Augie - Seems like good news for you personally, and at least a semi-competent move by FTP PR (who would have guessed?), but I don't see how this changes things for the rest of FTP US players. They still can't get paid, and still have no clue when that will be.

A lot of US players always believed they'd get paid eventually. Your good fortune may boost that a bit, but otherwise they are still stuck waiting while you get to play the ME. I don't begrudge you, you earned it, but I don't really see that it's a huge morale boost for everyone else, either.

Website says scheduled maintenance, shrug.

I don't think that's the case, this would be a really bad time for sched maint and they use to stop new tables for STT, etc which wasn't happenning prior to this. (according to some posters)They also said when they first checked the site there was no indication of scheduled maint til about 20 minutes after FT went down.

Yeah, because everything about the site stopping in the middle of tournaments in prime time for their main customer base without any prior warning says "scheduled maintenance".

I'm sure they scheduled the maintenance as soon as the site went down then

From FT whoever these days, regarding above

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...&postcount=235

It does give me the impression, though, that the wait will be on the order of months and not years, as many were starting to fear. The fact that FT's decline in traffic has flattened out in the last week also makes me feel hopeful.

I'm not trying to dump on FTP (really!). And it certainly is valid to point out the good news when it comes. Traffic leveling off is also a good sign.

I just don't see Augie's particular situation being a sign of benefits soon to come to the larger US player base. In fact, I could see some with 10K+ locked up who had planned on playing the ME but can't without their rolls being pissed off that other players who won their seats may be getting compensated in time to play.

But that's not his fault, so I don't think he deserves any ire directed at himself.

I hope all US players get paid out before the ME, but I really doubt it at this point, but there are some small hopeful signs that maybe it will happen by years end.

Of course next week there could be another major news event that changes everything - opinions and estimations, even reasoned ones, are always in flux on this subject.

No one has a clue if and when anyone is getting paid; all this speculating is so ponderous.

It really is ridiculous. Nothing said here will help anyone get paid any faster, and it could actually hurt if it discourages non-US customers from depositing.

www.philivey.com no longer has the big lawsuit statement, wonder why?

Yes. FTP has lost more than 25% of it's players in the weeks AFTER black Friday. Maybe some small deposits are being made but players with big bankrolls are definitely withdrawing. Talk like this is killing FTP.

Talk in this thread is not hurting FTP. Changing their policy of not segregating players funds on the sly in total secrecy then not communicating to the people whose money was put at risk by the change is what is going to keep people from keeping money on that site. Even after BF FTP Doug was telling us our money was safe and segregated. So even their player reps didn't know what his own company did to us. Disgusting. That is what is keeping people from trusting FTP now and in the future. Weather they let my money get confiscated by the DOJ, or weather they used it for advertising and loaning their employees millions that are noncollectable I don't really care anymore. All I know is they don't have the money to pay me and they won't communicate to me when I can expect my own money to be returned. I'm not asking for anything from them but my own money. They are at fault. Not people posting here that they don't trust them anymore.

Sure, sure. Except what percentage of poker players frequent 2+2? 5%? 10%?

There are millions and millions of players who know nothing about this. Our mental masturbation on this forum or this thread won't have any significant impact on FTP traffic, IMO.

Well a lot more people than you think browse 2p2. The other fallacy not many have said but I'm sure people think is most 2p2ers are losing players. A lot of people may think that people reading 2p2 win and likely do not deposit but that's not really the case. I know more than once I've had random fish comment on something I said on 2p2. I'm not sure how internet poker is I just know that most regs just sort of assumed that something like 90% of the english-speaking player pool would read the 2p2 regs threads (this was 200nl FR but probably applies elsewhere as well) whether they're a fish or a reg and whether they post there or not.

Yeah, and word gets around. If you were outside the US and a friend asked you where he should play, would you recommend FTP?

No, but that was true before BF too.

Besides, there are still a fair number of people who are merely discussing all of the various information as it comes out. As some have pointed out, the news isn't all bad (Augie getting laid, ldo; limbo funds starting to reappear in player accounts, albeit slooooooooooowly).

And FTP is fueling the rampant speculation with their unwillingness to communicate anyway. Of course, every time they release anything, it gets blasted anyway. Can't please anyone unless their news contains either a timetable or a date for cashouts. I'd almost feel sorry for them if they hadn't handled the entire situation in the worst possible way from day one.

Also, some people have posted in threads about playing live and online in Europe (or live in the US) and finding out very few people they were playing with had a clue what was going on. AFAIK, there's no real way to gauge how many players are that aware of the situation, or that involved or interested if they are aware.

The speculation in this and other threads may be hurting FTP a little, but I don't think it's anything compared to the damage done by their own actions.

+1

they ruined their cash "cow" themselves!

Results oriented much?

I went on the Belmont Stakes site earlier to see what info they had about the race. This big red button is flashing "Push here to bet the Belmont Stakes"
I can't play online poker but I can bet on horse racing; Just really pissed me off.....I mean really, what makes horse racing ok but poker not?

couldnt agree more, horse racing has got to be the worst.......that is pretty disgusting

We have been speculating for almost 2 months now. I do not know if you were talking about the possible ME seat payouts or everyone/everything. Seems like your statement would fit both. Yes I am clueless, but what else is new?

I heard a rumor (speculation?) that augie_ will give 50% of his ME winnings to the "Pay the US FT Players Fund".

Maybe it just depends on weather the whether is affecting their ability to keep their heads above water.

Ooh, love it when you talk dirty, sarge!

Here's a suggested brief diversion from all our mental masturbation: What's the odds augie will win enough to contribute at least, say, $5k to the fund? (I don't have any of his playing stats so am not in a position to make my own estimate).