@fkus

I play in casinos sometimes and for the most part a winner in one arena [online or live] should be a winner in the other. Playing live the players are usually worse, but you play less hands and the rake is higher, so its basically a wash. I think online you can make more, even if you can't make expert calls based on tells [which are overrated.]

@fuzz

A flush beats a straight. I play games for $5 with my friends and never care about the rules. If someone tries to bring in strict rules they prob should get kicked in the nuts because its just isn't worth it. I play those games for fun and nothing else, as should everyone else.

@Ling

I play PokerStars atm. I am thinking about switching to Full Tilt soon because they have some other benefits. Pokerstars is definitely one of the premier sites though because they are reliable and have great management.

The laws have made some big changes though. Party Poker is where most used to play and now no US player can play there. I'm from NJ. So now we can only play at sites that allow us. The "fish" have gotten fewer, but a good player can still make some decent bucks. Not quite as good as before, but we are hoping for some good political decisions soon that could help us turn the corner.

@twestern

What you refer to is the martingale system, which has been proven to be a faulty system. You can lose for a long time and by doubling every time, the winning number can become far too huge.

The only way to win at BJ consistently is through card counting, which I have learned, but is still harder than winning at poker. Winning at BJ is such a small edge that you have to play high stakes and a ton of hands live. If the casino thinks you are counting, they can ban you because they are private property. Not a great world for BJ players these days. I learned BJ first and then found poker to be much more easy and profitable so I switched.

what's your pokerstars name?
do you play cash/tournies/sngs?
would you rather go to the pca or the aussie millions in january?
are you going to either of these?

@rage

Don't know if I should be giving out my PS name publically just yet :p

I play cash and sng's for very low stakes at the moment, but played higher during college when I had a bigger bankroll. I play tourneys every once and awhile, but not much.

I would almost definitely play PCA just because of the location and the people I know who go there. I qualified last year, but sold my seat because I was in need of the money to fix my car at the time. I am not baller enough to go this year to either of those events though :(

I'm damn good at BJ. I've one quite a few games and about $700 in cash.

@twestern - actually no, Black Jack can be more strategic then Poker as you have to play the other payers into thinking you have less then them (if you have high) and that you have higher (if you have low) and of course know when to fold. Betting high can make it so that you get your win in most games.

I know that system is bad, just playing around :-p

Blackjack isn't too bad, just like any other card game-- you just have to know the probabilities and have some luck. Last trip to vegas I came out up about $250 just on Blackjack (and about $40 on video poker). Not saying I was never in the red or that I ended every night in the black, but it's not real hard to come out on top as long as you know when to walk away from a table.

@SSJ12
I'm not sure what kind of Blackjack you're talking about. I've never played any version other than just all the players against only the dealer.  True, there's a lot of strategy in there, but the only time you care what the other players have is when you're just figuring out about the probability of what you're going to get. The most important cards you pay attention to (other than your own) is the one card the dealer is showing.

Here's my question. Considering that Poker is a zero sum game, why is it that you always hear about those that win big money, and yet you never hear about all the people that lose big money?

 heh, alright.

My brother played in the Moneymaker millionaire in January this year, so i went with him to the bahamas. It was a pretty fun trip, but I think next year I'd rather go to Australia.

I qualified for the ME of the WSOP this year, but luckily they let me keep the $$$. Since then I've been on a pretty big downswing which is fun.

twestern, you seem like a cool guy but coming from the statistical background, I must tear apart your statement. Every time you sit at the table and you aren't counting cards [thus giving you a statistical advantage] you are losing money. Just like every time you buy a lottery ticket you are basically paying $1.00 to win .99cents. Every bet you make is theoretically losing you money. The only time you can beat a casino is when you have the statistical advantage [which is rare]

So, like you, I like to play BJ for fun every once and awhile, but I walk away expecting to lose money because I theoretically should. Please don't mention walking away at the right time when you are actually theoretically losing money every hand. You don't have the edge [I can look up the numbers if you really need them] so its a game you play for entertainment, not for money.

 Please watch World Championship Black Jack on ESPN sometime please. You will realize that it is you vs everyone else. 

@ stof

There are plenty of HUGE losers. I can try and find some graphs for you later if you care. But I take money from people all day long that are terrible. You only hear about the winners because they are the only ones that brag. I am not the good admittedly. I am only decent, but I can still take a decent sum of money from people who like to throw around some cash for entertainment.

Poker is zero sum... until the poker room takes the rake. The poker room always wins, but if you have a bunch of skill you can see some profit.

@ rage

sounds like you have your shit together. Keep on going for the big scores, but the most important step is to keep on learning. I assume you have read the Dan Harrington collection of Tournament poker books? If not, they are all good and you should give them a try.