My best EVER rant against ONLINE POKER - xfilespoker.com

WHATS THIS NEW SITE ALL ABOUT TOM? Xfilespoker.com

Well.. Some of you know me.. GOALLIN.COM (not mine any more.. sold it a few years back)
I guess this new FANTASTIC site is about.. Oh... About how pissed I am that after all these years.. ONLINE poker is nothing even CLOSE to live play. You see I'm getting back into the ONLINE POKER game (& live, full time) next year and I'd like to see this CHANGE already. Like Obama kind of change!

If you too think something about online poker is .. well.. NOT RIGHT? Read on..

I expect I'll catch some heat with all this.. but to that, I'll just say this.. BRING IT! Some of us know the truth and MOST OF US seen the WIZARD OF OZ and know that "OZ" was nothing more than a SHAM.. a small chubby guy pulling ropes and pushing buttons... (I'm not saying all of poker online is a sham even.. I'm just saying I think we should ALWAYS be looking to improve things.. I think there is a lot of room for improvement) I think others OUT THERE agree with me too and are trying to do the same as me.. THIS SITE is just a TOOL to unite all these link minded lovers of POKER.

THIS SITE WAS MADE FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME. PEOPLE WHO LOVE THE GAME OF POKER A TAD TOO MUCH.

Here is just a slice of who I am and what THIS NEW site is all about... (If you like, you can read more about me and my poker PLUS see images on my blog.. see link above)
PLEASE TELL A FRIEND ABOUT THIS SITE. (EVEN IF YOU DO NOT AGREE.)

I’m Tom Dwyer and I’m just a regular 41 year old poker playing dude. (hopefully like most of you reading this) Being a lover of the game of poker player since 1991 (a game so pure - so REAL! I just love it.) I spent many of my early playing years jetting off to Las Vegas and taking trip after trip to Atlantic City... Foxwoods. Mississippi, and Turning Stone in NY. Given the economic times today (late 2008) - it seems like millions of years ago. I did over 50 trips to Vegas in the 90's.. up to 9/11. Then my wife and I had a little girl and poker took a back seat – for the most part.

I’ll return to the ring – Next year (fall 2009) when she enters Kindergarten. Watch out for me! Remember – There is no shame in folding a hand against me.

I was never KNOWN or a big shot.. But I made money. I made good money too! (Well.. I'm KNOWN in NE Pennsylvainia) I'm like the KING of Pennsylvania poker... (not POLKA!) Well.. I'm at least a prince baby!

I made enough from poker to build a few buildings and a sweet 4 stall garage for my toys. I bought countless keep sakes that I still enjoy today. And that's about it. (Hey.. "shhh" I’ll give you a major poker tip.. LEAVE A WINNER.. Be sure to buy yourself or someone you love something, anything... with some of the extra loot from your winning sessions.. That way – the other players can NEVER, ever.. get it back.)

I even won a nice CRYSTAL trophy in Vegas and with it won a DOYLE hardcover book - signed. He handed me the trophy and the book.. HOW SWEET IS THAT??? I have all that and a picture of.. oh him and I. shucks.. I just love it.

I got to talk with Doyle for a good 1/2 hour a few years back.. One on one (I sure doubt he'd even remember it) but I asked him a question - What is the biggest thing I need to learn about poker Doyle?

He answered....

(Lets ship you off to my blog and I'll tell you DOYLE'S ANSWER when you make your first comment) You are just going to have to trust me here.. Getting to hear his answer to my question... It's worth it.. at least I think it is.... I'd get on over to my blog (see link above) if I was you.. (after you read all this)

Anyways..

I started my epic poker journey in a small casino… playing a “new” game… Texas-Holdem, it was a "fake money game" Casinos ran these to show people how to play. Usually when they needed to try and start a new table.. (Poker was not as BIG back then)

I figured what the heck.. and sat down. It was a joint called SILVER CITY in LAS VEGAS... on the strip. I was just going in for a free bag of pop corn or a cheap hot dog.. (hey people.. I was young and I had my BOOKLET of coupons like everyone else…) BAM! They snagged me at the door… “Want to try a new game??? FREE POKER LESSONS! Right over here…”

I went in looking for cheap or free food and instead I was HOOKED into Holdem instead.

