Phil Hellmuth Channels Julius Caesar for his Grand Entrance to the WSOP's Main Event

"Kiss my ring!" said Phil Hellmuth, dressed as Julius Caesar for his arrival at the WSOP’s main event. He was escorted by a dozen models dressed as female gladiators and heralded by trumpeters.

He arrived as expected, two hours late, to make his entrance into the Rio’s Amazon Room. "When you dress as Caesar you actually feel more powerful," Hellmuth told The Associated Press.

It’s theater. It’s publicity—and no one does it better than Phil. But Julius Caesar? Hellmuth looked more like he was decked out for an appearance at the White Party than the WSOP. Hail Caesar … errrrr, Phil? Call me silly, but I’ll pass on that opportunity!

Suffering (Steve Nissman, RIP)

In the canyon you can hear the cars and trucks coming up behind you a long way away. But there are few of them today. It’s July 6 and I’m riding up Thousand Palms Canyon. I’m in the middle of nowhere—no houses, stores, or people—though I’m only about 10 miles away from home right now.

Once I head up Washington Street and pass Sun City, civilization seems to stop abruptly. Washington begins climbing after Sun City and turns west. After cresting a hill there’s a right turn that takes me due north, right up Thousand Palms Canyon about six steep miles to Dillon Road.

I’m climbing … and fighting a headwind to boot. The morning is still early—it’s not yet 8 a.m. but out here in the desert it gets very hot very early, and the temperature is already edging north of ninety and it’s not going to get any cooler. I have to be careful to dose my water. There’s no place to refill anywhere near here, and won’t be for about 20 more miles.

The hill ramps up a bit right before a trailhead where hikers park and head off into smaller, even more remote canyons. The trailhead and a small visitor’s is center about half way up to the top. The sweat is running down my forehead and into my eyes. The salt stings. So I take off my sunglasses, stick them in my teeth, and use the soft, back part of my glove to wipe the sweat off. Then I pour some of my water down my back to cool me off and take a drink.

Just beyond the trailhead about four motorcycles pass me as they roar up the grade. I’m not making much speed into the hill and headwind and at the rate I’m going, I expect to spend about 45 minutes on the climb.

The last part is frustrating. I can see utility poles in the distance and I know it’s Dillon Road, the top of the climb. But the more I pedal, the more the poles seem to recede in the distance. Finally I reach the top. I can stop here and catch my breath, but I don’t. Instead, I take one look back to the west, then turn right and head east on Dillon Road. I remember riding up here in February when it was cold. When I glanced westward then, all the westward mountains were covered with snow. Now they’re dry and brown.

Dillon Road rises from it’s juncture at Thousand Palms Canyon. So I’m pedaling up hill for about another half mile or so, but things are easier now. The headwind that was hitting me at an angle going up the canyon now hits me at an angle from the rear, helping me up the hill.

I’m heading east, through an unincorporated area of Riverside County called Indio Hills. There’s really nothing much here, and even if there is a convenience store, I know it won’t be open at this early hour on Sunday morning. So I pedal on.

Once I crest the hill it’s all rollers for the next few miles, and the downhill speed is usually enough to propel me up the next uphill section. I see a couple of cyclists coming in the other direction. We wave but don’t stop. We’re both going somewhere and trying to make time before the day gets too hot.

A few miles later I start a long descent. Now I’m heading south toward the city of Indio, and the wind is at my back. I’m in the big chain ring and on top of my gears. I’m doing about 45 miles per hour, which is a lot considering the condition of the road. It’s old, has it’s share of bumps and washed out sections, and I’m quite happy with the speed I’m making. If I really pushed it, if I got down into the drops and concentrated on turning my biggest gear as fast as I could, I might be able to get up to fifty, but I still had a long way to go and there was no sense in draining all my energy way up here.

After a few miles at speed, I hit a flat section and slow down. I’m looking for a small turn off for Avenue 44, at this point it’s a two lane, old, country road but it will eventually take me home. A few guys riding in a pace line pass me and I jump on the back of their line, happy for the extra speed I’ll gain by drafting behind them. They tow me along for about half a mile when I turn off. I yell “Thank you” and head west. After about half a mile, Avenue 44 widens out and is topped with new pavement. This is an area of all new homes—gated communities, for the most part—that are pretty much deserted because most were built just as the economy took its tumble.

I ride out here a lot. The roads are terrific. Traffic is thankfully absent, and it’s a strange, surreal feeling pedaling through modern ghost towns, all nice and neat and new and even striped with bike lanes.

I cut through Terra Lago, a large golf community built around a man-made lake. As usual, it seems deserted. From there I work my way north and west to a shopping center that has a Fresh and Easy that I know will be open. It is. I go inside and buy two bottles of water. I sit outside and drink one while I suck down a gel to give me some more energy. Then I pour the other into my water bottle and ride off.

