Rep. Barney Frank's online poker / gambling bill is getting more support by the week. Three more congressmen signed on to cosponsor the bill Thursday, bringing the total up to 34.
The three new cosponsors were all Democrats who had initially voted against Bill Frist's bill last year, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. Frank's bill is their chance to help get rid of a new law they didn't support in the first place. Play $500 match poker bonus.
One of the supporters is Joe Baca (D-Calif.) who serves on the House Financial Services Committee, of which Frank is chairman.
Baca also serves on the House Agriculture and House Natural Resources committees.
Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) is an interesting addition to the cosponsors list. Gambling is illegal in his home state.
He too serves on the House Natural Resources Committee as well as the Armed Services Committee. Women poker players.
California has another representative joining the list as well with Rep. Lynn Woolsey. She serves on the Education and Labor, Science and Technology, and Foreign Affairs committees.
Additional cosponsors:
* Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) * Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) * Howard Berman (D-Calif.) * Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) * Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.) * Julia Carson (D-Ind.) * William Lacy Clay (D-Mo.) * Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) * Bob Filner (D-Calif.) * Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) * Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) * Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) * Steve Israel (D-N.Y.) * Peter King (R-N.Y.) * Carolyn McCarthy (D-N.Y.) * Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) * James McGovern (D-Mass.) * Charlie Melancon (D-La.) * Ron Paul (R-Texas) * Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) * Ciro Rodriguez (D-Texas) * Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) * Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) * Melvin Watt (D-N.C.) * Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) * Don Young (R-Alaska)
Frank's Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act isn't the only attempt at legalizing online gambling in the Unites States that's getting more support this month. Robert Wexler's Skill Game Protection Act also saw a jump in cosponsors this month. Download poker wallpapers.
Many of the representatives signing on to his bill to create an exception for poker in the UIGEA are the same ones who've signed on to Frank's bill to legalize online gambling all together.
Originally, Wexler only had one cosponsor - Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.). He signed on June 27.
Since then, 11 more congressmen have added their support to the bill. They are:
* Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) - 7/18/2007 * Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.) - 7/10/2007 * Michael Capuano (D-Mass.) - 7/17/2007 * Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) - 7/17/2007 * Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) - 7/10/2007 * John Larson (D-Conn.) - 7/18/2007 * James Moran (D-Va.) - 7/17/2007 * Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) - 7/23/2007 * Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) - 7/18/2007 * Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) - 7/25/2007 * Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) - 7/17/2007
Two other pieces of legislation dealing with online gambling have been proposed. One is Jim McDermott's Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative that deals with the taxation of online poker, which goes hand-in-hand with Frank's bill.
Shelley Berkley also introduced legislation that calls for a study of Internet gambling for the purpose of taxing, regulating and providing protection for minors. Stay tuned to our poker blog for more updates.
When the chips are down, computers can now beat humans at most cerebral and mechanical activities. They can fly planes, drive cars, arrange timetables, make lists and retrieve information better, more accurately and faster than we mere mortals. At chequers (draughts), computers have a program that cannot lose, and, at best, can be tied. Deep Blue, a supercomputer-based chess-playing software system, can trounce the world champion at chess. But humans still have one ace in the hole. And that is poker.
At an interspecies match at the University of Alberta, two professional high-rollers beat a gambling computer with the unusual nom de cartes of Polaris. They mocked their mechanical opponent’s play as “sick”, when the machine made an extraordinary or unusual action. They were playing Texas Hold ’Em heads-up limit poker tournament. So the computer science professors are going back to their keyboards to try new algorithms and strategies. And even the ranks of nongamblers, who do not know their blue chips from the ace up their sleeves, can scarce forbear to up the ante. Play online poker.
For poker calls for two human qualities that cannot be reproduced mechanically: bluff and imagination. A poker face beats a computer screen every time. Play route 66 poker. You can program your computer for different opponents or styles of play called “bots” in the trade, but you cannot prepare it for the forgotten factor of human orneriness. Statisticians said that if you gave a zillion chimpanzees a zillion keyboards, they would end up by tapping out the works of Shakespeare. Because of the internet we now know that this is not true. The failure of computers to call our bluff is conclusive evidence that we are still on the winning team. Stay tuned to our poker blog for more updates. Poker News Source: Times Online
Law enforcement officials in Florida hope that playing cards can help them in their efforts to solve the toughest homicide and disappearance cases in the state.
Earlier this week the state launched a program to give inmates playing cards featuring 104 victims of unsolved crimes. Online poker.