I played that FIRST game and I swear on my daughter - FIRST HAND after the FREE SESSION - They started a REAL CASH 2/4 limit game... I was dealt a ROYAL FLUSH... (Later I decided that the dealer must have SET the deck for the instructional game.. Just to make it more exciting.. That… and to SUCK ME IN to POKER!)

I won like 8 bucks in that hand! HOW AWESOME is THIS STORY? It's 100% true. I expect it 100% true for about 80 thousand other tourists like me.. ha ha.. that took that FREE POKER LESSON at the SILVER CITY casino.

Hey! GIve them credit! It worked. It got me playing a new game.. (Now my only game) TEXAS HOLDEM (only thing now is - mostly it's NL or POT LIMIT for me)

I left that game and bought books.. I hung out at Benny B's place in downtown Vegas. I seen the game go from Doyle and PUG and Tom McAvoy, ect.. and yes.. Young Phil Helmuth - to well.. what..

WHAT We have today. CONGRATS MR. EASTGATE on your win. (You seem pretty cool to me)

Through all those years OF POKER PLAY and TRAVEL of course came the movie ROUNDERS (You shouldn’t have folded those K’s Mike) and of course the "Moneymaker" YEAR. All this did was put fuel on the FIRE.. FOR ALL OF US ROUNDERS... (I mean.. How SET UP is all this.. It even SEEMED FAKE TO ME... Is the DEVIL himself calling these shots? MONEYMAKER??? For SHITS sake?) MONEYMAKER is the BEST NAME to ever win the WSOP.

Of course the game BOOMED! (And to beat SAMMY… right? Cmon!) Moneymaker.. Wtf.. What are the odds...


With this kinda BOOM going on.. I went from back room game to back room game (as a player).. all over the Poconos... Some big games, some not so big and then I eventually learned how to run a game myself.. (One with class and Dealers that knew what they were doing.. ha ha... ) I hung a chandelier in my garage - made a few custom tables.. Put a bar in.. Sheet rocked the joint and the "Taj "O" Tom's Garage" was born.. Players heard about my game and within oh.. 2 years.. We had a nice stable of serious players.. And a pretty good list of non playing players... (donks) Which makes for a great mix. It was a garage - but when you got inside - you never knew it...

What a time it was... Oh.. the cash! Wow!

I went from a full time professional photographer to a part time pro photographer and a full time runner of a back room card game. It started out simple. 2/4 limit Texas-Holdem - from there.. in a matter of only a few years ended up a POT LIMIT game with $1500 pots. (Big for our area - trust me) It was exciting 2 - 3 nights a week and the games went on until the early morning hours.. Sometimes for 1-2 days.. Oh - such action.

Then, As quick as it all started… it stopped. It got too ugly. People got in too deep - and started losing too much..

I watched one very close friend almost kill himself. He lost his great job and family over this game. (Not in my game.. I shut mine down for this very same reason.. I hate the ugly DARK side of this game.. BE CAREFUL EVERYONE.. it happens.)

Other players just plain got ugly when they lost. When they WON and I was paying them the $1000.00 + at the end of the shift.. Oh.. THAT WAS GREAT.. Butttttt, if it was their money going to another player or me.. LOOK OUT. Doors would be ripped from the hinges. Harsh words flung back and fourth and threats made…

I looked at myself in the mirror one tired early morning and said.. Whoaaa - Stop the train. That game was about a 6 year run. Not bad.

In the early years of this entire BOOM - I started a web site called GOALLIN - "goallin.com" and actually had 1500 sign-ups.. Sadly, I shut it down when the UIEGA bill was passed. (Not one of my better moves) Today - It's run by some other company.

NOW LETS TALK ABOUT ONLINE POKER TODAY – SHALL WE?

While playing in my back room games of course, I found ONLINE POKER. You had to back then.. It’s all people were doing.. Playing live.. Then playing online. Most back room games that I’d visit had banks of computers… (The game runners were making rake online too!) It was crazy...

