Families Face Dire Straits After Online Poker Shutdown

The things had been appearing up for Brian Mogelefsky in the weeks preceding “Black Friday.” The breaking of the real estate bubble, which nearly overnight sank the mortgage company he ran with his dad, was two years behind him, as well as he, his wife and two children now felt firmly established in Charlotte, N.C. They had moved there in 2009 to escape the high living costs of Long Island, New York, where Mogelefsky had run his mortgage company. But, best of all, his dream job was finally paying off two years earlier, after careful consultation with his wife, he had become a full-time online poker player. Not only did his work allow him to spend as much time as he wanted with his two children, but he was now on pace to make $80,000 to $90,000 this year nearly twice as much as he brought home in 2010. “It’s just like I was finally starting to see the fruits of my labor,” he said referring to years of study as well as practice.