The Sky is Falling/Black Friday

For most people in the U.S., April 15th is known because it is the last day in which you can file your taxes without a penalty. For U.S. online poker players, April 15th will be known because that was the day that the online poker sky finally fell. For the past couple of years, every 6 months or so there would arise some new tidbit which would make the online world get their panties in a bit of bunch amid rampant speculation that all of the poker sites were about to be closed. Well yesterday that actually happened. The fouders/CEOs of the 3 biggest online poker sites which allow US players to play were indicted yesterday on charges of bank fraud, illegal gambling, and money laundering. In response, PokerStars and FullTilt (the two biggest sites) no longer allow U.S. players to play on their servers. UB/Absolute poker is no longer allowing players to deposit or withdraw but they can still play there.

So what's that mean for me, a professional poker player who plays a majority of his poker online? Well it means for right now I am out of a job. I attempted to withdraw the vast majority of my bankroll yesterday, but I have no idea if the transaction will go through or not.

If I am able to access my funds then for the next couple of months at least I will focus on playing at the live casinos and card rooms around here. If not, well then there's not a lot I can do but sit and wait.

No matter what, I have decided that now is as good as a time as any to get back into the "real workforce." Poker has been super tough for me this last year as it is, so keeping poker as a nice hobby that can bring us some extra income but not something that we are depending on to pay the bills may very well actually reduce the stress in my life.

So I am going to start working on my resume and my first plan of attack will be to apply for positions in the D.A.'s office and the Public Defender's office in Fresno. I really enjoyed my criminal law experience when I was in law school so I am hoping that I can get back into that field in Fresno. From my experience, criminal law is much more flying by the seat of your pants, there is lots of time in courtrooms and in front of judges and not as much time writing briefs sitting in an office and I really enjoyed that.

On the housing front; we are in the midst of offers and counter-offers and I am hopeful but not 100% confident that we can get a deal done. The next couple of days should be interesting...