Christmas bonuses are not really relevant for professional poker players. Even recreational players don't equate the holiday season with poker unless there happens to be a great tournament they can make around that time or the extra time off they might get from their day jobs gives them extra playing time.
This year, however, anyone who has a balance on Full Tilt Poker (formerly known, at best, as a balance in limbo) might be feeling like a Christmas bonus is coming their way. Many, if not most, of the on-line players who had money on FT when the ground fell out from under us courtesy of the U.S. Department of Justice shut-down, had gradually stopped thinking of their balance as real money as the reality of the big freeze took hold. The loss sank in more quickly for some, but it was painful for all.
And now, TA DAH! The official announcement has finally come that balances will be repaid, and we can be done with hints, inklings and speculation at long last - at least regarding the legitimacy of the PokerStars/Full Tilt deal. International players have the most clear-cut information at this point: www.pokerstars.co.uk will be repaying balances in full. U.S. players have to apply to the U.S. Department of Justice, which is quite a bit more daunting.
But any online player who had a balance on Full Tilt now finds their balance changing colors - again. If they had money on the site, they were in the black. Losing that balance put them in the red. Now come the shades of grey. Some view it as 'found' money and have said they'll splurge with it. Some have 2010 tax debts that must be paid (or repaid). Many are saying they plan to leave their balances on Full Tilt because 'the best poker software in the world run by the best poker business in the world' will be their best bet. But the resounding feeling from all players is 'Tis the season to be jolly!'.
This year, however, anyone who has a balance on Full Tilt Poker (formerly known, at best, as a balance in limbo) might be feeling like a Christmas bonus is coming their way. Many, if not most, of the on-line players who had money on FT when the ground fell out from under us courtesy of the U.S. Department of Justice shut-down, had gradually stopped thinking of their balance as real money as the reality of the big freeze took hold. The loss sank in more quickly for some, but it was painful for all.
And now, TA DAH! The official announcement has finally come that balances will be repaid, and we can be done with hints, inklings and speculation at long last - at least regarding the legitimacy of the PokerStars/Full Tilt deal. International players have the most clear-cut information at this point: www.pokerstars.co.uk will be repaying balances in full. U.S. players have to apply to the U.S. Department of Justice, which is quite a bit more daunting.
But any online player who had a balance on Full Tilt now finds their balance changing colors - again. If they had money on the site, they were in the black. Losing that balance put them in the red. Now come the shades of grey. Some view it as 'found' money and have said they'll splurge with it. Some have 2010 tax debts that must be paid (or repaid). Many are saying they plan to leave their balances on Full Tilt because 'the best poker software in the world run by the best poker business in the world' will be their best bet. But the resounding feeling from all players is 'Tis the season to be jolly!'.
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