The Cold Case Playing Card Program in Florida is inspired by the decks of cards that were distributed to U.S. troops in Iraq, with pictures of the most wanted fugitives in the country. A total of 100,000 decks will be distributed in the prisons of Florida. Women poker players.
Two different decks have been produced, with unique information on each of the 104 cards. Every playing card contains a picture of the victim and facts about the unsolved crime. The total cost for printing and distributing the cards is $80,000. Download poker wallpapers.
Officials hope that the cards will help to get inmates to talk about the cases while playing a friendly game of canasta or poker. Inmates that provide information that helps to crack these cold cases have the chance to be put in better facilities or be offered different programs. Stay tuned to our poker blog for more updates.
The action might be on the felt, but the fun is on the rail. Here's a quick look at the sights and sounds from Day 2B of the World Series of Poker.
The lady has a point
Overheard at Table 39 just before a break:
"I've got it better than you guys," says the lone women poker pro at the table. "There are no lines at the bathroom for me."
The tables breaks into laughter and one player notes "it's probably the only time in history that will happen."
Counting lessons
Chip Jett is very good at counting chips. So good, in fact, that he spent part of the afternoon giving chip-counting lessons to a dealer. Download poker wallpapers.
"Don't ever count chips like that," Jett told a dealer as she stacked up an all-in bet. "You'll knock them over." Minutes later, a small stack went all in against Jett and won. As the dealer began counting, Jett said it was $51,600. A minute later, the dealer confirmed it was $51,600 and an annoyed Jett pushed a stack of chips over to the winning player. Play route 66 poker.
Moses makes an appearance
Some players use their chips as card protectors. Others use something more personalized -- like Moses. That's right, one player at this year's WSOP used a small figurine of Moses to protect his cards. It doesn't look like Moses was helping this player with cards though. His stack was one of the shortest in the room. Play $500 match poker bonus.
Hate the game, not the player
Some players get disgusted even when they're not involved in a pot. After a player at Table 45 won a significant pot with pocket Aces, another turned to me and said in lilting British accent:
"I get no action when I get that hand. No one bets. No one calls. This guy wins a huge pot. Disgusting." Stay tuned to our poker blog for more updates.
World Series of Poker final table an international draw
The final table at the 2007 World Series of Poker has a distinctly international feel.
The nine players vying for the $8 million-plus top prize come from five countries -- and less than half are Americans. Among them are a former punk rocker from the U.K.; a South African who used to run a bed-and-breakfast; a businessman from Archangel, Russia; a one-time laborer from Mississauga, Canada; and an online poker prodigy from Poughkeepsie, N.Y. The nine squared off here at high noon Tuesday with the winner expected to be crowned late in the evening.
Among the more compelling and colorful personal stories is that of Jerry Yang. A 39-year-old Laotian immigrant who escaped from Communist rule as a child, he spoke no English until he was 13 and only started playing poker two years ago. Now a psychologist and social worker, he won his place in the poker tournament courtesy of a $225 buy-in to a satellite event in California.
"I am a very, very part-time player," he said. "As a father of six, I don't have a lot of time to play [and use] just a little change here and there." Women poker.
Yang plans to donate some of his winnings to four different charities and enters the final round in eighth place with $8.45 million in chips, less than half of that of leader John Kalmar of Chorly, a small town in Lancashire, England.
The 34-year-old Kalmar had a rough go in the early rounds, failing to cash in a single time. Indeed, the night before the main event began, he tried to change his flight from Las Vegas back to England and quit the tournament, only to balk at the $600 fee. He hung around instead, tried again and won a $10,000 seat.
He is now guaranteed at least $500,000, although 45% of his take is already pledged to friends and backers. And, win or lose, Kalmar is headed straight back hone to play in a 20-pound tournament at his local pub. Play route 66 poker.
"I don't want to disappoint them," he said.
Near the back of the field is Hevad "Rain" Khan, in seventh place with $9.02 million in chips. Now a professional poker player, the 22-year-old is famed for his ability to play as many as 47 games of poker at once on his computer. He lost on the first day of the main event last year.
When it comes to face-to-face play at the final table, Khan said he has no particular game plan.
"I always say I don't have a strategy," he said. "Because if I come in with a plan of action, [the other players] may be able to anticipate it." Stay tuned to our poker blog for updates.
The action might be on the felt, but the fun is on the rail. Here's a quick look at the sights and sounds from Day 2B of the World Series of Poker.
The lady has a point
Overheard at Table 39 just before a break:
"I've got it better than you guys," says the lone women poker player at the table. "There are no lines at the bathroom for me."
