Texas Holdem Poker Blog

February 15, 2010

The ULTIMATE sports fan package from BODOG!

For Immediate Release

Feb. 10, 2010

KAHNAWAKE, QC // Starting Monday, Feb. 15 and running through to Sunday, Mar. 14, Bodog Poker is giving players a chance to win the Ultimate Sports Fan Experience. The New Orleans Saints winning Super Bowl XLIV signaled the end of another exciting NFL season, and while online sports bettors are no doubt sad to see the season end, Bodog Poker is keeping the magic alive. Play in any of Bodog Poker's multitude of Sit and Gos and you could find yourself at the four biggest sporting events of 2011!

Bodog's Ultimate Sports Fan Experience brings sports bettors and online poker players together in battle for a grand prize anyone would love to win, tickets for two to the 2011 Super Bowl XLV, MLB World Series, NBA and Stanley Cup Finals, along with round-trip airfare, transportation, accommodations, and $500 to spend on souvenirs and drinks! Entering for a chance to win the Ultimate Sports Fan Experience is simple. Make the cash in any three qualifying Sit and Gos by Mar. 14 and you'll be automatically entered for a chance to win the grand prize.

In addition to the Ultimate Sports Fan Experience grand prize, Bodog Poker will be awarding one player, per week, from Feb. 15 - Mar. 14, two tickets to a major sporting event, including round-trip airfare and accommodations. Each weekly prize will be different than the last, giving players a variety of events to aim for. For the week of Feb. 15 - 21, the winner will be awarded tickets to a UFC Event; Feb. 22 – 28, a NASCAR Race; Mar. 1 – 7, the US Open (Golf); Mar. 8 – 14, a March Madness game. Qualifying for the weekly prize is as easy as playing in any five qualifying Sit and Gos in one week. Winners will be randomly selected every week and players are limited to one entry per week, but there is no limit to the number of times a player can win the weekly prize.

Lastly, every player who makes the cash in at least three qualifying Sit and Gos before Mar. 14 will receive an invitation to one of two exclusive $5,000 freeroll tournaments being held on Saturday, Mar. 20 at 1:05 PM EST and 2:05 PM EST respectively.

For more details on Bodog Poker's Ultimate Sports Fan Experience, visit http://www.bodog.com/play-now/online-poker-promotions.html.

Connect With Bodog

Posted by fatbill at 08:44 AM | Comments (1)

October 21, 2009

Bodog announces Poker Open IV

This from a press release by Bodog!

Oct. 19, 2009

It’s time to get ready to rumble for a shot at poker stardom as Bodog.com announced today details for the Bodog Poker Open IV. The fourth installment of the popular tournament series takes place Nov. 1 – 8, 2009, and this time it offers two parallel, week-long series: the “Contender Series,” consisting of lower-stakes buy-ins, and the higher-stakes “Championship Series,” with $60,000 in added prize money and guaranteed media exposure for the champion.

Bodog Flickr Photostream
"With the Bodog Poker Open IV, Bodog.com is giving online poker players of all levels a chance to strike it rich and gain major exposure as the next Bodog Poker Open Champion," says Bodog.com Poker Pro David Williams. "It takes a great deal of patience and skill to run deep in this tournament, and any poker player who can take down the Championship Event deserves not only the huge cash prize, but also the recognition that comes along with it."

The Bodog Poker Open IV Championship Series kicks off Sunday, Nov. 1 at 4pm EST with the first of seven events. The series culminates on Sunday, Nov. 8 at 4pm EST with the Championship Event, featuring $25,000 in added prize money. The last player standing will not only walk away with the top cash prize and the title of Bodog Poker Open IV Champion, but will also be prominently featured in an international poker publication and on Bodog.com.

Buy-ins for the seven events of the Championship Series range from $50+$5 (rebuy) to $470+$30 for the Championship Event. Bodog.com is adding additional prize money to all events, giving players exceptional value for their tournament dollars.

The Bodog Poker Open IV Contender Series runs during the same time period and features all the action of the Championship Series but with smaller buy-ins. The winner of each Contender Series tournament receives a seat to the Bodog Poker Open IV Championship Event (T$500), while the remaining eight final table players get a seat to the Contender Series Championship Event (T$50) on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 5pm EST. Bodog.com is adding $2,500 in cash to the prize pool of the Contender Series Championship Event.

“With the chance to rise through the ranks, from contender to Bodog Poker Open IV Champion, the Bodog Poker Open IV promises to be one of the biggest and best poker tournament series in Bodog.com’s 15-year history,” says Bodog Poker Pro David Williams.

To learn more about Bodog Poker Open IV, visit: http://poker.bodog.com/tournaments/bodog-poker-open.html

Posted by fatbill at 11:19 AM | Comments (1)

June 30, 2009

Interesting list of Top WSOP Earners

Got this in an email from Poker Pages.com....

Top 10 players ranked by overall earnings.

1.Jamie Gold $12.2 mil
2.Daniel Negreanu $11.2 mil
3.Joe Hachem $10.6 mil
4.Scotty Nguyen $10.2 mil
5.Allen Cunningham $9.8 mil
6.Phil Ivey $9.6 mil
7.Peter Eastgate $9.6 mil
8.T.J. Cloutier $9.1 mil
9.John Juanda $9 mil
10.Erik Seidel $8.8 mil

I would have thought that Phil would be on that list...

Posted by fatbill at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)

April 29, 2009

Ban on Internet Gambling to be lifted?

From an article at Fox News (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,518277,00.html )

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, chairman of the House of
Representatives Financial Services Committee, said on Tuesday he would introduce a bill next week to overturn a three-year-old U.S. ban on Internet gambling.

The legislation, likely to be opposed by anti-gambling Republicans, would overturn a law imposed during the Bush administration that has hurt U.S. trade ties with the European Union. Frank said the bill was being drafted this week.

"We'll be introducing it next week and I plan to move on it," said Frank, a Democrat, speaking at the Reuters Global Financial Regulation Summit in Washington.

Posted by fatbill at 09:42 AM | Comments (0)

November 12, 2008

2008 WSOP Main Event Champ......finally!

Well, after the much anticipated, AND delayed final table, the 2008 WSOP has finally come to a conclusion with the crowning of it's Main Event Champion. Peter Eastgate took home the Bracelet and the first place prize, worth $9,152,416. Eastgate ALSO became the youngest WSOP Main event champion in history at 22, breaking Hellmuth's record from 1989.

Second place, worth $5,809,595 went to Ivan Demidov...

Rounding out the final table are:

3 Dennis Phillips $4,517,773
4 Ylon Schwartz $3,794,974
5 Scott Montgomery $3,096,768
6 Darus Suharto $2,418,562
7 David Rheem $1,772,650
8 Kelly Kim $1,288,217
9 Craig Marquis $900,670

Posted by fatbill at 09:06 AM | Comments (0)

October 01, 2008

New US Poker Bill introduced!

Just got this Press release from the Poker Players Alliance!

"The PPA is pleased to inform its more than 1 million members that U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (NJ-D) has introduced S. 3616, the Internet Skill Game Licensing and Control Act of 2008.

This exceptional piece of legislation will establish licensed Internet poker in the U.S. and provide American consumers with the vast benefits of a clear regulatory system. The bill is the first of its kind to focus primarily on your favorite pastime. S. 3616, is landmark legislation for the poker community and sets the stage for the next Congress and new Administration to enact sound public policy in the area of Internet poker.

Today, the PPA issued a press release in support of the bill. And we are encouraging everyone to send an note to Senator Menendez to thank him for introducing this bill......."

Posted by fatbill at 09:33 AM | Comments (0)

September 26, 2008

WTF is going on in Kentucky??

September 24, 2008 (InfoPowa News) -- The news earlier this week that Kentucky state officials are seeking the confiscation of some 141 online gambling domains has been carried widely in mainstream as well as industry media, but has not fazed some forward-thinking operators who had already made contingency plans for such an official action.

The Guardian newspaper in London spoke to Nick Wood, managing director of London-based Com Laude, which holds the domain name for PokerStars. Wood said: "We anticipated this could happen and we've developed an action plan which largely consists of us not responding."

Approached by the newspaper, the UK-based Safenames, the registrar for Full Tilt, declined to comment.

PokerStars and others are believed to be preparing to send a team of lawyers to Kentucky to fight the legal claim by state officials, backed by governor Steve Bashear. They are expected to argue that the Kentucky courts have no jurisdiction over dotcom domain names registered overseas. Insiders believe they will side-step arguments about whether or not taking cash from US players is in breach of US law.

Bashear has already conceded that the action taken by his officials was in part designed to protect the interests of local horse-related gambling, which is exempted from Internet bans by legislative carve-outs. Bashear has campaigned for more land casinos to be licensed in Kentucky, prompting some critics to suggest his attacks on online operators looks morally inconsistent.

Many industry experts suggested the Kentucky action was unlikely to succeed. "This is a stunt," Washington attorney, David Stewart told The Guardian.

The latest order from the Franklin circuit court of Kentucky has been served on registrar companies in the US and around the world in procedures set out by the California-based ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers), which oversees the assignment of domain names.

Posted by fatbill at 09:10 AM | Comments (0)

May 02, 2008

Changes in 2008 WSOP Announced

According to a recent article at PokerNews.com
Harrahs has made some interesting(?) changes to the WSOP Main Event format for this year.

The Final table will NOT be played until 117 days AFTER it is determined! They are attempting to utilize this time frame to 'hype' the event, and 'build excitement' about the final table.... hope it does not backfire in their faces!

While I understand their motivation... I don't like the idea. A player with momentum going into the final table, will loose that, and it will feel like a differet event when it is finally played.... guess we'll have to wait and see!

Posted by fatbill at 10:42 AM | Comments (1)

July 22, 2007

News from Poker Player's Alliance

The following is a reprint of an email from Alfonse D'Amato, the chairman of the PPA:

"We have accomplished so much in so little time! Our membership has grown more than 500% since the first of the year, to over 600,000 members -- thanks in no small part to you telling your fellow poker enthusiasts to join our cause. We are well on our way to our One Million Member target, and I again ask for your help by encouraging your family, friends and tablemates to join the PPA.

In Washington: Things are moving and moving fast. There are 4 bills pending in the House of Representatives that are helpful for on-line poker and our members. We are strongly supporting two of these bills: Congressman Barney Frank's H.R. 2046, the "Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act" and Congressman Robert Wexler's H.R. 2610, the "Skill Games Protection Act".

Other bills include Congresswoman Shelley Berkley's H.R. 2410, which calls for a study of Internet Gaming, and Congressman McDermott's H.R. 2607, which amends H.R. 2610 with a revenue component.

