So, I Haven't Played In A While....

[custom36 5]

I'm going to start this with a little background for those that don't know who I am...I used to be really active here and play a lot of poker. I was a winning player (I think) and loved to discuss strategy. However, one day in the summer, my computer was hacked into which brought a long fight with a shady money site the hacker used. I lost pretty much all of my bankroll, along with my desire to play poker.Currently, I just turned 21 and am getting the desire to play again. It's been about a year and a half and I kinda feel like I'm starting from scratch again. How has the game changed in the last year or two? What kind of obstacles am I looking at due to the ban on online poker by the government?I know this is off-topic, but from my experience this place is 10x better than gen pop and strategy doesn't get much traffic. If anyone can help me out, I'd really appreciate it.

[Suited_Up 2]

Well Shit!Welcome back, first of all.Second, I gotta run, so I'll tackle the rest later if nobody has gotten to what I might say.

[Suited_Up 2]

Ok, one quick thought.....The games are quite a bit tougher online and everyone thinks they're a lagtard now.

[custom36 5]

Thanks Kurt. The more I look around, the more I miss this place. I look forward to your input.

[fryer98 30]

Thanks Kurt. The more I look around, the more I miss this place. I look forward to your input.

First time someone's ever said that to Kurt.

[chrozzo 19]

Thanks Kurt. The more I look around, the more I miss this place. I look forward to your input.

hi

[custom36 5]

hi

hi

[JoeyJoJo 20]

I thought you were much, much older.

[onlyme386 0]

hi

^^^ he's kinda a big dealonline poker is harder now than ever before, it's not that hard to get money online just sign up for epassporte (works on stars and full tilt)

[SuitedAces21 2,733]

I thought you were much, much older.

[vonteego3 0]

I thought you were Chad Kroeger.

[xzanos 0]

I thought you were Chad Kroeger.

I saw him at Buca Di Beppo in SF one time. It was neat.

[custom36 5]

online poker is harder now than ever before, it's not that hard to get money online just sign up for epassporte (works on stars and full tilt)

So, are the books I own now obsolete? (both of brunson's books, harrington, sklansky....all created well before the ban). Is it mostly grinders that are online?

[custom36 5]

I thought you were Chad Kroeger.

Haha. I forgot about that.

[SuitedAces21 2,733]

I saw him at Buca Di Beppo in SF one time. It was neat.

Did he sign a couple autographs so he could EAT HIS MEALS FOR FREE?

[gobears 0]

Welcome back Doug! You still have mod powers? Always wondered if those continued in perpetuity...Mtts are still a minefield and some of the good players multi-account so if you go deep, you're never really sure who you're up against. However, PS still gets the huge fields for their Sunday tourneys.I've started to multi-table NLHE full ring - at the 200nl level, I haven't seen that many good players although I've heard that there are more now than before (I can't judge) as many play weak/tight and I've seen some truly horrendous play. I don't play 6-Max but that seems to be very popular these days, limit is out of favor except for Zach. If you're going to play cash, then check out the challenge thread in gen pop that was started by chucksty - Mark (nosup4you) sort of took it over since tommy stopped posting after about one day in it but I've been reading it since I started to play cash and it's a good read to get a feel for what's out there.E-checks seems to work as a deposit option although I've never tried it - there are threads about it in general.I only play on PS and FTP. I lost interest in Bodog although I'm told that the cash games are very soft there. Absolute Poker had the big super user/cheating scandal so by default, I won't every play there or UB either.

[Ouch-8s 5]

First time someone's ever said that to Kurt.

including chigirl?

[JoeyJoJo 20]

including chigirl?

ESPECIALLY chigirl.

[custom36 5]

Welcome back Doug! You still have mod powers? Always wondered if those continued in perpetuity...Mtts are still a minefield and some of the good players multi-account so if you go deep, you're never really sure who you're up against. However, PS still gets the huge fields for their Sunday tourneys.I've started to multi-table NLHE full ring - at the 200nl level, I haven't seen that many good players although I've heard that there are more now than before (I can't judge) as many play weak/tight and I've seen some truly horrendous play. I don't play 6-Max but that seems to be very popular these days, limit is out of favor except for Zach. If you're going to play cash, then check out the challenge thread in gen pop that was started by chucksty - Mark (nosup4you) sort of took it over since tommy stopped posting after about one day in it but I've been reading it since I started to play cash and it's a good read to get a feel for what's out there.E-checks seems to work as a deposit option although I've never tried it - there are threads about it in general.I only play on PS and FTP. I lost interest in Bodog although I'm told that the cash games are very soft there. Absolute Poker had the big super user/cheating scandal so by default, I won't every play there or UB either.

