Oh Party, what are we to do with you?

Party Poker has done it again with its Monster promotion.

The largest aquarium on the net seems determined to make as many decisions as it can for the sake of short-term profitability at the expense of long-term sustainability.

The Monster promotion takes an additional 50 cents in rake from hands at many of the site's tables. That money is then allocated for a series of freerolls.

Essentially, the 50 cent Monster bonus amounts to a 50 cent increase in rake.

But is that bad for the game? Fish like dumb promotions, and I like fish.

The problem is that an additional 50 cents in rake hurts the low-limit players the most because it disproportionately devalues their winnings. An extra 50 cents in rake is going to cut into the winnings of a microlimit player much more than a higher-stakes player.

In the short term, the promotion will work as planned: fish will enjoy the chance to win a jackpot through a freeroll, and they won't even notice that their winnings are less because of it.

In the long run, more fish will go broke that otherwise may have survived, which is not good for the poker economy. My profits come from bad players, and the quicker they lose, the less potential I have to win their money.

New players and fish make up the base of poker's future. Some of them will improve, some will get lucky, most will lose. Whatever happens, poker sites need a steady stream of new customers to retain or grow their market share.

Here's what might happen:

Losing players will go bust faster, blame Party Poker for their misfortune and take their business elsewhere or quit online poker entirely. The repercussions will be felt from low limits to high limits.

No one wants to play at a site they consistently lose at.

Party has long had the best ring game selection, the most consistent fish and some of the fastest tables.

It also has terrible customer support, disrespect for its clientele, a B.S. stance on rakeback, unappealing software, bad promotions and a disinterest in the best interests of the game.

I'm curious to see how long it will take for Party's games to dry up and for players to find a better site to play at.

Maybe it will take a long time. I'm probably overreacting.

After all, fish don't care about rake.