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!