Nothing more for me to say, and nothing further after the jump.
This is an excellent article from Wired Magazine showing the current state of online poker due to the UIGEA, and the damage it has caused to the typical grinder at the poker table.
The tables really have dried up...both for myself, a mid-stakes pokerbot, as well as my friends that play everything from $5,000NL to heads up Omaha. As income levels drop, collusion becomes more apparent at even the small stakes tables.
I do not collude, never have, and never will. I feel that is cheating, unlike a poker bot that has no information outside the bounds of a rule abiding human. However, you are about to see an influx of collusion that will make everyone forget about the "danger" of poker bots.
Trust me...I've talked to them. Automated collusion-bots are on the rise.
Wired.com - Refusing to Fold, Online Poker Players Bet on Prohibition Repeal
Monday, May 21, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
So This Blog is Banned from Digg...
Woke up this morning to do my normal Sunday Digg browsing and got a shock: This blog is banned from Digg?
No idea what happened, but all articles from this site are now auto-buried by Digg. Now, they don't call this a ban because they want to maintain the idea that they are a site created by the users. Banning a site might create a backlash of publicity (not from my trickling of readers, but there are some large sites that have received the same treatment).
I've contacted Digg for clarification but from what I've read, they are unlikely to even reply.
I did find some interesting links of others that have had the same problem. Interesting reading if you, like me, believed Digg to be a user generated site. On the bright side, I'll be ditching the annoying clutter of the Digg button.
Swollenpickles.com - Defacto Dig Ban
Forevergeek.com - Digg Corrupted: Editor's Playground
Toprankblog.com - Digg Hypocrisy
Those three are enough to give you the gist of the story. Heck, I could post dozens of links to people who've been banned. Some, obviously spammers, but many small time bloggers like myself that don't understand what has gone wrong. Google "Digg ban" if you like to see dozens of examples.
Here's a tutorial for how to use Digg's own system to ban a site you don't like, even. Unbelievable.
Wolf-howl.com - How to be a Dirty Digger
Hopefully the Digg folks will get back to me so I can find out what caused this. Wouldn't shock me if an anti-pokerbot contingent spammed Digg with complaints.
No idea what happened, but all articles from this site are now auto-buried by Digg. Now, they don't call this a ban because they want to maintain the idea that they are a site created by the users. Banning a site might create a backlash of publicity (not from my trickling of readers, but there are some large sites that have received the same treatment).
I've contacted Digg for clarification but from what I've read, they are unlikely to even reply.
I did find some interesting links of others that have had the same problem. Interesting reading if you, like me, believed Digg to be a user generated site. On the bright side, I'll be ditching the annoying clutter of the Digg button.
Swollenpickles.com - Defacto Dig Ban
Forevergeek.com - Digg Corrupted: Editor's Playground
Toprankblog.com - Digg Hypocrisy
Those three are enough to give you the gist of the story. Heck, I could post dozens of links to people who've been banned. Some, obviously spammers, but many small time bloggers like myself that don't understand what has gone wrong. Google "Digg ban" if you like to see dozens of examples.
Here's a tutorial for how to use Digg's own system to ban a site you don't like, even. Unbelievable.
Wolf-howl.com - How to be a Dirty Digger
Hopefully the Digg folks will get back to me so I can find out what caused this. Wouldn't shock me if an anti-pokerbot contingent spammed Digg with complaints.
Friday, May 18, 2007
DOJ Siezes More of Our Money: Citadel Commerce
More bad news.
Personally, I've never used Citadel Commerce, but they've fallen victim to another DOJ cash grab. You may know them better as myCitadel Wallet.
Citadel Commerce, a Canadian based company, gave a press release in late April that they had money "held up" by one of their U.S. based processors. Now, they confirm that the DOJ has seized over $9,000,000.
This is a company that stopped dealing with any U.S. customers at the same time that the Neteller legal problems began and yet they are still a target. They did more to comply with the DOJ's wishes than the e-wallets that continue to operate to this day, and yet...they did not escape the US Government's wrath. I hope nobody has any money sitting in ANY e-wallet. At this point, we have to assume that any of them can shutdown without any warning what so ever.
You did read your new Epassporte Terms of Service, right? Did you catch the changes where you now agree that Epassporte can confiscate your entire account if you fund it from an "illegal" source? Sounds to me that Epassporte doesn't want to deal with the headache of returning seized money to players. Easier for them to keep it all, eh?
Thank you, Big Brother. I feel safer already.
Personally, I've never used Citadel Commerce, but they've fallen victim to another DOJ cash grab. You may know them better as myCitadel Wallet.
Citadel Commerce, a Canadian based company, gave a press release in late April that they had money "held up" by one of their U.S. based processors. Now, they confirm that the DOJ has seized over $9,000,000.
This is a company that stopped dealing with any U.S. customers at the same time that the Neteller legal problems began and yet they are still a target. They did more to comply with the DOJ's wishes than the e-wallets that continue to operate to this day, and yet...they did not escape the US Government's wrath. I hope nobody has any money sitting in ANY e-wallet. At this point, we have to assume that any of them can shutdown without any warning what so ever.
You did read your new Epassporte Terms of Service, right? Did you catch the changes where you now agree that Epassporte can confiscate your entire account if you fund it from an "illegal" source? Sounds to me that Epassporte doesn't want to deal with the headache of returning seized money to players. Easier for them to keep it all, eh?
Thank you, Big Brother. I feel safer already.
