I got to spend the weekend in downtown B-lo, enjoying cold beverages to go with the cold weather. The Sabres were cold also, losing back to back games in regulation.
I visited Seneca-Niagara for the first time this year, playing 2/4 LHE on Saturday afternoon. After getting up about $50, I lost two large pots and cashed out down $8 when the two biggest donators busted. My buddy Z scored a $35 profit on his first try at live play. Congrats!
Although I didn't get to see everyone I'd hoped to meet, it was nice to get out of the crib for a few days.
Finally, another reason for bloggers to gather in Buffalo:
For all of you bacon fans out there, The Century Grill now offers bacon night on Saturdays. That's right, every Saturday from 5pm-Midnight they hand out free bacon at the bar. Naturally, Sunday should become Lipitor night.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Prepaid Credit Cards Might Be The Savior
As has been discussed on many message boards, prepaid Visa/Mastercards have been working with great success on the "US facing poker sites" (as Bill Rini likes to say).
Not all of them work, but many do. The ones that do are issued by banks outside the USA, even though they are sold inside the USA.
The apparent good news is that fish could reload easily with these cards. You can load them from a variety of sources, including Paypal, Western Union, bank accounts, and in person (at a retail location like Radio Shack or gas stations).
There are literally hundreds of different options for prepaid CC's. Perform your due diligence and check out the fees and limits involved. I have seen limits ranging from $150 to $25,000 USD. Some cards have rewards for usage, many have fees for inactivity. Some are reloadable only a few times.
Most of these cards don't allow you to cashout back to the card. This would require withdrawal by paper check or Epassporte.
HOWEVER....
I have uncovered a few options that are issued out of Canada. Most Visa card issued in Canada are CFT eligible, meaning you could cashout on the same prepaid card used to deposit. US customers can purchase these cards. Bingo - most problems solved.
The only way we'll all know for sure which are the best is trial and error.
The fly in the ointment is fees. It look like players now pay the vig, unlike in the good ol' days that ended last week. That goes for e-wallets as well.
Some prepaid credit card research links for you:
One Linky Dinky
Two Linky Dinky
Three Linky Dinky
Four Linky Dinky
Five Linky Dinky
You get the picture. I'll be glad to share my knowledge with those who ask nicely.
Not all of them work, but many do. The ones that do are issued by banks outside the USA, even though they are sold inside the USA.
The apparent good news is that fish could reload easily with these cards. You can load them from a variety of sources, including Paypal, Western Union, bank accounts, and in person (at a retail location like Radio Shack or gas stations).
There are literally hundreds of different options for prepaid CC's. Perform your due diligence and check out the fees and limits involved. I have seen limits ranging from $150 to $25,000 USD. Some cards have rewards for usage, many have fees for inactivity. Some are reloadable only a few times.
Most of these cards don't allow you to cashout back to the card. This would require withdrawal by paper check or Epassporte.
HOWEVER....
I have uncovered a few options that are issued out of Canada. Most Visa card issued in Canada are CFT eligible, meaning you could cashout on the same prepaid card used to deposit. US customers can purchase these cards. Bingo - most problems solved.
The only way we'll all know for sure which are the best is trial and error.
The fly in the ointment is fees. It look like players now pay the vig, unlike in the good ol' days that ended last week. That goes for e-wallets as well.
Some prepaid credit card research links for you:
One Linky Dinky
Two Linky Dinky
Three Linky Dinky
Four Linky Dinky
Five Linky Dinky
You get the picture. I'll be glad to share my knowledge with those who ask nicely.
Monday, January 22, 2007
GG Ring Games, IGHN. Some Observations...
It didn't take long. It appears all of the non hold 'em ring games have become awful rocky. (Please read that again before flaming me, I said "NON HOLD 'EM ring games"). IMHO, a juicy hi/lo or horse game would have 50% seeing flop/4th street. Try finding that for a full ring now.
I would guess that the loosest hi/lo left would be the PLO8 on Bodog. But it sounds like their paper checks aren't being accepted so none of my money will go in their direction.
This also takes many of the bonus & rakeback whores out of the game. Without being able to transfer rolls quickly between sites, those players will dry up. Bloggers are somewhat in the same boat. Like myself, many bloggers receive a "stipend" from poker or rakeback sites. It is difficult to transfer or cash out these amounts right now.
