Freakonomics - Poker is Skill and Should be Allowed

Now this less than five minute radio spot makes a few good points. But it doesn't address the two major points that my over one million hands played has seen. The lack of random cards and the lack of humanity.

According to Levitt good players know that they play in brick and mortar tournaments cognizant that bad players with lots of money will play just for that once in a life time experience of playing with the big boys. Yes, I can see this happening. As a solid player with lots of money - strangely I've only played in a casino four times in my life. Go back and read the introduction if you need to see why I only ever play fun money. Because that's where the really weird shit happens.

Let's take this table for example. There's way too much idle chat going on. Other than the fact there's way too much all in action it's highly unlikely that so many people would use PokerStars as their forum to discuss their day and what they planned to eat for dinner. The chat just reeks of pre-programmed conversation that wants to say, "Look! Real people here!" And naturally not of it was directed at me.

And frankly some should. I've got a bizarre screen name and everyone knows about the implosion of Scientology by now. So I sit back and reflect and ask myself a few things:

What kind of a player takes the time to join this table to talk about dinner?
What kind of player takes the time to whine about losing 900k in a few hours tops and keeps coming back for more?
What kind of player with world class typing skills to post things that don't make sense has all these extra spaces? Two in the same screen shot. With a player at the table with a space between the basic name and the numbers. Are extra spaces the cool thing to do now?

It didn't used to be. And there's no way there's enough time for you to get the 40k needed to buy into this game to join the cool list. It's just like when everyone waited until the 14 second warning and even took time bank usage time. That's dried up. This is the way the artificial intelligence is programmed to play.

Try and swing a dead cat at a real money seven stud table, including $30-$60 real money games where there's any significant chat. My observation in 5 hours of observing - no dialogue and two emoticons. And positions instantly popping up to absorb the rake and almost make it look for real.

Pathetic.