The tables breaks into laughter and one player notes "it's probably the only time in history that will happen."
Counting lessons
Chip Jett is very good at counting chips. So good, in fact, that he spent part of the afternoon giving chip-counting lessons to a dealer. Play online poker.
"Don't ever count chips like that," Jett told a dealer as she stacked up an all-in bet. "You'll knock them over." Minutes later, a small stack went all in against Jett and one. As the dealer began counting, Jett said it was $51,600. A minute later, the dealer confirmed it was $51,600 and an annoyed Jett pushed a stack of chips over to the winning player. Download poker wallpapers.
Moses makes an appearance
Some players use their chips as card protectors. Others use something more personalized -- like Moses. That's right, one player at this year's WSOP used a small figurine of Moses to protect his cards. It doesn't look like Moses was helping this player with cards though. His stack was one of the shortest in the room. Stay tuned to our poker blog for more updates.
Hate the game, not the player
Some players get disgusted even when they're not involved in a pot. After a player at Table 45 won a significant pot with pocket Aces, another turned to me and said in lilting British accent:
"I get no action when I get that hand. No one bets. No one calls. This guy wins a huge pot. Disgusting."
The video poker industry is dead in North Carolina. But it’s likely to be a death similar to that of the spirits industry during prohibition. While it was no longer legal to make alcoholic beverages during that era, alcohol didn’t exactly go away. Online poker.
It remains to be seen how long this particular vampire of an illegal business staggers around the underground of North Carolina culture.
That said, the demise of a widespread and woefully unregulated venture is welcome news.
On the surface, video poker machines promised to be little more than a diversion, a low-stakes means of killing a little time and perhaps winning a pittance. (The jackpots offered by the machines were, on paper, up to $10 in merchandise).
The reality turned out to be quite different.
The machines in effect turned convenience stores and back rooms into a rich source of temptation for many and a rich source of illicit income for a select few.
Unlike conventional casinos, such as Harrah’s in Cherokee (where video poker is still legal) oversight was a huge problem in the state’s video game industry. Download poker wallpapers.
In a losing numbers game, North Carolina’s Alcohol Law Enforcement Division and county sheriffs, charged with regulating video poker, never had the numbers or resources to keep pace with the proliferation of machines and proliferation of locations. It was a recipe for trouble, and it hit home.
• On Nov. 14, 2006, state and federal agents raided nearly two dozen businesses and homes in connection to a Hendersonville restaurateur, seizing illegal machines and discovering almost $2 million stashed in the man’s home. Questions linger from this raid, including the fact that the man has yet to be charged with a crime. Play route 66 poker.
• In Buncombe, nine machines were seized at an “underground casino’’ in Candler in May. In late June, eight businesses in Buncombe and Madison counties were targeted in a raid led by the FBI, and eight others in a raid led by ALE and the Buncombe County sheriff’s department.
The industry was a key component the rise of Jim Black’s political empire. Much of the money that helped fuel that rise, from gaming interests and lottery proponents, eventually helped fell that empire under a cloud of corruption charges.
The state’s experiment with video gaming ended July 1. That doesn’t mean the problems are over.
South Carolina banned the machines in 2000, yet thousands have been seized since then. Mike Robertson, director of the N.C. Alcohol Law Enforcement Agency, said, “We are going to have the same problem South Carolina had” after that state banned video gaming.
“We are going to have little gambling houses open up. They are like rabbits. They propagate.”
Bob Hall, who heads up Democracy North Carolina, a group focusing on ethics, money and politics, has hopes for the ban. Hall said, “I think it does make a difference. It makes a big difference. It makes it a lot more inaccessible.” Play $500 match poker bonus.
North Carolina has not benefited from this experiment. It has left a nasty cloud of scandal and corruption that will take a while to clear from the body politic, and it promises to offer a challenge in its new form as yet another illicit underground industry.
Yet, the bet (no pun intended) in this corner is that while the ban will not completely eliminate video gaming, it will at least curb it to a degree that gives law enforcement a chance to operate on a relatively level playing field. Stay tuned to our poker blog for more updates.
Phil Hellmuth is an unapologetic self-promoter, but would the Poker Brat stoop so low as to stage an elaborate race car accident to score some media points? You be the judge.
The 11-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner was out Sunday taking his sponsor site's promotional race car out for a drive. Phil Hellmuth lost control of the race car and ended up crashing into a cinderblock barrier in the Rio Hotel and Casino parking lot.
You can view the crash for yourself at RawVegas.tv.