In all, we have a lot of momentum, but we still need your help. I just returned from the World Series of Poker, where PPA hosted Congressman Wexler. We saw first-hand the growth and grandeur of the sport of poker, and we asked the WSOP players for their support. They responded in droves, proving that poker enthusiasts are dedicated activists.

As you know, we are a membership-driven organization and we need your support. We lobby on Capitol Hill and in state capitols to defend poker, but these efforts are not without cost.

......."

If you are not a member yet... JOIN!

You can get more information on the PPA by CLICKING HERE!

Posted by fatbill at 08:36 AM | Comments (0)

May 17, 2007

WSOP Payouts revised....

The World Series of Poker has revised it's payout structure for the upcoming 2007 event. MOST players will now recieve a larger percentage of the payout, for finishing in the money, HOWEVER, those that finish nearer the top, will see LESS percentage than in the past.

Here is the example that the WSOP gave on their website:

"For example, the 2006 Main Event would have paid $22,266 for 873rd through 775th places, up from $14,605 or $15,512. Places 82 through 73 would have paid $126,173, up from $66,010. First place would have paid $10,028,715, down from $12 million, while second place would have been worth $5,442,769, compared with $6,105,900"

This is a double-edged sword issue. It will reward those making the money, but those that make the final table will recieve less than in the past. I'm sure top players will bitch about this one, as the structure has ALWAYS been top heavy.

There are also rumored to be extensive rule changes... I'll post those when they are announced on the WSOP site.....

Posted by fatbill at 07:51 AM | Comments (0)

May 10, 2007

Bill to lift Poker Prohibition online!

The following is from the Poker Players Alliance... and its GREAT news to anyone playing poker online!

"Dear Fellow PPA Member:

I have wonderful news to report! On Thursday, April 26, Rep. Barney Frank introduced HR 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007. HR 2046 will lift the prohibition on playing poker online. Your efforts are making a difference!

Representative Frank is the Chairman of the important House Financial Services Committee. And he understands the injustice that we have suffered. When he introduced the bill, he told reporters that “The existing legislation is an inappropriate interference on the personal freedom of Americans and this interference should be undone”.

But he can’t do this job alone. Now, we need to help Congressman Frank build support for his bill.

You can regain your right to enjoy safe, secure online poker – but only if you stand up for your rights. And PPA is here to help you do just that.

This is a landmark day for freedom. But it is only the first step of the process. Join me in celebrating this milestone – and take action to build support for HR 2046.

Click here to make your voice heard in our nation’s Capitol.

Sincerely,
Michael Bolcerek
President
Poker Players Alliance"

Posted by fatbill at 01:30 PM | Comments (0)

May 07, 2007

US to ignore WTO Ruling on Gambling?

Poker News reported today, that the US intends to IGNORE the recent ruling by the World Trade Orgainization ( of which the US is a LEADING member ), regarding online gambling!!!

Deputy U.S. Trade Secretary John K. Veroneau was quoted as saying:

"U.S. laws banning interstate gambling have been in place for decades," stated Veroneau. "Most WTO Members have similar laws. Unfortunately, in the early 1990s, when the United States was drafting its international commitments to open its market to recreational services, we did not make it clear that these commitments did not extend to gambling. Moreover, back in 1993 no WTO member could have reasonably thought that the United States was agreeing to commitments in direct conflict with its own laws."

Veroneau continued with the following: "Neither the United States nor other WTO Members noticed this oversight in the drafting of U.S. commitments until Antigua and Barbuda initiated a WTO case ten years later. In its consideration of this matter, the WTO panel acknowledged that the United States did not intend to adopt commitments that were inconsistent with its own laws. However, under WTO rules, dispute settlement findings must be based on the text of commitments and other international documents, rather than the intent of the party. The United States strongly supports the rules-based trading system and accepts the dispute settlement findings. In light of those findings, we will use WTO procedures for clarifying our commitments."

I guess whats good for the goose, is NOT necicarlly good for the gander where the US Government is concerned, huh?

Read the entire article Here

Posted by fatbill at 12:00 PM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2007

New Internet Gambling bill introduced...

In a press release dated April 26, 2007, H.R.2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007 was introduced! This would create exemptions to the ban on Online Gambling for properly licensed operators, allowing Americans to LAWFULLY bet online!!!

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) had this to say: “The existing legislation is an inappropriate interference on the personal freedom of Americans and this interference should be undone,” said. Rep. Frank.

You can read the full press release HERE

Posted by fatbill at 10:09 AM | Comments (0)

April 26, 2007

Petition to repeal the UIGEA

EVERYONE that wants to enjoy the 'freedom' that we as Americans SHOULD be able to enjoy, that being the RIGHT to make our OWN decision about Online Gambling, should go and sign this petition!

REPEAL UIGEA

Posted by fatbill at 03:10 PM | Comments (0)

April 25, 2007

Repeal of Online Gambling Bill?

According to gambling911.com, There will be a bill introduced to congress tomorrow by Sen Barney Franks to repeal the ban on online Gambling. The full story can be found HERE

Franks was quoted when speaking to a community bankers group:

"Why anyone thinks it is any of my business why some adult wants to gamble is absolutely beyond me"

Get behind this people!

Posted by fatbill at 03:14 PM | Comments (0)

April 13, 2007

Attempt to repeal UIGBE!!

Barny Frank, Chairman of the House Finance Committee, is considering introducing legislation that will repeal the current UIGBE bullshit that was included in the Port Authority Act last fall. This act is what caused MOST of the popular poker rooms to STOP taking US players.

It is up to YOU, the poker playing public to get behind this bill, and let your legislature's know that you think it's TOTALY BULLSHIT!

The article can be read HERE

You can CLICK HERE for a site that will show you who your representatives in congress are, and afford you the opportunity to drop them a 'friendly' email suggesting that they get behind Mr Franks!

Posted by fatbill at 09:59 AM | Comments (0)

April 04, 2007

Bill to repeal UIGEA?

Congressman Barny Frank told Poker Player Newspaper, that a bill would be filed later this month!

The full story is found HERE

This could be good news... but who knows how fast congress would act on it... or if Bush will sign off on it.....

Posted by fatbill at 12:11 PM | Comments (0)

March 16, 2007

Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act News

This is potentially GREAT news for Poker Players, especially U.S. Poker Players!

UIGEA NEWS ALERT
The office of US Congressman Barney Frank, who is chairman of the House financial services committee, has confirmed that he is currently working on legislation to repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

The news item appeared this afternoon on the Financial Times website and has been confirmed to eGaming Review by Frank’s press department. The details of how any repeal would take action have not been worked out and no timeframe was given.

Frank is quoted as describing last autumn’s Act as one of the “stupidest laws” ever passed and adds: “I am working on legislation to cut back on this internet gambling thing… I think it’s preposterous”.

While rumours of Barney Frank’s support for a repeal of the Act had been circulating around the egaming industry in the past few weeks, Frank himself had not confirmed or commented on them. Shares in PartyGaming, 888 and Sportingbet were all up this afternoon.

The FT says the mid-term Democratic victory in the US Congress brought some hope to the online gaming sector and John Conyers, chairman of the House judiciary committee, is also considered sympathetic to the industry.

But while Frank and Conyers are “powerful potential allies, it is far from clear that the lawmakers would have enough support to pass any meaningful legislation” because it is not clear “whether the votes would be there for a regulatory bill”.

The FT adds that the US treasury is currently drafting the rules to implement the Act but that the deadline for presenting them has been missed and is now expected in April or May.

Posted by fatbill at 11:28 AM | Comments (0)

March 07, 2007

D'Amato Joins PPA

This just released by the Poker Players Alliance ...

Poker Aficionado and former U.S. Senator to Lead Efforts to Protect One of America's Pastimes

Washington D.C.(March 5, 2007) – The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a grassroots organization of more than 160,000 poker enthusiasts, announced today that former United States Senator Alfonse D'Amato has joined the PPA to serve as Chairman of the Board and help lead efforts in Washington D.C. to protect the game of poker.

"I have had a passion for poker since my childhood, and for politics almost as long. This new position will allow me to fuse these passions and help establish sensible policy that allows Americans to enjoy the great game of poker in the venue of their choosing," said Alfonse D'Amato, the new Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance.

"We are thrilled to have Senator D'Amato take up our cause to promote and protect the game played by millions of Americans. His enthusiasm, tenacity and political astuteness will bolster the influence of the PPA and help earn poker a much deserved exemption from the recent online gaming law," said Michael Bolcerek, president of the PPA. "For the past 18 months Linda Johnson, the First Lady of Poker, skillfully lead our organization as Chairwoman, today the First Senator of Poker will lead the charge."

It is estimated that more than 23 million Americans enjoyed playing poker on the Internet in 2006. Yet, the recent government crackdown on Internet gaming has swept poker into its net of prohibition and have made it increasingly difficult for poker players to enjoy this great form of entertainment on the Internet. The Poker Players Alliance will be working with Congress to provide a skill game exemption for poker and pave the way for eventual regulation and taxation of the industry in the United States.

"Prohibitions don't work, they only create unintended consequences. The American people know this and we are going to make sure Congress knows it too," said Senator D'Amato. "We need common sense regulation of Internet poker. Prohibition will only drive the industry underground and strip away any protections for children and services for problem gamblers."

The Poker Players Alliance was formed in 2005 to protect the right of poker players to enjoy the great American tradition of poker in the venue of their choice, and Linda Johnson was critical in the organization's development. "I would like to personally thank Linda Johnson for her service to the PPA as its first Chairwoman, and in her continued service as a board member as we take the organization to its next level," stated Bolcerek.

Posted by fatbill at 09:00 AM | Comments (0)

February 23, 2007

WSOP to change its Ad policy

In the WTF? department.... it was reported today by PokerNews, in an interview with Gary Thompson, Director of the World Series of Poker Tournament Operations and Communications:

"As a gaming company licensed in more than a dozen jurisdictions in the United States and abroad, Harrah's must follow the guidance of federal law and state gaming regulations in conducting its business. In this regard, the 2007 World Series of Poker venue will not contain advertising from dot.com sties that allow access to US residents nor ads from dot.net sites affiliated with those entities. Harrah's position does not affect advertising that may or may not be carried out by media companies that cover the event, as they aren't subject to the same gaming-regulatory requirements as Harrah's. Nor does our position impact players. In fact, we expect to post the 2007 WSOP rules and registration procedures on worldseriesofpoker.com next week that will contain a new logo policy allowing players to wear apparel with dot.net logos as well as multiple and larger logos.

As far as the felts, I have seen blogs and forum threads speculating about who may or may not have sought advertising rights to the WSOP. Harrah's has a long-standing policy of not commenting on rumors or speculation. If we do enter into any business agreement with another company, we'll make a public announcement at the appropriate time."

