Daily Archives: April 23, 2021

Many people today use online casinos for valid reasons. First, you don't need to go to an actual gambling club, which saves you time and cash, which would be better spent playing the games you love. Second, there are many more options in virtual casino games than there are in the real ones.

Another vital profit of online clubs is that they are continually embracing the most current innovations to make the games stimulating. It also makes it simpler for clients to make payments. There are two winning advancements today that are getting well known among online casinos.

The first of these is blockchain technologies. This significant change has various applications in different businesses, including the betting business, and brings many benefits to online poker sites that support cryptocurrencies. Second is Artificial Intelligence (AI), which was an inevitable addition to the industry. However, thinking about the improvements in the specialty has become one of the main advances in numerous online casinos today.

Why blockchain? Before anything else, it's essential to know what blockchain is. Blockchain is an assortment of records called "blocks." The system records any transactions you make and links it to previous transactions, thus forming a chain. A block will be included in the chain once it is verified. This blockchain is available to members of the general public.

The main thing that this cutting-edge tech offers to the online casino industry is that it can increase transparency. For example, the cash given as prizes and the amount of money going into the gambling club will be recorded in the online ledgers. Such vital information is not usually accessible in a centralized system. However, with blockchain technology, this information becomes public knowledge. Here, players will know whether what the club has professed to have paid out is valid or not, helping the player see whether the gambling club is reliable.

Besides improving transparency and reliability, blockchain has the potential to provide clients with a platform where they can make use of their cryptocurrency. Some clubs allow crypto users to exchange their digital currency into cash and use it in their poker games.

What makes this unique from cash is that no outsider is being included. Essentially, what it does is make exchanges quicker. Even though we are still in the beginning phases of the selection of digital forms of money and blockchain innovation, there are now numerous advantages that we can pick up from this. We can see a future where online gambling clubs will be tolerating cryptos as instalments very soon.

It is no longer news that we are at a point where PCs can impersonate how individuals think. Artificial intelligence in the present time has numerous advantages from giving us correct responses, to imitating the standard conversations that individuals have with one another.

In online gambling clubs, AI tech is getting very well known, particularly in poker. There's a developing number of online poker locales in the US presently using this sort of tech with their customers.

Poker requires a developed calculation. As indicated by an MIT Technology survey, "Poker requires thinking and insight that has shown to be hard for machines to mirror." In a game that requires intuition, it isn't easy to make sense of the perfect strategy given each possible approach your rival might be taking. However, despite these challenges, AI's can now play and win a game of poker.

It has been noted that many AI programs are beating proficient poker players. The AI learns the opponent's weaknesses and exploits them. This tech can help poker players create a strategy that gives them an upper hand over other players.

However, it can get complicated for the online gambling industry because nobody needs an AI that mostly beats every other person. Therefore, online casinos need to know when to minimize the AI's ability to beat human players.

For gambling clubs that are not comfortable to have an AI known to beat elite poker players, they can employ AI tech in different zones of their online industry. They can use AI tech to answer questions and make sure that players have an easy time navigating the platform. This will ensure that the players don't start quitting the club.

Blockchain and artificial intelligence are currently the two popular technology trends, and they are slowly becoming the cornerstone for future gameplay. Online Casinos are adopting these technologies since they revolutionize the game world. They create a trustworthy environment for users and make the site efficient. They also enable the casinos to assemble better gaming programs and a far superior experience for their customers.

Using these innovations will attract more clients to your casino and maximize your profits.

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The Importance of Blockchain and AI Technology for Poker - India West

Poker tournaments are back! At least thats what PokerGO is hoping and the streaming service is combining that hoping with doing, as it takes action to inject new energy into the tournament scene.

As live poker continues to return in stages from the COVID-19 shutdowns of poker rooms, cancellations of tournaments, and widespread hesitancy to sit at a poker table during a pandemic, PokerGO made a major announcement Thursday of the PokerGO Tour, promising tens of millions of dollars at stake across 150 tournaments spanning across the globe. The tour comes with a points system, rankings, and, at the end of the season, a Player of the Year.

Its not an entirely new idea; the World Series of Poker and World Poker Tour have long had their own points systems and Player of the Year awards, and Global Poker Index tracks a variety of tournaments and ranks players as well.

But what distinguishes this venture by PokerGO until now, best known for airing events such as the Super High Roller Bowl and made-for-TV shows like High Stakes Poker is the planned breadth of the tour.

Will players complain as it goes along that the points system and access to the tournaments is inequitable? Probably no attempt at a poker ranking system, whether for live competition or online poker play, has ever escaped criticism. Still, hopes are high for something players and fans can rally around after the countless disappointments of the last 13 months.

