@daut44 @mikemacintire
I've noticed this quitting poker trend in recent years. What happened, guys? Did the fish pool dried or the game become more competitive and less profitable?
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@daut44 @mikemacintire
I've noticed this quitting poker trend in recent years. What happened, guys? Did the fish pool dried or the game become more competitive and less profitable?
My experience is that, yes, there have been progressively fewer recreational players at the tables each year. The 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforecement Act started the strangling of the player pool. People couldn't just use their credit card to deposit money onto a poker site anymore. It became more and more difficult to deposit and cash out.
Who do you think plays poker when it's a pain in the ass to deposit and cash out? People who really want to. People who take poker seriously and hope to profit, along with a tiny percentage that are degenerate gambler-types. The people who just play for fun are gone.
Then the US government effectively shut down the top 3 poker sites offering service to the United States on Black Friday in 2011. The entire market of the US disappeared from the player pool. Who has the most disposable income and interest in poker in the world? People in the US. So that was devastating to the profitability of the game. @saulius
I remember turning PokerStars play money into real money (around $9, I think it was) and then building that pot up to over $500. I was pretty proud of that and even cashed out some money and gave $50 to a friend so he could play on the "real money" tables with me. I really enjoyed it, but ended up spending too much time on it and watching my stash eventually dwindle down. I think I pulled out like $250 or $300 though. I have a regular monthly in person game I can play in, but I've just been too busy with my business and other things. Sometimes it can be a bit frustrating when you "do everything right" and still don't get the outcomes you want. Seems like a huge time investment with little enjoyment return anymore... but I do enjoy hanging out with my friends. The social part of it is always fun.