Posted by fatbill at 11:45 AM | Comments (0)

February 20, 2007

DoylesRoom Caves in, and shuts out US players!

It's a sad day for online poker, when the Great Man himself, has shut his site's doors to US players. We knew there was a problem with the Tribeca network Doylesroom was on, but there were constant releases from them that they were 'migrating' to another solution. Today, amidst much confusion, they finally came out and said they will stop allowing US players as of Feb 28th!

From what I've read, current players at Doyles, ARE being allowd to move funds to Full Tilt Poker, AND get a bonus ON those funds! So, if you dont have one already, click this FULL TILT POKER link, or the one on the right side under Poker Rooms we Recommend, and sign up now!

Posted by fatbill at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)

February 10, 2007

Annie Duke takes a stand!

The following was found at Ultimate Bet.com where Annie Duke is a sponsored pro player. Let me say, that I believe Annie Duke is one of the most articulate pro's on the circuit, and an outstanding spokesperson for the game of poker. I'm not Ultimate Bet's staunchest supporter, but they have Annie!

--------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Annie:

I am an avid poker player that has to curtail my desires to play brick and mortar games by playing online, The casinos are too far away and having 4 kids makes it difficult to take the 'short' vacations I would like to Las Vegas.

With the introduction of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act it is becoming more and more difficult to play poker online. What is your stance on this piece of legislation? Assuming you are against it, what are you doing to get it changed. What would you recommend others do? Since you are 'in the biz' what do you see other professional poker players doing about this bill or does it mainly effect the non-professional players like myself?

Ron

Hi Ron--

Well I love your question. I am very much against the bill as it relates to poker and any other game of skill. I have several issues with the bill. First, it allows for betting on State Lotteries and Horse Racing online. This is very hypocritical in my view as State Lotteries are a) clearly a game that has no skill and b) a regressive tax. I can overflow the Capitol building with people who make their living playing poker and yet I would be unable to find one person (who is not cheating) who makes their living playing lotteries. As for the regressive tax part, we all know that it is mainly lower income people who play the lotteries. That money is used to fun state programs and that money is coming from the poorer segment of the population. I have a big problem with that.

Of course, the States argue that lotteries generate billions of dollars for education. But if you taxed online poker the PPA has estimated that revenue would be over 3 billion. That would fund the Port Security Act to which the bill was attached. Or the money could go to education, raising teachers' salaries, expanding police forces, whatever the state wanted it for. So that argument is specious since it only applies if the government chooses not to regulate online poker.

Another huge problem I have with the Law has to do with censorship and prohibition. Anytime the government tells us what we, as consenting adults, can do with our discretionary income we are treading dangerous ground. The authors of the bill argue that 5% of the population have an issue with gaming online. Well I will not argue with that statistic. But, rather, I will point out that 5% of the population also has a problem with online shopping. 5% of the population has a problem with online stock trading. 5% of the population has a problem with alcohol. This is because the numbers of people who have addiction issues in our population is around 5%.

We tried once to sacrifice the majorities freedom of choice to protect a small minority who had a problem. It was called Prohibition. What prohibition brought us was tommy guns and Al Capone. Before prohibition, the population was deliverd a safe and regulated product. During prohibition, demand was still the same and now people were delivered an unregulated prodcut brewed out of backyard stills that were often unsafe. It brought violence and more problems than it solved and we should have learned our lesson from that.

If we allow the goverment to erode our freedom and censor what we do with our own free time and our own disposable income in the privacy of our own homes, what is next? Is the government going to tell the banks to monitor our online shopping too? If we want to buy that third pair of shoes online that week is the bank going to deny our ability to transfer money onto ShopBop.com? Censorship is dangerous ground to tread. We have proven that in the past. Remeber when Mark Twain was banned from some libraries in the country?

The current administration has created an atmosphere of fear. And they have used that fear to further and further erode our personal freedoms and degrade the spirit of our Constitution. Benjamin Franklin warned that in times of heightened fear we must not give in to a government who claims that to keep the population safe that its people must give up certain personal freedom. Franklin knew that that only led to a more unsafe population where the people were in danger from its own government rather than an outside threat. It is why The Constituation is so clear on right to privacy. I believe our Founding Fathers knew what they were talking about.

As for what I am doing about it, as soon as the bill was passed I went on a media tour for the PPA, http://www.pokerplayersalliance.org/ They are doing amazing work lobbying the lawmakers on Capitol Hill and I think they are really making a difference. If you want your voice to be heard on this issue, please join that organization. And let your voice be heard with your vote in the next election.

xo
annie

Posted by fatbill at 01:27 PM | Comments (0)

January 24, 2007

Good news about Online Poker!

There is a great article, written by the President of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) regarding actions they are taking in the near future to help with legislation regarding Online poker! I urge EVERY poker player to join the PPA and help in this fight for our natural right to play the game we all love! You can see what the PPA is all about by going to their website HERE

You can read the article in it's entirty HERE!

Some important exerpts:

"The impact has been jarring, as the largest, publicly traded online poker operators shut down services to U.S. players. While many reputable sites still offer services to U.S. players, recent actions to close down payment processors and to subpoena banks are clear indications that the federal government is aggressively pushing the online gambling prohibition.

We don't have to tell you that a prohibition won't work, and in fact will likely cause many more problems than it aims to solve. "

Posted by fatbill at 09:21 AM | Comments (0)

October 28, 2006

Criticizm of US Gambling bill passage...

There seems to be quite a bit of criticizm of the US Online Gambling bill's passage, and rightfully so! One of our biggest allies in most things, is leading the charge in this! U.K. Secretary Criticizes U.S. for Gambling Stance Story Here

Also, The government of Antiqua is gearing up for another lawsuit against the US because of its continued violations of the WTO's opinon and rulings. Story Here

You'd think that we would have learned something about prohibition from our past.....

Posted by fatbill at 11:05 AM | Comments (0)

October 19, 2006

Great article on the Gambling bill...

I read this article in the New York Times and it was so damn good and to the point that I had to link to it! To read the entire article, just Click Here!

This article was written by Charles Murray who is a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Among the things he mentions are:

"In the short term, this law all by itself could add a few more Democratic Congressional seats in the fall elections. We are talking about a lot of people (an estimated 23 million Americans gamble online) who are angry enough to vote on the basis of this one issue, and they blame Republicans. "

and

"In the long term, something more ominous is at work. If a free society is to work, the vast majority of citizens must reflexively obey the law not because they fear punishment, but because they accept that the rule of law makes society possible. That reflexive law-abidingness is reinforced when the laws are limited to core objectives that enjoy consensus support, even though people may disagree on means.

Thus society is weakened every time a law is passed that large numbers of reasonable, responsible citizens think is stupid. Such laws invite good citizens to choose knowingly to break the law, confident that they are doing nothing morally wrong."

Posted by fatbill at 01:06 PM | Comments (0)

July 12, 2006

H.R. 4411 Passed the House yesterday...

This is a press release by the Poker Players Alliance. This is an orgainization that ALL poker players, serious and recreational, should be a part of.

On Tuesday, July 11, 2006, American poker players were dealt a bad hand by the U.S. House of Representatives. In a 317 to 93 vote the U.S. House passed H.R. 4411, sponsored by Jim Leach, R-Iowa, which would prohibit banks and credit card companies from processing payments for online gambling bets. It also includes the major provisions of another bill HR 4777 by Robert W. Goodlatte, R-Va., that would force Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block access or disable hyperlinks to Web sites that offer online gambling.

Inexplicably, this legislation provides exemptions for online horse betting, Internet lotteries and certain fantasy sports, yet poker and other online games are swept into this prohibition bill.

The Poker Players Alliance has worked tirelessly on your behalf to keep this bill from passing the U.S. House. While our efforts have fallen short today, we have had tremendous success in delivering our message to lawmakers and the media. This fight is far from over and we hope that you will continue to stand with the Poker Players Alliance as we continue to fight to ensure that this misguided legislation does not become law.

Each day our organization is growing in both numbers and influence. I ask that you help us in that effort by encouraging all your friends and family to join the Poker Players Alliance. Whether someone plays poker or not, all Americans who value individual liberty and personal responsibility should be part of our campaign.

Now is not the time to waver, our voices must be heard loud and clear. Members of the U.S. House who voted for this bill should know that you oppose their position and similarly, those who voted against it should be applauded for their courageous stand. A list of the recorded vote is available by going to http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll363.xml. Please see how your Representative voted then call or write to let he or she know how you feel.

Again, we are grateful for your dedication to our cause and we share your love for this game.

and another statement...

Washington, D.C.(July 11, 2006) — Michael Bolcerek, president of the Poker Players Alliance, released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would prohibit Americans from playing poker on the Internet.

"We are disappointed that the House of Representatives would assail the rights of Americans to enjoy the great game of poker on the Internet. It is unconscionable that a skill game like poker gets swept into the net of prohibition, while online horse betting and Internet lotteries get free passes," said Mr. Bolcerek.

"The United States should follow the lead of the United Kingdom by regulating and taxing online poker, not banning it. An economic analysis just released by our organization shows that U.S. regulation of online poker has the potential to raise more than $3.3 billion in annual revenue for the federal government, in addition to another $1 billion for state coffers. We hope that this analysis will give a fresh perspective for U.S. Senators about the benefits of regulation.

"The Poker Players Alliance is undeterred in its mission to promote and protect the game of poker and we will continue to advance the cause on behalf of poker players in the United States."

A copy of the Poker Players Alliance economic analysis can be found at www.pokerplayersalliance.org.

Posted by fatbill at 10:04 AM | Comments (0)

May 23, 2006

H.R. 4777, Internet Gambling Prohibition Act

The following article is directly from the Poker Players Alliance, of whitch I am a member, and I encourage ALL poker players to join. They are one of the few orgainizations out there looking out for our best interest in Washington!

"In the coming days, the House Judiciary Committee will vote on H.R. 4777, Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, sponsored by Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA). This legislation turns private companies into the government’s “morality police.” It requires Internet service providers (ISPs) to remove gambling related hyperlinks and forces banks to monitor your purchases and transactions to ensure that you are not gambling online. The plan is an affront to civil liberties. If the committee passes the bill, your ability to enjoy poker online will be at serious risk.

Each member of the Poker Players Alliance has a critical voice in this debate. The members of the committee, listed below, need to know that Americans think this legislation is a bad idea.

For more information about H.R. 4777, go to the Poker Players Alliance Web site, www.pokerplayersalliance.org.

Please Call! Tell these Representatives to oppose the Goodlatte plan.