With the announcement came a variety of reactions on Twitter.

One of pokers biggest stars and most recognizable ambassadors, two-time WSOP Player of the Year Daniel Kid Poker Negreanu, offered an enthusiastic endorsement:

Fellow pro Jonathan Little went the emoji route:

When someone replying to him asked, Are you in??? Little gave an emphatic but noncommittal Maybe!

There was also snark and skepticism to be found. The $175,000 in cash prizes elicited confusion, as the prize pools will add up to many millions of dollars, but the $175K is added money for the top three finishers in the Player of the Year race ($100K for first, $50K for second, and $25K for third). Without that spelled out, $175,000 struck plenty of people as a meager amount:

And some were just sarcastic and apathetic for unspecified reasons:

PokerGO has announced five tour events thus far:

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Link:

Poker Community Reacts To PokerGO Tour And Ranking System Announcement - US Bets

The Covid19 pandemic has been going on for more than a year. When it was first reported from Wuhan, in December 2019, the worlds first reaction was unsurprisingly normal, as with the common cold. The covid19 virus as well as other viruses is for most people the same as the flu.

Even though in the end it turned out that the flu caused by the Covid19 virus was far more devastating than initially feared. Human life today is not ready for the rapid rate of transmission of the Covid19 virus. The most worrying thing is the failure of the health system to deal with the rapid transmission of covid19. You can imagine if the number of patients increased and continued to increase so that the hospitals were full. It is inevitable that many victims will fall, especially because it cannot be handled properly.

For that reason, the governments of the countries in the world set lockdown regulations, which means that citizens in the country or on a smaller scale, citizens in cities that are under lockdown are not allowed to leave their homes for any reason. Except for special officers who have to serve the health, security, distribution of staple goods and other vital areas. They work by implementing health protocols, such as wearing masks, or wearing complete PPE, personal protective equipment.

What about the citizens who have to be at home!? Everything related to their needs is done in the house. Residents are not allowed to enter the office, but work from home, study from home, all from home. Boring of course, because it was applied for months. In the initial lockdown period, many Covid19 patients were hospitalized. Those who are vulnerable are the elderly and those who already have comorbidities. Good lockdown management coupled with the ability of the health system to treat most of these patients.

In the lockdown level period like this, residents who are at home and happen to be poker fans can play online poker. Simply being in front of a computer with internet access can play. It seems that no health protocol has been violated. You can play poker online at Idn poker . Dont worry about the risk of getting hacked and so on. The sophistication of internet devices ensures that security.

Over time, the governments of these countries have reduced the level of lockdown. If you try to understand, lockdown at the first level is to be prepared for those who are at the greatest risk of becoming sick for the first time because of this virus. After a few months what remains are those with better immunity. The government then allowed residents to work by implementing health protocols. No longer have to always be at home. After months, residents of course have been able to adjust for themselves how to live with the Covid19 virus which is still pandemic.

Residents who are at home can receive visits from friends and family by implementing health protocols. Already able to sit together to spend time. By always carrying sanitizer and wearing a mask. Obviously keeping a distance from each other.

The pressure of boredom at home has been much reduced, there are many things that can be done together. If your house has a good space with adequate tables, you can invite friends to play IDN poker together. Prepare a sanitizer or bring each one, and always wear a mask. Better yet, if done in an open courtyard space. An adequate table in this case means to be able to provide a safe distance from each other according to the health protocol guidelines. What about the cards used!? Of course, the playing card used is better off if you spray it with a sanitizer first. Choose a waterproof playing card material from plastic. Or for added security, always use a new playing card.

Of course it will be less exciting if there are no soft drinks. We recommend that according to the health protocol each friend to play poker brings his own food.

Buy at the supermarket or supermarket before hanging out to play poker. Its supermarkets and service supermarkets have implemented health protocols, so they dont worry about the products they buy. But it is also not wrong to carry out the sanitation process before entering the host location.

That is the scheme that can be used if you want to invite friends to play poker. Compared to playing poker for example in a public park, it is safer to play poker with close friends or family members in one of the houses. It can also be done by taking turns as host. Of course, it doesnt have to be poker, other games can also be played, such as playing monopoly, snakes and ladders and so on recreational games.

Hopefully this can help spend time while at home, comply with the provisions of the lockdown and still be able to socialize.

Even if your friends are not there to play poker at home, you can go back to playing poker online, you can still do your hobby with the help of online and internet tools. There are other online sites that provide these kind of games. You can also invite your friends who regularly play with you at the table, this time to play together at the online poker table. Actually playing online poker is more in compliance with the covid19 health protocol. Doing this is also great when compared to playing poker together at a table at home. But one drawback is the lack of direct interaction with playmates. So you can choose to play poker at the shared table at home or play online poker by visiting the poker idn site.

