My last update on my online poker situation was rather bleak. But I'm now happy to report that things have turned around dramatically. Unfortunately, I must be honest and say that luck, not skill, is purely to blame. The sessions I've done the best are the sessions where I've lost my patience and made stupid moves. No bluffs are called, and every crying call seems to pay off. But I'll enjoy the money (a lot of it) nonetheless.

Still, I'm beginning to wonder about my long-term future in poker. I think I've been pretty fair in my self-assessments here. I don't claim to be a poker god. I think I am somewhere between a slightly-below-average player and a slightly-above-average player. In fact, I may just be, god help me, average. But that's okay online, for two reasons. The casino's take is much smaller online (they might rake $0.50/$1.00 out of a pot that a brick and mortar casino would rake $3.00/$4.00), and there are a lot of real shitty players online. But while the house take may be smaller, you still have to be a good enough player to overcome that take. If you're a weak player, a lower rake just means it will take the casino longer to drain your bankroll. And I'm finding fewer and fewer fish at my favorite casinos. And recent reports about stagnation in the online poker industry, which have led investors to hammer away at the stocks of online gaming company, do not bode well for the future of the poker ecosystem.

But perhaps I'm just being negative. I mean, I made a solid four-figure win this week, and I'm complaining about the game? Sure, I got lucky, but getting lucky's the only way to win at this game. Everyone gets lucky sometimes; the trick is not losing too much money between lucky breaks. Anyway, I'm not writing off the game of poker entirely. I'm just saying, in my gut (which Steven Colbert assured me last night is what I should be listening to), I don't see me getting rich off online poker. And I think I'll keep my attention directed more firmly on Vegas.