Bachus Spencer AL (202) 225-4921

Berman Howard CA (202) 225-4695

Boucher Rick VA (202) 225-3861

Cannon Chris UT (202) 225-7751

Chabot Steve OH (202) 225-2216

Coble Howard NC (202) 225-3065

Conyers John MI (202) 225-5126

Delahunt Bill MA (202) 225-3111

Feeney Tom FL (202) 225-2706

Flake Jeff AZ (202) 225-2635

Forbes Randy VA (202) 225-6365

Franks Trent AZ (202) 225-4576

Gallegly Elton CA (202) 225-5811

Gohmert Louie TX (202) 225-3035

Goodlatte Bob VA (202) 225-5431

Green Mark WI (202) 225-5665

Hostettler John IN (202) 225-4636

Hyde Henry IL (202) 225-4561

Inglis Bob SC (202) 225-6030

Issa Darrell CA (202) 225-3906

Jackson Lee Sheila TX (202) 225-3816

Jenkins Bill TN (202) 225-6356

Keller Ric FL (202) 225-2176

King Steve IA (202) 225-4426

Lofgren Zoe CA (202) 225-3072

Lungren Dan CA (202) 225-5716

Meehan Marty MA (202) 225-3411

Nadler Jerry NY (202) 225-5635

Pence Mike IN (202) 225-3021

Sanchez Linda CA (202) 225-6676

Schiff Adam CA (202) 225-4176

Scott Bobby VA (202) 225-8351

Sensenbrenner Jim WI (202) 225-5101

Smith Lamar TX (202) 225-4236

Van Hollen Chris MD (202) 225-5341

Wasserman Schultz Debbie FL (202) 225-7931

Waters Maxine CA (202) 225-2201

Weiner Anthony NY (202) 225-6616

Wexler Bob FL (202) 225-3001

"

Posted by fatbill at 08:36 AM | Comments (0)

February 24, 2006

$500K Tourney Winner disqualified!

There is an article at PokerNews.com today that outlines a recent scandle involving a player of some internet renown, who had multiple accounts at PartyPoker and won a big tournament.

You can read the entire article HERE

The article intimates that the player admitted to playing under a second account that he set up, because he heard that others were doing this and he felt he should not be left out.

The issue brings to light one of the weaknesses of playing online! It is almost impossible to detect and police collusion!

Wilcone and I recently had a problem with PartyPoker, in that we both have the same name ( father and son and all that ), and they initially refused Wilcone an account as a result. We had to fax to them documentation to substantiate that we were different people! Frankly, I was not upset at this, but relieved to know that there WERE safeguards in place for this.

BUT... this does not scratch the surface of the possible collusion issue!

There are multiple players out there that converse via instant messaging software, as well as over the telephone. No poker room software can detect or avoid this from happening.....

Posted by fatbill at 10:38 AM | Comments (0)

February 17, 2006

US Lawmakers up to it again

Lawmakers are attempting to push a new ban to Internet gambling through..... Instead of doing the LOGICAL thing, and legalizing, and taxing the industry, they are putting their collective heads up their asses, and rattling their sabre's.....

You can read the entire story HERE

Love this part:
"The legislation would specifically prohibit a gambling business from accepting credit cards, checks, wire and Internet transfers in illegal gambling transactions. It also would set a maximum prison sentence of five years for violations."

As all gambling institutions are off shore, exactly how to they think this is going to be enforced?

flaming idiots....

Posted by fatbill at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)

February 14, 2006

PokerTvNetwork adds to lineup

Poker TV Network, Inc. Announced Today the Addition of the Southern California Poker Tour to Their Lineup of Online Poker Programming Available at PokerTVNetwork.com

Tuesday February 14, 10:00 am ET

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Poker TV Network, Inc. (OTC: PKTV - News), the world's only online TV network dedicated to poker players and fans, announced today the addition of the Southern California Poker Tour (SCPT) to their lineup of online programming.
ADVERTISEMENT


The new series of tournaments features "Average Joe" players who compete for thousands of dollars in prize money. Viewers can tune into the tournaments for free at http://www.pokerTVnetwork.com.

"This is the everyday man's version of the World Poker Tour," said Eric Rosenberg, president of Poker TV Network, Inc. "Our network is focused on those that love to play poker, whether they have the bankrolls to play in the big $10,000 buy-in events or not. Southern California Poker Tour is the first of many productions that PKTV will broadcast featuring the 'Average Joe' players as the stars."

Rosenberg says that Poker TV Network has plans to produce more televised poker tournaments with Poker Media Partners, the original developers of SCPT including a "Winner Take All" Tournament Series.

ABOUT POKER TV NETWORK, INC.

Poker TV Network, Inc. has launched the world's first and only online television network geared towards poker players and fans. Their lineup of poker programming includes tips from poker celebrities, live call in talk shows, play by play tournament action, and more. All programming can be viewed for free at their web site: http://www.pokerTVnetwork.com.

The foregoing press release may include numerous forward-looking statements concerning the company's business and future prospects and other similar statements that do not concern matters of historical fact. The federal securities laws provide a limited "safe harbor" for certain forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release relating to product development and business prospects are based on the company's current expectations. The company's current expectations are subject to all of the uncertainties and risks customarily associated with new business ventures including, but not limited to, market conditions, successful product development and acceptance, competition and overall economic conditions, as well as the risk of adverse regulatory actions. The company's actual results may differ materially from current expectations. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or for any other reason.

Posted by fatbill at 10:44 AM | Comments (0)

February 03, 2006

Bugsy's Club is Certified

BugsysClub's RNG is Certified, furthering Trust in Fairness of their PokerGames

January 30, 2006. Gibraltar: Planet Ace (Gibraltar) Ltd. announces that the Random Number Generator (RNG) used to shuffle cards by their PokerPages Software has been independently certified by iTech Labs Australia January 2006. With a certified RNG, poker players know an unpredictable shuffle algorithm is being used, which is critical to a fair poker game, especially since the software is licensed for Real-Money play at BugsysClub.com.

Tina Napolitano, Planet Ace co-Director remarked, 'With certification of our RNG, players now have independent confirmation that they can completely trust the poker hands dealt by our PokerPages.com FreePlay and PokerSchoolOnline.com School sites, and in particular by Real-Money licensee BugsysClub.com.

iTech Labs evaluated PokerPages' Random Number Generator (RNG) for
statistical randomness, unpredictability, non-repeatability, internal state of the RNG, seeding and background cycling. Correct operation of the RNG ensures that cards are statistically random and unpredictable, which is essential for fair card dealing and playing.

Tina added, 'We use the widely accepted and widely utilized Mersenne Twister pseudorandom number generator (PRNG) invented in 1997. This method is increasingly accepted as the random number generator of choice for all statistical simulations and generative modeling, especially because it overcomes the shortcomings of prior pseudorandom number generators.'

RNG Certification isn't a one time event- it includes ongoing monitoring. The Certified RNG module is sealed. Every day a signature of the sealed RNG module is generated and sent to the monitoring station. RNG monitoring ensures that RNG is not inadvertently or maliciously changed or replaced.

The original RNG certificate is maintained on the iTech Labs web site so authenticity can be verified.

Visit www.BugsysClub.com or http://www.PokerPages.com or email
press@pokerpages.com for more info.
###

ABOUT BUGSYSCLUB.COM
BugsysClub has the Best Poker Games in Town, with a fun gangster theme and outstanding software (licensed from PokerPages). Win $10K WSOP/WPT seats all year, Freeroll your way to a $10K 2006 WSOP seat, and grab your share of $30K+ in Weekly and Monthly Leagues. Receive a 40% first-deposit bonus. Cash in with $10,000 Guaranteed Prizepool each Sunday. Visit http://www.BugsysClub.com

ABOUT PLANET ACE / POKERPAGES.COM
PokerPages is the #1 Stop for Poker Players worldwide, with the
most-comprehensive Poker info: Search for Poker Rooms, Player Statistics, daily-updated Events/Results, Online Poker. Extensive WSOP/ WPT info, Articles, Strategy, Player Photos & lively Forums. Visit http://www.PokerPages.com

ABOUT PLANET ACE / POKERSCHOOLONLINE.COM "The Home Of Future Champions"
PokerSchoolOnline is the only online PokerSchool teaching Beginners and Intermediate levels of Poker Players. Play in the cardroom with interactive multi-player poker software which allows realistic practice with a PLAY-money bankroll then discuss in lively forums. Learn or improve your ring game play or focus on your tournament play with multi-table tournaments and single-table satellites. Ranking systems, leagues and $100,000+ Sponsorships to Live Events make your experience closest to real world without the financial risk of Real-Money. Visit http://www.PokerSchoolOnline.com

PRESS CONTACT:
Jan Jacobs, PR Dept.
press@PokerPages.com

Posted by fatbill at 03:10 PM | Comments (0)

New Tournament Directors for WSOP Named

Harrah's Entertainment has named Robert Daily, the poker room manager at the Rio All- Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, as the Tournament Director for the 2006 WSOP, which is scheduled to take place on June 25-August 10 at the Amazon Room of the Rio Pavilion Convention Center.

The 62-year-old Daily will be the third Tournament Director for the WSOP in three years.

Harrah's also named Caesars Palace Las Vegas poker room manager Michael Matts as an assistant tournament director for the 2006 WSOP.

Daily and Matts directed the two WSOP Circuit events, as well as the 2005 WSOP Tournament of Champions, held in Las Vegas last Fall.

Posted by fatbill at 08:20 AM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2006

2006 World Series of Poker News

Some interesting and I think, really GOOD news coing out of the World Series of Poker people from Harrah's ( Owners of the WSOP ).

There will be a H.O.R.S.E. event added to the 2006 WSOP, with a projected $50K buy-in! Thats pretty steep, and done so presumably to keep any but the best from competing in the event. (My personal opinion, is that you will see more of this type of Buy-In in the future, ESPECIALLY in the main event. It is getting to thei point were it is unmanagable, and the higher stake buy in will weed out some of that.)

ANYWAYS... this move is a direct response to player requests, and leads into the NEXT good move on Harrah's part! FORMATION OF A PLAYER COMMITTEE to advise the WSOP management. This is a one year assignment, and there are six professionals involved. Those pro's are: Former World Champions Chris "Jesus" Ferguson and Scotty Nguyen joining Jennifer Harman, Howard Lederer, Robert Williamson III and Daniel Negreanu. Thats a pretty powerful commitee!

I'm picking up a lot of hints and scuttlebut about the formation of some sort of players group.....

Posted by fatbill at 07:18 AM | Comments (0)

January 03, 2006

PartyPoker.com partners with TV in UK

It has been reported in a recent brand republic article, that UK Television's Five has partnered with Party Poker.com to sponsor late night broad cast's of Three Major Tournaments in Europe over the next 12 months.

