I got word from someone I know here for a couple years there is a Fed among us, mostly on streams.
I have never seen a bust in pool for gambling except for one time in a Nv restricted licenced 15 video poker machine pool room. Gaming(the gambling police in Vegas) came in and saw something they didnt like and gave a stern warning to the owner, he kept his licence and video poker machines.
But now there appears to be a Fed agent of some sort sniffing around, I wont say his name, but its clever and none of us would expect it. It makes sense because he will be able to blend in and get information. Perhaps its a rumor, or a investigation that might amount to nothing.
We all should be careful about what we say in streams or what we do. I cant imagine anyone getting in trouble for betting $50. Or the players getting into trouble, but higher up the food chain they might not like whats going on. We been doing this(pool action/tournaments/etc), Long before I was born, but if you never walked into a pool room or spent less than a week there; you might never notice whats been going on forever.
Like Ames in the Hustler, that place was its own world-men spent their whole life's in rooms like that and still do-its changed some. I realize thats fiction in that movie but pool is a life style and livelihood for people and people on the outside (squares) are never aware of it. The internet has put that private world infront of everyone's face. And even worse explained it, the commentary on the streams is damning evidence. I'm not knocking streams, hell I love them and its fun to hear commentary about more than just the just the game being played, but hearing the war stories of days gone past. But that educates the Feds and could perhaps cause problems. I hope it never does.
When I started playing in 85 and watching races to 11 for $300-$500 on the weekends, it took me a year to learn about action, matching up, spots, etc. Now within a month I could learn what used to take a year or two to learn. My point is simple, ignorance is bliss, if someone isnt aware of whats going on they wont bother it. Now that its fast and easy to learn about action we are waking up the sleeping dog. Never kick a sleeping dog they are harmless, a few years ago people would drive past a pool room going to work everyday never knowing whats really going on in them, they think they are bars with more tables. Now dog the might be woke up.
We all have the same version of the internet, if you can see it so can the Fed's can too and perhaps a little more. They might be seeing this world for the first time. Guys on commentary talking about betting $20K on this or that, "Or so and so just beat this guy for $10K 8/6 last week." "And next week if this guy gives that guy the 7 they will post up $50K" We know its 99% talk and 1% action, but look it from a Feds uneducated point of view. they might think all the woofing is going to end up being games. If that was true all woofing becomes action they would think there are millions being bet on pool weekly and THAT WOULD start the ball of a big investigation going. Their name says it all FBI "Federal Bureau of Investigation", they investigate everything. And the internet has taken a private world and put it in a glass house(not just pool).
I just hope if they are sniffing around they decide that pool isnt worth bothering with and busting 2000 players would be too big of job for the sizes of crimes being committed. Primarily illegal gambling.
I hope the rumor I heard is wrong and they leave us alone, pool has never harmed anyone.
I just wanted to caution everyone, if we are under the microscope we need to be careful, thats all. Hopefully i'm 1000% wrong and were not on the radar and the rumor I heard is just that.
Best
Eric
I have never seen a bust in pool for gambling except for one time in a Nv restricted licenced 15 video poker machine pool room. Gaming(the gambling police in Vegas) came in and saw something they didnt like and gave a stern warning to the owner, he kept his licence and video poker machines.
But now there appears to be a Fed agent of some sort sniffing around, I wont say his name, but its clever and none of us would expect it. It makes sense because he will be able to blend in and get information. Perhaps its a rumor, or a investigation that might amount to nothing.
We all should be careful about what we say in streams or what we do. I cant imagine anyone getting in trouble for betting $50. Or the players getting into trouble, but higher up the food chain they might not like whats going on. We been doing this(pool action/tournaments/etc), Long before I was born, but if you never walked into a pool room or spent less than a week there; you might never notice whats been going on forever.
Like Ames in the Hustler, that place was its own world-men spent their whole life's in rooms like that and still do-its changed some. I realize thats fiction in that movie but pool is a life style and livelihood for people and people on the outside (squares) are never aware of it. The internet has put that private world infront of everyone's face. And even worse explained it, the commentary on the streams is damning evidence. I'm not knocking streams, hell I love them and its fun to hear commentary about more than just the just the game being played, but hearing the war stories of days gone past. But that educates the Feds and could perhaps cause problems. I hope it never does.
When I started playing in 85 and watching races to 11 for $300-$500 on the weekends, it took me a year to learn about action, matching up, spots, etc. Now within a month I could learn what used to take a year or two to learn. My point is simple, ignorance is bliss, if someone isnt aware of whats going on they wont bother it. Now that its fast and easy to learn about action we are waking up the sleeping dog. Never kick a sleeping dog they are harmless, a few years ago people would drive past a pool room going to work everyday never knowing whats really going on in them, they think they are bars with more tables. Now dog the might be woke up.
We all have the same version of the internet, if you can see it so can the Fed's can too and perhaps a little more. They might be seeing this world for the first time. Guys on commentary talking about betting $20K on this or that, "Or so and so just beat this guy for $10K 8/6 last week." "And next week if this guy gives that guy the 7 they will post up $50K" We know its 99% talk and 1% action, but look it from a Feds uneducated point of view. they might think all the woofing is going to end up being games. If that was true all woofing becomes action they would think there are millions being bet on pool weekly and THAT WOULD start the ball of a big investigation going. Their name says it all FBI "Federal Bureau of Investigation", they investigate everything. And the internet has taken a private world and put it in a glass house(not just pool).
I just hope if they are sniffing around they decide that pool isnt worth bothering with and busting 2000 players would be too big of job for the sizes of crimes being committed. Primarily illegal gambling.
I hope the rumor I heard is wrong and they leave us alone, pool has never harmed anyone.
I just wanted to caution everyone, if we are under the microscope we need to be careful, thats all. Hopefully i'm 1000% wrong and were not on the radar and the rumor I heard is just that.
Best
Eric
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