This is a very good thing and a great gesture. Well done Mat. Of course, I no longer have any grinding to do while listening, so Ill need to come up with another time to listen to the guys.

Thanks Mat. Pokercast is a vital part of 2+2.

i must hear the latest pokercast about this. know when it will air?

Thank you Mat...well said and much appreciated.

For those of you interested in some of the more legal details, presented in a nice digest, I just came across this link:

http://media.lasvegassun.com/media/p...ictment_PR.pdf

Clovis8 - thats a great idea; you may want to add that indictment digest to your list.

How about while driving down to your local B&M?

Don't I wish, my nearest B&M is about 3 hours away, so for me, poker is finished on a regular basis for the next few years. This I am very sad about.

<evil Mat Sklansky voice>That Bunner guy, though -- this is finally my chance to be rid of him! Bwahhahaha!!</evil Mat Sklansky voice>

This is so crummy. How many avid players of the game are getting screwed with this.... robbed of good times, robbed of a profession they have begun or are deeply committed to, and/or robbed of deposits which are now frozen, and maybe they will never see.

Unless the government acts fast and fairly, this is a sad, sad mess.

Sorry

We shall persevere bud, its a crummy situation, but in this case, I just have to remain optimistic that this will eventually lead to a regulation, which will improve things for us all. The only real thing Im worried about is getting rusty, so its time to break out some old books, find me some new ones, and maybe even go back to the play money games, practicing proper play regardless of how bad everyone is so Im at least keeping in practice. I have a feeling we are looking at a good 2-3 year break on this.

would be fun to play we don't speak americano

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fG1ZULVhBIM&feature=fvst

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fen7gh5zNs

Haven't played poker in a while, may not have ever played online again regardless due to facing the fact I am just not good. I did have like $100 on FT that is probably a write off at this point. Just had to get back on 2p2 when I heard the news from ESPN, also will definitely be listening to my first 'cast in a few weeks when this one comes out. Simply a ridiculous waste of government time and resources, and as we all know, that is a rare thing nowadays.

cant wait to hear you guys talk about this catastrophe


keep up the good job

I lol'd.

We always loved the Pokercast, and now we REALLY love/need the Pokercast. Thanks guys and thanks Mat.

As i sit here in the UK, wondering what these FBI types are planning to do with my money (lend it to the CIA so they can "help" the renegades in Libya maybe?!) i just have one question... Where the hell is my money?

Also , my revenge instincts have kicked in. Here's hoping that the owners of these sites can employ better lawyers than the good old U.S. of A. Take 'em to the cleaners for loss of earnings etc.

Am i being ignorant by suggesting the government in your once great country is broke, and is looking to this scam to line its pockets with the hard earned from people all over the world.??

Sorry - got online by downloading the software from the UK site. Money safe.

cant wait for the next show

yep, on one hand this seems a serious setback, yet on the other it really does seem an opportunity to energize and push forward to proper regulation and unfettered legalization. 2-3 years? prolly...but I am holding a thought for 18mos-2years. The fire is to the foot now of PPA, AL D'Amato, Barry Frank, Steve Wynn, WSOP and even Stars and FullTilt. Let's hope someone takes the lead and aggressively (and tenaciously) pushes forward.

Adam/Mike,

One key question to ask PS Steve (or an FTP rep) is:

- Have any players funds been seized by the US govt?
- If no, what was contained in the 75 bank accounts that were frozen?
- If yes, what % of players funds does the seized money represent?

Good luck with the show - this is going to be a tough one, and particularly challenging given the sponsorship arrangement with PS.

That's good. But how will this affect 2+2? Aren't a portion of your revenues from affiliate cash?

Oh, it's all so icky. The trickle-down effect is potentially very broad. And I wonder how many US players will continue to frequent poker forums when they can only toddle off to B&Ms a few times a year. That's substantially different than playing daily and being immersed in poker at some level.

Last question first -- no. It's more likely about powerful prosecutors thinking they can do this and make big waves. Folks who probably actually think they are on the right side. Loving that they can go after big rich companies for breaking laws. (Laws that are, to us, ridiculous and offensive and shouldn't even be applied to online poker.)

I, too, really hope that the targeted folks decide to fight it all the way. Through trial and, if necessary, appeals. But I wonder -- people are often more ready to plea bargain, even for big bucks, if their own personal human butts are possibly likely to land in prison. For sure, they could afford the best of the best lawyers -- and the DOJ government prosecutors are likely not nearly as good as that. All the charges are arguable. It's certainly not clear that poker is necessarily "gambling" within the meaning of these laws -- and all the charges rest on that premise. But will they go to the mats?

Our money? Who knows. Unless it was in transit through one or more of the targeted banks with frozen accounts, it's probably safe enough. But how can they get it to us if we want it now? Or in a reasonably short time? I dunno. That's a question. I'm certain that many thousands of us have asked for withdrawals.

Lots of stuff to cover for Mike and Adam. But all they are likely to be able to get to at this point is the tip of the iceberg. That's OK. Anything you guys can find out will help. Even if what you can find out right now may not be the final story.

We now have a thread for questions for the show, please ask those here.