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AcmeLabRat
Rising Star
Bronze Level
Does anyone on here play online poker in Thailand?
If so, what site(s)?
If so, what site(s)?
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fundiver199
Legend
Loyaler
gambling is not legal in Thailand, but when it comes to online casinos, the law is not strongly enforced. So Thailand is, what is known as a grey market. I see players from Thailand on both 888 Poker and pokerstars, so I think, they can play pretty much anywhere. But it might be nessesary to use a non-thai bank account and credit card for deposits and withdrawals. I will assume, a lot of the "thai" are actually western expats like the mentioned Blackrain79.
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DS3
Legend
Loyaler
Further, to any experienced party, the accepted path to take is to mention gambling/poker as little as possible in forums or anywhere else regarding Thailand.
Why? Because not only is poker/gambling illegal, the authorities could crack down on a whim and ban online activity overnight. Certainly several sites avoid Thailand already and offer no service. Yet, idiots still talk openly about it, load their grind houses/situations onto You Tube and flaunt the law. Its moronic when all anyone has to do is be discreet and you can still access some sites.
I really like Nathan Williams but his videos detailing his stays in Thailand were naiive and could have created real problems for some in Thailand. For instance, some pros have played there for years completely under the radar and made serious gains.
People also point out that illegal gambling is a well organized activity in the Kingdom as if that gives them a pass. It doesn't. It's their country and they do not give a flying monkey about any hypocrisy involved.
So, yes, a number of people do play online in Thailand but they know better than to discuss/flaunt it in public- which is why it sensibly remains low profile and should stay that way.
Just to underline the official/legal view there - you cannot even buy playing cards in Thailand as they are banned.
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DS3
Legend
Loyaler
Apologies if you felt that my comment was aimed at you AcmeLabRat!
It was more aimed at those who blithely load content to You Tube etc.
I have friends who play from Thailand and they are constantly annoyed by those who literally flaunt their play and do not care for the consequences. They are often newbies to Thailand, will likely move on quickly whereas the long term residents are naturally nervous regarding any potential crack down. Some pros have made really good income but it is also about the recreational players who love dabbling in poker as their key hobby. The community is bigger than many presume, but low deliberately low profile!
Discreet play is the key - that is all!
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fundiver199
Legend
Loyaler
I agree. In the early days of online poker, the whole world was pretty much a "grey market", so back then it might not have mattered so much, that people posted poker related content from whatever country. But today many counties have cracked down on online poker, and there is definitely no reason to give more governments that idea by bragging about your illegal activity on social media etc.
And for westeners looking to make this move today, other countries in the region seem to be a much better choise than Thailand. People can move to Philippines for instance, where gambling is completely legal, and if they reside in Manila, there is even a live poker scene as well. Which is probably better for professional players in the long run than relying solely on playing online.
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DS3
Legend
Loyaler
This so much fundiver199.
What some younger foreigners fail to grasp (particularly those European and North American who really have not travelled that much) is they tend to think the world is governed by western ideas of right or wrong and what 'developing' countries should do is adhere to that norm.
Not the way the world works.
Such countries might be riddled with hypocrisy and contradiction that westerners can raise an eyebrow at...but it is their country. I have been to several countries where the government, even a single minister, the army or certainly the police can take offense at foreigners interference and instigate policy changes and immediate crackdowns.
In Thailand for example lese majeste is strictly enforced and if anyone, including foreigners, speak against the royal family they will promptly find themselves in jail. In a similar vein, some foreigners have been arrested for playing cards in home games in Thailand. It is obviously a set up - somebody shopped them to the authorities and the police decided to act and raid - but this sends out a period message loud and clear about who is in charge.
As you said, in such grey areas the game play is always discretion, period
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fundiver199
Legend
Loyaler
In my experience its actually worse than that. When people from Europe or North America come to Thailand or other countries in South East Asia, they often do a lot of things, they would never do at home and would also never accept, that foreigners did in their country. They work without a work permit, they buy property without a clean title, they run businesses using a local straw man, they drive motorcycles without a helmet, and so on and so forth. And unsurpricingly more often than not all of this ends in tears.
Many are on some kind of temporary visa, which need to be renewed regularly, so if nothing else they should be smart enough to know, that unless they keep a low profile and avoid attracting the attention of authorities, they might be kicked out of the country at any time. I dont know, why Blackrain79 is no longer in Thailand, but its entirely possible, it could be related to him posting videos about, how he moved there as a professional poker player. And in that case that was definitely quite naive.
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DS3
Legend
Loyaler
This so much. Foreigners believing they can act with impunity!
Yeah, I really like Nathan Williams, receive his newsletters but I can never quite fathom how after numerous and extended visits it did not occur the videos could have triggered the authorities....