Monday, August 22, 2011

Reluctantly Folding

I wanna hold em like they do in Texas please
Fold em let em hit me raise it baby

- Lady Gaga




(OK, so she's not really singing about playing cards...I like this song...let's pretend it fits the post...)

I used to play online poker before the government cracked down on some of the internet gambling sites.  I could play for months at a time on $20, playing 2/4 Texas Hold 'Em at the penny table.  On a very bad night I might lose $2.  Uncle Sam decided he must protect me from myself and not allow me to waste such large amounts of cash, so he shut them down.

Well, there are some sites that still exist.  I figured I could afford to spend $20 playing Blackjack on one of the few sites still standing.  They had a coupon offer to double my deposit.  Cool.  I paid 20 US dollars and got 40 in casino cash.

I won!  I was up $100.  Woohoo!!!! Time to cash out...

WTF?  Withdrawable amount 60 cents?  I didn't read the coupon offer well enough.  You can't withdraw the money until you make bets worth over $1000.  Grrrr....

This is what happens when you shut down the reputable sites (if it's possible to be reputable and illlegal at the same time).  Why not regulate them and tax the income?  Why is it legal for me to go to a Stop 'N Rob to purchase lottery tickets for ten dollars apiece, but not legal to play at penny poker tables? 

Lesson learned.  No more internet gambling.  The sites that remain are nothing but thiefs.    

9 comments:

Brian Miller said...

i would totally lose my shirt...

Tempo said...

I dont gamble, I've always worked too hard for it to throw my money away...then again, I was married once so I guess that counts as gambling...I lost!

Unknown said...

I'm with Brian, I'd loose SO big. lol

And I'd be afraid of getting scammed by the sites.

Kelly said...

Awww... that really sucks.

Jen said...

@Brian Miller: The trick is to only buy in with what you can afford to SPEND and look at it as entertainment.

@Tempo: Blackjack odds are close to 50% if you use basic strategy...half of all marriages fail...hey the odds are the same...you're right, it is gambling.

@AmyLK: I guess I got scammed. But at least it was only 20 dollars.

@Kelly: My sentiments exactly.

Grannybunny said...

I like to gamble at casinos, but don't think it would be possible to adequately regulate and oversee internet gambling sites to prevent them from being totally fixed. In fact, the large number of abuses are -- I believe -- what led to the crackdown.

Bernie said...

A good lesson learned for $20.00. Hope all is going well for you Jen.
......:-)Hugs

Full-On-Forward said...

I WANT MY POKER SITES BACK! IT'S MY MONEY AND THE INTERNET IS STILL THE WORLD WIDE WEB--YES??????

Damn Government! I guess I can find some local real games...but I really liked the Online play. Esp at a good table!!

J

Jen said...

@Grannybunny: But they shut down the reputable sites where the big dogs play. The crooks are still up and running. My theory is that it's political...

@Bernie: I have more good days than bad...so we'll go with YES, things are going well for me.

@John McElveen: Me too! Free online play is no fun because people play too stupid when it's not real money. I guess I'll be looking for a local sports bar that does tournaments.

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