As any poker player will know, recent legislation in the US have had severe consequences for the online poker world. Several poker sites including Party Poker, the site I currently play at, and Neteller (a popular online bank) have banned US costumers. For the American pros, this means tougher games, since all the pros figure out a way to play anyway, but fewer of the casual players (aka. fish, donks, cash cows, etc.) take the trouble. For those of us us who can still play at Party the games probably have roughly the same fish-to-shark ratio as half a year ago, but who knows how long that will last. I have heard of new legislation in France, and it has also been mentioned by certain politicians in Denmark.
With online poker being such a young industry, no one can tell how the games will look in a few years. Even assuming 'they' will let us play at all, there are potential problems of poker playing computer programs, and simply an improving field sucking the profit out of online poker. Opinions on the future profitability of online poker range from cautious optimism to desperate cries of dismay.
The world will shed only a few tears if pimpled teenager geeks are no longer able to pull in 6 figures after a few months of experience, seeing how they probably all blow it on strippers and drugs anyway. A public outcry will probably not be heard unless you listen real hard. While many American poker players feel they are being treated unfairly at the moment, it is questionable whether or not the public really benefits from the existence of online high stakes poker, and whether same public will continue to allow it.
Only possible conclusion IMO: If you want to be a poker pro, leave yourself outs. The show will not last forever. As for me, I plan to take advantage of the opportunity for as long as it lasts, and I would be surprised if it doesn't go on for at least a few more years.
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