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Latest Online Poker LegislationAmerican politicians are continuing to debate the relative merits of legalizing online gambling across the country, which would allow consumers across the country to indulge in stakes games usually found only in a casino setting in states where gambling is legalized, from the comfort of their own homes anywhere in the country.
The senate majority leader Harry Reid spoke recently of his determination to drive through legislation that would give equal gambling opportunities to adults across America, allowing them to take part in virtual poker games via the internet.
The online gambling bill, which has already seen some staunch opposition from politicians in the US, would make it legal for Americans to access online poker services in the same way that UK residents currently can.
While it may be the norm in the United Kingdom for anyone of legal gambling age to log onto their computer and cash their
Party Poker discount codes to try their hand at a few hands for cash stakes, currently only a small proportion of US citizens enjoy this right, with online gambling not currently allowed in many states where the practice is not widely legalized.
Supporters of the bill say that it would reduce the risk to consumers as legalization and regulation of online gambling practice would make for a more transparent industry and reduce the risk of consumers falling prey to unscrupulous online poker game operators.
And while national legislation is becoming caught up in red tape, some states, such as Iowa, are moving independently to legalize the practice in order that revenues from taxation will be retained locally rather than passing to a federal fund.
But whatever way it comes about, the push to make internet poker universally available in the US can only be a good thing for the poker fan.
Not only will it allow more people in the country to indulge their passion for this pastime, it will also open up a wider range of internet poker providers, and more competition from those running the games can only be a good thing for the consumer.
If the bill is passed players will likely benefit from fierce competition between online poker rooms as they attempt to attract the swathe of newly legal players logging on to place their bets.
The likelihood is that the country will see a rise in the number of player incentives offered, with poker sites each attempting to make theirs a more appealing online venue by gifting games, matching stakes and adding cash bonuses to the accounts of new player in much the same way UK oriented gambling and poker sites do.
For those who currently travel to legal gambling states in order to be able to play a hand or two of poker, this favorite pastime could soon be available remotely saving them the hassle of commuting to play and allowing them all to hone their skills from home – effectively helping to even out the playing field for new players coming up in the world of poker.
I haven't deposited any money in an
online casino site in many years. I've been living off what was already up there on my favorite sites. I'll admit that I have played
online blackjack, but I've been able to avoid online
slot machines.
I was asked recently how one would go about depositing these days and my first inclination was to tell them Neteller. That's how long it has been. So I looked into it a little. Stars and Full Tilt only have three mechanisms. The general casinos tend to have dozens of ways to get money in, most of which I've never heard of.
I still think that services like Neteller have a place, especially if/when the transactions are more closely monitored to alleviate concerns over bad people laundering terrorist money or whatever. The lack of these services makes it more difficult to track bankroll versus personal/real money when transferring in an out of bank accounts. Not impossible mind you, but painful enough that I stopped chasing deposit bonuses when Neteller went away.
If I had to do poker over again,...
I'd get a screen name that was first alphabetically - would've saved me a lot of time scrolling during tournaments - every minute counts at the tables.
I would've spent more time on the business application side of poker. The apps that were built and made the most money were technically easy to build and actually many players had the ideas before they were built. It was just the first person that was willing to leave the tables and build it got the rewards.
I'd spend more time practicing reading hands and reading tells. Strategy and math are great and necessary, but so is being able to read opposing players.
I'd spend less time at the penny tables thinking that $2 was a lot of money. It is all relative. I'd spend $10 on lunch on a daily basis but would be unwilling to put a decent amount of money online without earning it from other players. On one hand, I think the time and frustration spent playing micro-stakes helped me. On the other hand, I think the time spent hindered me from moving up faster.
What would you do differently if you started over?
The Hand History DebateGathering tons of data on your opponents can definitely give you the edge. There’s been some controversy on whether getting that much info on the competition is ethical.
Some people say that when you
buy hand histories, you get an unnatural edge on your opponents gives. In a real brick and mortar casino, you can’t record every hand played so you shouldn’t be able to do that online either. You want a level playing field! I fully agree with the need for a level playing field, but there are two ways to get that done.