It’s getting very hot now … too hot to ride, really … but I have to get home. There’s only a mild head wind down here, not enough to slow me down at all, so I stop thinking and just concentrate on turning my pedals over. The main streets here are named after the presidents, and I’m working my way down from Jackson to Washington. Once I get to Washington, there’s a Just Java that opens every day at 5:30 a.m., so I’ll stop there for an iced tea. If I’m lucky, someone will have left the sports page, so I can check the ball scores and devour the Cliff Bar that’s in my jersey pocket while I cool down. From there, it’s only about four miles home.

When I get home, the little computer on my bike tells me I’ve done about 46 miles. It was work, and it was hot, which made it tougher. But it feels good, and if you can’t suffer, you’re not a cyclist. The shower feels great. So does the nap that follows.

Today is July 7. I took another ride … flatter and only about 30 miles this time, and I started before 6 a.m. to beat the heat. People ask me why I ride and it’s tough to explain. It’s cleansing—purifying, really—and you feel good and clear, clean and precise, while you’re riding, and better when you’re done.

When I get to my computer I find an email telling me that Steve Nissman died. Apparently it was a heart attack, but they’re not sure yet. My friend Adam had to identify the body. Steve was a poker player, and a good one—though not a household name most people would be familiar with. He was only 52, far too young to die.

It was incredibly unsettling news. He had a girlfriend. She was out of town when it happened and someone had to call and tell her that Steve was dead. He had a sister who lived 3,000 miles away. Another person shocked by the news.

There’s an autopsy tomorrow. Funeral arrangements are pending. It’s all such an unsettled situation, and I don’t seem to be doing a good job of processing it.

I’ll get up early tomorrow, before the sun comes up. When it’s light, at about 5:45 a.m.—the time lots of my poker playing friends are going to bed—I’ll be on my bike, out early to beat the heat. This will be a hard ride. It will involve a few hills and I’ll ride as hard as I can. When I’m there, at that point when legs scream and suffering becomes something I just accept and stop trying to fight, in those moments of clarity, I’ll be able to think about why Steve Nissman just upped and died all of a sudden, and for no good reason at all.

Happy Days at the WSOP, Hanging with the Radio Station Guys, Playing Poker, and Scarfing Shrimp Cocktails by the Barrel

I just got back from Las Vegas, the World Series of Poker, and a get together of some of my fellow show hosts at Rounder’s Radio and many listeners who showed up to meet one another and play in the station’s poker tournament.

Since the tournament was at the Golden Nugget, I arranged for anyone interested to meet in the poker room two hours before the tourney’s start so we could divert our attention from poker and think about a shrimp cocktail run to the Golden Gate, located a half-block away from the Nugget.

Anthony Curtis’ Las Vegas Advisor newsletter has listed the Golden Gate’s 99-cent shrimp cocktail among Las Vegas’ top deals for years. Actually, for 99 cents, you get those smallish, bay shrimp, but for a couple of bucks more, you can get jumbo shrimp cocktails instead of bay shrimp, and unless you’re really on a shoestring budget, it’s worth the upgrade.

I ate at the Golden Gate three times during the five days I was in Las Vegas. What can I say? I love the place and the shrimp is terrific. I had three shrimp cocktails prior to the start of the tournament, and I saw others doing the same. What about the other times I ate there? I had three shrimp cocktails on each of those occasions too.

The tournament was a lot of fun, even though I came up just a little bit short of making the money. It was terrific to meet so many listeners, and hang out with the guys from the station. The station is located in the Midwest; I’m in California, so we only seem to get together once a year at the WSOP.

I did not play in any of the WSOP events, but busied myself with cash games every time I headed up to the Rio. As usual, they were terrific. A lot of players seemed to be throwing money around, and that’s always a good thing.
I also played in one of Binion’s tournaments, a six-handed, no-limit hold’em event. I managed to come into the money in fifteenth place—not much to write home about after an entire day’s play, but the tourney was well run, and I enjoyed having room to spread out at a table that was always six-handed.

In between all of that, I got to take care of a lot of business, meet and schmooze with people I needed to catch up with, and was happy with the fact that other than the station’s tournament, where I failed to make the money, I did not have a single losing session during my stay.

Where Have all the HORSEs Gone

With record and near-record participation during the early stages of this year’s WSOP, what’s the story with the $50,000 HORSE event, which attracted only 95 entrants, significantly less than last year?

Other events at this year’s WSOP fared better. In fact, the $1,500 Omaha/8 tournament was the largest Omaha/8 event in WSOP history with 918 participants. One of the "Stimulus Special" events—referred to euphemistically by many players as the “donk-fest”—became the largest ever WSOP tournament outside of the main event.

A couple of reasons for the decline in HORSE participation come to mind. First and foremost, perhaps the WSOP’s one-off, $40,000 buy in event early on the calendar punctured the bankrolls of many players who ponied up their own money but were unable to cash.

A second reason seems to be the economy itself. With money tight, finding a backer is a bit more difficult now than it used to be, and players without the jack to pay their own way into the HORSE event won’t have any way to play if their backers have disappeared along with the easy money of past years.