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Playing with Friends at the Idn Poker Table During the Covid19 Lockdown - - VENTS Magazine

LONDON, April 19, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Poker is one of the most endlessly entertaining games there is but to play it, you either need to round up a bunch of friends or live near a casino.

Luckily, theres always the internet. You can play poker online from the comfort of your own home and you may even be able to make some money doing it.

Below, weve assembled a list of the top UK poker sites. They represent the best places to find games and tournaments at any time of day or night.

First Look: Best Online Poker Rooms in the UK

Best overall - 888Poker

Best for tournaments - Ladbrokes

Best mobile app - William Hill

Best mobile poker site - Genesis

Biggest poker site - PokerStars

Best for amateurs - GGPoker

Best video poker - PlayOjo

Best for blackjack and other games - Mansion Casino

Best for outside the UK - Ignition

How We Chose the Best Poker Sites

Variety of Games Available: you can get bored playing the same game over and over. Sites with a variety of games available got bonus points.

Options to Play Against Real Opponents: you can play video or casino poker against the house, but the house always wins. Sites that allowed you to play against other, real people were given preferential treatment in the rankings.

Different Stakes for Varying Budgets: we valued sites that gave you options, regardless of how big your bankroll might be.

Poker Bonuses and/or Promotions for New Players: most sites offer bonuses to players, but those bonuses arent created equal. The better the bonus, the better the site did in these rankings.

Top Best Poker Sites in the UK

1. 888Poker Best Overall

Game selection: 4.5/5

Competition: 4.5/5

Software: 4/5

Banking: 4.5/5

888Poker is a great place to hang out if you want lots of fish at lower limits. They have a reputation for having some of the softest games on the internet, so you can definitely make some cash here if you know what youre doing.

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They also have a great selection of free games, if you dont want to risk any cash starting out.

Part of the reason why they have so many clueless players is their generous bonus program. They have deposit bonuses, reload bonuses, and more.

The game selection isnt the greatest, though. While they offer stud and Omaha, you wont find much action there, and theres rarely anything happening at the high-stakes tables.

They do have a fantastic assortment of speed tables, though.

2. Ladbrokes Best for Tournaments

Game selection: 4/5

Competition: 4/5

Software: 4.5/5

Banking: 5/5

If Texas holdem is your game, Ladbrokes offers a variety of games, including lightning hands and short-stack tables, and their tournament action is excellent as well.

You can find a game at virtually any stakes, and if you do well, you can get your money off the site without Ladbrokes taking a piece of the pie.

If you like to play any games besides holdem and pot-limit Omaha, however, youll be out of luck here.

Then again, theres something to be said for beauty and Ladbrokes interface is one of the cleanest, most stunning models out there.

3. William Hill Best mobile app

Game selection: 4/5

Competition: 5/5

Software: 4.5/5

Banking: 4.5/5

One of the UKs oldest and most trusted poker sites, William Hill offers a variety of excellent sign-up bonuses, as well as a generous loyalty program.

Its a very newbie-friendly site, as they go out of their way to educate players on proper strategies. These newbies also ensure it has some of the softest games youll find anywhere.

That doesnt mean that its not good for pros, however. You can multi-table on both your computer and mobile device, and theres a ton of rich tournament action to be found here.

The variety of games isnt the greatest, as its mainly just hold em, omaha, and stud, but they have games at all stakes. Both micro-grinders and nosebleed players will find plenty to love here.

4. Genesis Best Mobile Poker Site

Game selection: 4/5

Competition: 4/5

Software: 5/5

Banking: 4.5/5

Live dealer games available

Good casino game selection

Multiple jackpot tables

Games are all mobile-optimized

If you dont want to play against other players, you can take on the house at Genesis. They offer a variety of poker table games, including 3-card poker, Texas holdem bonus, and Caribbean stud poker.

Many of their games can be played with a live dealer, giving you a genuine casino experience in the comfort of your own home.

They have a variety of jackpot tables so you can hit it big if you get lucky.

They dont actually have traditional poker, though, so youll have to find another casino if you want to try to read someones soul.

Regardless of which game you choose to play, you can trust it will look fantastic, as their games are all optimized for use on mobile devices.

5. PokerStars Biggest Poker Site

Game selection: 5/5

Competition: 3/5

Software: 4/5

Banking: 4/5

Biggest poker site on the internet

Tons of action at every stake

Geared towards serious players

Huge money tournaments

You wont lack for competition at PokerStars. Its the biggest online poker site in the world, and youll find thousands of players logged on at all hours of the day.