After I shut down… I still kept up with many of the players.. At least the ones that were not complete assholes.. And let me tell you - some of these guys and gals I played with were (ARE) JUST AS GOOD as any poker pro I seen on TV. (Big Al, Barry, Mario, Chunky, “Nick from Vegas” – Old Nick played gin with Stuey Unger himself… )

I shit you not – People came to play in my games from as far away as CHICAGO.. If you don’t believe me.. Go ask the DEALERS at the SHOWBOAT in ATLANTIC CITY.. See if one of them knows what I’m talking about..

So.. Online poker got a hold of some of us.. And, JUST LIKE in my LIVE POKER YEARS in Vegas and my back room I started to watch the action of ONLINE (like REALLY study it all)

But guess what..

Not one of my big players.. Ever seemed to get ahead? Hows this? I mean - Even a complete donkey “tool” should have had a huge winning night from time to time..

It happened in my LIVE games.. (Why not online?)

NO... Not a one of them reported a positive statement about playing online... All losers - month after month. (now - I will tell you - they put more money into the live games.. as they never really did have that TRUST a player needs to play ONLINE.."Older players want to see the deck of cards being dealt.. they want to see a shuffle)

Online - no go. You will never get that??? (or MAYBE not.. Look around my site here .. I see the future coming!)

I could go on and on for hours about poker.. But to be nice.. I'll sum it up. (I'm a bit of a talker)

Over the years.. I paid (cashed out) my better players in the games... Many more times than the poor players.. but, even the POOR PLAYERS had big nights from time to time..

Get this.. (It might be shocking to ONLINE ONLY PLAYERS) THE BETTER PLAYERS.. PLAYING BETTER QUALITY CARDS (usually with position and loads of talent.. “SKILL”) won MORE than POOR PLAYERS. Also, BETTER PLAYERS - MAKING PROFESSIONAL MOVES WITH LOWER END CARDS.. (& reading players) WON MORE MONEY.

CRAZY RIGHT? WRONG! It's the MATH! you can't BUCK IT!

Huh? (are you shitting me Tom?) No – it’s the truth. I swear to God!

But get this… PLAYERS WITH LITTLE EXPERIENCE OR PLAYERS JUST LOOKING TO CHASE ALL NIGHT - LOST HUNDREDS A NIGHT. (They went home with bunny ears…) I’m not shitting you here either. I swear to God!

BAD PLAYERS LOST ALL THEIR MONEY! CRAZY HUH? NO!

It's the math!!! THE MATH I TELL YA!!!

That was in LIVE ACTION POKER.. (REAL DEALER... REAL DECK OF CARDS, REAL SHUFFLE)

ONLINE???? This is a whole other beast....

FOR THE MOST PART.. ONLINE POKER = THE TWILIGHT ZONE! (That's my take on it anyways)

WHY? hell.. (If you are still reading this.. you are probably shaking your head YES here..) So - I'll keep going.

(NO! People. – “More hands per hour” will never cover the “difference..” More hands per hour should only mean MORE money **WON** “per hour” for skilled players... Online should mirror LIVE...)

But – Online does not mirror live poker.

Online Poker.. I have a question for you??? – WHY IS IT? My friends online are losing game after game or getting to a certain point in chips (cash) and then losing within ONE OR TWO major hands (This happens every session) in an all in.. no way you can fold – beat by QUADS on the river kind of hand…

Hand after hand we see great cards being called by rags (not against the rules of course) but.. Having these RAGS win time and time again?? - CRUSHING the quality players QUALITY CARDS? (You can get sick watching it happen all day and night online)

Online WE see too many “4” to the flush boards. And the cards that hit the felt are more apt to be CLOSE TOGETHER.. HARD TO FIND WIDE GAPS in the board with ONLINE POKER. (C'mon.. YOU SEE IT TOO) EXAMPLE – Board will be 4h6h7c - rather than 2h9cQs (Rainbows should happen more too.. just like live)

I want an ONLINE GAME with MORE ****FREAKING BLANKS!!!!***** or rocks or bricks.. or what ever.. (A card that will not effect the action) It happens LIVE people - I SHIT YOU NOT! (why not ONLINE.. as much)

Dog hands winning too many times. TOO MANY TIMES! Online - many cases you EXPECT it will happen. ONLINE HAS CONDITIONED PLAYERS TO THINK THIS IS THE NORM! TRUTH IS… you're shocked if they DON'T HIT the LUCK TRAIN and your quality hand HOLDS!

