Uncertainity in the online poker world!

Over the past few days i've found myself pre-occupied with the uncertainty around the future of online poker. Those of you aware will have heard that Senator Reid is intending on attaching a bill to regulate online poker to a greater bill, which will see Americans free to play online poker again.

However, all is not as it seems. A 15month "blackout period" will insue meaning US players won't be allowed to play for this period so that online poker sites have a level playing field (Seems the big casino players MGM and Harrah's are throwing substantial amounts of money at this having seen the success of stars/FTP). On a purely selfish note this is likely to have a huge effect on the games with traffic been more than halfed. Granted im not a huge grinder but it is a worry and i feel sorry for those big grinders like Nanonoko and Gregy in the US who really will have big decisions to make if this passes through.

Another bone of contention is the lack of clarity after the 15month blackout period. Rumours are circulating that stars/FTP will be frozen out of the American market for a further two years (almost as punishment for accepting US players whilst poker wasn't regulated in the US). At A-level i studied abit of American Politics and i remember all the beaucracy, back scratching and corruption that is a result of a proportional representation electoral system. Throw in an industry where money is like confetti and those with the deepest pockets (Harrah's/MGM) and there perogatives will prevail.

Enough of the depressing stuff anyway. November was great made about $20k online in 18k hands. Live didnt go well, i dropped about £5k in two sessions. Running a huge bluff in a 3bet pot which wasn't great for £5k pot and losing set under turned set in another session for a £5.5k pot. Can't complain things are going well. December has followed in the same vein up around $7.5k in 5k hands, so hopefully i can churn out a decent month before the sky falls.

Next week im going to DTD. Still debating whether to play the Monte Carlo MTT or just play live cash. I'll make a decision nearer the time hoping i don't downswing to hard between now and then.

Looking towards next year, i may have to play live alot. I currently intend to play IPT Lugano (15th Jan) EPT Deauxvile (25th Jan) and Stars Estrella Madrid (2nd Feb) assuming i can sat into 1 or 2 of them. I'll almost certainly play all 3 if the blackout period is in place by then.

Got friends visiting this weekend for Sunderland vs Fulham match. Probably won't be a classic but looking forward to seeing m8's i aint seen since before Vegas (Aint been home since June :S). After DTD i'll head str8 up north for Xmas celebrations and hopefully a good few boozy nights in Newcastle/Durham.

Lets hope we have good news in the coming days.

JP