LOL when I had money on Pacific poker I had money on around 10 different poker sites. Fast forward to today and I have regulated online poker in my state and I only have access to 2 sites and they both suck horrifically. Kinda funny.

Russ seemed crazy but he posted enough stuff that he did make me wonder how much of poker was fixed. He wasn’t a total Internet troll. He was, I believe, a real high-stakes poker player at one point.

It seems far-fetched that Binion’s would fix the WSOP just for Ungar to win. Just not worth any risk, especially to support a drug-addled player.

Perhaps there was signaling from confederates to Ungar.

Anybody ever verify the blue cobalt sunglasses?

I remember pokerstrategy.com and pokerstars.com from a long time ago.

Go so mad one day back in 2012 I googled “Poker is Rigged” and found the “The great Poker is rigged debate”. Have to admit, I even voted for poker is rigged ☹ After a while, the realization the problem might be me gradually took hold. Then I discovered the rest of 2+2

I got tired of the local bar scene in 2003 and decided to learn to play poker with friends at home. I had to figure out the structure of NLHE. We mostly played $20 single table tournaments and eventually moved to cash games. The innovation we had was if you win a pot with a full house or better you had to take a shot.

Eventually I found Pokerroom.com, deposited $100, ran it up to $1000, and then lost it all. Mostly played $20 SNGs. Never cashed out, but it was entertaining.

Got into various $1-2 NL games locally, going from a slightly losing player to a winning player over the past 5 years.

Ahh... the good old days of RGP. Only thing I really remember about RGP was someone was constantly posting about Doyle & Chip being part of some cheating ring. Believe the guy claimed to be a dealer. Privateworld circa 2002, maybe?

I recall that. Russ flushed them out. He had to be the bigwig calling out cheating. He was probably right but back then cheating was almost part of the game. They didn’t have nearly the controls they do nowadays and most poker games were outside casinos. I think you almost had to cheat to survive. For some reason, I don’t look down on people that cheated from that era. Part of the story.

Cool thread. I didnt turn 18 until late 04, so i was fairly young and dumb when online first exploded. I really hate that I wasnt in any kind of position mentally to be gambling for hundreds/thousands online.


One time i did throw the only $80 i had in the world on doylesroom to play 3/6, lol.

I got married the same month I registered here. I was seriously thinking of turning pro when I met my now-ex wife. She got pregnant and that was that. No way I felt I could devote the necessary time. I never moved up in stakes because I was always clipping the roll to pay bills and buy groceries. Poker saved my butt many times in that respect.

I still clearly remember playing 4/8 LHE at the local room one night and the table discussing the new poker show on the Travel Channel, think anybody will watch that?

Holy **** we had no idea of the explosion that was coming.

I meant for this thread to be one more about what site you started getting poker info from and not necessarily where did you start to play. None the less it is an interesting read.

I played my first session of LHE in 1990 as an 18 yo in LV. I played some in casinos in IL in the 90s. I started getting the bug before Moneymaker. I actually put some money on a site in '00 or '01. Lost it and wife didn't like it at all. Stuck to live from then on out.

Given my timing I grew up on LHE first because there were no cash NLHE games around. My tournament was a LHE event. A bunch of us started hosting games and most still play. I play in a homegame tournament league and play in some casino tournaments here or there. I don't play cash because I don't play enough.

I was lucky enough to hit LV 2-3 times a year from '03-'06. That was a fun time for poker in LV. Had some success in a couple of tournaments. Won a couple of sats to larger events. Got to play with some people that had been on TV.

These days just waiting on the kids to grow up and get off to college before getting more serious.

I started FTP,It's unbearable memories, I with the launch of the free, $50 random play to $499, and then lost 2 days, back to pokerstars