WTF! (It's insane! People.. THINK!)

The BETTER my AK looks on the FLOP – THE MORE I’M SCARED… (Sound familiar to any of you?) Ak btw – Loses ALL THE TIME online to "A10off" online. (everyone knows this online fact) (I suggest you play A10 off harder than AK)

INSANE!

It's the MATH!!!! YOU CAN'T BUCK THE MATH (at least not as much as online!)

(If online poker was a HORSE BETTING TRACK.. YOU COULD MAKE A MILLION ON BETTING THE UNDER DOG "Long shot" horses... ALL DAY LONG.. The quality horses would most likely DIE while still IN THE GATE) lmao.

ONLINE - LONGSHOTS get a little nudge of luck or a BOOST.. from the “LUCK TRAIN”.. River .. or as I like the call it .. The LUCKY “NOT SO RANDOM” RNG. (Random Number Generator) Seems RNG’s love to throw a bone to the RIVER!

DO I NEED TO GO ON HERE??? YES! YES I DO! CUZ it's THAT FEAKING STUPID...

Rng's - Cute little buggers... I really think they TRY to be random.. - But they don't even come close... (How about I see a RANDOM winner over here please - from time to time.. huh??) No – that will only happen in the small hands….

YOU GET ME POKER PLAYERS..?? You feeling me?? I "know" you "know" that what we speak of here is closer to the truth....

ONLINE is just a little FUZZY with the math.. (Quality cards=LOSER Rags/bad plays=WINNER)

Deal the TURN.. (Rare to see a BLANK right? It’s got to be an ACTION CARD. A flush card or the BONUS.. STAIGHT and FLUSH card) Deal the RIVER.. Add more options..

(YES! I KNOW IT HAPPENS! But NOT every hand!!!!!!)

Live games - more times than not - poor moves by players send them to the RAIL. Poor players are sent back to the cashier or ATM... To RELOAD… to REBUY!

I don’t know people.. I've seen it for years. No one will ever get me to believe that ONLINE is random. If so - how about a random HUGE NIGHT for me or “ONE OR MORE” of my 50 plus poker playing friends.

I'll add this too.. For years I've played in these online games - waiting for the hands.. (I was patient) only to be beat by the dogs.. I watched “in horror” it happen to OTHER patient players I watched too (Yes.. Virginia.. Some of us watch hands after we fold)..

I read the CHAT too... I read the countless players in chat that wrote (typed in) how frustrated they were - lines like.. "Expected" “How do you CALL there??” "BS" "WTF - that always happens" "you got lucky there... or did you? Maybe I got scammed?" You read this too.. But most CONT all this OFF.. It’s POKER… what.. It can happen.

So that's where this is going... I’m NOT FEELING the LOVE for much of the ONLINE POKER today… For the most part... I think it’s a sham… I’ve been ripped off by a good number of companies.. (FULL TILT POKER not being one of them)
The ALWAYS PAY and they PAY FAST! (I like this) I’ve been ripped off huge by a site called POKERDREAM. (But this is another story)

I started this web site the other night with only a few goals (I expect we will add a few as time goes on)

Xfilespoker.com

This sites purpose. To build a group of like minded players (Players that thing the %'s or math of the RNG's are off) Players that think something about online poker is FUZZY.. or BROKEN. Who knows.. Maybe set up our own system of play (Our own site) or at least play on a site with a whole new system. Maybe I’m just a big DREAMER!

