It's been a whirlwind of excitement since the first rumors that Sen. Harry Reid would be passing online poker legislation during the lame-duck session of Congress, but that excitement halted immediately Wednesday night. According to multiple sources, the bill will not be voted on or attached to another bill during the last few days of this session.

"We are disappointed that Congress failed to act and provide the necessary consumer protections and sensible oversight over this multi-billion dollar industry," John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance, wrote in an e-mail to ESPN.com. "Sadly, some politicians remain with their heads firmly in the sand. The leadership of the Poker Players Alliance got the debate this far and we are determined to see this through."

For current online poker supporters, there have been two basic reactions.

First, it's relief in the fact that they can still play poker online. Yes, there are no safeguards or regulations in place to protect them, but the game is still available as it has been over the past decade. Second, while current online poker as it stands today would still be available, there's fear of what might be ahead on the federal level come next year.

Three anti-online gambling supporters -- Spencer Bachus, Dave Camp and Lamar Smith -- will be heading some of the most powerful committees in Washington when House of Representatives reconvenes for business in 2011. As mentioned on ESPN Inside Deal, the key to the industry will be the availability for payment processors to do their jobs and if the Department of Justice amps up their enforcement regarding the UIGEA, those processors might be too cautious to serve the U.S. market.

With an unforeseeable future, online poker players will now go back to the grind and wonder how the process will eventually play out. Action now returns to those fighting for poker legality on the state level, especially in New Jersey and California. If online poker does get legalized on the state level, interstate games would be illegal as playing across state lines would violate the Interstate Wire Act of 1961. Clearly, while this might be an option for states to generate more revenue in terms of taxes, players would deal with a smaller player base and perhaps a tougher challenge to find games to beat.