It's usual that at this time of year Ifor me to post a forward looking view of internet poker.
Last year - if you do a search- you'll see I claimed that bonuses were dead and that 2007 would be the year of the player and rakeback. Unfortunately I was right..

Exactly a year ago I was playing out a 4x $200 x 10x bonus at Party poker - A bonus which paid for a small holiday for me and the kids.

Even then a 10x was severe - long gone were the 5x days where a $1000 a month was the norm - this was a bonus that could be cleared in hours rather than days..

The best bonuses at the moment (Cryptologic sites) are dominated by whores with play so tight and aggressive that it's hard to squeeze much win over and above the rackback and the MGR.

For new players the horizon is bleak - even those with potential are condemned to months of play at 0.05/0.1. Rake and the level of play at mid limits is such that it's hard to survive and even harder to break through to the upper limits.The $0.2 -$2 blind regime (NL) is a really bad place to be at the moment on the major sites.

So where does it leave the "pros": Well I notice to my chagrin that, I'm no longer semi-pro. with a few hours a night I used to equal half my salary. This is no longer the case. No big deal. The money was an additional bonus anyway. Poker was always a distraction -that paid for itself .

The sites themselves have tightened. Even with rakeback - a site makes as much money out of me as I do - this is morally wrong

In the film "Rounders" the stars spend their time looking for high risk /high return games - I myself hit the pokernexus network (very small) for a few euros - and am currently "under investigation" by the management"... ROFL .. for about $100.. I actually played about 15/22 (pfr/VPIP). I made the mistake of winning . The games on that network are very soft - but the management is obviously cash strapped and they don't have significant traffic......

Increasingly it's hard as an internet pro. The "Moneymaker days are gone" - few recognise big tournament winners - there are very few consistent winners. Devilfish (Dave Ulliot) has announced his retirement from the 'net game because it is so difficult.....

I've been lucky - I played Doyle, Duke (she was hot), presented a poker tv show and got a rep' for being an outrageous cheat at poker- and enjoyed myself . BUT the easy/glamorous days are gone.

So this year: well my guess is that real "pros" will have to change their game - I certainly will. Individual partnerships with sites are a possible way forward. Significant table selection alongside rakeback are other ways forward. Ultimately internet poker has converged with real - you need to take on far more risk now for the same returns. IMO this means higher stakes games, partnerships with sites and more sordid activity..Playing well isn't enough...


I guess I'll continue playing poker - cards and gambling (the winning kind) are in my blood. But the landscape is now very hard.

My thoughts go out out to Melissa (Missy), Missot, Alex, ygech, Beav and Marm...

Best of luck for the new year.

xxDemexx

Interesting post Deme however very negative view in my opinion. I have cleared more than an average salary in bonus this year (untaxed of course) and will do the same again in 2008.
Soft games and decent bonuses are alive and kicking on OnGame, Prima and iPoker and I haven't even had the time to try Cake, Boss Media and other softer sites. I cant think any longer than 1 or 2 years ahead but I am very confident things will contine as they are for the forseeable future.

Originally Posted by xxdemexx

It's usual that at this time of year Ifor me to post a forward looking view of internet poker.
Last year - if you do a search- you'll see I claimed that bonuses were dead and that 2007 would be the year of the player and rakeback. Unfortunately I was right..

Exactly a year ago I was playing out a 4x $200 x 10x bonus at Party poker - A bonus which paid for a small holiday for me and the kids.

Even then a 10x was severe - long gone were the 5x days where a $1000 a month was the norm - this was a bonus that could be cleared in hours rather than days..

The best bonuses at the moment (Cryptologic sites) are dominated by whores with play so tight and aggressive that it's hard to squeeze much win over and above the rackback and the MGR.

For new players the horizon is bleak - even those with potential are condemned to months of play at 0.05/0.1. Rake and the level of play at mid limits is such that it's hard to survive and even harder to break through to the upper limits.The $0.2 -$2 blind regime (NL) is a really bad place to be at the moment on the major sites.

So where does it leave the "pros": Well I notice to my chagrin that, I'm no longer semi-pro. with a few hours a night I used to equal half my salary. This is no longer the case. No big deal. The money was an additional bonus anyway. Poker was always a distraction -that paid for itself .

The sites themselves have tightened. Even with rakeback - a site makes as much money out of me as I do - this is morally wrong

In the film "Rounders" the stars spend their time looking for high risk /high return games - I myself hit the pokernexus network (very small) for a few euros - and am currently "under investigation" by the management"... ROFL .. for about $100.. I actually played about 15/22 (pfr/VPIP). I made the mistake of winning . The games on that network are very soft - but the management is obviously cash strapped and they don't have significant traffic......

Increasingly it's hard as an internet pro. The "Moneymaker days are gone" - few recognise big tournament winners - there are very few consistent winners. Devilfish (Dave Ulliot) has announced his retirement from the 'net game because it is so difficult.....

I've been lucky - I played Doyle, Duke (she was hot), presented a poker tv show and got a rep' for being an outrageous cheat at poker- and enjoyed myself . BUT the easy/glamorous days are gone.

So this year: well my guess is that real "pros" will have to change their game - I certainly will. Individual partnerships with sites are a possible way forward. Significant table selection alongside rakeback are other ways forward. Ultimately internet poker has converged with real - you need to take on far more risk now for the same returns. IMO this means higher stakes games, partnerships with sites and more sordid activity..Playing well isn't enough...


I guess I'll continue playing poker - cards and gambling (the winning kind) are in my blood. But the landscape is now very hard.

My thoughts go out out to Melissa (Missy), Missot, Alex, ygech, Beav and Marm...

Best of luck for the new year.

xxDemexx

dude you dont even live america...

Poker has definitely gotten more difficult. I used to have a strong winrate at 5/10 NL, now you can find me at .5/1 struggling to keep my roll up. As far as bonuses go, I can't give a real opinion as I have never bonus whored.

I do see a positive future for poker, though. I wouldn't be surprised if online poker was legal again the US within the next couple of years, which would change the online game tremendously. We'll see...hope for the best, expect the worst.

Originally Posted by xxdemexx

I played Doyle, Duke (she was hot)

excellent post.

Originally Posted by xxdemexx

My thoughts go out out to Melissa (Missy), Missot, Alex, ygech, Beav and Marm...

What about me Deme, do I mean nothing to you now??

let the drama begin...

Originally Posted by xxdemexx

My thoughts go out out to Melissa (Missy), Missot, Alex, ygech, Beav, Av8 and Marm...

Best of luck for the new year.

xxDemexx

FYP

I think you're far too pessimistic deme. The bonuses may not be quite as good as they were in the past but they are still pretty damn good. Saying that a 100nl player is struggling to survive is way over the top imo, there's still a ton of money to be won, the play is absolutely dreadful at the low/low-mid limits if you select tables well.

The thing that bugs me is the influx of bad beat jackpot tables which practically cancel out rakeback on certain sites (I had a pretty cushy UB bonus and rb deal until they brought in those tables which wiped it out). Main thing I think now is you have to do your homework on sites before you start, and work out where the best bonuses etc. are coming from. There are plenty out there, you just have to look a bit harder and compromise a bit more on certain features (pt support for one, although they are expanding so in the long run that might not be too much of a problem).