You can read an article on this at Poker News.com HERE

It is a matter of time before something like this takes place in the US, where now only the .NET versions of the poker rooms can be seen advertising on television here. It's ludicrist that the US has not take steps to secure the income and tax potential that deals like this could mean here.... but they have always been short sighted, and 'interest' driven over revenue driven.....

Posted by fatbill at 07:08 AM | Comments (0)

December 23, 2005

WPT Open Letter

As reported by PokerNews.com there was recently an open letter published by the founder of the WPT to address some issues that have been encountered in running tournaments. One such issue was the language in the waiver required for film rights. Anyways... here is the letter in it's entirty:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

An Open Letter to the Poker Community from WPT Founder, Steven Lipscomb

As I take stock of all the things we have to be thankful for in the holiday season, I find it appropriate and necessary to share some thoughts with the poker community at large. Firmly believing that people will, in the end, be judged by their actions, I have long made it a policy at the World Poker Tour to let our actions speak for themselves. The persistence of widely disseminated misinformation regarding a number of things has prompted me to break with that tradition today.

I want to first state that the relationship between the WPT and our players is one of paramount importance to us. Neither the WPT nor the players would be enjoying the extraordinary success we have seen over the last three years without each other. It is essential that we all respect and appreciate what the players, the WPT casinos and the WPT staff have brought to the table in creating this new world of poker. We truly value the relationship we continue to have with our players and see it as a two-way street. We encourage players to bring their concerns directly to us in the effort to ensure a healthy, positive and fruitful relationship and we will continue to attempt to address those issues as quickly as possible. To help facilitate communication, we are launching a "For Players Only" portion of our website early next year, designed to foster information exchange and dialogue directly with WPT players. Players should make sure we have current email information so we can send them a Players Only password.

That being said, I would like to focus on the issues that have caused unnecessary concern in order to help put them in perspective.

FILMING RELEASES:

The latest hot button issue seems to be the filming release we require players to sign before they play in World Poker Tour events. The release we utilize is a standard filming release that all production companies must have signed by everyone they film - or the television broadcaster will refuse to air our material. Filming releases are always broadly drafted to protect against frivolous law suits. The language is clear. The production company can use all the footage it shoots and the person's image in all media.

But, the story does not end there. The World Poker Tour is a business. We value our relationship with WPT players and have always acted with great care and deference when using player images. The few players now trying to stir up controversy around player releases are lost in hypotheticals - not reality.

A perfect example occurred recently. Without my approval, a banner ad featuring three prominent players was used by a WPT affiliate to drive people to our online poker site. Within an hour of hearing about the ad, I had it removed - not because we were legally obligated to, but because the players asked us to—and we take their concerns seriously.

We have always acted this way as a matter of course. But, I am happy to go on record today to promise the poker community that we will always listen to a player who feels that he or she is uncomfortable with how we use their image. If we feel we can or should, we will modify or eliminate that use. And, if not, we will explain, to the best of our ability, why not. What I cannot do is subject WPTE to endless lawsuits by severely restricting the rights we obtain in our filming release. No credible production company could or would do so. And, it is in the interest of all poker players for the WPT to be focusing its efforts and resources on growing poker into one of the largest sports in the world - rather than defending an endless line of frivolous lawsuits.

I challenge the poker community to be very cautious about accepting misinformation without looking further. I am convinced that, if people take the time to investigate how the World Poker Tour has acted, they will agree that we should be commended as a company for the way we have handled this issue—and the way we listen and respond to players in general.

One more thing. The few players trying to make this a wedge issue want people to believe that players may lose endorsement opportunities because of signing WPT or ESPN film releases. Once again, this is not a real concern, but a remote hypothetical. You need to ask if any player has lost an endorsement deal because of WPT, ESPN, FOX, etc. filming releases. The answer is there are none. Players should always let potential sponsors know that they have signed the industry-standard, filming release that makes it possible for them to be on television - and therefore be of value to the sponsor. Sponsors and manufacturers deal with these circumstances all the time - on every television show from Survivor to Seinfeld. If you are lucky enough to have your television poker exposure make you a star worthy of endorsement contracts, the release will not impede that process.

And, finally, players who have played in any WPT events over the last three and a half years have already signed a release. That means that signing a release at the next hundred or a thousand WPT tournaments will have no effect of committing them any more than they are already committed.

THE WORLD POKER TOUR HAS YET TO TURN A PROFIT:

Another rampant misunderstanding in the poker community is that the World Poker Tour or WPT Enterprises (WPTE) is making massive profits and is somehow the evil empire that refuses to spread the wealth. Nothing could be further from the truth. WPTE has been in business for four years and has yet to turn a profit. We continue to invest in what we believe will be the bright future of poker and the league that launched poker as a sport. And we, more than any institution in the business, have taken and continue to take steps to grow the poker world in general to benefit players and the broader community. Just a few examples:

In our second season, we launched and funded the first player management company in history - not because we thought it would make us money, but because we wanted to foster relationships and build opportunities for players. We passed that organization on to Brian Balsbaugh who has managed to make meaningful sponsorship deals a reality for an ever-growing group of players.
In Season III, we fulfilled the dream of many people in the poker community by launching and funding the first professional poker league in the history of the sport, giving $2.5 million dollars away prior to securing a broadcast deal. As many of you know, we have yet to receive any return of that investment.
In 2004 we invited all poker players and the general public to become investors in the WPT at a very early stage - to give everyone an opportunity to benefit from our future growth.
In Season IV, the WPT lobbied the Travel Channel on behalf of players and secured a change in the logo policy to allow pre-approved logos at WPT final tables.

In a broader sense, it is the World Poker Tour, its staff and casino partners that have made this poker boom possible. Every player that commentates on a rival TV show, every player that wins a million dollar first prize, every player that participates in or endorses an online poker room, every player that sits down in a packed poker room full of new players benefits from the World Poker Tour. Some people seem to forget that just three years ago you had to wait a year to get a shot at a million dollar first prize tournament. Poker rooms were being shut down across the country and industry leaders were holding conferences seeking ways to save a dying business. People forget that the biggest five and ten thousand dollar buy-in events had thirty to sixty people in them - not the six to nine hundred players you see today.

A LAND OF OPPORTUNITY

A tremendous land of opportunity has been created and opened to the poker community by the World Poker Tour and the other poker shows it has spawned. Poker rooms across the country are making money as they never imagined they could or would. Online poker has exploded from a two hundred million dollar market to a three billion dollar market by associating with the WPT and other television shows. And, whereas no one wanted to put regularly scheduled poker on television in the U.S. in 2001/2002, at least fifteen shows are currently airing in the U.S. - copying the WPT format.

There are a lot of people making money in the poker market today. Most of those opportunities did not exist prior to the World Poker Tour. The three founders of Party Gaming cashed out over a billion dollars from their business this year. Estimates are that Full Tilt Poker, owned and launched by A-list poker players, is making hundreds of thousands of dollars a day, millions of dollars a month. Poker players are being paid for appearances, they are endorsing products and poker sites and they are even beginning to crack the difficult layers of legitimate corporate sponsorship. Free-roll television shows totaling millions of dollars in prize money are being announced monthly and new poker interest shows are being produced as well.

THE WORLD POKER TOUR

The World Poker Tour is excited by all of this - and no one is happier than Lyle Berman or me when players do well and manage to cash in on the poker boom. But, with all the money being made, the poker community should be aware that the guy who put up millions of dollars to change the poker world - Mr. Lyle Berman - has, to date, not made a cent. He has never drawn a salary and, as of today, he and Lakes Entertainment have not sold one share of World Poker Tour stock. Their investment has appreciated, but I can not imagine that poker players or the poker community begrudge him that - any more than they would expect Party Gaming's investors or the Full Tilt players to redistribute their profits.

For my own part, all my compensation is a matter of public record. And, to quote the wife of one of our WPT Champions, "I've seen what you made to launch this business and no poker player would have done it for that. I wouldn't have done it." As to my stock in the company, I have sold less than twenty percent of my ownership and continue to believe and invest in the future growth of poker and the World Poker Tour.

WE ARE AN OPEN BOOK, PLEASE COME READ US

As a public company, all of this information is easily assessable on any search engine: YAHOO! Finance, CNN Business, Motley Fool, MSNBC, etc. I encourage members of the poker community to look at our company information. Under the watchful eye of the Securities and Exchange Commission, we report how much money the company makes, how much it spends, how much executives are paid and even how much stock, if any, those executives sell. Lyle can attest to the fact that we have yet to turn a profit. He made a $10,000 bet with another poker player when the World Poker Tour began that the company would turn a profit sometime in the first five years. To date, he has not been able to collect on that bet.

THE WPT AND THE POKER COMMUNITY

I guess I would like to ask the poker community in general and the poker player community in particular to help us keep focused on the task at hand - which is to grow poker into the largest global sports phenomenon in history. I ask that you judge us by what we do and look beyond rumor. Seek the truth; don't just accept misinformation as gospel. While individual players may have their own motivation for spreading misinformation about the WPT or anyone else in our community, keep an open mind and look for the reality. Everyone has his/her own agenda and we are no exception to that rule. But, our incentives tend to align with the growth of poker as a sport that will continue to bring benefit to everyone in the community.

I appreciate your taking time to digest these thoughts. Together we have managed to change the face of poker forever. Together we have managed to dispel the perception that poker could never be a sport. We look forward to working together in 2006 to find new ways that we can grow the poker world together. And, on behalf of Lyle, Robyn and everyone at the World Poker Tour, we wish a safe and joyous holiday season to you and yours. We truly feel blessed to be a part of this exciting time in poker.

Regards,

Steve

Posted by fatbill at 08:30 AM | Comments (0)

November 16, 2005

Poker Stars named....

Poker Stars Named Operator of the year by Egaming Magazine!

"Among a short list of nominees for the title, PokerStars was chosen by the magazine at a lavish gala held in London. According to Scott Longley, the Editor of eGaming Review, PokerStars is "without question the online poker room to watch at the moment." It was also noted that part of their success was in having a very visible list of champions to promote the room. "

The full story is available at PokerNews HERE

Be SURE to click here, and check out PokerStars to see why they rated so highly!

Posted by fatbill at 01:18 PM | Comments (0)

November 01, 2005

ESPN to feature Bluff Content

"ESPN.com announced today that Bluff Magazine, America's largest poker magazine, which will bring a wide range of the popular magazine's poker-related content and information to the ESPN Poker Club section of the leading sports site.", according to an article I found at Yahoo!Finance. The full article can be read Here

"Bluff material will combine with ESPN's existing content to bring fans a complete collection of poker-related news, insights and information from notable poker experts..... "

While I subscribe to all three major Poker magazines, I prefer CardPlayer in both layout and content, but I'm sure ESPN got a better deal from Bluff! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 08:49 AM | Comments (0)

October 17, 2005

AOL and Harrah's team up?

