Youtube suspends gambling video site
Written on November 3, 2011 at 10:41 am, by Tina
It seems that there may be some sort of ban on gambling video being enforced over at Youtube. If this is true, the latest account suspension strikes me as going too far. For years those in the gambling industry have followed the popular “Perspectives Weekly” updates from J. Todd. But recently J. Todd’s YouTube account where he hosts the videos was suspended for what YouTube claims was a violation of its policy against “spam, scams and commercially deceptive content.” Which leaves me scratching my head.
See, I’ve watched Perspectives Weekly. Yes, J. Todd is opinionated. Yes, he is pro gambling. Yes, he often asks question about who or what is behind some of the things that happen in gambling in the US. No, you know what, I don’t think he’s always right and I don’t always agree with him. But I’m not sure what would qualify his videos as spam because he is popular enough that gamblers go to watch them. Or how presenting information is a scam or commercially deceptive because I don’t really see the videos as an attempt to sell me anything. Oh, and I can still find Perspectives Weekly on the APCW Youtube channel. It really is one of the best sites to watch for some hard hitting perspectives on online gambling and online poker.
I’m waiting to see if J. Todd does something covering the latest news from Full Tilt where they claim a French company (unnamed) is acquiring them and that the US DOJ (named but unconfirmed) will oversee paying back players. I may not always agree with J. Todd on opinions, but he’d damn good when it comes to facts.
DoylesRoom rebranded
Written on October 20, 2011 at 1:41 pm, by Tina
Anyone here play at DoylesRoom? If so, you’ve probably seen a change to the site. For those who don’t, I’ll give you a rundown. Back on April 15th of 2011, the Justice Department shut down four online poker rooms and sent shockwaves through the world of online casinos and online poker rooms. Doyles Room wasn’t one of the poker rooms shut down, but during the summer, Doyle Brunson let the world know he was pulling out of the poker room and wanted them to stop using his name. He might have left, but the name stayed. After all, it was in the URL, the header, everywhere. Doyle Bruson was the brand and you can’t just switch brands that easily.
But it looks like the DoylesRoom brand is retiring. Americas CardRoom acquired Doyles Room and when I went to check the site today, I noticed that the Doylesroom URL redirects to an AmericasCardRoom url. And while the top banner still says DoylesRoom, it’s actually an announcement to players that the poker room is changing to Americas Cardroom. So, I guess Texas Dolly gets his name back.
So, what does this mean for players? Well, Americas Cardroom seems to be making an effort to create a strong brand with plenty of tournaments and opportunities. And with the loss of the four major poker rooms that were ousted in the Black Friday Poker Shutdown, many players will be happy to find a strong poker room with tournaments and prizes. Meanwhile, I Americas Cardroom is taking full advantage of the vacuum in the market.
Bots invade iPoker
Written on October 13, 2011 at 1:33 pm, by Tina
I’m checking out the online poker news and finding a warning for those playing at iPoker. The online poker room is suffering from an invasion of poker bots. Now the bots are a violation of the site’s rules, so they are working on the problem, but players might want to be cautious playing on the site against players they don’t know and recognize.
A poker bot is simply a computer program that is sent into a poker room to mimic a real player and play at the poker tables. Over the years, these programs have become so sophisticated that for players, it’s like going up against a poker pro. But the bots don’t play in the high stakes games where you’d expect to find pro players because those players all know each other and any new players arouse lots of curiousity, as we saw with Isildur1. No, bots are used in low stakes and micro stakes games where they can be pitted against less experienced players. And those who use bots usually send multiple bots into a poker site to play all day long. What bot users are after is quantity rather than quality. They run a number of bots who bring in profits each hour from the small stakes games they play. But since the bot runner doesn’t have to be in the games himself and can run more bots than a human can handle tables, the overall profit can be big for the bot owner.
Online poker rooms usually forbid bots because they make play less fun for the players at the tables. Bots can’t be bluffed and play strictly by the rules, so the average player will generally lose to them over time. The iPoker folks say they’re working on eliminating the bots on their site.
Las Vegas casino launches free poker site
Written on October 6, 2011 at 1:00 pm, by Tina
Is this the first Nevada foray into online poker? It certainly is being seen by many poker fans as a step forward. The South Point Hotel Casino and Spa has just launched a new free play online poker room. This means that player can play on the site but that they won’t be playing for real money. However, since the free online poker room is associated with the casino, the casino will offer some prizes to players. These prizes will reportedly be both cash prizes and trips to the casino itself and even seats to the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Keep in mind that a seat to the WSOP Main Event is worth $10,000 and that’s not including accommodations or travel expenses.
Since the new poker room is designed to be played “for amusement only” and players are not playing against each other for cash pots, regulators in Nevada are allowing the project to go forward. But of course from the Casino’s point of view, this site will give them an on-site audience if online poker rooms or online gambling sites are ever recognized, regulated and legislated in the United States.