Hellmuth's sponsoring poker site put out a press release, according to Wicked Chops, earlier today saying the race car was totaled, but that Hellmuth left the vehicle unscathed. Speculation is that the brakes on the car may have failed. Online poker.
"I'd be amazed if he was able to play poker today after such a high-speed collision," said Brian Balsbaugh of Poker Royalty in the press release. "He had severe whiplash."
It is quite the coincidence that Hellmuth was involved in a spectacular crash on the night before his Day 1 of the WSOP Main Event. Several online sources have been speculating if it was a planned media stunt to give the poker player and his sponsor site some attention as he goes into the Main Event. Download poker wallpapers.
It still remains to be seen if the Hellmuthian one will show up to take his seat in the event, which started at noon.
Hellmuth is known for his late entrances to poker tournaments, though, and according to the World Series of Poker Web site, they expect him to arrive shortly and make his usual, grand entrance. In the meantime, his empty seat at the feature table sits waiting for him.
UPDATE:
Phil Hellmuth made his grand entrance to the 2007 WSOP Main Event a few hours late and in style as usual. He pulled up to the Rio in a limo and got out wearing his racing gear from the day before. He was greeted by 11 women, representing his 11 WSOP bracelets, who then escorted him to the tournament. Play route 66 poker.
According to the World Series of Poker Web site, Hellmuth said he woke up sore and stiff this morning from his accident, but he'd won bracelets playing in more pain before.
He also recounted his accident, explaining that while driving around the Rio parking lot, the stearing locked up on him, resulting in the crash. He was supposed to pull up in the race car to make his entrance to the WSOP today, but had to rework the plan after the car was totalled. Stay tuned to our poker blog for more updates.
Vietnamese Poker Pro Takes Down the Last Mixed Event
Away from the bright lights, big names, and the main stage enjoyed by the likes of $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. champion Freddy Deeb, Dao Bac bested an impressive final table lineup to win his first-ever gold bracelet. Seven hundred thirty players & women poker pros entered the tournament and created a prize pool of $664,300.
After last year’s World Series of Poker, many pros had made the request for a wider variety of events to showcase overall poker dominance, and not simply the mastery of everyone’s favorite, no-limit hold’em. The addition of the extra H.O.R.S.E. events this year was evidence that someone was listening. A person who listened up might know something about many pro players’ distaste for the game of razz, the low stud variation that constitutes the “R” in H.O.R.S.E. Online poker. The final table of the 2004 razz event was televised, and pros John Juanda and Howard Lederer were very vocal about their dislike of the game, despite the fact they have obvious proficiency in the discipline to have made a final table. S.H.O.E. is H.O.R.S.E. without the razz; it is sometimes called H.O.S.E. However, according to Nolan Dalla, this event was originally created as a marketing ploy. Lined up with the H.O.R.S.E. poker tournament, this was the ultimate advertising gimmick to promote the original site of the World Series of Poker, Binion’s Horseshoe Casino. This tournament served as a faint reminder of those older days. Also, with a $1,000 buy-in, this tournament, gave many newer players with smaller bankrolls a shot at a mixed game event, without the hassle of the fickle game of razz.
This event was initially scheduled to be a two-day event, but after 146 players survived to day two, it became clear a third day would be necessary. The final eight players included several familiar faces. Patrick Poels, who has won a bracelet the last two summers at the WSOP, came into the day seventh in chips. Noted poker author Michael Craig, at his second final table of this year, came into the day sixth in chips. Tournament circuit regular Raymond Davis sat in fourth chip position, and 2003 California State Poker Champion and World Poker Tour regular Chip Jett sat on the bottom of the ladder eighth in chips. Play route 66 poker.
Dao Bac sent an early message to the other players at the table, when he flopped a set against Poels’ pocket aces, and eliminated him in eighth place. Poels earned $11,957 for his finish. Jett was able to use two timely double ups early on to get himself off the short stack and improve his chances for his first bracelet.
Michael Craig was eliminated in seventh place during the Omaha eight-or-better round when he committed his last chips with a 7-low draw, a pair of queens, and the nut-flush draw. The board bricked out, and Craig was handed his second seventh-place finish of this Series. Craig’s newest book is a guide to many forms of tournament poker, edited together from sessions with a laundry list of top pros. Craig has mentioned how his tournament play has improved drastically due to the tips he received from these pros. While a bracelet would have served as the ultimate endorsement to the advice provided in the book, two final tables, one in a mixed game tourney, still speak volumes about what gems that book may contain. A $15,943 payday is nice, too. Download poker wallpapers.
