Online Poker Not Profitable Anymore

You put profitable in quotation marks. As if to imply Its not profitable? To be fair, for the average player, its not. The majority of people lose money playing poker, especially if they’re playing in an environment with rake. Its much easier to. I knew back in the year 2005 to 2008 time-frame, online poker with mid stakes are profitable to play. I was wondering if one can still make money profitably by playing online poker game? The reason I ask is, I used to play online poker back in that time frame. And I made good sum of money. I even paid for my engineering degree by playing poker.

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15:13
05 Jul

He took the mid-stakes online poker world by storm playing a massive amount of hands every day and making a hefty profit at the same time. He reached PokerStars’ Supernova Elite status in five consecutive years from 2007 to 2011 becoming one of the most profitable online poker players ever. He even set a Guinness World Record in 2012 playing the most hands ever recorded during an eight-hour stretch while making a profit. Since then though, the Nanonoko online legend has slowly faded away making way for Randy Lew top Twitch Poker streamer, coach, and tournament player. But what happened to his online cash legacy that made him famous throughout the world? Is he still grinding the cash tables? Does Nanonoko still crush online poker?

To answer those questions, we first need to take a step back and remember how he crushed the games he was playing in. Because he did it unconventionally, not by playing the nosebleeds like Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan but by mostly playing the mid-stakes.


How Nanonoko Crushed Online Poker

It all started when Randy ‘nanonoko’ Lew discovered PokerStars’ supreme players’ club known as Supernova Elite. He was playing online cash games for quite some time and was getting good at it. As he researched more and more, he realized how valuable the Supernova Elite status could be: besides his profit, he could actually get big cash rewards just by playing the game he loved, and all he needed to do was playing more tables. So he started adding more and more cash tables, up to 24. He also optimized his thought process so that he could make the best possible decision at every table in the blink of an eye. From that point on, becoming SNE seemed pretty easy for nanonoko.

Lew first reached the ultimate level in 2007. By 2009, he already had $1 million - pre-rakeback - just by playing the mid-stakes and rarely trying out the 2000NL or bigger. He played solid - not superstar level - poker yet he was winning consistently. To further prove his multi-table skills, in January of 2012 he set a world record by playing 23,493 online hands in eight hours and making a profit of $7.65. To put his record into perspective, he played over 2,936 hands per hour and almost 49 hands per minute (between 25 and 40 tables at a time). That’s how good nanonoko actually was.

Since then though, the massive volume player has surely but slowly closed down more and more tables, and his crushing days faded away. He reached the Supernova Elite only once since then, in 2013, and gradually moved away from the tougher online cash game environment. Which brings us to the next question:

Why Isn’t Nanonoko Crushing Online Poker Anymore?

Online Poker Not Profitable Anymore

The most simple answer is this: Randy Lew doesn’t put in the volume he used to back in the good old days. Indeed, using the screenname ‘nanonoko’, Lew won more than $3.5 million online - maybe even closer to $4 million - but most of his winnings came from the cash games and from the days he used to 24-table PokerStars. According to the ‘I AM NANONOKO’ documentary, in 2011 he had over $2.6 million in online winnings: $707,414 PokerStars’ VIP rewards and $1,958,274 in table winnings. Since then though, he has reached the SNE status only once (2013) which means he hasn’t played that many hands for the past several years.

Remember, nanonoko isn’t known for his standout game and one-of-a-kind strategy. He hasn’t beaten the nosebleeds like Daniel Cates and Tom Dwan nor has he challenged the hottest names out there like Viktor Blom. In fact, many high stakes players considered him a weak regular that couldn’t quite adjust based on the table dynamics - and rightfully so since he played 24 tables at a time - and could be easily exploited. He wasn’t a top player, just a very solid one who could play a lot of tables. His ability to crush online poker came from him putting in massive volume and playing thousands and thousands of hands every day. And since he doesn’t do that anymore, his days of crushing the games are long gone.