Oh! But wait! Others out there in the universe dream like me as well.. Like take this GREAT looking poker program out.. http://www.gioiasystems.com/cut-n-shuffle.html"

X-FILESPOKER.COM is a site that will try to take on the BIG DOGS of the online poker industry. If.. that is.. Enough of you players join up with us (and GET MAD! TAKE ACTION!) – We need to wake up! Get active and post (no better yet report) our online outcomes.. We need to keep better records.. "takes SCREEN SHOTS" of all the bad beats and NON GAP boards - or “take” “copy” notes on the players/hands that called off entire stacks (HOW COUDL THEY DO THIS????) Only to catch that "1 - 2" outer. Look out for patterns. (They are not even hard to see)

Xfilespoker.com BEGS (on its hands and knees) for players to ask MORE SERIOUS questions... DEMAND RIGHTS.. ASK BETTER QUESTIONS MORE OFTEN.. And yes.. ASK the question that provokes or SPARKS more "you're a donkey comments"

WHAT IF ONLINE POKER COMPANIES ARE SCAMMING POKER PLAYERS.. Basically - What if we are being ripped off blind. (I love to read countless online players DEFEND this question.. it’s as if they are afraid We’ll come and pull the power chord out of their electronic FIX (drug) of choice.. “Their online poker…”

We don’t want to take away poker… We want to team up with a group MILLIONS – that want to and CARE to have online poker.. BETTER.



We as players have the right to ask these questions and we also have the right to ask the MEGA MONEY MAKING POKER SITES to PROVE how safe their system is time and time again.. We are also within our rights to ask that IF a better system (more fair, "proven to be 100% more fair that is) comes along.. The BIG COMPANIES look into these systems (software) and of course add them FOR us..

Yes sir.. Someone needs to be a watch dog on all this online play..

To be a good watch dog.. We must become a huge DOG.. To become huge.. We need many members..

WE NEED YOU! WE NEED YOUR IDEA’S! WE NEED YOU TO CARE ABOUT THE GREAT SPORT GAME OF POKER.

It's that simple.



Consider joining today and investing you time, money, energy into this task.

The truth is out there - We must organize and then go out and find it.... If you are reading this somewhere other than on xfilespoker.com Please visit our site and join our NEW poker forum @ http://forum.xfilespoker.com – Let’s get this party started!

A $1 Trial Offer! MEET BIGGIESMALLS "me" on SPADE CLUB POKER

Yo.. that's me! "Biggiesmalls" - Sitting there with trips and calling the MOVE by AJ on the FLOP. On a site called SPADE CLUB..

Nice for me huh with the little SET and a guy making a JAM move to crush BIGGIE SMALLS HERE?

Tonight - I'm taking a look at this site... A chance at some major money FOR not a LOT invested (this I need right now)

PEACE OF MIND.

I just can't get it out of my head that I'm not being ripped OF by online MONEY/POKER sites.. at least with SPADECLUB - Any major loss is NO more than the average cost to see the flop in my old POT limit games...

(Thats me in the game above holding "22" - Don't you love it when you hit the small pair SET)

Gerry at work today HANDED me the screen name!.. I actually had something else typed in.. "Icanbeadick" - I had to get up from my computer and walk away before hitting SEND..(I was at work remember) As I did walk away - This guy Gerry bumbs into me and says - "HEY! Biggiesmalls" (with a ball busting smile)

BOOM! (A screen name is born)

THATS IT!!!! (I hate picking out screen names and TRUTH - I never liked mine...)
"BigTIME loser" on FULL TILT is really NOT me at all -

Truth is.. Biggie Smalls was really the only rapper I liked.. (maybe I should have actually tried to listen to others..hmmm) I'm a ROCK man.. What can I say.

I used to LOVE hearing that song.. YOU KNOW IT? "There's going to be some slow singing and some flower bringing..... etc etc.. etc.." (YOU KNOW THIS SONG RIGHT???)

Well - It's ONE screen name that FITS Me... (except I'm not black) I am BIG however.. and I was born in Brooklyn NY. (Close enough)

I'm Big enough to be thinking about weight loss surgery. (thats another post)

Anyways.. Figured I'd let you know THIS screen name too.. COME PLAY ME... (It's only a BUCK trial) What do we have to lose..

Biggie! If you an see me from up in heaven! I enjoy your music.

ONLINE GAMBLING SCAMS - From site.. http://cardshark.us/online_gambling_frs.shtml

ONLINE GAMBLING SCAMS


http://cardshark.us/online_gambling_frs.shtml - for the REST Of the article below.. (It's nice to see I'm not the ONLY one that KNOWS the truth...)