We are fast approaching the main event. Last year it attracted 6,844 players. The high water mark was in 2006—back when online sites could register satellite winners—and the field that year was a whopping 8,773 players.

I’m guessing the main event attracts about 6,500 players. But I’m far from confident in my prediction, so don’t bet on it!

Fish and Chips: The Rounder's Radio Poker Tournament at the Golden Nugget and Shrimp Cocktail Run to the Golden Gate ... It's All Set for June 27

I’ll be in Las Vegas this week for the World Series of Poker—primarily to play in some side games and see friends. But I’m also going to play Saturday night in a 7 p.m. small buy-in tournament at the Golden Nugget, sponsored by Rounder’s Radio.

My weekly webcast radio show, Keep Flopping Aces, is heard live, worldwide and in real time on http://www.roundersradio.com/ each and every Thursday night at 6 p.m. Pacific Time (9 p.m. Eastern Time) and equivalent time zones all over the world. The show can also be heard on demand, by visiting the web site and downloading the show.

This week, with me and most of the guys from the station in Las Vegas, I’ll be heard in rerun only, but if any listeners are planning to be in Las Vegas on Saturday evening June 27, please stop by and play in the tournament or just come over to visit. Many of the station’s other show hosts will be playing too, so it will be a terrific opportunity for us to meet some of our listeners.

But before the tournament, at about 5 p.m., a group of us are going over to the Golden Gate for a shrimp cocktail run. Anthony Curtis’ Las Vegas Advisor newsletter, which includes his top ten values, has listed the Golden Gate’s 99-cent shrimp cocktail among Las Vegas’ top deals for years. Actually, for 99 cents, you get those smallish, bay shrimp, but for a couple of bucks more, you can get jumbo shrimp cocktails instead of bay shrimp, and unless you’re really on a shoestring budget, it’s worth the upgrade.

I hit the Golden Gate just about every time I’m in Las Vegas. I love the shrimp and I love the Golden Gate’s art deco ambiance and occasional honky-tonk piano player that entertains all the shrimp-eating diners, bar patrons, and table game players. For a hotel that’s over 100 years old, it’s quite a cool spot, located just about half a block toward the Plaza from the Golden Nugget, with it’s main entrance right on Fremont Street.

If you want to join me and a few others from the radio station, meet up with us in the Golden Nugget poker room at about 4:45 p.m. Saturday, June 27 and we’ll go over to the Golden Gate for our shrimp cocktail fest before the 7 p.m. tournament start. See you there. This is one time where the association between fish and poker players is a positive one.

Poker Player Alliance's National Poker Week Set for July 19 - 25

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) announced National Poker Week will be held July 19-25, to rally the PPA’s nationwide membership and send a message to lawmakers that their constituents support poker and legislation that regulates and licenses online poker.

“Our members—the poker players of America—are our best advocates to protect the future of poker,” PPA Chairman and former Senator Alfonse D’Amato (pictured right) said. “National Poker Week, with events in Washington, D.C., and across the country, is the PPA’s way to make it clear to my former colleagues in the U.S. Congress that poker is important to voters and is here to stay.”

PPA’s state directors and half a dozen professional poker players will meet with members of Congress in Washington, DC to ask them to support Barney Frank’s (D-MA) bill to license and regulate online poker,. They will also deliver a petition to President Obama asking his support to exempt poker from the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), and for the licensing and regulation of online poker. To sign the online petition visit, http://www.pokerpetition.com/.

PPA will also organize telephone and email campaigns to Congressional offices for poker players to make their voices heard. You can visit http://www.nationalpokerweek.com/ to learn how to be an advocate for the game during National Poker Week.

In addition to meetings with members of Congress, PPA will host a charity poker tournament on Tuesday, July 21, benefiting the USO and the Malone House at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Wounded servicemen and women will be playing alongside poker pros, PPA’s state directors, members of Congress and their staff. PPA is covering all administrative costs so that all proceeds from the event go directly to the USO.

PPA is working with leading technology providers to host a “tech demo” that highlights the ability to regulate online poker through programs to verify age and ensure fairness of play, among other things.

PPA also announced MyPokerStory.com, a program to collect and record stories from poker players across the nation on why poker is so important to them and why they believe the government should keep poker legal. People can record their own video and upload it directly to http://www.mypokerstory.com/, or visit the PPA booth at the World Series of Poker and record and submit a video there. Everyone who submits a video will be entered into a drawing to win our special Grand Prize: a two-night Las Vegas vacation (with airfare) for two. Runners up will also be selected for other special PPA prizes.

For more information, please visit http://www.nationalpokerweek.com/, and to sign the PPA’s petition to President Obama, please visit http://www.pokerpetition.com/.

World Trade Organization Report Claims US Internet Gaming Laws are Illegal and Discriminatory

This past April the World Trade Organization (WTO) claimed that internet gambling laws in the US were illegal and contrary to US treaty obligations under the WTO. Recently the WTO released the full text of the report.

EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton was quoted as saying, “Internet gambling is a complex and delicate area, and we do not want to dictate how the US should regulate its market. However, the US must respect its WTO obligations. I hope that we will be able to reach an amicable solution to this issue.”

The report concludes a year-long investigation set off by a request by the Remote Gambling Association (RGA), a London-based trade organization. RGA said that the US ban on foreign internet gambling providers was unfairly discriminatory and constituted a violation of world trade rules.

European gaming providers point to falling profits and declining stock prices since the 2006 passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), which forced many online poker providers to leave the US market. The EU report supports these assertions.

Even if Barney Frank (D-MA) is successful in overturning UIGEA through legislation introduced earlier this year, the European Union (EU) believes that action by the WTO would still be justified because the US is now engaged in legal proceedings against European internet gambling providers for actions they took before UIGEA’s enactment.

The US claims it was illegal for foreign online gaming providers to operate in the United States even before UIGEA was enacted, while RGA and EU firms believe US law was unclear at the time.

Despite the report, a WTO case may not be forthcoming. Instead, it would be a step in ongoing negotiations between the EU and the Obama administration.

You can read the full EU report here: http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2009/june/tradoc_143405.pdf.

Feds Ask Banks to Freeze $33 Million in Poker Player Assets

Feds Ask Banks to Freeze Funds Owed to Poker players

Federal prosecutors asked four American banks to freeze $33 million owed to 27,000 players at four offshore poker sites, including PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker.

According to John Pappas, executive director of the Poker Players Alliance, prosecutors asked Citibank, Wells Fargo and two smaller banks to freeze funds in accounts belonging to two companies, Allied Systems and Account Services, which process payouts on behalf of the poker sites.

The government’s action came to light when checks issued to poker players by the two companies began bouncing. Pappas said that the online casinos had assured him that they planned to pay players what they were owed.

Feds Refuse to Comment on Actions

Yusill Scribner, a spokeswoman for the office of the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, which is bringing the legal action, declined to comment.

Stephen Cohen, a spokesman at Citibank confirmed that the bank received a request from prosecutors. He said that as a matter of policy Citibank complies with such requests.

Wells Fargo, which received a court order to freeze the money, said it had a policy to comply with “valid instructions to seize funds” but declined further comment. It is not clear whether the other banks received court orders or simply requests.

I. Nelson Rose, a professor of law at Whittier Law School in Costa Mesa, CA and specialist on gambling law, called the government’s move a surprising and significant new effort to police wagering on the Internet.

Gaming Law Expert Nelson Rose Calls it "Aggressive ... a Gamble on the Part of the Prosecutors"

“It’s very aggressive, and I think it’s a gamble on the part of the prosecutors,” Rose said. He added that it was not clear what law would cover the seizure of money belonging to poker players, as opposed to the money of the companies involved.

Past government efforts have focused on sports betting on the Internet, not on poker playing, Rose said, noting that he and other legal authorities, and some courts, have considered poker to be different from sports betting because poker involves a transaction between people, not a bettor and the casino.

A. Jeff Ifrah, a lawyer representing Account Services, with offices in San Diego and Canada, said that to his knowledge, the government “has never seized an account that belongs to players who are engaged in what I would contend is a lawful act of playing peer-to-peer poker online.”

Here's What I Think

This seems to be overreaching, to say the least, on the part of the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York. Especially now, in light of pending legislation that would pull UIGEA's teeth and provide a basis to license and tax online gambling. But the Southern District has always overreached when it comes to online gaming.

The issue here is what law are they basing their aggression on? It's clearly not the Wire Act, which has does not to apply to online poker, but to sports betting instead. UIGEA, which was attached to a port security bill, did not create any new law designed that made online gaming illegal. Instead, it was an "enforcement act," designed to go after financial institutions that received and processed gaming funds.

If we look at it from the perspective of the poker players we are, I'd read the Southern District for a naked bluff. They don't hold the cards. They don't have the law in their corner, and all they have going for them is their ability to posture and trumpet their opinion. It may make some quake in their boots, but I think if this case is resolved in court, the Southern District will find themselves exposed for what they are: weak, foolish, overreaching bullies who will back down the first time someone plays back at them.

International Federation of Poker established in Lausanne, Switzerland

Founded on April 29, 2009 as a global governing body—a federation based on the same legal criteria and principles as those of other mainstream sports—the International Federation of Poker (IFP) was established in Lausanne, Switzerland, a venue symbolizing international sports cooperation. Lausanne is the home of the International Olympic Committee and many other international sports federations.

The founding members are

Danish Poker Federation (Denmark)
Fédération Française des Joueurs de Poker (France)
Stichting Nederlandse PokerBond (Holland)
UK Poker Federation (UK)
Russian Sport Poker Federation (Russia)
Ukrainian Poker Federation (Ukraine)
Associacao Brazileira de Poker (Brazil)

Negotiations with 20 other countries are in the works, and many are expected to join the Federation over the coming weeks.