But why? Why isn’t he playing 24 tables anymore?


Reason #1: Tournament Poker

Back when he was SNE, Lew was exclusively a cash player, rarely playing any live or online tournaments. He wasn’t interested in the format as the cash games provided him much lower variance than tournaments.

Lately though, he became more and more of a regular at the medium and high-stakes poker tournaments grinding them on a regular basis. He also transitioned to live where Lew enjoyed a fair amount of success. In late 2011, he won an APPT Macau Main Event for almost half a million dollars. He also loves to be part of the World Series of Poker every summer so he doesn’t have that much time to grind online. So far, according to HendonMob DB, nanonoko has $1,177,033 in live tournament earnings and almost $1 million online. Far from crushing, yet as solid as nanonoko’s poker game.

Reason #2: Twitch And Coaching

Besides tournament poker, Lew has become a regular Twitch streamer as of late. And when he’s streaming, he doesn’t play 20 or 24 tables as it can affect the quality of the stream. He told PocketFives a couple of months ago:

Generally when I play online, I like to play 20 games at once, but I can't do that while I'm streaming. It's either that the stream gets worse quality because I can't answer people or my play gets really bad.'

He also plays Hearthstone, a very likeable game amongst the poker players, dedicating himself less and less to the online cash games - mostly low and mid stakes Zoom - as his Twitch stream clearly shows it.

And let’s not forget the coaching part. Lew is currently a PokerSchoolOnline coach and tries to explain the strategy of the game every time he streams on Twitch. He has quite a few videos in which he explains shorthanded Zoom strategy and his tournament decision-making. Obviously, all of this talk can take a lot of time and can wear a player out... yes, even the great nanonoko.


Reason #3: Tougher Online Games

The last reason why nanonoko doesn’t crush online poker anymore is a sad one because it relates to the evolution of the online game. Nobody can argue against the fact that the cash games are definitely a lot harder at the mid-stakes than five or eight years ago. The regulars at these stakes are better and they can adjust faster and more efficiently against massive multi-tablers like nanonoko. Because when you play 24-tables, you definitely miss a lot of value and a lot of opportunities to take down a pot. And since everybody knows who nanonoko is, the mid-stakes regulars can exploit his play like the top players used to do several years ago.

As a result, Lew’s edge over his competition has clearly diminished compared to his SNE days, not to mention the SNE cash rewards that have been decreased this year. That’s why he isn’t willing to play for 40 hours straight anymore. And who can blame him when there is much more value in the live games in Las Vegas and Macau and when there is much more fun involved when streaming on Twitch?

Nanonoko has moved on and we’re pretty sure nobody will ever take his place in the foreseeable future. Its a shame, but that's the way the cards fall.

It’s reasonable to ask, “Is online poker legit,” because cardplayer pay a lot of money into online poker rooms. This is a two part article, first covering online poker and second examining which sportsbooks are legit. I recommend www.IgnitionPoker.eu (previously known as Bovada) for poker and Bovada.lv for sports betting, and so does everybody else who isn’t paid off. If you only consider a legit site, one run by state or Federal licenses, then you must by physically located in Nevada, Delaware, New Jersey, or Pennsylvania. For those that live there the PokerStars, Borgata, and WSOP are the most active in the 4 licensed states.

I didn’t just pull these sites from nowhere, I’ve been in the gambling business for over 10 years now. I’ve seen and dealt with all sorts of millionaire and billionaire scum bags; people that should be on the TV show “American Greed”. The only legit poker sites I suggest are mentioned on my homepage or on the ‘safe list‘. You’ll notice the list is pretty darn short, and I’ve dealt with approximately 45-60 gambling sites. PokerStars is the largest online poker site there is. Borgata is powered by Party Poker, while WSOP.com uses 888poker software. If you consider a non rigged, legit poker site to be one run from the United States, then you will have to be physically located in Nevada, New Jersey, Delaware, or Pennsylvania to be able to play. But I can point to unregulated poker rooms that which gives

But Aren’t U.S. Licensed Sites Legit?

