really if you can't even consider looking these things up before asking questions?

Ok, but to answer your question. I too kind of just "quit" after 2011 after black friday because while I actually enjoy playing live poker more than online, going to the casino to play is more of a job and I really just didn't want to make poker my career. I still played a bit for a couple more years but from what I gathered playing online for any meaningful stakes after black friday was pretty much futile. I was a winning 2-4nl player before black friday but afterword with half the player pool depleted and the ****ty sites and untimely payouts it was barely profitable.

If you enjoy playing live and are American, which I'm assuming you're not based on your grasp of the English language (mind you it is still great if its your second language, but doesn't seem to be your first) then casino 1-2 and even 2-5nl are beatable. Competition is a tiny bit better than 10 years ago but not to the point of where a tight aggressive game and proper bankroll can't still eek out a small profit up to 2-5nl.

Bottom line, I'd forget trying to play online except for the occasional tournament for fun and possible big score and just go have fun with your extra cash playing what you can easily afford at the casino. It's not like your neighborhood 1-2nl game is filled with sharks, its still the same drunken old men, couple of online grinders with hoodies, and 1-2 decent players.

Also, getoffmecompletely wtf are you talking about. Its not an exaggeration? What you said is the definition of an exaggeration. The games have gotten tougher of course, but no ****ing 25nl player is in the same ballpark as a nosebleed player of 10 years ago. I'd give you some credence if you said a 5-10nl player, sure....its reasonable to think they wouldn't at least be a losing player now a days in the biggest games, possibly even the BEST 2-5nl players could hold their own. But come on man, those nits aren't really any good, they are nits who multitable and don't have a gambling bone in their body. They aren't actually any good. Get a grip.

You do realise that we're into the era of solvers etc? Not sure how you'd get on these days in games where you believe everyone is nits and you're the only one with some gamble in you.

Are you talking about 500NL? Some of the people that play 500NLz on Stars are among the top 100 players in the world. They would destroy anyone that played like the live pros that were on 'High Stakes Poker' in 2008.
Pretty much any hand history from 10 years ago is laughable.

Lol. A Stars goodreg from 500NL in 2017 would absolutely crush if they hopped out of the Delorean in 2008. An absolute bloodbath.