Its first President, acclaimed poker writer Anthony Holden (pictured right), says this is “the only way to free poker from the cruel and unfair restraints of gambling legislation across the globe.”

Holden, who was elected IFP President at the Lausanne meeting, said that poker developed beyond all predictable measure over the past decade, and is now a major international mind-sport. But the international coordination and representation of the game had not matched the speed of its expansion, resulting in conflicting levels of acceptability around the world.

“The Federation will help to make an international case for poker as a mind-sport,” said Holden. “We have already had encouraging conversations with the International Mind Sports Association, based in Paris, who organize the Mind Sports Games alongside the Olympics every four years. If we can achieve membership, it will help the game become legal everywhere and start eliminating the restraints some countries are imposing on it.”

IFP will also draw together all the arguments, evidence and testimony gathered around the world by national federations or their equivalents which have been called upon to contest restrictive laws or punitive taxation.

IFP will work to standardize tournament rules internationally, as well as compile international rankings. These will be used to determine the teams sent to IFP-approved events. IFP also plans to stage international team poker events along the lines of golf’s Ryder Cup and tennis’s Davis Cup.

A state-of-the-art website is in the works to provide a forum for members as well as the latest poker news from all over the world. Its custom-built TV channel will offer footage of numerous TV poker events past and present.

IFP’s president, Anthony Holden, is an award-winning author and journalist, whose 30-plus books include bestselling biographies of the Prince of Wales and Laurence Olivier, Shakespeare and Tchaikovsky. He has also been a war correspondent, diarist, critic and editor, writing for all major publications on both sides of the Atlantic in his 40-year career.
Holden is equally well-known for his books about poker. Big Deal: A Year as a Professional Poker Player is frequently described as a cult classic, enjoying no fewer than six editions since its first publication in 1990. Holden’s long-awaited sequel, Bigger Deal: A Year on the New Poker Circuit, appeared in 2007, followed in 2008 by an expert strategy manual, Holden on Hold'em.

iMEGA asks Ky Supreme Court to Review "Secret Proceedings" in Domain Name Seizure Case

The Interactive Media Entertainment & Gaming Association (iMEGA) asked the Kentucky Supreme Court to review a video tape of the secret proceeding Gov. Beshear’s attorneys used to get property seizure orders for 141 Internet domain names without notifying the property owners or giving them an opportunity for representation.

In a 2-to-1 decision from the commonwealth’s Court of Appeals in January 2009, iMEGA prevailed over Gov. Beshear when a lower court’s seizure orders were blocked. Gov. Beshear wanted to seize these domain names in order to force online gaming firms to block Kentucky residents from using their sites. The not-so-hidden agenda was that this would protect Kentucky’s in-state gambling operations from competition (Can you say Churchill Downs?).

“We’re very confident the State Supreme Court will reach the same conclusion as the Court of Appeals,” said Joe Brennan Jr., chairman of iMEGA. “It’s too bad Gov. Beshear wants to keep fighting, but since he’s not paying for his attorneys, I guess he doesn’t care how long this takes or how much he ties up Kentucky’s courts with this doomed campaign.”

WSOP Event No. 2, the $40,000 buy-in Event, is Up and Running

Well, just in case you've been trapped on a desert island, the World Series of Poker is underway and Event No. 2, the one-off $40,000 buy-in tournament offered this year to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the WSOP is up and running. The event attracted 201 entrants, and many of the game's heavy hitters are here.

The net prize pool is $7,718,400, and first place takes home $1,891,012. Twenty-seven spots will be paid.

Just in case you want to look for your favorite player, here's an alaphebetical list of all 201 runners.