That means you can find action regardless of your game, whether its high-stakes PLO, micro-stakes stud, or anything in between.

The downside to having all these players around is that a great many of them are pros. PokerStars has some of the toughest games youll find anywhere.

Then again, they also have huge multi-table tournaments, including a massive one every Sunday. You could get rich just getting lucky once.

6. GGPoker Best for Amateurs

Game selection: 4/5

Competition: 4.5/5

Software: 3/5

Banking: 3.5/5

Lots of Asian amateur players

Doesnt support hand histories or HUDs

Decent loyalty program

Tournaments have sizable guarantees

7. PlayOjo Best Video Poker

Game selection: 4/5

Competition: n/a

Software: 4.5/5

Banking: 4/5

8. Mansion Casino Best for Blackjack and Other Games

Game selection: 3/5

Competition: 4/5

Software: 3.5/5

Banking: 4/5

Lots of traffic during most times of day

Good variety of banking options

Plenty of bonuses

Geared more towards non-poker games

9. Ignition Best for Outside the UK

Game selection: 2.5/5

The rest is here:

12 Best Poker Sites in the UK: The Largest Online Poker Rooms and Tournaments in the United Kingdom - LeanBackPlayer - Yahoo Finance

Pokers a game with worldwide notoriety. Most of us have played some variation of it. Millions of people watch poker games on the internet or television. Where did it come from, and how can a player win consistently? Winning poker is a combination of luck, nerve, and strategy.

The rules are simple; the strategy requires study and patience. Learning to read your opponent, to tell when theyre bluffing, is an art. We all love the game, but few of us are great at it. If you dont have at least one of these requirements dont start playing poker competitively because you will be eaten. How much time pros have invested in this and how much calm and almost mindreading moments they have had is impossible to describe.

For places to play, norskecasino.casino offers some of the best sites available. For winning poker strategy, experts from Norway recommends playing at casinos with interactive games. This allows the ability to track other players mannerisms and tells. There are mixed reality games now, or even the closest possible iteration of it that will help you achieve the reading and tracking your opponents ticks and tells. Lets examine some winning strategies.

The psychological aspect of poker is of vital concern. Whenever in a tight situation you have to be cool and try and not show that you are possibly against the wall. Mind play here is incredibly important and knowing yourself is the first thing to master to know everyone else. Learning the odds and play of the cards is one thing; learning the opponent is another.

Each player has traits or tells, as they are called. These signals can be small, like a twitch or a tic. Still, others can be more obvious, like a rapid change of facial expressions or a shuffling of cards or chips. To catch all of these, you have to watch everyone else instead of your cards. So constant eye scanning is imperative if you want to succeed.

Another aspect of playing your opponent is observing their breathing or perspiration. A rapid increase of breathing or the sudden start of sweating can show excitement or fear. The task is to determine which. This is the art of poker, everything is important no matter how ridiculous or unimportant it seems. By watching other players and learning their tells, you can gain insight into the game.

There are many poker games to play. The most common varieties are a stud, draw, and hold em, which is also called community poker. Depending on where theyre played, they may go by different names.

While these are the three predominant types of poker, there are variations of each type of game. Try playing as many as possible to find your favourite. There is also one thing to note and those are special variations of poker games offered by different sites and gambling places. If you like new things it wouldnt be bad to try your luck in those as well.

Wagers for poker vary as much as the games. Learning the best winning strategy to increase the payout is a subject of study. Poker is a topic of research just as any other you can imagine. Extensive research and testing here are conducted to get the best advantage possible without breaking the rules of the game. That last is the most important thing to note do not break the rules!

Wagering in poker is a mixture of science and art. It requires understanding the opponent and understanding the odds on each hand. If you start betting too much immediately you can be seen through as a bully and it takes only one bad hand to get you away from the table. If you are too conservative, you wont get too far in any time soon. Balance here is important as anywhere else. If poker is something new, the best suggestion is to play on a line between borderline aggressive and cautious in order not to outbid the bankroll.

Poker is a fun and exciting game, no matter which version you play. Remember that responsible play is the key here. Dont wager what you cant afford to lose. Read as much about the game you want to play as possible, and learn each hands odds. To increase your chances a good thing would be to watch just how pros play it. Try and find a pro poker game somewhere, look at their plays, look for hand movement and gestures. Track their eyes and see what are they looking at because it might be important.