Those who have been following gambling trends know that online poker is probably the most likely gambling activity to achieve legal online status. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, it is argued that poker is as much a game of strategy as it is a game of luck. So, some argue that poker is not strictly “gambling” but more of a sport where skill determines the outcome. Another reason is that poker rooms are putting forth the argument that since players play against each other and not against the house, the online poker room simply provides a service and does not benefit from any specific player’s luck. An online poker room makes money by collecting a “rake” or a percentage of each pot. So, they don’t collect from individual players but rather collect for offer the service that allows player to play.
Where ever the legal decision goes, I bet that people will be happy to sign up for the new free play poker site.
What went down in the online poker world
Written on September 29, 2011 at 2:03 pm, by Tina
Let’s talk for a minute about the stuff going on in the online poker and online casino world that has everyone in a tizzy. Now, folks have been gambling online for years. Longer than most people realize actually. And in many countries, the industries for online casinos and online poker are carefully regulated so players are ensure of fair play. In more repressive countries, online play is forbidden and online sites run the risk of running afoul of the law if they offer online gambling in those countries. Of course, the web means that it can be fairly easy for players from anywhere to access an online casino or online poker room. And in some countries, say the United States, players might be surprised to find that the FBI has a different view of online gambling than the players do.
Just take a look at this wired article http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/04/online-gaming-forfeiture/ and you’ll being to understand what’s going on in the online casino and online poker world. Now, does this mean that you can’t play poker online?
Nope. Despite the shutdowns of a handful of online poker rooms for essentially violating money laundering laws by disguising their payments, you’ll still find plenty of online poker rooms available to US players. The fuss in the poker industry is that these aren’t the same nose bleed, high stakes sites that used to operate in the country, but smaller sites that run with smaller stakes. For the average player, that won’t change much. Really, most of us aren’t going to drop $100K in a single game and aren’t going to worry if we can’t match wits against the top Swedish player for the month. Online poker is still available in the US. Just at a more realistic level.
Bodog for online poker
Written on September 22, 2011 at 10:28 am, by Tina
For months now I’ve been following developments on the state of online poker using alerts set up to drop the latest news from http://www.google.com/ into my email inbox and I know the situation is worrisome for many. Some are claiming that if you’re in the US, you can’t really play online poker for real money anymore. This isn’t completely true.
So, here’s a rundown of what happened. Back in April, the FBI shut down operations by four top poker rooms on US soil. These poker rooms were still able to operate in Canada and Europe provided they were in good standing with the licensing boards for those countries. But this shut down meant that US players loss access to a handful of poker rooms that had the biggest high stakes games on the web. Also, since these poker rooms also sponsored pro players, poker pros in the US lost sponsorships. All of this rocked the online poker world and actually has sent some of the top name players overseas to earn their poker living.
But this doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to play online poker in the United States and win money. There are still poker rooms, such as Bodog, who are open to players from the United States. And those poker rooms still offer everything from Texas hold’em tables to poker tournaments. There aren’t as many sponsorships to go around for those who reach the status of poker pro and some claim that the best high stakes games are now to be found in Europe. But most online poker players don’t play for nosebleed stakes but at the low stakes and micro stakes tables. So, stay tuned to the blog for information and updates on playing poker online.
What is Online Poker?
Written on November 24, 2009 at 2:27 pm, by admin
What is online poker and why does everyone want to play it? The televised broadcasts of the World Series of Poker on ESPN boosted the popularity of poker and suddenly people who’d never entered a casino or poker room were hearing about the game. When Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 World Series of Poker event after winning a seat in a $39 satellite tournament in an online card room, the world suddenly realized there was potential in online poker.
Jumping into a poker game or poker tournament at a traditional “brick and mortar” venue can be intimidating for a novice player. It can also involve travel expenses and even hotel room stays which can raise the cost of play and set off any small earnings a new player may make in a low-stakes game. For this reason, poker games were the domain of the experts and stars. But the internet has made poker a form of entertainment that is available to almost anyone.
From beginners to experts, online poker is a game accessible to anyone. Worried about losing money while you learn? Online poker sites offer plenty of free and practice games to help you gain skill and confidence. For the true novice, start by playing against the computer. It’s less intimidating than playing against live opponents and you don’t need to be embarrassed when you make mistakes. When you’re ready to put some money behind your cards, the internet offers plenty of low stakes games, just like the penny ante games of the past. Traditional venues often can’t afford to devote time and space to low stakes games when their share of the action will be practically nothing.
Casinos often make money from poker off the rake, which is a percentage of the pot. If you play for pennies, the rake is going to be pennies. So a casino is better off replacing poker tables with slot machines. But online sites don’t face the same space constraints, so they can offer low stake games, high stake games and even tournaments without taking anything away from their other games.