I found this interesting!

"AOL, Harrah's Join Forces In World Series of Poker(R) Strategic Alliance

World's Richest Poker Tournament and AOL Offer Free-Play Poker Games and Chance to Win a Seat at Prestigious Tournaments "

The full article can be read HERE

The gist of the article says: "Harrah's License Company, LLC, an affiliate of Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., (NYSE: HET - News), announced today it has joined forces with AOL to create a co-branded poker room for AOL users featuring a suite of World Series of Poker free-play games and special content."

Posted by fatbill at 09:30 AM | Comments (0)

September 01, 2005

Katrina Victums need our help

Although this is a texas holdem poker blog, there are events that transend our interests in entertainment and require our help.

Hurricane Katrina recently hit the gulf coast of the US, and the affects were severly damaging. I was sitting in Florida, just above where Katrina came ashore when it hit there, and can tell you it was not pleasant... and it was only a Cat 1 at that time. I was in Florida last year after two hurricanes to help with the clean up, and I can tell you that being without power for weeks at a time in the heat that they experience at this time of year, is not pleasant.

The People in the gulf region of the US need help. We all can pitch in by making a donation to the RED CROSS. ANY amount is helpful to bring these people some relief. They need simple basics of life... Water ... food ... shelter. If you have seen the pictures, you will notice that they are completely devastated. The Casino Town of Biloxi was wiped out, along with every casino there.

PLEASE take the time to make whatever donation you can afford to help with the relief effort for this disaster.

Posted by fatbill at 08:37 AM | Comments (0)

August 31, 2005

IRS wants to tax poker earnings....

The IRS has it's eye on taxing poker earnings! You had to know they would be looking at this at some point, what with the popularity of the game and all.

There is an interesting article that I got this from that you can read in it's entirity HERE

Some interesting tid bits....

"One of the few things going in the gambler's favor, at least until recently, is the difficulty the IRS has in tracking that income. Now the agency wants to change that.

"It's time to take a look at poker, which has become very, very popular, and see what sort of guidance we need to be starting here," IRS chief counsel Donald Korb said last week.

The first step, he said, will be to work out an improved system of withholding rules covering poker tournaments, and later on, perhaps broadening its reach."

They can basically cover ONLY winnings from brick and mortar casinos that you win in tournament play. I have no idea how they figure they can determine online winnings! LOL

I'm sure they rely on the basic honesty of the individual, and their inherent need to pay taxes! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 09:41 AM | Comments (0)

July 11, 2005

Online Gambling law 'untested'

There is an interesting article in The Daily Times, of Maryville, Tn ( you can read the full article HERE.

The part of the article that got me thinking was:

"``I would imagine the argument that it is not illegal would be based on the fact that the bet is actually placed in a jurisdiction where gambling is legal,'' Young said. ``Until it is tested in court, no one can say for certain that it's legal or that it's against the law.''"

Will they attempt to restrict resident's of states where Gambling is 'Not Legal' from going to states where is is?

Is that so different than a web browser visiting some place where Gambling IS legal?

interesting argument....

Posted by fatbill at 09:30 AM | Comments (0)

June 29, 2005

WPT Enterprises opens Online Gaming Site

"LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 29, 2005--WPT Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq:WPTE - News) today announced the launch of a WORLD POKER TOUR(TM) (WPT) branded real-money gaming website. WPTonline.com makes participation in the WPT phenomenon possible the world over. Featuring a live multiplayer poker room with head-to-head and tournament play, players can now enjoy the WPT experience from home. The site prohibits bets from players in the U.S. and other jurisdictions where online gaming is prohibited. WPTonline.com is regulated by the Alderney Gambling Control Commission. WagerWorks developed the software being used by WPTonline.com under a licensing agreement with WPTE. "

The full article is available HERE

Interesting to note: "The site prohibits bets from players in the U.S. and other jurisdictions where online gaming is prohibited. "

Either thats BS, or their player base will be pretty limited! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 09:30 AM | Comments (0)

June 27, 2005

Mark Seif Takes the Overall WSOP Lead

AbsolutePoker Pro Mark Seif Takes Lead at 36th Annual World Series of Poker Winning Back-to-Back Championships and Beating Defending World Champion Greg "Fossilman" Raymer

Seif Tops 2,013 Players, the Third Largest Field in WSOP History

Las Vegas (June 27, 2005) – AbsolutePoker (www.absolutepoker.com) pro Mark Seif became the first person at this year's World Series of Poker (www.worldseriesofpoker.com) to win two championships this year, placing him second in the money and first in the running for the WSOP's "Player of the Year" award. He is also currently ranked 10th in the World according to CardPlayer (www.cardplayer.com).

He won his first gold and diamond WSOP bracelet in the $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout Friday June 17 for $181,330 and collected his second bracelet last Friday in the $1,500 NL Hold'em event where he bested 2,013 players, the third largest field in WSOP history. Seif's victory, which included beating defending world champion Greg "Fossilman" Raymer, netted him $611,145. Earlier in the month he placed 53rd in the $1,500 No Limit Hold'em winning $7,475 bringing his 2005 WSOP winnings to date to $799,950.

Seif said, "This has been one of the most thrilling experiences of my life -- it's really just starting to sink in that I've done so well. For the last five years, I've been trying to win a bracelet at the WSOP so this is a significant accomplishment for me. It's also a big deal for my mom who maybe will start saying I'm a pro poker player instead of a lawyer. When I told her I'd won the first event, she reminded me that my sister Christina just graduated from college and was off to Harvard Law School. I guess you could say it was all around a great week for the Seifs!"

Seif, who graduated in the top 10 percent of his class at Loyola Law School and became an expert trial lawyer in sexual harassment law for national Newport Beach firm Fisher & Phillips, switched to playing poker professionally in May 2001. "I had been playing high-stakes poker in public card rooms for many years when I won more than a half a million in cash games at the 2001 WSOP. That pretty much made my decision for me."

According to Gian Perroni, AbsolutePoker's poker room manager, "Mark's back-to-back wins place him in an elite crowd. While the records are being verified, this may be all-time first in WSOP history and certainly no one has won back-to-back titles in fields this large. If he wins again, he'll become the third person in history to win three bracelets in one year. Mark is one of the best players out there and word is out that he is the one to beat. We are proud to have him as part of Team AbsolutePoker."

Nine players competed In Friday's event to win the WSOP bracelet and the $611,145 top prize.

Mark Seif, Incline Village, NV $611,145
Minh Nguyen, Lake Elsinore $329,975
Bill Gazes, Miami, FL $202,790
Webber Kang, Dallas, TX $175,010
Peter Lee, Queens, NY $147,230
Greg "Fossilman" Raymer, Stonington, CT $119,450 (Defending World Champion
Steve Carter, Frisco, TX $91,670
Steve Rassi, Morton, IL $63,895
David "DevilFish" Ulliot, Hull, U.K. $47,225
According to Nolan Dalla, WSOP media director, "Mark Seif has paid his dues in this game. For years Mark has done it all. He's won several tournaments, made several final tables and finished high in the money several times. Up to now, the only thing that has eluded him has been the gold bracelets at the WSOP. Mark has not only fulfilled that dream, but he did it twice. He now joins an elite group of poker players who have won twice. It is an honor well deserved."

CardPlayer Magazine posted the game's progress and the following is the play-by-play from the log for final and winning hand number 184:

"Nguyen has the button, he limps, Seif raises to $100,000, Nguyen raises to $600,000, Seif pushes all in, and Nguyen calls. Nguyen shows Ad-10d, but Seif has pocket kings (Kc-Kd). Nguyen is the shorter stack, facing possible elimination on this hand. The flop comes Kh-7h-4c, and Seif has flopped a set of kings. The only way Nguyen will survive is if he catches a jack and a queen on the last two cards for a straight. The turn card is the 9c, and Nguyen is drawing dead. Minh Nguyen is eliminated in second place, earning $329,975.

"Mark Seif wins Event #22 ($1,500 No-Limit Hold'em), earning $611,145 and his second World Series of Poker bracelet this week."

About Absolute Poker
Absolute Poker (www.absolutepoker.com) with thousands of active players at all times, is edit again please fourth largest online poker destination. Driven by proprietary software, Absolute Poker was created to offer the most comprehensive, interactive online poker room, while always delivering superior customer service and a personal touch to each online poker player. Players Worldwide can access an Absolute Poker online poker game 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and experience the best multi-player online poker the industry has to offer. Established in 2003, Absolute Poker is licensed and regulated in Canada.

Posted by fatbill at 06:27 PM | Comments (0)

June 26, 2005

Ecomomist on Party Poker

Interesting article on the potential of the new Party Gaming ( Party Poker ) IPO coming up next week. The full article is HERE.

"Online poker has fast become a huge business, and PartyGaming, the leading poker website, is about to float its shares in London, in an offering that values the company at more than $9 billion. But online gambling is controversial—indeed, it is illegal in its biggest market, America. Ironically, this has helped PartyGaming to stay ahead of the pack"

Interesting read, overall....

Posted by fatbill at 08:33 AM | Comments (0)

June 25, 2005

Poker Tournaments ruled Legal in Texas!

But there is, of course a catch!

The full areticle can be read Here

"A recent attorney general opinion requested by a West Texas prosecutor says the popular "Texas Hold 'Em" poker tournaments are legal as long as players don't risk money for a prize. "

Well... it's something.... but there is little point in playing, if there is no prize! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

June 23, 2005

In other news....

In an Yahoo Article it is being speculated that the WSOP Main Event will hit 6600 spots and top $100 MILLION this year!

There is a good article about PartyGaming at NewStatesman.com. PartyGaming is the company that runs PartyPoker.com and a couple other sites.

Posted by fatbill at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)

June 08, 2005

Event #5 Has a winner

Patrick Poels $270,100, $1500 Omaha High-Low, 699 Players!

ALSO.. its down to the final 13 in the $2500 6 Man event the top 20 that are out are:
14 Steve Zolotow $10,085
15 'Miami' John Cernuto $10,085
16 Eli Elezra $10,085
17 John Juanda $10,085
18 Martin Green $10,085
19 Mitch Bushman $8,825
20 Cyndy Violette $8,825

The $1000 No Limit Texas Holdem WITH Re-Buys starts today....

Posted by fatbill at 11:27 AM | Comments (0)

Maine House passes Charity Poker Bill

I found this article entitled : House OKs Bill To Let Charities Host High-Stakes Poker Games

You can read the entire article HERE

The gist of it is:

"AUGUSTA, Maine -- The Maine House has overwhelmingly approved a bill to allow charities to raise money by hosting high-stakes poker games. It's a measure that backers say legalizes and regulates gambling activity already going on under the radar in many social clubs and charities."