You also have to be somewhat of a psychologist, and you have to understand people to learn to read them, their tells, their bluffs, and their reactions. Above all, have fun and enjoy the game, this should be the most important thing. When you force your luck you usually run out of it fast. If you play for fun and if you are relaxed, then something awesome might head your way.Jorgen Aasgen is a hotel manager, avid poker player, and online writer for casino gaming. He also helps promote online poker gaming via his authoritative writing about casinos. Check him out and maybe you find something important to you and possibly learn something new.

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A Winning Strategy To Increase Your Chances of Winning Poker - TheNationRoar

Throughout the years, card games have brought so much joy and thrill to peoples lives. With 52 cards in a deck, these classic games continue to entertain people. There are various card games that are being played today, with the most popular ones eventually having tournaments where players can go pro and earn impressive wins.

Today, the most popular card game would arguably have to be poker. With its exciting gameplay that allows players to strategize, it is undeniable that this has been the favourite card game of casino players. It is quite rare for poker tables to have vacant seats on them.

This classic table game can also be enjoyed in online casinos. With more than 20 poker games to choose from, online players can experience the different twists that game developers include in their poker games. If youre not familiar with online poker yet, here are the most common types of poker that you can find in online casinos.

Texas Holdem is the most popular form of poker and is the most featured in online casinos. In this game, every player is dealt with two face-down cards. These are called hole cards. Then, three other cards (community cards) will be dealt face-up on the table one by one. These are to be used by players for their poker hands.

The game begins with an initial betting round called the ante. Then, several betting rounds will also take place while the community cards are being dealt one by one. To win this game, players must have the best hand.

Omaha is another popular type of poker. It is somehow similar to Texas Holdem but players are all dealt with four hole cards instead of two in Omaha. The same process of betting is used when the three community cards are being dealt one by one. Another difference between the two is how players of this game are given more chances to have a better poker hand from their four hole cards. Omaha also has sub-types of its own. Here are some of them:

Seven-card stud used to be the most popular poker type before Texas Holdem. In this game, players are given two hole cards, one being dealt upward. Three community cards will also be dealt one by one with a betting round. After the final betting round, a final card will be dealt.

This game will have its players have seven cards, four faced upward and three downward cards. At the end of the game, the player with the best poker hand gets to win the pot.

Aside from the aforementioned, there are more types of poker that players can enjoy. With that, we highly suggest that players explore the game selection of online casinos that have more than 20 poker games to choose from. By doing so, players are able to test their luck and their best strategies to win their chosen games.

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Poker and Its Different Types - ABCmoney.co.uk

Poker is one of the most popular games in the online casino world and has been played in many old movies including the James Bond movies. Its obviously also played in person in a real casino. In Finland online casinos are fairly popular these days and there are even quite a few successful Finnish poker players. In this article we will look into how the world of Finnish online poker really looks like these days and how to get started as a beginner.

In the Finnish online poker world the most beginner friendly platforms would be for example Betsafe, NordicBet, Betsson ja Unibet. Picking the right kind of platform is important, especially if a person is just starting out with playing poker online. Often the platforms offer poker games to play on computer but these days they often also support mobile format.

You dont necessarily have to use real money in Finnish online poker platforms. Many beginners or people who like just playing poker for fun, play free poker. It takes away the pressure of being very skilled in poker since the game is based a lot on complex strategies and good wit. Especially playing free poker with a group of friends can be quite fun.

Playing poker on video with a live dealer is probably the most ideal for a person who wants as authentic playing experience as possible while playing online. Normally, you have to pay for playing video poker since there is an actual person working behind the camera.

There are many different kinds of ways and strategies to play poker online. Usually, you would use a pack of 52 cards for playing poker unless there are jokers in the game as well and the basic rules are the same. You can look more into the basics and tips of playing poker online at poker.io.

To get started, the easiest variation of poker would probably be Texas Holdem which is generally the most popular game in Finnish online casinos. The other types of games would be Omaha which is very similar with Texas Holdem or more modern variations like Razz which is recommended for players who look for something new and special.

Often when entering an online platform for playing poker, there are many tournaments going on. The tournaments are truly the spice of the online poker world and you can choose to join a free tournament or use money for playing depending on what your motives and skills of playing are. The only important thing while participating in these tournaments is to really focus on the tournament instead of scrolling through other websites and multitasking while playing.

If youre looking for something fun to spend your time with alone or with friends or if your goal is to become the best poker player in the Finnish poker world, starting playing is pretty easy and doesnt require much effort.

Disclaimer: Play responsibly. Players must be over 18. For help visit https://www.gamcare.org.uk/.

Independent journalism costs money. Support Times of Malta for the price of a coffee.

