Online Poker moves to Canada after US bans it
US Poker moves North
A number of poker super stars have moved to Canada in order to be able to continue playing online, chief amongst them is Daniel Negreanu
The events of April the 15th which have come to be known throughout the online gaming world as Black Friday have inspired a number of changes in the way that people view online poker. There were fears that the World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2011 would be highly affected by this change but it turned out that such fears were unfounded. What has become clear is that the prospects for online professional poker players living in the United States are now bleak. Essentially they are either going to have to give up the game that they love and depend upon for their livelihoods or move overseas to where online gaming remains legal.
Predictions of a mass flight of poker players away from the United States have not come true so far but there certainly has been a steady trickle of players moving over the border to Canada so that they can continue to practice their craft. The biggest name so far to move over the border in order to carry on winning cash is Daniel Negreanu. For a native of Canada like him moving back home is a simple affair, its the other stars who have to contend with immigration authorities who have the problem. Poker supremo Daniel Cates attempted to relocate to Vancouver but has been denied in his efforts by precisely this problem. It seems that the Canadian authorities arent too keen on poker players moving to their cities.
One poker pro who has successfully made the move and is loving being back at the virtual poker tables is Phil Galfond, who left New York for Vancouver to continue playing with Poker Stars. He plays under the name Mrsweets28 and is a Poker Stars pro player. He has a number of impressive wins under his belt having taken away a winners bracelet from the 2008 WSOP for the $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha with Rebuys. Galfond is so happy to be back at the tables that he has been tweeting about it non-stop since his arrival.
Meanwhile Cates continues to try to get his status changed so that he can legally live and play poker in Canada. After already being deported he promptly took himself off to Seattle, Washington to attempt to get the correct Visa. He was promptly informed that in order to play poker in Canada a special visa is required, his journey continues.