It’s debatable. In fact, in total I’ve had $147,116 taken from me by the U.S. government. The money was not stolen by offshore poker sites but THE U.S. GOVERNMENT! The process of legalized poker in the U.S. was a complete scam. They attempted to shut down every online poker site that was running for US customers, simply because they wanted zero (0) competition as they launched their own poker sites.

Let me ask you this. How is it that the Ultimate Fight Championship (UFC) – which has nothing to do with online poker – was the first to open up an online poker room in Nevada? How is it that poker sites like Bet365, Paddy Power, Everest Poker – which are traded on the London Stock Exchange and have market value in the billions of dollars – were not given priority in the immediate launch of poker in the US? Those 5-star poker sites never accepted US customers after UIGEA and adhered to all laws both domestic and international.

Yet the UFC gets the first poker license in Nevada. Not only that but the operations at “Ultimate Poker”, UFC’s poker site was light years behind any poker site based offshore that is legit. The Nevada Gaming Commission helped the local business already making them and the state money, because UFC was affiliated with Station Casinos (at the time). That is governmental corruption at its finest. Did I mention UltimatePoker went out of business, because they didn’t know how to operate a poker site?

Legit Poker Sites

Beginners might wonder what a legit poker site needs, so let’s define our terms. Below is a short list of the factor you should consider, always with explanations for why they’re important. Don’t use poker rooms if they don’t check off everything on the following checklist.

  • Player Traffic: Without traffic, sites can’t have a selection of high stakes, mid stakes, and low stakes cash games, tournaments, and sit’n go events.
  • Good Software: Top software means fewer issues, plus access to features like Bovada’s Zone Poker, which increases your hands per hour.
  • Experience: This entails everything from software support to customer service to knowing how to monitor cheaters at the table.
  • Banking Options: It often comes down to sensible payment options, including credit cards, web wallets, and crypto-currencies like Bitcoin.
  • Other Games: If poker websites offer casino gaming or sports betting, it means lots of casual poker players (soft competition).

Which Poker Site is Not Rigged?

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My buddies ask me all the time about this because it’s my job and one of the sites I most often recommend is Ignition Poker (previously known as Bovada). Having met the owner personally, he is an honest person and puts himself in the public spotlight when others hide under rocks. His previous ownership, now owned by Morris Mohawk is probably worth about 1-2 billion USD. In a closed meeting, he discussed how if anything ever went bad, he would personally make sure all his players and employees got paid from his own checkbook. On top of that the site has the most player traffic going by PokerScout and has an Alexa rank of 9,730. For a comparison, HBO has about a 4,600 Alexa rank which means millions of people use it. Most sites are in the million number ranks – which is terrible.

If you are in Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, or Delaware, then the answer might be different in 3 or 4 years from now as the WSOP grows its player base. The WSOP is now forced to be legitimate and all licensed poker sites in the U.S. look like the saviors of safe poker sites. In truth, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was an unnecessary federal law which shut down poker sites, drove out legit online cardrooms, and dismantled a perfectly well run market. If lawmakers had not stepped in we would still be playing at Party Poker and making money would be just as easy as it was all those years ago. But lawmakers must justify their jobs and business owners must deal with the fallout the best they can.

Be Careful of Scamming Affiliates

I could go on for hours about how people to this day are crummy affiliates who are touting poker sites to play. They are getting large up-front chunks of cash in the $100,000+ range to mention their poker rooms because they rank high for popular terms in Google and Yahoo by using spammy search engine optimization techniques over and over again to maintain rankings and visitors. I have email chains proving certain companies insolvency and forthcoming bankruptcy, yet they continue to operate. The most recent mass scale offenders were Lock Poker. This was one of the longest running scams, but U.S. law enforcement agencies never took action. Eventually, journalist John Mehaffey brought Lock Poker’s abuses to light. Players left the platform and the site shut down in 2015.