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About online poker in Finland - Times of Malta

April 16, 2021Mo Nuwwarah

It's been 10 years since Black Friday but the "anniversary" isn't one celebrated by many. After all, it's a day nearly every poker player would prefer to forget.

Ten years after hundreds of millions of dollars in player funds were frozen and seized by the U.S. government and lives were turned upside-down, the industry has gone through drastic changes. From the modern strategic meta to some of the sites on which poker is delivered to the names at the top of the game OK, Daniel Negreanu and Erik Seidel are still doing pretty damn great many facets of 2021 poker would look pretty alien to someone from 2011.

Entire books could be written about what's happened in poker in the intervening 10 years since Black Friday. But, in an effort to more briefly examine the history of the fateful day and the changes it has wrought, PokerNews turned to a couple of industry experts for some perspective.

Not many had more of a first-hand look at Black Friday than Steve Badger. The one-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner joined PokerStars in its very early days, before it had even launched a public real-money product, according to his website.

In a company full of software heads and customer support workers, he came on as "the poker guy," later to be joined by fellow player Terrence Chan. Badger played an instrumental role in shaping the company's poker decisions, like hosting nine-handed tables instead of ten-handed and establishing the World Championship of Online Poker.

Of course, by 2011, that sort of thing was less necessary, so Badger had moved into a more general consulting role.

"Things like keeping the company from wasting $10 million on putting the Stars logo on WSOP tables, whether to buy Poker.com for $25 million, or the World Poker Tour for $12 million," he told PokerNews.

Badger was working on some search engine optimization for some of the blogs on the site when Black Friday went down. Unlike many throughout the industry, he wasn't stunned into a state of shock. While some in the company undoubtedly experience various levels of panic, just as many others were, if not ready, at least not wholly unprepared.

"Its not an exaggeration to say that every important choice we made over the previous 10 years had, as a part of the decision-making, an awareness that a Black Friday-like event could occur," he said.

Less prepared was Steve Ruddock. Now content director at BettingUSA and editor-in-chief at Gaming Law Review, he was a freelance writer producing work for several poker outlets in early 2011.

Unlike Badger, he did use the word shocked to describe his immediate reaction to seeing the U.S. Department of Justice logo plastered on pages formerly inviting him to learn, chat and play with the pros.

"I didnt see it coming, even though I covered the legal climate in the post-UIGEA U.S.," he said. "At the time, I knew it would be a significant event, but not, as it turned out to be, a pivotal moment.

"Looking back, I would compare the real-time reaction to Black Friday to COVID-19, in that we thought it would be a couple of weeks, and those weeks stretched into months, and well, here we are, more than a year later and still wondering when the return to normal begins."

The frenzied aftermath of Black Friday resembled the fallout from a natural disaster, albeit to a far less serious degree. Some people tried to soldier on and rebuild piece by piece to the bankrolls and lifestyles they had before. Others simply left their old existences behind and moved on to start new lives elsewhere or in different vocations.

As for the U.S. market itself, it made for a particularly large and valuable building wrecked into rubble. Not all of the pieces were still there, to be sure, but there was still more than enough of value to be worth scooping up.

That's why Ruddock was surprised things didn't move faster when it came to legalization efforts in the ensuing years.

"Whether it was PokerStars or someone else, I expected legalization efforts to ramp up, considering the U.S.s love affair with poker," he said. "Take something away, and people clamor for it."

At first, he felt proven right. It was just two years later, after all, that online poker returned to the U.S. in legalized and regulated fashion.

"Getting anything done about anything with governments these days is very slow."

However, things ground to a halt relatively quickly. The pace didn't surprise Badger, who did echo what Ruddock said about legalization and taxation making all the sense in the world. But at the end of the day, he said, "getting anything done about anything with governments these days is very slow."

Ruddock pointed to the influence of Sheldon Adelson as a roadblock, but ultimately, the lack of early returns from regulated markets may have been the strongest signal dissuading progress.

According to data from Poker Industry PRO, the market size hovered around 500 concurrent cash game players ($) for most of the post-Black Friday years.

Revenue has been left in the dust by online casino, lapped more than 10-fold, according to PlayNJ.

Rather than provide federal framework for legislation that would both protect players and provide revenue via taxation, the government instead focused on bringing what it saw as the perpetrators of federal crime to justice.

Eleven individuals were indicted on charges, and a years-long chase of sorts began as the DOJ attempted to round them up.

Ultimately, it amounted to little more than toothless bluster in most cases. While government did gobble up million of dollars in penalties and settlements, and some even served a bit of prison time, the reality is most got little more than a slap on the wrist.