My original goal was to climb the Stars VIP program, but anything beyond gold star would be a dream given the current situation. I really liked their program because it was independent of any third party.
With ring games gone (for me anyway) the only logical option is to run SNG's and donkaments. If I happen to take down a decent MTT score I can always request a cash out right away. I would like to involve more live tournaments into my goals, bankroll permitting.
It appears from this 2+2 thread that player traffic is down 10-20% in the first week since the neteller pullout. Don't expect this number to get better anytime soon.
Speculation part of the post.
What now? It doesn't look good for USA players.
If I were PokerStars, I would pull out of the USA. It just seems logical. No new payment processor required. Already established relationship with EPT. Let the USA players deal with the hassle of workarounds (if any). Send a bunch of Eurasians to the WSOP with "dot net" shirts on.
No legal fights necessary. Sit back and make (smaller) profits without adding any expense.
As for new processing, it appears some prepaid Visa gift cards are working well for deposits. Great, but for how long? Same goes for epassporte.
The only true workaround for processing I can think of involves circumventing banking entirely. Stars and Tilt would have to offer a retail merchandise store online and offer gift cards to purchase at a B&M retailer. Just like Amazon, once you enter your gift card PIN online, it's a credit on the site and can't be transferred to another user or refunded. On the site you could buy merchandise OR a credit to FTP or Stars poker site. FTP has already offered gift certificates this past holiday season. This would just be a variation of that - or the phone card version Party used to offer.
But again, I wonder if it is worth the financial and legal risk for the extra profit? Some say yes, but I say no.
By far, the funniest thing I've read since all the shit went down is this gem from RGP:
New Full Tilt tv commercial
"Full Tilt House 1am. The doorbell rings. Mike Matusow
answers door. A US player says I want to cash out. Mike says "Get the Fuck
outta here". and slams door. Full Tilt Poker it's where the pros play."
I would guess that the loosest hi/lo left would be the PLO8 on Bodog. But it sounds like their paper checks aren't being accepted so none of my money will go in their direction.
This also takes many of the bonus & rakeback whores out of the game. Without being able to transfer rolls quickly between sites, those players will dry up. Bloggers are somewhat in the same boat. Like myself, many bloggers receive a "stipend" from poker or rakeback sites. It is difficult to transfer or cash out these amounts right now.
My original goal was to climb the Stars VIP program, but anything beyond gold star would be a dream given the current situation. I really liked their program because it was independent of any third party.
With ring games gone (for me anyway) the only logical option is to run SNG's and donkaments. If I happen to take down a decent MTT score I can always request a cash out right away. I would like to involve more live tournaments into my goals, bankroll permitting.
It appears from this 2+2 thread that player traffic is down 10-20% in the first week since the neteller pullout. Don't expect this number to get better anytime soon.
Speculation part of the post.
What now? It doesn't look good for USA players.
If I were PokerStars, I would pull out of the USA. It just seems logical. No new payment processor required. Already established relationship with EPT. Let the USA players deal with the hassle of workarounds (if any). Send a bunch of Eurasians to the WSOP with "dot net" shirts on.
No legal fights necessary. Sit back and make (smaller) profits without adding any expense.
As for new processing, it appears some prepaid Visa gift cards are working well for deposits. Great, but for how long? Same goes for epassporte.
The only true workaround for processing I can think of involves circumventing banking entirely. Stars and Tilt would have to offer a retail merchandise store online and offer gift cards to purchase at a B&M retailer. Just like Amazon, once you enter your gift card PIN online, it's a credit on the site and can't be transferred to another user or refunded. On the site you could buy merchandise OR a credit to FTP or Stars poker site. FTP has already offered gift certificates this past holiday season. This would just be a variation of that - or the phone card version Party used to offer.
But again, I wonder if it is worth the financial and legal risk for the extra profit? Some say yes, but I say no.
By far, the funniest thing I've read since all the shit went down is this gem from RGP:
New Full Tilt tv commercial
"Full Tilt House 1am. The doorbell rings. Mike Matusow
answers door. A US player says I want to cash out. Mike says "Get the Fuck
outta here". and slams door. Full Tilt Poker it's where the pros play."
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Blogger Gathering In Niagara Falls? Anyone?
What now? Here's what I think:
Everyone meets in Buffalo/Niagara Falls, has a good time throwing chips and shots around over a weekend.