Hour two of the tournament featured the two versions of seven-card stud and claimed Vladimir Shchemelev in sixth place and Irme Leibold in fifth place. The players earned $20,793 and $26.572, respectively. Raymond Davis was the next to exit. Davis was the life of the final table, chatting loud and interacting a lot with the rail. Davis was eliminated in the next hour, during the hold’em round, when he couldn’t improve his A-K and Bac rivered a straight. Davis earned $34,012 for his fourth-place finish. Play $500 match poker bonus.
In the next round, the players were very tight, until Jett lost two large stud eight-or-better hands, which put him in chip trouble. Jett ended up getting it all in with queens against Adam Geyer, only to have Geyer finish with aces up. Jett earned $55,801 for his finish, matching his best ever finish at the WSOP.
Although the World Series of Poker will continue through the Fourth of July holiday, many players are taking time to kick back, relax, and have a good time. Chip and Karina Jett are trying to help facilitate that by throwing a party tomorrow night.
The party begins at 9 p.m. at Minxx Gentlemen’s Club and Lounge in Las Vegas. There will be drink specials for poker players & women poker pros and no cover charge when using the Minxx free limo. For free pickup, call 702-880-6469. To receive more information or make a private table reservation, call Ray Patterson at 702-379-2229. Everyone is welcome.
Team Bodog Poker Player Justin Bonomo Adds Another 2007 WSOP Cash
Team Bodog poker player Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo has notched another deep run at a 2007 World Series of Poker event on his belt.
Team Bodog poker players just keep racking up the money here at the 2007 World Series of Poker. The most recent cash goes to Justin "ZeeJustin" Bonomo in the $1,000 No Limit Hold'em with Rebuys event. Out of a field of 1,048 players he finished an impressive 55th taking home $8,067. Play route 66 poker.
This cash brings him up to a total of $172,319 for the 2007 WSOP including his fourth place finish in the $2,000 NLHE event. We hate to point out that the $8k he got for this doesn't really cover the $19k he spent in buy-in, rebuys and add-ons, but that's not what it's about for Justin anyway. He is out to prove himself as a force to be reckoned with in live poker, and not just another internet flash in the pan. We'd like to say that he is doing just that. Download poker wallpapers.
Poker Fans Go Heads-Up Against the Stars With New World Series of Poker® Pro Challenge Mobile Game
Glu Mobile Inc. (Nasdaq:GLUU), a leading global publisher of mobile games, today announced the launch of World Series of Poker® Pro Challenge. The introduction of the new mobile game coincides with the kickoff of the official World Series of Poker Tournament Main Event this week and is through a multi-year, worldwide alliance between Glu and Harrah’s License Company, LLC, an affiliate of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:HET).
World Series of Poker Pro Challenge offers players the first-ever opportunity to go head-to-head in a mobile poker match against digital representations of some of poker’s biggest celebrities. Players can challenge renowned stars Johnny Chan, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, woman poker pro Shannon Elizabeth, Scotty Nguyen, Annie Duke and Michael Mizrachi.
“I’ve played some colorful players in my day, but this is the first time I’ve played myself on a mobile phone,” said Johnny Chan. “The graphics and features are impressive, and the game is more realistic than any I’ve seen on a mobile phone before.” Download poker wallpapers.
World Series of Poker Pro Challenge is equipped with advanced graphics technology and a host of new features, creating the ultimate poker experience for mobile gamers. Play $500 match poker bonus.
Features include:
* Tells – Computerized opponents hint at the strength of their hand. Tells, if watched closely and recognized correctly, provide gamers with the edge needed to build their reputation and bankroll.
* New Perspective – First person perspective view shows digitized opponents’ reactions, emotions and tells like never seen before.
* Advanced AI - Next-generation poker engine learns from the gamer’s tendencies and adjusts itself accordingly
* Tilt Meter – If the digitized opponents are played correctly, frustration eventually fills up their tilt meter to put them “on-tilt.” They will then make poor poker decisions and show tells more often.
“We are thrilled to be working with such accomplished and well-respected players & women poker players in the World Series of Poker like Johnny Chan and Chris Ferguson,” said Jill Braff, GM of the Americas, Glu. “World Series of Poker Pro Challenge’s stunning graphics and adaptive AI truly deliver the experience of going heads-up against these world-class poker pros.” Stay tuned to our poker blog for more updates.
Rep. Barney Frank's online poker / gambling bill is getting more support by the week. Three more congressmen signed on to cosponsor the bill Thursday, bringing the total up to 34.