The issue that we really want to address in this chapter is the security of online gambling, or better say, the flaws in online gambling security. We want to closely examine the possibilities of internet gambling scams and weed-out the facts from the myths. There is in fact a lot of misinformation going around and, as usual, most people tend to believe the false information.
This chapter is somewhat different from the rest of the materials on this site, for the simple fact that it deals with online gambling. The online gambling cheat is not necessarily a card cheat, or even a gambler. The virtual world where online gambling takes place is the home of computer hackers and online thieves. A card cheat who tries to apply his skills to cheat on an online poker site may attempt a collusion scam. But a computer hacker may instead try to come-up with a piece of software that will funnel the gains into some untraceable virtual account.

The introduction of the internet undoubtedly brought many benefits to our lives, mostly the convenience of sharing information and publishing content and having it all available 24/7. But any new advancement in technology also immediately brings a rebirth of the usual vices, without which the human race seems to be unable to exist. Right at the top of the list we can find the usual two vices. The first one is pornography, world's oldest profession, and the second one is gambling, which must be world's second oldest profession. We'll skip the first one and take a closer look at gambling. And of course, the world has not drastically changed, just because we've entered the internet age. We already know that wherever there is gambling, there is also cheating. Always! Let's keep that in mind, shall we?



While online sex may be very safe, due to the fact that there is no physical contact, online gambling is the other way around. Due to the fact that you as a player cannot possibly see how the transactions are conducted, and due to the fact that you are still betting real money, one would be well-advised to consider all the possibilities before jumping into the pool with all their cash. First of all, the fact that the virtual casino floor appears on your computer screen is just an illusion that the online casino is at arm's reach. In reality, however, online casinos are usually located in very inconvenient locations, in different countries. The fact that their games appear only on your computer screen does not change the fact that somewhere in the world there is still an actual land-based server that runs the whole online gambling operation.

The difference between a land-based casino and an internet server (which is still land-based, somewhere) is that you don't really know where the server is. If the owner of a land-based casino has to run for his life he will have to leave a very expensive hotel, attached to a casino, right where it had been built. But if the owner of an online casino has to skip town, on short notice, he can just quickly pack up his server and throw it into the trunk of his car, and hit the road. How many degenerate gamblers do you think consider these facts before opening up an online gambling account and start pouring their money into it? And in the process give out all their personal information to some illegal online enterprise (not to mention that they link the online casino into their bank accounts; after all the casino will needs this link to make speedy deposits).

So far, I've only taken the trouble to hint at some facts that most people never bother considering. Or even if some consider some of these facts, most of them quickly become accustomed to the new online gambling environment and soon don't worry about it any more. After all, everything seems to be working just fine.

Now that I'm done hinting, let's talk about specific issues.



Do Gambling Sites Cheat?

One of the easiest way to cheat at online gambling is to run a gambling site and cheat the customers. Before you start rolling your eyes and call me an idiot, and tell me that this would never be done, let me say that this kind of scam is just the online equivalent of running a rigged gambling operation in a land-based casino or card room. And that, I know for a fact, is done on regular basis. In fact, according to many historians, early (land-based) poker games used to be very similar to the three-card-monte scams we know today. Most of the early poker games were in fact just scams. At the time of this writing, we live in the era of early, highly unregulated, and illegal online gambling. Historically speaking, every time some new form of gambling took place in a new venue, most of the games were rigged. This has been the case in the early years of poker, this has been the case in the early years of riverboat gambling, this has been the case in the early years of faro game, this has been the case in the early years of Las Vegas, and the list goes on and on... During all of those times there were many skeptics that refused to believe the games were rigged. Those skeptics have been written-down in history books as "the suckers." Those are undisputable, historically-documented facts. And now, we are in fact in the infantile age of online gambling. Why don't we keep those facts in mind while we continue our discussion.

Today's skeptics will tell you that poker sites make so much money, legitimately, that it would be crazy for them to cheat their own players. This reasoning makes so much sense, I almost agree with it. I did say, almost, though.

First of all, the poker sites are not making all their money legitimately. At the time of this writing they are in fact breaking many laws. But some will still say that they are making so much money it would be idiotic for them to cheat their players. Well, ever heard of greed?

