Thoughts on Empire Poker and the Zoo

[Art Vandelay]

Good post. I think we as online poker players (and I'm not a pro by any means but I certainly am a bonus whore) have taken a lot of things for granted. Rakeback and bonuses don't have to be offered by sites or affiliates, and a large percentage of us abuse these priveleges (myself included). It's only a matter of time before the sites wake up and realize they are costing themselves a lot of needless money by allowed whores like myself to basically get paid to play (when you play at certain levels, it's entirely possible to have >100% rakeback if you only bonus whore).

Part of me is happy to see rakeback/bonuses coming to an end. IMO there are a lot of players that use rakeback and/or bonuses to keep afloat. These players probably aren't winners, but they think they are because of bonuses. Without the life preserver of rakeback and bonuses these players will dry out and possibly the games will get a little better. I'll certainly miss the extra cash, every month I get at least $500 in bonus money that I use to pay bills or buy crap.

Empire can close my account if they like (they may have already, I haven't checked in a while). I'll find other places to play and if it comes to the worst situation, I know I can still play winning poker and make money the old fashioned way at the tables, by outplaying my opponents.

I also could go without FLFishon giving us a "I've won 943 consecutive days thanks to all of my bonuses" thread.