Top Full Tilt executives Chris Ferguson and Howard Lederer settled with the government for a fraction of millions they earned from Full Tilt and eventually returned to live poker, with the former even reclaiming some of his old glory.

"Black Friday went from a cataclysmic event to [Absolute Poker founder] Scott Tom having a plane ticket in his pocket the day of his sentencing," Badger said. "Try telling the story of the impact Black Friday had on players, the hundreds of millions involved, and then end it with a guy with a plane ticket in his pocket having to serve a week in jail, and any person unaware of the events will think you are full of crap. After living through it, it seems impossible it worked out how it worked out."

Badger had harsh words for the Full Tilt brass. He doesn't like how closely the site's collapse has been so closely linked to Black Friday over the years, as he believes the reveal that player funds weren't segregated means it was doomed to collapse at some point, likening the company to a brain-dead patient in a coma.

"Full Tilt was Howard and Chris' baby," he said. "Minimally, they betrayed themselves and those who trusted them by not keeping proper oversight over their child. Beyond that, the more they knew, the more they would have to have been active participants in the lies, misdeeds and idiotic choices that occurred.

"To me though, the worst thing now is the complete lack of explanation, which amounts to an ongoing betrayal. I suppose their attorneys have told them to shut up, but like they say on all the crime shows, if a suspect isnt explaining how they didnt do it, the logical assumption is they probably did."

In failing to focus its resources on providing legal, regulated options for the tens of thousands of "homeless" Americans still looking for poker action, Ruddock believes the government erred.

"It simply took down Michael Corleone, leaving a bunch of Fredos to operate in the U.S.," he said. "The situation for U.S. poker players didnt improve after Black Friday it got considerably worse."

Indeed, people still wanted to play poker. Live poker was an option that many turned to, but people had gotten used to the convenience of playing from home as well. At the end of the day, some of those players were going to give their business to whatever unscrupulous operators would still take it.

Thus, the nurturing and growth of a set of offshore, black market sites that still thrives to this day.

"It was akin to a zoo removing all fences and letting the lions and tigers intermingle with the camels and zebras."

While there have been high-profile, spectacular failures that serve as flashing warning signs, poker players ultimately tend to follow the money, and offshore sites still offer monster tournament guarantees that lure in thousands of customers.

Neither Ruddock nor Badger said they expect the government to swoop in a second time for a Black Friday encore to put a stop to that. Ruddock said the money simply isn't big enough, while Badger pointed to the outcomes in the first string of cases as instructive.

"Its hard to imagine a lot of government meetings taking place today with the goal of putting somebody in jail for a week," he said.

In addition to the growth of the unregulated scene, another key after-effect of Black Friday was what Ruddock called the "disruption of the player pipeline." Without the advertising money flooding media everywhere and bringing new players into the game, the pools gradually shrunk and the predator-to-prey ratio rose.

"It was akin to a zoo removing all fences and letting the lions and tigers intermingle with the camels and zebras," Ruddock said. "Serious players quickly picked off the remaining casual players. They then started picking off the weaker members of their own herd while hyper-targeting the smattering of new players that showed up."

With liquidity suddenly at a premium and its chief rivals having imploded under their own missteps, PokerStars became the unquestioned dominant operator. According to PRO, it went from hosting less than half of the online cash players in the dot-com pool just before Black Friday to about two-thirds of them after merging its player pool with that of Full Tilt.

That has changed a bit in recent years. The rise of GGPoker and increased marketing spend by other rivals like partypoker have eaten away at PokerStars' market share. Today, it's back to hosting a little under half of the cash game traffic, and PRO actually projects GGPoker to surpass PokerStars by year's end ($).

Many players who were marginalized by the leading operator during the height of its dominance have rejoiced, but Ruddock cautioned that an overabundance of operators can be counterproductive. Spreading the player pool out too much hurts everyone's liquidity.

So while he noted that competition is vital for any industry to thrive, the ideal situation in poker would see operators more focused on providing the best product they can in specific markets rather than spreading to as many locales as possible. Hopefully, a balance would then be struck between maximum liquidity and a player-friendly product.

Ten years later, the winding road from 2011 has left online poker in an interesting spot. Things are not near where they were before with the lockdown-assisted boost now mostly faded, the industry is about 40% of the size of its 2011 peak, according to data from PRO.

Stateside, online poker has taken a distant backseat as state legislatures moved on to daily fantasy sports and then, most recently, sports betting. The latter has taken center stage due its far bigger market since the landmark 2018 ruling that cleared the way for expansion on a state-by-state basis.

"Perhaps in 15 years U.S. players in half the states will be able to play in the same pool of games as the rest of the world."