Last Name, First Name
ADAMS, GEORGE
ALAEI, DANIEL
ARIEH, JOSHUA
BAILEY, TERRY
BAKER, DAVID
BARON, ISAAC
BARTA, BALINT
BATISTA, CHAD
BECHTEL, JAMES
BEEN, AARON
BENEFIELD, DAVID
BENYAMINE, DAVID
BILLIRAKIS, STEVE
BINGER, MICHAEL
BLACK, ANDREW
BLOCH, ANDREW
BONOMO, JUSTIN
BOUCHER, PHILIPPE
BRENES, JOSE
BRUNSON, DOYLE
BUCHANAN, SHAWN
CAHAIL, BLAKE
CALDERARO, JAMES
CASILLAS, ERIK
CHAN, TERRENCE
CHAN, JON
CHANG, WEIKAI
CHANNING, NEIL
CHEN, WILLIAM
CHIU, DAVID
CHRISS, NEIL
COLE, CORWIN
COLIN, BRYAN
CORKINS, HOYLT
DEEB, SHAUN
DEEB, KASSEM "FREDDY"
DEMICHELE, MICHAEL
DEMIDOV, IVAN
DEMJAN, SANDOR
DICKSTEIN, MARK
DORFMAN, RANDY
DOSHI, SURESH
DUKE, ANNIE
DUTHIE, JOHN
DWAN, THOMAS
EASTGATE, PETER
EDLER, WILLIAM
EINHORN, DAVID
ELEZRA, ELIAHU
ESFANDIARI, ANTONIO
ESLAMI, SHAHRYAR
EVDAKOV, NIKOLAY
FALTINSKY, RAYMOND
FERGUSON, CHRISTOPHER
FITOUSSI, BRUNO
FORREST, WILLIAM
GALFOND, PHILIP
GARZA, JEFFREY
GASPARD, JEAN
GERASIMOV, KIRILL
GEYER, RICHARD
GIANG, CHAU
GIANNETTI, MATTHEW
GLANTZ, MATTHEW
GOULD, PETER
GREENSTEIN, BARRY
GRIFFIN, GAVIN
GROSPELLIER, BERTRAND
GROSS, STEVEN
GUOGA, ANTANAS "TONY G"
HABIB, HASAN
HACHEM, JOSEPH
HAMAGAMI, CLARK
HARDER, CHRISTIAN'
HARMAN, JENNIFER
HARMETZ, DANIEL
HAXTON, ISAAC BLUM
HELLMUTH, PHILLIP
HOOD, DANIEL
HOUSHIAR, HOMAN
IVEY, PHILLIP
JACOB, ALEX
JETTEN, PETER C
JOHNSON, MARCO
JUANDA, JOHNSON
JUNGLEN, ADAM
KAGAWA, MASAAKI
KASSELA, FRANK
KEATING, ALEXANDER
KELOPURO, SAMI
KESSELMAN, ERIC
KINKADE, JAY
KOSTRITSYN, ALEXANDER
KUCINSKI, MICHAEL
LAAK, PHILIP
LACAY, LUDOVIC
LANGMANN, FLORIAN
LAWSON, TED
LE, NAMTHIEN
LEDERER, HOWARD
LEE, DOUGLAS
LEHMANN, MARKUS
LEHR, CHARLES
LEVI, NICOLAS
LICHTENBERGER, A
LIEBERT, KATHLEEN
LINDGREN, ERICK
LISANDRO, JEFFREY
LITTLE, JONATHAN
LIU, ERIC
LUNKIN, VITALY
MACKEY, JAMES
MACKINNON, DOUGLAS
MAKHIJA, AMIT
MAO, JAMES
MARAFIOTI, MATTHEW
MARCHESE, THOMAS
MARKHOLT, LEE
MATUSOW, MICHAEL
MCNIFF, EVAN
MEDIC, NENAD
MERCER, HEATHER
MERCIER, JASON
MERRIFIELD, STEVEN
MINIERI, DARIO
MIZZI, SOREL
MOLSON, WILLIAM
MONEYMAKER, CHRISTOPHER
MONRO, JOSEF
MONTGOMERY, SCOTT
MOORE, CHRISTOPHER
MOORMAN, CHRISTOPHER
MUELLER, GREG
NEGREANU, DANIEL
NGUYEN, SCOTTY
PATEL, EMIL
PERRY, RAFAEL
PHAM, DAVID
PHAM, THANG
PHAN, THIEN
PHILLIPS, DENNIS
PILGRIM, DWYTE
PINCHOT, DALE
POWELL, BRIAN
RAFALOWICZ, JEREMY
RAJKUMAR, VIVEK
RAST, BRIAN
RAYMER, GREGORY
REINKEMEIER, TOBIAS
RICHEY, BRETT
ROBERTS, BRIAN
ROBL, ANDREW
ROSEN, STEPHEN
ROSENBLUM, RUSSELL
ROSENKRANTZ, JASON
ROUAS, PHILIPPE
ROUSSO, VANESSA
RYBACHENKO, SERGEY
SASS, ALAN
SCHNELLER, ARIEL
SCHWARTZ, NOAH
SCHWARTZ, BARRY
SCOTT, ANDREW
SEED, HUCKLEBERRY
SEIF, MARK
SEIVER, SCOTT
SHAK, DANIEL
SHAKERCHI, TALAL
SHORR, SHANNON
SINGER, DAVID
SIPPL, ROGER
SMITH, GAVIN
SMITH, JUSTIN
STAUDENMAIER, LUKE
STEICKE, DAVID
STERN, DANIEL
STRASSMANN, JOHANNES
SUER, ROBERT
SUNG, SUK
THURITZ, MIKAEL
TIMOSHENKO, YEVGENIY
TOM, PHILIP
TORELLI, ALEC
TOWNSEND, BRIAN
TRAN, JUSTIN
TRAN, KENNY
TRANIELLO, MARCO
ULLIOTT, DAVID
UMMER, PER MAGNUS
VELDHUIS, ALEXANDER
WAHLBECK, VILLE
WALKER, REID
WATSON, MICHAEL
WEINSTEIN, STEVEN
WILLIAMS, DAVID
WILSON, KYLE
WOODWAARD, MATTHEW
YAWITZ, JESS
ZAICHENKO, ANDREY
ZEIDMAN, CORY
ZOLOTOW, STEPHEN

