Mark Gritter ([info]markgritter) wrote,
@ 2007-04-03 22:49:00
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Entry tags:poker, politics, rant

I call B.S.
FBI Checks Out Gambling in 'Second Life'

"FBI investigators have visited Second Life's Interent casinos at the invitation of the virtual world's creator Linden Lab, but the U.S. government has not decided on the legality of virtual gambling."

There is no difference between Internet gambling and "virtual gambling" except that the latter takes place in a different currency. L$ are as freely convertible to USD as Euros are.

What, precisely, is the difference between Neteller (who set up an electronic wallet used to get money to and from gambling sites) and Linden Labs (who set up a virtual currency used to get money to and from gambling sites operated on their servers)?

"It's not always clear to us whether a 3D simulation of a casino is the same thing as a casino, legally speaking, and it's not clear to the law enforcement authorities we have asked," said Ginsu Yoon, Linden's VP for business affairs (and former general counsel.)

Where has he been? Does he think the government has been cracking down on sports betting sites because they're too dumb to label themselves "simulations" of sports betting? Does somebody at the Justice Department actually see a difference between a 3-D simulation of a poker room and, well, an online poker room?


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[info]timprov
2007-04-04 06:16 am UTC (link)
Yes, but how are the games? And do any of them spread 2-7?

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]markgritter
2007-04-04 06:26 am UTC (link)
Hold'em, ugly as sin and at a ruinous rake:

http://www.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2004/11/one_songs_poker_1.html

Here we go... lots of gambling tables people publicly sell:

http://www.slexchange.com/modules.php?name=Marketplace&CategoryID=350

Doesn't look like anything but Hold'em.

As for the games, well, evidently that depends on whether your opponent can keep track of where the 'fold' button is or not:

http://www.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2004/11/one_songs_poker.html

(Reply to this) (Parent)

[info]patty_bush
2007-04-04 01:58 pm UTC (link)
I hope this doesn't become the future of internet poker.

I looks like there's no graphical representation of a board. It just tells you in text. That would make it tough. You think an 8% rake is really that bad? Maybe I'm just use to the 5% I pay at the micro limits.

What does (4/2) limit translate to in real money? And is this the "high stakes" they are talking about? Oh wait never mind. I see they have (40/20)... and is reversing the order of the blinds a European thing.

One last thought, any chance they used an exploitable RNG? Did one of the old online card rooms have one? And how were people explointing it?

(Reply to this) (Thread)

[info]markgritter
2007-04-04 04:14 pm UTC (link)
You can by L$280 for a buck, so we're talking really micro-stakes here.

No idea about the RNG. If it's provided by the platform is less likely to be exploitable, if it is part of the gambling 'object' then that could well be a concern.


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[info]patty_bush
2007-04-05 06:22 am UTC (link)
So that's like 20/40c or so? Just about the stakes that I play.

In second life do they track your IP address? The reason I ask is if games were profitable enough, maybe I could get a team of micro stakes players and create a team. All playing the same 2nd life character so we can gamble around the clock.

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[info]timprov
2007-04-05 10:38 am UTC (link)
Seems like if you were teaming anyway, you might as well collude.

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