An article doing the rounds at the moment refers to novice poker players as being ‘the fish at the table’. In an absolutely ground-breaking announcement this ‘fish at the table’ will be a recreational player with really basic and give-away tells! Now, there’s me been thinking all these years that any new poker player will automatically be an expert and professional.

The fish poker player- so dim it must be a woman!

But what really made me laugh about this article was the way that it referred to ‘fish’ at the poker table as being feminine – a woman. The article emphasizes that a woman wouldn’t know the rules, would always be chatting, would over-play their hand, drink too much etc. Although the article is signed off under a woman’s name, this could just simply be being misogynistic, being actually written by a man. If so, he really ought to be more honest and should really write that he thinks women shouldn’t be playing poker? Or, alternatively, it’s been written by a man who is deliberately setting out to belittle all/any new players to the game of poker by being condescending toward them; a misogynist to women and inferring any male that doesn’t already know how to play poker – isn’t really a man!

We all had to start somewhere.

The reality is, of course, that we all need to learn and start playing somewhere. Perhaps he, or she, has forgotten the sort of gaffs they’d have made when they started playing poker. Poker can be likened to so many other things that we’re awkward at to start with, only to find that we instinctively know what to do after just a little practice. With so much information to find and read on the internet it can be very confusing for novice players as to what exactly they should be doing to improve their technique. For me, well I learn best by reading things and doing things; and what works for me is sitting down with a poker book aimed at novice players and a deck of cards; and just seeing what happens with the hands I deal according to what the books advising me

Following our comment in the article “Legal poker online in the USA” and the perilous financial state of some Casinos and Poker Tournaments; comes more indications of a downturn in casino poker and potentially online poker.

Casino business takes a dive.

Nevada casinos have now confirmed that the downward trend in their business is now in its 15^th consecutive month and looks likely to last all through 2009. Or, put more starkly the casinos are reporting trade down by anything up to 25% on last year. However, it’s not just ‘bricks and mortar’ casinos that are felling the economic pinch – with online poker tournaments also looking over their shoulders at the wider economic situation.

The threat to online poker tournaments.

Previously thought to be immune from the repercussions of the global financial meltdown, even online poker tournaments are wondering if they’ll be able to maintain the levels of revenue income they enjoyed last year. Apparently FTOPS XII added a massive $200,000 overlay, which basically means speculating in an attempt to avoid future disruption, on their own guaranteed main-event worth $2.5 million. This means in effect that they’ve introduced a mini-FTOPS, with buy-ins at one tenth of the main event. The only possible reason for this must be that they’re concerned as to whether or not they’ll fill all the seats at the full buy-in main event. This move would seem to be at odds with claims that overall online poker revenues are up by 30% on last year?

Increased play in small events compensates for fewer big game players?

John Caldwell of TPB seems to think that the apparent rise in online poker revenue can be attributed to an historic fact. Quite simply there are fewer players prepared to risk entering a $5,000 to $10,000 poker game compared to the numbers wanting to play in $1000 to $2500 games. Caldwell is quite candid about the reasons for this, citing the fact that smaller games have always been more popular anyway with ‘workers’. Quite simply the smaller games attract huge numbers of working men and women. The online poker websites aren’t knocking their customers here; they know that attracting thousands of players to a $1,000+ game will be worth far more to them than attracting a few hundred high rollers to a $10,000 one.

The Barney Frank Bill finally got its first hearing in front of his ‘US House of Representatives Financial Services Committee’, last week. Seen as the first step in dismantling the 2006 legislation banning online betting and internet gambling games in the US, the only people to have benefited so far seem to be the share-holders of websites like PartyGaming, 888 and Sportingbet – who saw a rapid rise in their share-prices this week.

Should you invest in online betting websites?

However, if you think you could make a quick killing with shares in one of the many internet betting or poker websites – be wary, as you might yet still make more money simply playing poker in a ‘bricks and mortar’ casino. Hopeful of a resolution to the current state, of what is basically unenforceable legislation against online gaming, by August of this year – the matter is far from being finalized. The currently expected outcome is a series of licenses being issued; but with PartyGaming, for one, already having admitted limited liability on acting “contrary to US laws” in the past – the existing big players in providing online poker games and betting, may well be excluded from an entitlement to one of these new licenses!

No wild west ‘free-for-all’ for online gaming/betting websites.

Already not sounding too good is the idea that individual states, even Indian tribes, will be able to determine who, if anyone, can have and operate internet gambling! So, basically, this piece of legislation going through the FSC will mean we will still have to apply pressure locally, at State level, to have online betting and poker games. This will surely mean a reversion to the levels of protectionism that Frank’s Bill is supposed to overturn, and the prospect of playing online poker tournaments recedes again!

Is there any real hope for online gaming in the USA?

One possible hope can be illustrated from a state that relies heavily on gambling – Nevada; which has seen its gaming revenue fall for more than 12 consecutive months. Credit crunch aside, they won’t be keen on seeing their revenue fall further and will be looking for new revenue streams. Meaning that the big Las Vegas players may well already be looking to sign deals with the big European online betting and poker sites; in order to access their technology and know-how quickly and more cheaply than from a ‘cold start-up’ themselves. If gaming/betting revenues are falling similarly across the USA, then hopefully all the states will find it economically expedient to allow/introduce online betting and gaming?