At least SOMEONE is recognizing that they are not able stop poker, they better start legislating it!

Posted by fatbill at 08:19 AM | Comments (0)

June 07, 2005

WSOP Results so far...

Here are the results in the completed WSOP Events through yesterday...

Allen Cunningham, $725,405 - WSOP $1500 NO LIMIT TEXAS HOLDEM - 2305 Players - $3,180,900 Total Prize Pool

Thom Werthmann, $369,535 - WSOP POT LIMIT TEXAS HOLDEM - 1071 Players - $1,477,980 Total Prize Pool

Eric Froehlich, $361,910 - WSOP LIMIT TEXAS HOLDEM - 1049 Players - $1,447,620 Total Prize Pool

Posted by fatbill at 08:46 AM | Comments (0)

June 05, 2005

Poker Site floation in jeapordy?

Ther eis an article I found that discussed the announced floatation of PartyGaming, INC ( they own Party Poker ), and possible problems, because of fears of the legality issues in the US for Online Poker.

You can read the article HERE

"The biggest flotation in London since 2001 could be derailed by fears over the legality of online poker in the United States, it was reported today.

PartyGaming, which owns and runs the biggest web-based poker brand, has unveiled plans for a listing that could value it at up to $10bn (€8.2bn).

But analysts at major US institutions said they would not automatically back the flotation because of concerns about the legality of internet gambling across the Atlantic, according to The Observer."

Posted by fatbill at 10:19 AM | Comments (0)

May 22, 2005

Two States considering legsilation

Two states have bills under consideration that will make SOME types of Texas Holdem Tournament's legal.

Minnesota's law "The bill only clarifies state law so tournaments with no entry fee where contestants win prizes of marginal value do not constitute gambling"

The full article is HERE.

New York has a bill to Legalize poker in Bars, restaurants and clubs. That article can be viwed HERE.

Both bills are aimed at 'charity' events, with smaller, or no buy-in's and for 'nominal' prizes.

THE most important aspect of the Minnesota bill, IMHO is this:

"The bill defines Texas Hold'em — a popular form of poker — as a social skill game, akin to cribbage, bridge, pinochle or gin."

That statement can go a LONG way in the continuing struggle to make Poker a recognized and LEGAL game of SKILL. The defination of poker as a 'game of chance' in most state legaleze, is what is a major stumbling block towards getting progress on legal play.

Posted by fatbill at 11:10 AM | Comments (0)

May 16, 2005

WSOP questioning 'logo wear' issues

It seems there are some legal concerns about players having Logo apparel during the upcoming WSOP, specifically pertaining to being seen on TV.

Barry Shulman has an entry on his blog about this at His Blog. His statement:
"It is no secret that Internet poker is the reason for the huge boom in WSOP attendance (and vice versa, I might add), however, between Harrah’s lawyers and ESPN, nobody yet knows for sure whether players can wear logowear — especially at TV tables."
Seems to confirm that they just dont know WHAT they should do! LOL

I find it ironic, that a HUGE number of players in the upcoming WSOP will be Internet qualified entries, which in a legal sense are ALL qualifiers that have ILLEGALLY obtained their seat! ;-)

In the US, it is NOT legal to play internet poker ( although they have yet to prosecute, the government is still publicly saying it is ). So although it IS legal to play poker in a licensed casino in the state of Nevada, those US residents that have won seats via online poker rooms, have done so illegally! LOL

Add to this, that virtually ALL of those poker rooms REQUIRE the players that won their seat online, wear THAT rooms apparell, as part of the package!

NOW, enter the uncertainty now of both ESPN and the WSOP, on whether or not that constitutes 'advertising', and you have an additional legal mess.

Aint it about time this silliness is ended, and the government just admit they can NOT do anything to stop the American desire to PLAY POKER, and just make it LEGAL?

Posted by fatbill at 11:18 AM | Comments (0)

May 14, 2005

About seat position in texas holdem

I found an good article that talks about SEAT POSITION and how it can help you increase your stack by taking blinds and bets from limpers.
This is not extraordinary information, nor is it 'new' to anyone familiar with the game... but it has good info and examples, and refreshing our memory is always a good thing in this game! ;-)

Read the article HERE

The premise of the article is summed up best with theis opening paragraph:

"Position allows you to steal blinds every round. Position allows you to control a table for part of a round. Position allows you to isolate yourself against the dead money."

Posted by fatbill at 12:25 PM | Comments (0)

May 07, 2005

Alaska on Verge legal poker rooms?

"The Alaska House voted Wednesday to allow poker and other card gambling in public rooms."

The full article can be read HERE

It is an important step in the right direction for us all!!

AND... one of THE most important statements in this article is:

"The bill's sponsor Rep. Pete Kott, R-Eagle River, said people should not associate poker with slot machines, roulette and other forms of gambling.

"It's not truly gambling," said Kott, but rather a "game of skill."
"

One of the stumbling blocks in most state decision maker's minds and interpretations of the law has CONTINUALLY been 'game of chance'! WE all know that Poker.. especially Texas Holdem, is definately a game that is 80% skill.

IF this bill goes through, it could well be a blueprint for other states to follow....

.... it's a start!

Posted by fatbill at 08:52 AM | Comments (0)

April 29, 2005

Online Gambling Advertising

I ran across a REALLY good article that just did a fantastic job of outlining the issues and realities of not only online gambling advertising, but online gambling as a whole.

Read the entire article HERE

The heart of the matter is this point:

"The British move to regulate is a precedent that should be followed by both U.S. and Canadian authorities. The simple reality is that online gaming is here to stay -- the only question is whether governments such as that of the U.S. will choose to ignore this reality or will decide to share in the benefits of regulation."

When is the US legislature going to get it's head out of the sand and wake up to this simple fact?

Posted by fatbill at 07:05 AM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2005

Justice Department serving supoenas...

The US DOJ must be bored... they have issued supeoneas at Esquire Magazine over Poker Sites advertising in their publication...

The story is Here

An interesting exerpt from that article is:

"Online gambling operators seem to have two choices when deciding how to advertise their sites in the United States: They can either go about promoting their business with blatant disregard for the Department of Justice or they can pitch free-play sites. "

When are they going to realize that the American people WANT to play poker, both Online AND off, and that they ARE their constituancy???

This BS is gettting old... people play poker.. people have played poker for YEARS... people WANT TO PLAY POKER... they see poker on Television and they LIKE IT... so... its time for the politicians to get off their asses and FIX this problem....

that, of course, is my humble opinion! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 12:42 PM | Comments (0)

April 16, 2005

Poker Articles of interest

Found these articles of interest...

Internet sites show poker pros the money

"In the last couple of years poker professionals -- many of them Las Vegas residents -- have struck endorsement deals with Internet poker sites and regularly tout them during casino appearances."

and...

Whiz-kids gamble on TV channel for poker

"As a theatre of cruelty, it is held by many to be the latest thing in cool. But can poker, possibly less exciting to watch than even synchronised swimming, really become a spectator sport?

A small team of City whiz-kids and London media figures - one, improbably, is an Oxford classicist - have put their shirts on it. This week they launched the world's first television channel dedicated to poker."

I wondered how long it would be before this came about.... absolutely amazed it was not an american company taking the lead with all the TV coverage out there on it...

Posted by fatbill at 07:23 AM | Comments (0)

March 25, 2005

Which online poker sites are safe bets?

I put this online poker article in news simply because I was suprised to find it at MSN ( who generally frowns on online gambling ). Read the full article HERE!

The article starts off with:

"Almost 2 million people played online poker last month, translating to big money for the sites that host the virtual tables. Here's how to make sure the game is fair."

It's a pretty good article, and recommended reading!

Posted by fatbill at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

March 22, 2005

Senate defeats Internet poker measure

The North Dakota Senate defeated the poker bill.... full article here.

"2:34 p.m. - BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- The Legislature's dalliance with Internet poker regulation ended abruptly Monday, when a bill to make North Dakota the first state to license cyberspace poker tables got only three votes supporting it.

"This is just another vehicle for more gambling in North Dakota, and I'm not sure that we want it," said Sen. David Nething, R-Jamestown.

The measure lost in the Senate, 44-3, after a brief debate Monday. It squeaked through the House last month, 49-43, and its sponsor, Rep. Jim Kasper, R-Fargo, has been lobbying senators on the measure's behalf.

Other critics of the bill said they were wary of the U.S. Justice Department's stand that Internet gambling in general is illegal. North Dakota's attorney general, Wayne Stenehjem, and Gov. John Hoeven have declined to endorse the legislation.

Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands have approved measures that would authorize state regulation of Internet casinos, but they have been reluctant to move forward given the opposition of federal prosecutors.

"There are at least three federal laws out there that make this legislation suspect," said Sen. Carolyn Nelson, D-Fargo. ------"

This is dissapointing, to say the least....

Posted by fatbill at 07:35 AM | Comments (0)

March 19, 2005

Internet Poker bill up in the air...

"North Dakota's Senate has been left to decide the fate of an Internet poker licensing bill without guidance from a key committee whose members split on whether to endorse it. One senator called the idea a "tar baby" of potential lawsuits.

The Senate Judiciary Committee deadlocked twice on the legislation Friday before agreeing to forward it to the full Senate, without a recommendation on whether it should be approved or defeated."

The full article can be read HERE

They are waivering on the legalities because of the current stance of the US Justice Department... which has NO legal ruling from which to base their opinion, execpt the antiquated WIRE ACT. Sad....

Posted by fatbill at 08:47 AM | Comments (0)

March 12, 2005

Justice Dept. to Stenehjem: Internet poker bill illegal

The full article is Here

"The U.S. Justice Department has told Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem it believes a proposal to license Internet poker sites violates federal law. The legislation's sponsor, Fargo Rep. Jim Kasper, called the agency's opinion a "hollow threat."

The letter, signed by Laura Parsky, a deputy assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's criminal division, does not specifically address North Dakota's proposed law, but repeats the agency's belief that federal law "prohibits gambling over the Internet, including casino-style gambling.""

Posted by fatbill at 02:54 PM | Comments (0)

Paradise Poker CEO Interview...

The full article, can be found here:

Interesting article and ingerview... especially as it relates to regulation of the online poker industry, and the affects that the legalization efforts in North Dakota can have.