Let me share a true story with you. One of my clients is a casino owner, somewhere in Europe. I will not say where, exactly. He has so much money I truly believe his personal bank account may be bigger that the average national budget of the average third-world country. I say that without the slightest exaggeration. In the course of one conversation with him, he was telling me how much money he could make by implementing certain strategies that would offer him bigger returns, if you know what I mean. I had actually come to discuss some legitimate business and I just had to shake my head when he said that. I asked him flat out why he needed more money. He answered my question with an analogy: "When you get to #### a lot of women, do you ever come to the point when you say to yourself that you finally had enough? Do you ever say to yourself that as of this moment you finally #### enough of them, so from now on you don't need to #### any more?" That was his reply. I know he would have a blast reading this but he knows very well that I can't credit him for his quote.

Let's go back to the issue of money. Have you ever heard of people that have a lot of money, and still what more? Do you think such people exist, or do you think such people are just mythical creatures, like dragons and unicorns? I think we all know that the issue is not if they need more money, they just want more money. In fact, my client is not an exception to the rule. An exception would be a rich guy that doesn't want more money. I think you'd have better chances finding a unicorn in the forest than ever finding a rich guy that doesn't want more money. If you don't believe any of that, then you have no business reading the rest of this text.



To say that poker sites would not cheat their customers is the same as saying that land-based casinos would not cheat theirs. I can tell you for a fact that there are many casinos that in fact cheat their customers. You may have trouble finding such casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, but there are plenty of other casinos outside of Vegas, and in other countries, where cheating is common practice. Those are usually small joints, usually illegal, where procedures are not strictly regulated by some governing authority. Crooked casinos are commonly called bustout joints.

Bustout joint are often fly-by-night operations, or just doing business under the radars, and in constant fear of being shut down or somewhat forced to terminate. Many of them even move around. They have every good reason to want to maximize their profits while it all lasts. I have personally met three-card-monte hustlers that work in such casinos, yes, as bustout dealers. What do those bustout joints and online poker rooms have in common?

For one, online poker rooms are either flat-out illegal, or operating at the edge of the law. They are in a sense also fly-by-night operations that could be pushed out of business, at any time, either by some governing authority or by a powerful corporate competitor. It is just a matter of time when big corporations will tap into that market. And when they do, they will do it like they've always done it. They come in and crush all their competition (such as small-business owners) and create a monopoly. In the long run, online entrepreneurs have very little chance against corporate bullies. Corporations took over Las Vegas - one day they will take over internet gambling.

With all this in mind, would online poker sites have any reason to cheat their customers?

First, do they have the means to do it? Of course. They are the ones who distribute all the cards, without any supervision form any governing authority. They can see everyone's hole cards and they can "stack the deck" by distributing whatever cards they want in whatever order they want. Who would ever know?

Second, do they have a motive? Yes. Money, and more money. And not to mention, money. And as we've already discussed, they also have reason to believe that they may be shut-down, some day. Why not take all they can, while they can?

And lastly, do they have opportunity? They can jump into any game, at any time they want. What better opportunity than that?



Online gambling sites could cheat in any number of ways. They could be set up as bustout joints. As they grow bigger, they need more employees to maintain their servers. We cannot dismiss the possibility that a crooked employee could be in business for himself, secretly setting up a small piece of software to send hole-card information to another server, somewhere far away in deep cyber space. The possibilities are endless and I am sure there are many people out there trying to figure out how to take some of that money that gets tossed around on those poker sites.

At the time of this writing, I have absolutely no factual information that any specific poker sites do in fact perpetrate any of the scams I've described above. I only know for a fact, like we all do, that a certain percentage of our population is comprised by crooks. Crooks can be found in every business. It would be ludicrous, or at least a bit naive, to think that poker sites are, for some reason, free of crooks, con men and thieves. But of course, it would be as ludicrous to claim that there are no square poker games anywhere on the net. The question is, how can we tell apart the crooked ones form the square ones? They all look the same on the computer screen.

For the time being it is just fair to say that the question if gambling sites cheat their players is subject of much debate and speculation. We don't really know for sure who, what, how, if, or when. But to dismiss the possibility, based on pure logical conclusions, is just naive.



Do Online Players Cheat?

Yes.