On our way to Fallsview or Casino Niagara poker rooms, we stop at a UPS store and open some mailboxes.
Leave your mailbox keys with me and I will forward all of your mail to the states.
Guess what? Now you can use Neteller with your new mailbox address. Just use your Neteller card to withdraw cash.
Beauty, eh? Let's take off to great white north. The back bacon's on me.
Feedback or suggestions welcome.
(ETA: I see Katitude is setting up a get together in T.O. (that's Toronto, not Terrell Owens). They're planning on doing one day in the Falls. I'd be happy to meet up there on Sunday (2/11), but I'd like to get together on the Buffalo side of things that weekend.)
Football Lock of the Week: NFL, Patriots @ Colts (-3). It's Indy's year, plain and simple. I also like the Bears (-2.5), especially if it's cold (below 20 degrees). [2007 Record 1-0]
Everyone meets in Buffalo/Niagara Falls, has a good time throwing chips and shots around over a weekend.
On our way to Fallsview or Casino Niagara poker rooms, we stop at a UPS store and open some mailboxes.
Leave your mailbox keys with me and I will forward all of your mail to the states.
Guess what? Now you can use Neteller with your new mailbox address. Just use your Neteller card to withdraw cash.
Beauty, eh? Let's take off to great white north. The back bacon's on me.
Feedback or suggestions welcome.
(ETA: I see Katitude is setting up a get together in T.O. (that's Toronto, not Terrell Owens). They're planning on doing one day in the Falls. I'd be happy to meet up there on Sunday (2/11), but I'd like to get together on the Buffalo side of things that weekend.)
Football Lock of the Week: NFL, Patriots @ Colts (-3). It's Indy's year, plain and simple. I also like the Bears (-2.5), especially if it's cold (below 20 degrees). [2007 Record 1-0]
Monday, January 15, 2007
Connection Problems, Including The Flop
My internet connection is driving me nuts. I have cable internet with Super G WiFi (108mpbs). My router is only about 30 feet from my desk. I can surf, email, download, etc. with relative ease. However, the whole damn setup HATES Stars. I cannot play one table without my connection to the server dropping repeatedly.
This frustration has me considering moving back to Full Tilt. I haven't had any problems there with my WiFi, but the FTP servers seem to crash on a regular basis during my play. (Let me rephrase that - FTP seems to crash a lot.) They always claim software updates or improvements, but this has gone on for over a year (in my experience).
I purchased a 50' ethernet cable, which allows my to play hassle free at night. (The cable would block traffic in the house during the day.) But goddammit - What's the use of WiFi if you can't use it for your most important application?
I had a crappy week at the tables. I had four -30BB O8 sessions, but only one which I played truly horrible. I'm running bad - I can't remember the last time my nut flush/nut low completed at a table. I would estimate about 2000+ hands ago. When I'm spooked like this I play short, but given the circumstances, it's the way to go. Pass the tin foil hat.
God knows I should be playing more Razz tourneys. Forget the points, I should swim in more dead money.
This frustration has me considering moving back to Full Tilt. I haven't had any problems there with my WiFi, but the FTP servers seem to crash on a regular basis during my play. (Let me rephrase that - FTP seems to crash a lot.) They always claim software updates or improvements, but this has gone on for over a year (in my experience).
I purchased a 50' ethernet cable, which allows my to play hassle free at night. (The cable would block traffic in the house during the day.) But goddammit - What's the use of WiFi if you can't use it for your most important application?
I had a crappy week at the tables. I had four -30BB O8 sessions, but only one which I played truly horrible. I'm running bad - I can't remember the last time my nut flush/nut low completed at a table. I would estimate about 2000+ hands ago. When I'm spooked like this I play short, but given the circumstances, it's the way to go. Pass the tin foil hat.
God knows I should be playing more Razz tourneys. Forget the points, I should swim in more dead money.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Grinding & Live Sunday HORSE
A very quiet start to the new year. When I've played I've met my VPP goals (on schedule for gold this month). However, dad's medical appointments keep hogging up my schedule. But it's important to finally know what's going on with his hip.
Good news for upstate live players. Seneca-Niagara now offers a weekly HORSE tourney - the only one for miles and miles. I'm currently looking for someone(s) to carpool with or share travel expenses. Sorry, no huggles will be involved. (However, if any bloggers want to do a weekend in Buffalo, I'll buy many rounds.)
