Now that I have had a chance to digest the online poker investigation that aired on 60 minutes last Sunday I feel a lot better. One of the things I was concerned about is that it would paint the industry as this slimy, crime ridden group of organizations that prey on the poker players. Yes, online poker has had its ups and downs but for the most part they have done a good job of policing themselves.

Online poker rooms like Full Tilt, Pokerstars, and PartyPoker have each imposed penalties when necessary and been transparent with their players as to how situations have been dealt with. This is a huge plus as it shows that no one is above the fray with several noteable pros being stripped of their sponsorships if only for a short period of time.

The show was basically focused on Absolute Poker and the Russ Hamilton situation. They didn’t really get in-depth nearly as much as I would have thought from a show like 60 minutes. Overall I thought the spot was fairly harmless in the overall scheme of things.