While poker has made steps, namely with Pennsylvania coming online in 2019 and Michigan in 2021, progress has been much more incremental than consistent.

Badger believes eventual legalization is inevitable but he expects things to keep "crawling along as it has been."

"Perhaps in 15 years U.S. players in half the states will be able to play in the same pool of games as the rest of the world, with taxes being paid to multiple entities from the same rake," he said.

Internationally, though, he sees big potential if operators can tap into Asia.

"The volume of players from the Asian market is still way, way, way below what it could be," he said.

Ruddock seemed more bullish when it comes to the U.S. market.

"After it was relegated to the bottom rung of the online gambling hierarchy for five years, Im optimistic that a U.S. online poker renaissance is possible," he said. "My belief is we are one or two significant states away from online poker becoming a DFS or sports betting type topic in legislatures across the country.

"COVID-19 closures demonstrated theres an appetite for online poker as activity spiked in the legal jurisdictions. Couple that with the passing of Sheldon Adelson and the recent First Circuit Court ruling on the Wire Act, theres nothing stopping states from going down the online poker (and online casino) road."

If forced to predict how the next few years will shake out, Ruddock expects Michigan and Pennsylvania to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement in 2021. That would roughly triple the available player pool and make it one of the bigger ones in the world. Then, Connecticut passes online poker legislation and joins the pool along with West Virginia already legalized but with nothing launched in 2022.

That would hopefully get the ball rolling for bigger prize pools and more rake, making legislation a more attractive option in more and more states in 2023 and the years that follow.

"Offshore sites are the mediocre pizza place that is a two-minute walk from your apartment."

If that were to happen, a key trend from the last several years would likely be accelerated. According to PRO's tracking data, the gap between the regulated and unregulated market in the U.S. has shrunk considerably. Where the offshore sites once enjoyed about a 5-to-1 advantage, it's now closer to 2-to-1.

Badger and Ruddock both expect that to continue, with Ruddock noting one possible sticking point.

"Offshore sites are the mediocre pizza place that is a two-minute walk from your apartment," Ruddock said. "Its not your first choice, but its convenient, and there arent any other pizza places close by. As soon as legalization takes hold, they will become afterthoughts for the overwhelming majority of customers.

"Cryptocurrency is the real wild card here. Like offshore sportsbooks offering credit betting, I would posit that offshores will always exist in some fashion unless licensed, regulated sites start accepting cryptocurrency as a payment method."

Black Friday's 10th anniversary brought plenty of cause to reflect on the past decade, with a number of industry heads taking to Twitter to share their thoughts. One thread provided by PocketFives founder Adam Small offered some hope for those looking for a light at the end of the tunnel.

"I think we'll have million dollar tourneys again in the U.S. within five years," he said. "I think we'll be talking about how [online poker's] thriving on the 15th anniversary of Black Friday."

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10 Years After Black Friday: Where Poker's Been and Where it's Going - PokerNews.com

April 22, 2021PokerNews Staff

The PokerNews The Daily Grind is the place to come every day to see what the best online poker sites are offering, and what events their festivals have in store today!

You have the WPTDeepStacks on 888poker as well as the conclusions to the Spring Championship of Online Poker (SCOOP) on PokerStars, the partypoker Powerfest and of course the $150M GTD GG Spring Festival on GGPoker.

New to Poker? PokerNews is here to help. Head to the Poker Rules section to learn all about the different games, and check out the Strategy section with various articles on how to become a better player.

It's the Marathon today on 888poker as part of the WPTDeepStacks festival. With 12 minute levels and up to three rebuys allowed, there's plenty of time for players to join and take advantage of four hours of late registration.

The $525 Marathon will be live-reported on PokerNews so head to the 888poker Live Reporting Hub.

Bold denotes events Live Reported on PokerNews

It's almost the weekend. Well, it's Thursday, but that doesn't mean you can't Warm Up for the weekend with the Powerfest on partypoker. Three different buy-ins of Warm Up are available, as well as two High Rollers - $5,200 and $1,050.

Where to start! It's another Thursday SCOOP schedule on PokerStars filled with massive guarantees and exciting variants. From PLO8 and 8-Game to a whole bunch of NLHE tournaments, it's hard to know where to start!

Bold denotes events Live Reported on PokerNews

All of the festivals are gearing up for a huge weekend ahead, and the GG Spring Festival on GGPoker is no exception. With nine bounty tournaments on the schedule for today, why not learn how to win more from bounty tournaments?

Bold denotes events Live Reported on PokerNews

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Daily Grind: It's the WPTDeepStacks Marathon on 888poker Today! - PokerNews.com