Former PartyGaming Chief Mitch Garber Named CEO of Harrah's Interactive Entertainment

Poker's Worst-Kept Secret a Secret No More

Now it’s official: Mitch Garber (pictured right) was hired as CEO of Harrah's Interactive Entertainment. News of this hiring leaked out weeks ago in a Times of London story. I blogged about news of Garber’s hiring on April 15, when I wrote, “In what can only be called a show of confidence that change is afoot for online poker in the USA, the Times of London reported that Harrah’s hired former PartyGaming chief Mitch Garber.

“Although the Times report says that Garber’s role is unconfirmed, he is rumored to be heading a new Harrah’s division that will focus on the internet gaming operations as well as operations related to the World Series of Poker. Party Poker, you may recall, was a WSOP sponsor before being forced out of the US market by UIGEA.”

Harrah's Positions Itself to Offer Online Poker
Late last week Harrah's Entertainment confirmed these rumors—it was really more an open secret than a rumor—when it announced Garber’s hiring as chief executive officer of Harrah's Interactive Entertainment, a new subsidiary launched to oversee the international and online expansion of its World Series of Poker brand. Harrah's Entertainment Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Gary Loveman issued a statement saying, "Harrah's is taking a proactive approach toward international and interactive expansion. It is important we position ourselves to explore new markets as well as new technologies with our best in class brands."

Garber, who resigned his post as PartyGaming’s CEO last year, is expected to help Harrah’s launch a World Series of Poker-branded site in European countries where online poker is legal and expand into other countries as online gaming is legalized in new jurisdictions.

Betting On the Come: Harrah's Announces Its Support for Barney Frank's Proposed Legislation
Harrah’s also announced its support for Barney Frank’s (D-MA) legislation in the United States to allow licensed gambling operators to accept wagers from inside the United States.

Harrah's "Free Site" Will Help Them Get Their Feet Wet Until Online Poker Wagering is Licenced and Regulated in the USA

Loveman said, "I do think the time has come, particularly for online poker." Until that time, Harrah's plans to develop a free World Series of Poker-branded online poker site to run in the United States and other countries that ban online gambling.

A free site would position Harrah’s to quickly capitalize enter the market once online poker is legalized. According to Loveman, "There are lots of ways to make it meaningful even though it wouldn't be a rake (real money) poker game. Then in the event that others are successful in liberalizing online poker here, then we'd have an infrastructure ready to go."

Garber will work closely with current World Series of Poker Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack, who will retain his current position and serve as president of the new interactive subsidiary.

Harrah's Begins Lobbying Efforts on Behalf of Online Gaming

Harrah's Entertainment has gotten behind the push for online gaming in a big way,and has registered to lobby for its legality. Harrah’s reportedly spent more than $400,000 during the first quarter of 2009 on lobbying efforts.

Reports say that Harrah's has online sites ready to go active when laws are changed. The impact of Harrah’s political influence and well-regarded brand provides some added lobbying thrust in support of efforts by the Poker Players Alliance.

It's Mainly the Main Event on ESPN's 2009 WSOP TV Schedule

Only four events are scheduled to be televised by ESPN at the 2009 World Series of Poker, and two of them don’t even award the winner a bracelet.

The $10,000 buy-in WSOP main event gets most of the play, with 25 one-hour episodes slated for TV coverage. There’s also a final table preview episode to provide viewers with an up-close-and-personal look at this year’s November Nine, who will probably be anonymous to most of the TV audience until they make the final table.

The $50K HORSE event will not be shown this year, which is too bad because it’s guaranteed to have any number of name players at the final table, and—Scotty Nguyen’s meltdown notwithstanding—made for compelling television. Taking its place will the 40th anniversary $40,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em event, a WSOP Champions Invitational, and the Ante Up For Africa charity tournament.

Last year seven bracelet events were shown by ESPN, but the main event was shown in 10 episodes, not the 25 episodes that are planned for 2009. In addition to the $50,000 HORSE tournament, last year’s TV coverage included the $10,000 pot-limit hold’em and pot-limit Omaha events, along with a few lower buy-in tourneys. This year, by comparison, it’s the main event, the 40th Anniversary tournament, and two non-bracelet events that are guaranteed to showcase well known players as well as celebs and glitterati who are probably better known outside the poker world.

The Champions Invitational and Ante Up for Africa are not bracelet events. The Invitational is limited to main event winners and will award the winner a new car and the newly created Binion Cup. Ante Up for Africa, headed by Don Cheadle and Annie Duke, provides aid to war-ravaged Darfur.