Football Lock of the Week: NFL, Seahawks (+9.5) @ Bears. I hate to roll out the stats, but Da Bears are 1-3 vs. the spread since losing Tommie Harris. The worse the weather, the closer the game, so take the points. [2007 record 0-0]
Good news for upstate live players. Seneca-Niagara now offers a weekly HORSE tourney - the only one for miles and miles. I'm currently looking for someone(s) to carpool with or share travel expenses. Sorry, no huggles will be involved. (However, if any bloggers want to do a weekend in Buffalo, I'll buy many rounds.)
Football Lock of the Week: NFL, Seahawks (+9.5) @ Bears. I hate to roll out the stats, but Da Bears are 1-3 vs. the spread since losing Tommie Harris. The worse the weather, the closer the game, so take the points. [2007 record 0-0]
Thursday, January 04, 2007
New Year, New Resolve, Same Old Buffalo
I wanted to post about my upcoming goals for 2007 but my father's emergency got in the way. He's recovering nicely, by the way.
I have been lingering in the salt mines too long. It's time for ol' 66 to take a step up in the poker world. As for the bloggersphere - well, let's just say I like being the last of the independents. Too much consolidation for my taste.
My goals, in some particular order:
1) Become a Stars Supernova in 2007, unless a better deal comes along at another site. If I play with any regularity, I should be a Gold Star by the end of the month.
I've figured out the best way to make use of the FPP's and it's NOT the cash bonuses or satellites (in most cases). You can order a $1500 WSOP (televised) event entry for 93k FPP's, but I can earn about $1600 cash equivalent for the same points. (And I can start redeeming them around 6500 FPP's.)
2) Recruit/School/Bankroll more players in 2007. I added two players to the fold in 2006 and both had winning years in their first try. Avoiding any legislative pitfalls, that number should increase this year.
3) Play in some (live) meaningful tournaments. Unfortunately, geography is not on my side. Turning Stone and Seneca Niagara have only spread NLHE events the past two years. The Taj did a poor job marketing the USPC and I didn't have enough time to make arrangements for the hi/lo events. This year, I expect to hit something on the east coast (probably the USPC) and perhaps one event out west. Worst case, I'll play some NLHE events at Turning Stone.
4) Handicap above 65% (versus the spread) in 2007. I'm pleased to say that I finished the 2006 football season at 61.8% (21-13-1), which beats the juice of any legitimate book out there. However, picking over 65% puts me in a class with professional cappers - and all of my picks are free!
I hope whatever you try to accomplish in 2007, you follow your passion and have fun.
(ETA: I'll be simul-posting on the MySpace Blog this year - making it easier to subscribe.)
I have been lingering in the salt mines too long. It's time for ol' 66 to take a step up in the poker world. As for the bloggersphere - well, let's just say I like being the last of the independents. Too much consolidation for my taste.
My goals, in some particular order:
1) Become a Stars Supernova in 2007, unless a better deal comes along at another site. If I play with any regularity, I should be a Gold Star by the end of the month.
I've figured out the best way to make use of the FPP's and it's NOT the cash bonuses or satellites (in most cases). You can order a $1500 WSOP (televised) event entry for 93k FPP's, but I can earn about $1600 cash equivalent for the same points. (And I can start redeeming them around 6500 FPP's.)
2) Recruit/School/Bankroll more players in 2007. I added two players to the fold in 2006 and both had winning years in their first try. Avoiding any legislative pitfalls, that number should increase this year.
3) Play in some (live) meaningful tournaments. Unfortunately, geography is not on my side. Turning Stone and Seneca Niagara have only spread NLHE events the past two years. The Taj did a poor job marketing the USPC and I didn't have enough time to make arrangements for the hi/lo events. This year, I expect to hit something on the east coast (probably the USPC) and perhaps one event out west. Worst case, I'll play some NLHE events at Turning Stone.
4) Handicap above 65% (versus the spread) in 2007. I'm pleased to say that I finished the 2006 football season at 61.8% (21-13-1), which beats the juice of any legitimate book out there. However, picking over 65% puts me in a class with professional cappers - and all of my picks are free!
I hope whatever you try to accomplish in 2007, you follow your passion and have fun.
(ETA: I'll be simul-posting on the MySpace Blog this year - making it easier to subscribe.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)