Some interesting exerpts:

"Payne: We're not more or less confident because the issues that are before the North Dakotan legislature are largely unresolved. There was some progress made. We are an industry crying out for regulation. "

"Payne: There are four issues that people use to say it's difficult to regulate. We need to protect children. We need to make sure that minors can't bet. We need to protect against potential for addiction, people betting too often. There's a theoretical ability to launder money. We also have to deal with the possibility of collusion with two players against each other. Those that don't support regulation say those four things cannot be effectively controlled There is a software system that can verify who you are and how old you are. You can prove your adulthood. The child-protection service has warranted the system. "

"Payne: If we were to relocate to North Dakota, we'd pay $8 million to $10 million in taxes. The Senate has to approve the bill. If that happens, the bill will clear those houses. However, this has to go before a vote of the people. That's some time in November 2005 or June 2006. "

"MW: If online poker is illegal in the U.S., how are you able to run your business here?

Payne: I refute the fact that online poker is illegal in the U.S. The only piece of legislation is the Wire Act. Poker does not fall under the wire act, I'm not aware of legislation that determines poker to be illegal. If people are playing online poker with my business, those transactions are being managed and handled in countries that allow it. To make it illegal, you have to be violating some law. The courts have held that it's not illegal under the Wire Act.

MW: If the entire online poker business was regulated in the U.S., how much revenue would the U.S. collect in taxes?

Payne: If the entire online gambling biz was regulated in the U.S. we would receive $2 billion in taxes per year. That money exists already. It's a redistribution of income that other people - offshore banks, credit card companies -- are keeping that the U.S. could keep for itself."

Thats serious coin for the US tax coffers.....

Posted by fatbill at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)

March 11, 2005

Absoulte Poker sees Record Growth

"Absolute Poker experiences unprecedented growth -- becoming the Web"s fifth largest online poker room. Fueled by the growing popularity of poker around the world, Absolute Poker now hosts more online tournaments than any other online poker room. "

Full Article is Here

"Absolute Poker has quickly become a favorite destination for seasoned and professional caliber players alike, offering more online tournaments than any other poker website. They will be sending more than 40 players to the 2005 World Series (news - web sites) of Poker via online satellite tournaments. "

Absolute Poker is a great room to play Texas Holdem, and one of our recommended sites, cuz its one of the places WE enjoy playing at!

Posted by fatbill at 09:55 AM | Comments (0)

March 08, 2005

Today it starts!

Internet Poker Bill Gets First Look in Senate

KFYR-TV News

An Internet poker licensing bill gets its first look today in the Senate's Judiciary Committee.
Committee members say up until now -- they haven't gotten a lot of feedback about the proposal. But they're likely to get a lot of it today.
Devils Lake Senator Jack Traynor is the committee's chairman, and he says he knows very little about Internet poker. He says he's looking forward to hearing the arguments.
Grand Forks Senator Nick Hacker is also a committee member. He says he has his doubts about the bill.
He says the industry is already competitive, and the bill assumes poker sites are willing to pay to locate in North Dakota.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

First obstacle I see is educating these legislators!

"the bill assumes poker sites are willing to pay to locate in North Dakota. "

Is he nuts?? I am absolutely SURE they are lining up WAITING for this opportunity to be licensed in the US! LOL

Posted by fatbill at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)

March 06, 2005

Internet poker bill: Feds say it's illegal

Internet poker bill: Feds say it's illegal FULL Article

"Supporters of making North Dakota the first U.S. home for Internet poker sites face a difficult hurdle -- the federal Justice Department believes the idea is illegal."

Looks like a legal battle is imminent.. and I think thats a good thing! It's about time they made an accurate assessment of the law, and a firm ruling, and stopped hiding behind an antiquated 'Wire Act' law that was created to stop SPORTS wagering.

Posted by fatbill at 09:33 AM | Comments (0)

March 05, 2005

National Heads Up Poker Championship

Take a look at 2005 National Heads-up Poker Championship

This looks like it is going to be an interesting event. It is being put on by NBC, so you can expect some HUGE Mainstream media coverage on television in the near future.

They are going to play Heads-up Texas Holdem, in an elimination tournament, broken down into brackets... some interesting pairings too!

"The NBC-owned poker series, presented by Budweiser, features a $1.5 million purse and will air on four consecutive Sundays: May l, 8 and 15 from noon-1 p.m. ET, concluding with a two-hour finale on May 22 from 1-3 p.m. ET."

Posted by fatbill at 08:24 AM | Comments (0)

Big poker winner to visit state for hearing

Entire Article Here

"A man who won $5 million playing Texas Hold 'em poker will be among several Internet poker representatives visiting Bismarck next week to promote the industry in North Dakota.

Greg Raymer, the 2004 World Poker Tour Champion, won $5 million in the tournament. Raymer won a chance to become part of the World Poker Tour by playing on the Internet."

Excellent use of popularity of Texas Holdem in marketing the push for legalization of online poker!

Posted by fatbill at 08:09 AM | Comments (0)

March 02, 2005

Poker Most popular Casino Game

Poker Most Popular Game at the Online Casino

"Online Casino Reports has been documenting the rising trend in online casino poker and it has certainly taken first place in terms when it comes to the most popular games you can find at the online casinos. There are many contributing factors to the rise in popularity of online casino poker. For starters it has always been an immensely popular game both at the online casino and the land based casino. It is also played quite adamantly in private circles as well."

It's gaining momementem in the public eye....

Posted by fatbill at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)

States Passing Poker BIlls

There are several bills making their way through various state legislative branches to make poker legal... here are some of the articles...

Oregon House Passes Poker Bill

Hold'em Bill passes committtee ( St Cloud, MN )

Two Bills in House would legalize gambling in Texas

Full Deck of Visitors to lobby for Poker ( North Dakota )

... its simply a matter of time! ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)

March 01, 2005

State tells taverns to fold their poker tournaments

The Michigan Liquor Control Commission, in it's infinate wisdom, has decided to clamp down on bars/restaurants that hold Texas Holdem Poker Tournaments.

You can read the entire story here

"Gambling activities in places with a liquor license are illegal," said Barbara Subastian, deputy director of enforcement for the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.

Now... the event was FREE to enter... the prizes were DONATED by local business'.... WHAT THE HELL is their problem?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines Gambling as: "to do something risky that might result in loss of money or failure, hoping to get money or achieve success"

Howvever..."The Liquor Control Commission defines gambling using three guidelines - chance, consideration and reward, Subastian said. "The random draw of cards is the element of chance," she said."

They are so bored with lack of work, that they need to stretch the intreptation of the law to this extereme??

Sometimes, you just have to scratch your head in wonder....

Posted by fatbill at 10:24 AM | Comments (0)

February 26, 2005

CI Host Sponsors Dutch Boyd

Read the story here

" C I Host, a global leader in Web hosting and data center operations, has stacked the deck with guerilla marketing. Today, it announced television sponsorship of ESPN World Series of Poker contender Dutch Boyd during circuit competition. First stop -- Harrah's Rincon San Diego casino. "

I think this is going to be seen more and more, as Poker Rooms and Other prominent companies realize the value in the Poker popularity!

Posted by fatbill at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)

February 24, 2005

Poker Club President gets Jail Time

Luck has run out for a man who hosted poker tournaments in the Rochester area.

The president of the “Texas Hold 'Em Club” of Rochester, is now in jail.

Read the Full Article Here

“If everybody puts in their money and the winner takes all that's fine,” Monroe County assistant district attorney, Jennifer Sommers, said.

“It's when a house is taking 5%, in this case Mr. DeFranco taking 5% off the top, you run into legal ramifications."

Interesting decision and ruling....

Posted by fatbill at 01:07 PM | Comments (0)

February 18, 2005

More Poker Games?

Found this article in Yahoo!

Take Two signes with World Poker Tour for Game

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Video game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software Inc., working quickly to expand its sports business, on Thursday said it signed a deal with the World Poker Tour for poker video games.

Take-Two said poker games for consoles, handheld and PC formats were under development at two studios for Take-Two's new 2K Sports division, part of the 2K Games publishing label.

Posted by fatbill at 08:15 AM | Comments (0)

February 14, 2005

Poker getting more Mainstream?

GAMBLING: NBC to air poker tourney

Network's sports division plans to film event at Golden Nugget

NBC Texas Holdem Tournament article here

'NBC Sports plans to announce today that it will produce its own Las Vegas-based poker tournament -- a move that could be a prelude toward landing the World Series of Poker on network television. '

Posted by fatbill at 08:42 AM | Comments (0)

February 12, 2005

Card Player Magazine in the news

Found this article about Card Player Magazine ( great read, btw )

Poker magazine becomes a bigger player

The lead in:

'If there are quite a few people remaining who still believe that the explosion of poker in the past year is just a fad, then they have neither followed the sport or played it or, above all, invested in it.
'

Posted by fatbill at 07:18 AM | Comments (0)

February 11, 2005

Party Poker Bad Beat Jackpot

Found this press release at Yahoo! news... interersting...

You can find the link here

A snippit from the article:

Enjoy your favorite games at Party Poker and have a chance of winning a huge jackpot.

When you download the Party Poker client from http://www.partypoker.com and are signing up for the first time, you will be prompted for a bonus code. Please choose your favorite bonus code offered below:

Bonus Code #1 = JackpotA
Receive $25.00 in playing chips when you sign up and deposit $50 or more.

Bonus Code #2 = JackpotB
Receive up to $100.00 free with a 20% matching sign up bonus on your first deposit.

*Type the code exactly as seen.
**If you are having trouble deciding whether to take the $25 bonus or the 20% bonus, here is a hint to maximize your bonus. If you plan on depositing $125 or more, choose the 20% option, otherwise it would be more beneficial to choose the $25 option.

Bad Beats in online poker???

naw.... ;-)

Posted by fatbill at 10:35 AM | Comments (0)

February 09, 2005

Poker in the News

Interesting article at Yahoo! yesterday regarding the growing popularity of Poker, and gambling in general.

Full Yahoo! Article

Good quote from that article:

"Poker has jolted the industry," says Mike Sexton, a professional poker player who consults for PartyPoker.com, which is expected to haul in $1 billion in revenue this year. "Playing poker is a skill and considered cool," he says. "It's acceptable whether you're sitting around a table with friends or in front of a PC."

Posted by fatbill at 11:38 AM | Comments (0)

February 08, 2005

Welcome to Texas Holdem Blog

Welcome to our Texas Holdem Blog!

My son and I are avid Texas Holdem Poker players, both online and off.

It would not be unusual for you to see us in one of the listed poker rooms at any time of the day or night.

We both belong to a private Poker Club, where we play Tournament Texas Holdem. These Texas Holdem Tournaments are primarily satelittes for major poker events, like WPT or WSOP tournaments.

We were fortunate enough to go down to Tunica, MS recently and participate in one of the satelitte events leading up to the Jack Binion Poker Open in January. We also played in a small tournament at the Binions Horseshoe, in Las Vegas.

Posted by fatbill at 08:06 PM | Comments (0)