One way to level the playing field is to try to prevent anyone from datamining hands. But that is close to impossible. The data is there on your computer and one way or another, someone will be able to grab it, process and store it. If you go this route, hand histories will be limited to a relatively small percentage of the poker playing population, but they’ll have a huge edge on the competition.
The other way to level the playing field is give access to hand histories for everyone. You can draw a great analogy between hand histories and wearing cleats when you play football. Sure, cleats give you insane traction and a huge advantage over someone playing barefoot, but since everyone has access to cleats, it’s a level playing field. You can decide for yourself if you want to play with cleats or not. They definitely evolve the game, but it lets the players do fancier plays and makes for a more interesting match.
The debate about hand histories is not going to end anytime soon. There are valid points on each side of the argument, but three things are for certain: (1) hand histories definitely give players an edge, (2) they are a valuable record-keeping service that can help expose cheaters and (3) they’re always going to be around (whether or not the public can get them).
Online Poker - How to be a success at Multi-tablingMany poker amateurs will agree that playing on just one online poker table to be quite a daunting task, to think that more experienced players delve into playing on up to 10 & 20 tables is a very difficult task to accomplish. Particularly, for poker novice’s decision time can be very time consuming and perhaps quite draining. A simple raise or call could in fact take up to thirty seconds – thus slowing down game time considerably. However like many sports out there, ‘practice does in fact make perfect’ and the same rule applies with poker. Speeding up decision time can only be improved with experience, and learning from past mistakes.
RakeBack
Let’s talk a little about Rakeback and its affect on multi-tabling & player profit. Rakeback is essentially a refund payment according to the amount of rake a player has been charged, meaning that the more tables a player has played on, the more rake they will be refunded at the end of each month. In order to gain more profits and rake, players essentially choose to multi-table instead of playing one game at a time. The term “rakeback pro’s” is often used, as players are in fact waiting for their rakeback refunds after each month.
Pro’s & Con’s
Where there are several disadvantages, there are also advantages of the multi-tabling technique. Some players have argued that it is impossible to concentrate fully with 10 games going on simultaneously, the task must surely be too draining and stressful for the player to be making as much profit as they would just playing on one table at a time. However, more experienced poker professionals in fact only break even some of the time, as a ploy to ensure that they receive high rakeback – thus giving them their profits.
Getting the Basics Right
Before weighing up the pro’s and con’s, it is advised that multi-tabling is kept to one side until the player is experienced and confident enough of taking up more than one table at a time. Different tables have separate minds, and diverse hands. Playing with more than one at a time requires plenty of experience and know how.
To conclude, the key to being a successful multi-tabling king is to ensure your basic strategy is correct, your decision time is consistent and nippy, and above all you’re not apprehensive about attacking the multi tabling world.
To find about more about playing poker, please visit
Holdem Poker for the best Tips & Strategies.
Been Playing a LittleI've been watching updates on the WSOP and it has me missing live poker. Since I've moved to Florida, my weekly game with my friends stopped obviously and I haven't been seeking local poker players around here to find a game. I've never trusted online sites that capture local games and I don't trust people that would post their games on those sites. I would be interested in finding a friendly low-stakes game but those that I've met down here that play, don't take it as seriously as we did - not even close. As in, they don't know the rules.
So I've been jumping on FTP or Stars and playing low stakes here and there. I don't have much time as other parts of my life are exciting right now. We love Florida and there are a ton of things to do here, so much so that I would never think of spending a Sunday afternoon playing online poker. My company is doing well and we've been active on proposals for new work. I also have a couple (four) side ventures that I'm working when the mood strikes and/or I have time I'm willing to dedicate to the cause.
One day I'll write a post about my poker playing, how writing the book cost me a fortune and how I could possibly stop playing knowing that my hourly rate playing poker was once more than I make at my real job (and I do OK as it is).
In the meantime, I am enjoying life and playing when the mood strikes rather than religiously. I'm enjoying reading my blogger friends' experiences at the WSOP and I'm jealous of a couple of you. Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't and don't plan on doing anything differently like trying hard to play more.
...just an update - been awhile.
Blogger Poker Tournament (sort of)
There is a
poker tournament for PubCon at the Mirage on November 12th. It isn't a charity poker tournament, but the only way you get in is to blog about a charity among other things.
If you're in Vegas and have a blog, check out the link above and go make the "poker bloggers" proud.