Thus, poker review sites serve a useful purpose. With honest reporting and the facts on their side, card players can make informed decisions about online poker rooms. US Poker Sites continues to monitor legit sites here, so players have the info they need. We are pretty straight forward, so we hope this site helps.

For what it’s worth, I do not believe any poker sites are ‘rigged’m but cheating and collusion goes on regularly and will never stop. Legit poker sites takes steps to eliminate collusion, but cheaters find new and inventive ways to collude. It’s a cat-and-mouse game that will never end entirely. It’s better just to play for small amounts of money – however you define “small amounts” – you don’t mind losing one way or the other.

Is Ignition Poker Legit?

So if legitimate poker sites try to make games safer, then you might ask which card rooms you should trust. Ignition Poker is the top option for American online poker players, so I’ll use it as an example. Ignition Casino launched in the spring of 2016. A few months later, Ignition bought Bovada Poker’s player pool, instantly establishing itself as the second largest online gambling site which accepted US poker players. Since then, Ignition Poker vaulted to the number one spot.

Ignition Poker therefore has all of the elements of a world class online poker site. It’s linked to an online casino, so many soft players or fish join its cash games and tournament events. The gaming platform uses Bovada proprietary software, so Ignition uses trusted and well-tested technology. It has the most player traffic of any poker site which accepts US players.

The Bovada-powered poker room includes several features that make it popular with players. Here’s a few of those features:

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  • Quick Seat: Choose a poker game like Texas Hold’em, Omaha, or Omaha Hi/Lo and the stakes and Quick Seat automatically puts you at a table.
  • Anonymous Tables: Players can’t use Heads-Up Displays (HUDs) to track your hand history. Instead, you use your skills and perceptions to get a read on opponents the old-fashioned way.
  • Zone Poker: A fast-fold feature where you’re assigned to a new table once you fold a hand. Players should fold most hands, so you don’t wait on bets and showdowns most of the day.
  • In-Software Casino Games: If you prefer to sit through hands, you can play In-Software Casino Games like blackjack, roulette, video poker, or 3D slots.
  • Mobile Poker: Play poker anytime, anywhere with the mobile poker apps for Android and iOS. Jackpot Sit-and-Go games cater to mobile poker players with possible 1000x winnings while you’re on the go.
  • Softer Opponents: Ignition Poker has a huge community of recreational players. Unlike some sites, it allows expert poker players to play against casual players, so skilled players have high odds of facing lesser opponents.

Deft readers might notice that Ignition Poker is newer, so they might be thinking the site doesn’t meet the criterion of experience. Ignition’s owner has been in the online poker business since the 1990s, so the poker room has more experience than the other online poker rooms which accept US players from any state.

Free Poker Sites

Poker players can find all the information they need with free poker sites. To learn more about online poker, watch live streamed poker games on Twitch and YouTube. Both platforms have a seemingly endless amount of channels which provide all-day coverage of online and live poker events. One of the best is FuryTV.

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FuryTV, a YouTube channel with the best compilations, highlights, and hands from poker events all around the world. Fury ETC Ltd is affiliated with the official Twitter page of partypoker, @partypoker, and the official home of partypoker live events, Part@partypokerlive. Watching a YouTube feed like FuryTV improves your knowledge and skills at poker.

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Keep reading USPokerSites for the latest advice and trends. Like our recommendations on Ignition Poker or FuryTV, we give honest opinions and detailed reasons to support those attitudes. When the latest trends and updates happen, we reasses the landscape and give our readers the best information available. Our goal is to provide reliable poker advice on the latest topics. You might not always agree with us, but like the opinions above on corrupt politicians and scamming affiliates, you’ll walk away with new ideas and information to consider. Keep studying online poker, and keep reading about the poker sites we recommend.

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