Nah, my mod powers were (rightfully) taken away. I'm sure gen pop is breathing a sigh of relief. ;)What are e-checks? How is this epassporte program?I love weak/tight players. Where are the best cash games these days (aside from Bodog)? I hated absolute before the ban. Why don't you play UB anymore?One more question: How's the strategy section here?

[renaedawn 1]

I'm going to start this with a little background for those that don't know who I am...I used to be really active here and play a lot of poker. I was a winning player (I think) and loved to discuss strategy. However, one day in the summer, my computer was hacked into which brought a long fight with a shady money site the hacker used. I lost pretty much all of my bankroll, along with my desire to play poker.Currently, I just turned 21 and am getting the desire to play again. It's been about a year and a half and I kinda feel like I'm starting from scratch again. How has the game changed in the last year or two? What kind of obstacles am I looking at due to the ban on online poker by the government?I know this is off-topic, but from my experience this place is 10x better than gen pop and strategy doesn't get much traffic. If anyone can help me out, I'd really appreciate it.

I forgot this past birthday was a milestone one for you. Happy birthday!Since you're 21 now, come here and I'll take you to a casino.

[gobears 0]

Nah, my mod powers were (rightfully) taken away. I'm sure gen pop is breathing a sigh of relief. ;)What are e-checks? How is this epassporte program?I love weak/tight players. Where are the best cash games these days (aside from Bodog)? I hated absolute before the ban. Why don't you play UB anymore?One more question: How's the strategy section here?

I've never used either as I used a credit card to deposit onto ftp once since the UIGEA kicked in and luckily haven't had to since. However, Echecks seems to be a way to just fund your account directly from your checking account in the same manner that you used to fund neteller/firepay from what I've read. Seems seamless although you should ask someone who's actually tried it. I never played UB at all and seems from what I've read, they and AP are linked somehow. Also, there was a new thread on 2+2 about a potential smart super-user on UB (think gen pop had a thread too about it) - at this point, I really only trust PS and FTP. My impression has been that ftp players are better than PS players but my sample size is small - ftp players just seem more aggro in general. In PS, it's pretty easy after awhile to figure out the tighties.I only hang out in NLHE Strat and Tourney Strat - I like the advice that I read from Acid Knight/David Nicoson (prob others but I don't remember). The challenge thread in genpop has good stuff too. Steve7Stud has a stickied threat in gen strat where he takes questions of a more general nature but it's worth a read. When I toyed with Omaha, I would read all of Chamonyx' posts.As for tourney strat, probably the best way is to read posts from many of the big MTT players like prtypsux, pmjackson21, looschle, alsmooth who post randomly in different threads.

[navybuttons 16]

One more question: How's the strategy section here?

for NL: listen to what AcidKnight says. he's right like 97% of the time.for Limit: zach has a really good idea of what's going on.O8: this has kind of deteriorated lately IMO. but checkymcfold still gives good LO8 advice. and PLO8 is a silly game.

[timwakefield 69]

All the big sites are still rigged.

[custom36 5]

All the big sites are still rigged.

Beautiful.

[Cappy37 0]

So, are the books I own now obsolete? (both of brunson's books, harrington, sklansky....all created well before the ban). Is it mostly grinders that are online?

The books aren't obsolete, but the vast majority of tourney donks have now read them. So the basic tricks aren't as clever as they once were.In tourneys re-stealing is now more of a focus than "stealing". People pick off CO and CO+1 steals a *LOT* more than they used to. In the micros tourneys, the blinds still always consider themselves pot-committed via the blinds pre-flop.In general: The government's annoying little bills and bans have done only one thing to online poker: made it really, really difficult/annoying for the casual donktard to re-deposit online. So the games are far less fishy across the board than they once were. If you are sitting in, say, a 2/4 ring game, you are likely sitting with a half dozen or so folks who haven't re-deposited in years, and a newcomer or two. Unless you are playing a game/limit that can spread 20 games at a time, you are going to see a ton of familiar faces day in day out that are just as solid as you. In short, the "grind" is now even more of a grind. There is still plenty of dead money in tourneys.