Quote:
Originally Posted by watevs
The thing that killed poker tremendously was fragmenting the global player pool, and it sickens me to read about the exclusion of countries because a few xenophobic idiots say so
Its actually the opposite, at least for cash games.
As the player pool globalized, and the quality of opposition at any given stake is set by the value of alternatives for smart people, low stakes games are populated with opponents sufficiently tough and boring, from less wealthy countries, to prevent retention of recs in the countries where the money comes from.
That's why a square kilometer in the centre of London has more mid stakes cash games running than Pokerstars globally. 1 seat per person, and you can't get to that seat while enjoying an Eastern Europe cost of living, its not worth it for competent Londoner's to make £5-£15 ph, the games stay OK, and people come back.
Games need segregating by some proxy for wealth and action, just like high stakes home game hosts have known for decades.