with so many exhibits of pure cheating / collusion / shadiness

whats the point in a randon Joe depositing money and playing


yes the avergae joe does read forums, or look online about the shadiness of each aand individular site, so how will they ever know about the cheating and shadiness that is within these walls


Pokerstars sent me a 50 question (or so) questionnaire, what will make me play play more/on their site/bonuses etc

who really wants to play knowing this **** is out there and they allow it ?

i want a screen name change every 3 months minimum

so many scandals nowadays it really is not worth taking the risk

i will add i stopped playing in around 2012 as soon as i knew people had data base of data/hand history on me for free

through various h/h sites

no money in poker every1s solid (and/or cheating)

100% correct OP

For it to be enjoyable… Casual /low level Poker should be played between people who have careers/businesses / interests outside of poker. Not mixing it up with cheats and the over learned

This is why I mostly only play private games now , some casino visits but even there at 2/5 …your chances of getting a fun table is maybe 25%

I also always tell all my private games friends the rampant cheating that existed online and not to deposit there (unless it’s for meaningless stakes/a bit of practice)

people like to gamble thats why

Like whats the point of playing the lottery every week you ain't winning nothing.
That need to gamble keeps things a float.

But I'm with ya, wish the sites would do more to eliminate everything you mentioned.

I'm a sore loser and sometimes I yell at people online who bad beat me. But at least
they know I'm real.

For me gambling online is not enjoyable. I prefer face to face, man on man, matching wits. I like to exercise my brain as well as my body!

Plus I don’t fully trust the whole online environment. Had a couple of bad experiences and that was enough for me. No mas

Avoid "pros" and poker is super fun. Just play with people who have actual income from other venues and dont treat the game as a job. Live poker tournaments have ton of these players, and in live cash games you can actively curate your game to weed out the "pros".

Pros in quotation marks because a lot of them still suck and it has nothing to do with people being good or not, but the way they approach the game.

I guess depends on the stakes you play, site one plays, what you're in it for and ones mindset.

For those into poker for a hobby and only play part-time evenings/weekends and can play at Pokerstars there's no reason not too play. Pokerstars has has the best security and integrity over the last 20 years. Played micro/low stakes no issues here for 20+ years now as a rec/hobby player at mainly Pokerstars. In my opinion a rec/hobby player doesn't worry about rewards cause he can't play enough to get to a level where they matter anyways. Only grinders care about rewards. I wouldn't define you as a rec/hobby player OP.....you care too much about rewards which are really only for grinders.


Cheers!!!

Serious online poker is dead. Too much shady behavior and the only way to keep up is if you also engage in shady behavior

The only way online poker can be salvaged at this point is if VR/AR takes off so you can verifiably see your opponents AND providers heighten security to limit the number of background programs running or something.

But even then, people will find a way to cheat. There are cheats live, too, but far fewer. That may change as smart glasses and such become more prevalent but it’s ok for now.

Recs are never going to accept having to play with a camera on at all times. Especially the fish with the money who just had to deal with that all day at work. They don't want to have a zoom call on their time off.

Put a lot of volume in online circa 2000 to 2009. Stop playing online altogether over 10 years ago due to things already pointed out itt. Too many lines have been crossed at this point that I don't think online can ever be saved for the most part. Live is the only way to go now, specifically PLO. Best chance to play in a fun environment and limit cheating as much as possible imo.

2 years ago i said here on 2p2 that online poker will die. A HS regular answered me that "people have been saying that for 10 years and online poker is alive"

And day by day my odds of being right increases. It might take more 9 to 15 years, but it will die.

People willingly go to casinos to lose money, that is they go to games they KNOW are rigged against them.

Online poker will never die as long as people like to gamble (always).

I just do it for the money
That’s the point for me

Exactly.

If Draftkings/Fanduel would add poker, or we somehow tap into that market, there can be another online gold rush. Hopefully it's only for Americans. Doesn't exactly solve cheating probs but a pool of fresh fish would suffice.

what's the point of posting anymore

This take is humorous cause you’re basically saying you only want to play in games you’re a favorite in. I’m not knocking you but you’ve adapted 100% the same mindset as a professional but justify it because you’re not as good at the game as a professional

Not even close.....sad.

The ability to make a living in first world countries grinding online poker will die/is dead, the games themselves will not die for the reason people here have already stated.

I would imagine cheating is probably the only thing that would instantly drive most recreationals out of the game. The scandal is here with us for about a month, lots and lots of talking, videos on youtube bringing darkness upon us, fear mongering, but the rec to reg ratio on lowstakes pokerstars remains the same. Maybe it will have a delay, maybe recs trust stars more, maybe they don't care. Regs being the ones moving out would be heaven on earth ofc

Wait until you hear how often home games are cheated?

Nope.

Find a new game/exploit...

Although this is a commonly held idea, actually you're much more likely to be cheated in a live private game than playing on one of the main sites