Lives turned upside down!

I'm trying to put my best effort forward and move on since the dreaded April 15th but it's getting harder and harder. I've been playing on Carbon Poker and basically getting nowhere fast. The games are not plentiful so it's very difficult to get in enough volume to beat the variance and it's just not much fun. Nothing imports correctly to PokerTracker. The only way I can review my games in through PokerTracker and that's pretty painful. All in all nothing is the same.

I've read many blogs about the effects this poker crackdown has had on people and it's heartbreaking. People are having to leave their families and friends to move out of the country so that they can keep playing and making their living. Others don't have that option and we're stuck trying to figure out if there is anyway we can make money on the sites left. Many have just stopped playing online and are playing live but not all of them have the option of playing live. I can't tell you how many people I've heard of who are in someway disabled who played poker to make a living rather than living off the government and tax payers. Many have physical disabilities and some have mild mental disabilities that prevent them from holding down a regular job. Through online poker they were able to make a good living in the privacy of their own homes at a pace that was comfortable for them. Now they have no income and no choice.

It angers me when I hear back from my congressmen and senators and they refer to poker as gambling and inform me that it's illegal. I don't consider myself a gambler at all. I don't even play the lottery. When I go to casinos I rarely play slots or table games and if I do it's only for a very small amount of money. I play poker because I can win money at it and I enjoy it. Court after court has ruled that poker is a game of skill not chance yet it's being lumped in with all online gambling and being held prisoner by our justice department. When will this insanity stop?

I urge everyone to email your congressmen and senators and the white house. First send the canned email from the PPA but then follow it up with an email telling your own story. Explain how the crackdown has effected you personally. Let them know that you are poker player not a gambler! Then send them the same email once a week. If you're in a position where you can try to get your story in the local media in someway please try to do so. The best way we can get legislation and regulation of online poker is by continuing to be a very loud and squeaky wheel. Start squeaking loudly please! Below is the link to the PPA take action page please start sending emails now!

http://theppa.org/takeaction/