Is Online Poker Dead?

There is an interesting article here

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/07/28/poker/

"To put this in perspective, let me briefly relate a hand that I witnessed in Las Vegas in the early 1980s. Stu Ungar -- perhaps one of the best poker players in history -- was playing heads-up (one-on-one) with one of the other great players, Bobby Baldwin. Both put up $50,000. On the first hand, both went all in and turned up their cards. Before the dealer turned up the remaining cards to complete the hand, Baldwin was a slight favorite. He offered to take a small profit on the hand rather than risk all of his money on a nearly even proposition. Ungar refused. Baldwin then offered to split the pot. Ungar shook his head. The next card made Baldwin a 10-to-1 favorite. Again, because of the size of the pot, Baldwin offered to negotiate -- take some profit and give Ungar back some of his money. Ungar ordered the dealer to "deal the cards," a miracle card that won the hand for Ungar. He scooped up the pot and left the table. At the time, I did not understand Ungar's logic. Baldwin's offer had been more than fair; I couldn't imagine a sensible poker player turning it down.
And then I saw the answer. Ungar slipped behind a row of slot machines and handed the money to his sponsor, who, in turn, gave Ungar some of the winnings. The game had not been conducted on a level playing field. Baldwin, who would become the president of Mirage Hotels, was an intelligent, conservative player who was playing with his own money. Ungar was a reckless player with nothing at stake. Watch a few TV poker programs today and you will see certain players who make extraordinarily risky calls or bluffs. We wonder how they do it. Well, if you're not calling or betting with your own money, what's the risk? Imagine how different the TV shows would be if we were told which players were playing with their own money and which weren't. "

What with Polaris and the explosion in poker the game has changed out of all recognition in the last 7 years. Is online poker safe?I have always taken the view that the companies running the online sites would ensure everything was as straight as possible simply because the profits of running a successful fair online poker room would outstrip anything that could be made from a dodgy one.

But how do you know that you are not playing some super computer, or a group of players colluding in the same room or via instant messaging. I am sure there are counter measures in place on some of the big sites but some people will always be ahead of the game. I am put in mind of the old saying that if you don't see a mug at the table after 10 minutes its because its you who is the mug.

I wouldnt be surprised if some story breaks over the next few months, meanwhile I prefer to play around a table where I can see the cards shuffled and play the people not the cards, and know that they are playing with their own hard earned so that calling a bet actually means something.

Cheers

Professor