Everyone Else Is Talking About It

Apollo Creed : So I predict that the champ's gonna take this one.
Sportscaster: Now wait a minute! Do you really think the champ can hit that hard?
Apollo Creed: Why do you think I'm sitting out here with you?

"Rocky 3"

Understandably so, everyone is concerned with the new Port Authority laws that snuck into play. Some take this as the beginning of the end, while others are sitting back playing the wait and see game. Even though the new laws if signed will not make my activities illegal, I know that the number of players online will be shot to pieces so far as to make my time playing online almost not worth it.

Without going into too much detail about things I am not qualified for or know enough about – there is a myriad of experts and interested parties all throwing in their $0.02 worth – I just don't see how this multi-billion dollar industry could disappear overnight. Maybe the best solution I have heard was offered by Bad Blood, with the traditional B&M casinos either starting their own online versions or buying out some of the major players going around. It seems a natural fit and it is surprising that it doesn't happen more often (perhaps other gambling laws prohibit this, I don't know and don't want to go into that side of it).

What I am sure of, is this will not be the end of home games. A have been a long time advocate of the home games, and the majority of people at these games I frequent do not play online. Once you have one person interested, it naturally progresses to two and then more. We have had sub-games born from normal home games, to the point where everyone sitting around the table knows each other solely through the pursuit of poker.

While the televised versions reign, there will always be a bevy of new players lining up to join the ranks. Will this latest development signal their jumping of the shark? Has televised poker done so already?

I believe that the WPT and the WSOP are getting a little bit dry for me, which I think has a lot to do with the massive influx of no-name players. But having said that, I think that the best poker television show ever is High Stakes Poker which only started this year. I could watch these guys play all day, and marvel at the stupid amounts of money they have in front of them. It's also good to see the pros get caught in the same situations that we get caught in, even if there is $500,000 difference in the pot size.

But back to my point – I can not see anyone in my home game being affected by the decision besides myself. Maybe only one or two of them even watch it on TV anymore, the rest are only interested in playing the game and maybe reading a few books.

While the latest developments are not good news, it certainly isn't the end of the poker world. Nobody will forget Mikey McD.