ITH Poker Forum

[SlfMade]

Excerpt from a Full Tilt email to a player, posted on 2+2:

Unfortunately due to the upcoming change in legislation Full Tilt Poker
will no longer be able to satellite US residents into live tournaments in
US. This policy will be effective immediately. There are currently 3
options that you have with your winner's choice package.

1. We can credit your account with the $10K buy in....

2. You can choose to attend the WPT $10K tournament at the Falls View
Casino in Niagara Falls, Canada....

We are extremely sorry for this inconvenience and we hope that you can
understand the position that we have been put in because of the current
legal situation.

....

Thank you,

Team Full Tilt

And later in the thread:

I heard on this week's ESPN Poker Edge podcast that the WSOP will not accept 3rd party registrations in 2007.

[Fumseck]

I think this is where the US brick and mortar card rooms will feel the impact of the new legislation.

I wonder how many people will attend the WSOP next year...

[Cript]

What a joke.

I immagine they'll still run tournies but will just give 10k to you...I expect the numbers to be just above where they were in 2003...what a shame.

[Piscivorous]

I suppose you could play EPT satellites and those satellites with live MTTs in the Caribbean.

[wade]

1. We can credit your account with the $10K buy in....

...and you register yourself, saving us the bother of paying our admins to do it for you

[loyo1]

I had wondered how they would handle this. It seemed when the bill passed that even though online gaming and poker would continue somehow, the sites would no longer be able to have a high profile presence at the WSOP.

They can still qualify entrants, but once the player gets the money......A lot of players would say that going to the ME at the WSOP is the chance of a lifetime, and too big to turn down. But when it's hard cold cash in hand versus taking a shot, it's decision time. Probably a few players (at least) would forgo the WSOP for the cash in hand. A lot of non playing spouses would probably prefer their significant other stick the money in the bank.

And based on the photos from the Lifestyle Expo (or whatever it ws called), most of the participants were online sites. Wonder who it will be next year?

Might be a lot more qualifiers for EPT events.

[Piscivorous]

I brought this up last Friday with one of the floor managers at Bay 101, knowing that the last few WPT Shooting Star MTTs there had satellites through Paradise. He fully expects one of two things to happen:

1. That the legislation will be overturned quickly
2. Regardless, non-Americans will fill the ranks of those American players who get in every year.

In other words, one way or another, it will little impact on the Shooting Star and a huge impact on the number of disenfranchised online players flocking to Bay 101 and other B&Ms to fill their poker need.

I think he definitely is over-reaching on point 1. I might add that he is also an immigrant from Eastern Europe. I am not saying this for any other reason then he both believes in the goodness of this country and he is very optimistic that the "Land of the Free" will always do the right thing.

Unfortunately, I do not share his optimism. And that, my friends, saddens me deeply.