The Effect of the Runner Runner Poker Movie on the Industry

There's no denying that the online poker industry in the United States has had its ups and downs - with more downs in recent years than anything else. However, despite this fact, there are still people in this country who access offshore operations to get their fix without any real regard for the potential repercussions. The "Runner, Runner" poker movie, starring Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck and released in 2013, honed in on this unfortunate side effect. It is about a student who loses his tuition money to a shady offshore operator and then goes on an international journey to find and confront him.

Though some of the scenes in the "Runner, Runner" poker movie are a bit far-fetched (such as when Affleck's character, the shady CEO, kicks an employee into a vat of hungry crocodiles), the central theme certainly is not lost - offshore poker rooms can be dangerous. In the film, Timberlake, who plays the student, determines that he lost his money not because he made an error, but because of anomalies in the virtual statistics. Essentially, as a math whiz, he is able to determine that Affleck and his crew stacked the deck and there was absolutely no way to win.

Is the "Runner, Runner" poker movie a reflection of the ways in which offshore rooms actually conduct business? The truth is that while there are some questionable things occurring within the industry on a daily basis, things like this are few and far between. It is much more likely that rogue operators will open a virtual establishment, collect the deposits of unsuspecting members, and then disappear without a trace. As such, the best advice for anyone who wants to participate is to stick to venues that are well-known for being fair and reputable.

All in all, those who are skeptical about accessing international poker rooms will not find any reason to leave that skepticism behind after watching this film. Nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind that this is an incredibly extreme scenario and one that was developed to entertain an audience - not to scare gamblers.