Here’s ESPN’s full schedule:

· July 28, 8 p.m. Eastern Time - Special 40th Annual $40,000 no-limit hold'em
· July 28, 9 p.m. Eastern Time - Special 40th Annual $40,000 no-limit hold'em

· August 4, 8 p.m. Eastern Time - WSOP Champions Invitational
· August 4, 9 p.m. Eastern Time - WSOP Champions Invitational
· August 11, 8 p.m. Eastern Time - Ante Up For Africa Celebrity-Charity Event
· August 11, 9 p.m. Eastern Time - Ante Up For Africa Celebrity-Charity Event
· August 18, 8 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 1A
· August 18, 9 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 1A
· August 25, 8 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 1B
· August 25, 9 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 1B
· September, 1 8 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 1C
· September, 1 9 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 1C
· September, 8 8 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 1D
· September, 8 9 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 1D
· September, 15 8 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 2A
· September, 15 9 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 2A
· September, 22 8 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 2B
· September, 22 9 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 2B
· September, 29 8 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 3
· September, 29 9 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 3
· October 6, 8 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 4
· October 6, 9 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 4
· October 13, 9 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 5
· October 13, 10 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 5
· October 20, 9 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 6
· October 20, 10 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 6
· October 27, 9 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 7
· October 27, 10 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 7
· November 3, 9 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 8
· November 3, 10 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Day 8
· November 10, 8 p.m. Eastern Time - Final Table Preview Show
· November 10, 9-11 p.m. Eastern Time - Main Event Final Table

DESPITE BRUTAL CONDITIONS, COMMERCIAL CASINOS REMAIN VITAL ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTORS

Despite 2008’s economic recession the U.S. commercial casino industry recorded its second highest revenue on record according to a report released today from the American Gaming Association (AGA). Gross gaming revenues topped $32.5 billion in 2008, a 4.7 percent drop from 2007’s record-breaking total.

State of the States: The AGA Survey of Casino Entertainment reveals that commercial casinos returned more than $5.6 billion in tax revenues to gaming communities across the country last year, funding local public services, such as transportation, infrastructure and education. The industry also remained a major U.S. employer, providing jobs to more than 357,000 people who earned $14 billion in wages, salaries and benefits.

This year’s report also takes a close look at the economic impact of the gaming equipment manufacturing sector, showing that the total direct economic output of this sector was $12.7 billion in 2008, a 6.7 percent increase over 2007 figures. Direct employment within the sector continued to grow steadily, reaching 29,600 people in 2008. Those employees earned $2 billion in wages and salaries last year.

The 2009 State of the States also examines the impact of casinos on domestic travel and tourism. Findings from two surveys—a recent national public opinion poll, and a new survey of tourism industry professionals—demonstrate that casinos play a crucial role in the $740 billion U.S. travel and tourism industry.

According to the report, nearly two thirds (65 percent) of Americans and a whopping 84 percent of travel professionals say casinos are an important part of the broader tourism industry. Additionally, more than eight in ten travel professionals from gaming states say local casinos encourage leisure travel to the region, and 76 percent agree there is a positive spillover effect from casino customers visiting other attractions in the area. Similarly, an overwhelming 90 percent of travel professionals who don’t live in gaming states say their states could attract more visitors if casinos were opened.

The report also indicates that overall acceptability of the industry remained high in 2008, as 81 percent of Americans think casino gaming is an acceptable activity for themselves or others. Poll results also show that 59 percent of Americans view casino gaming as a form of recreation similar to concerts, plays and sporting events, and they agree that casinos bring many different benefits to the communities in which they operate.

“The U.S. is grappling with the most severe economic downturn in more than a half-century, and—like nearly every industry—the commercial casino industry has been hit hard,” said Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr., (pictured above) president and CEO of the AGA. “However, it continues to be an important provider of jobs and direct gaming taxes, helping states, communities and families weather the economic storm.”

A full copy of the 2009 State of the States can be downloaded at http://www.americangaming.org/.

Mike "the Mouth" Matusow on my radio show this Thursday, May 14

Mike “the Mouth” Matusow, Dr. Tim Lavalli, and possibly Amy Calistri—co-authors of Check Raising the Devil, a book about the life and times, and days and nights of Mike Matusow—will be my guests on Keep Flopping Aces this Thursday night.

Keep Flopping Aces webcasts on http://www.roundersradio.com/, live and worldwide, every Thursday at 6 p.m. Pacific Time (9 p.m. Eastern Time), and can be heard again as a rebroadcast on Friday. It's also be available for on-demand listening via podcast and can be found by going to http://www.roundersradio.com/ and nosing around the show archives.

This figures to be a terrific show. Both Tim and Amy have been frequent guests in the past, and one of the topics of conversation has always been, “How’s the Matusow book coming along?” Well, it’s done, was released this week, and is available for purchase at Amazon.com, and is most likely at your favorite bookstore now.

I’ve never had Mike as a guest on my show and I’m really looking forward to his appearance. Amy Calistri may or may not be able to join us. If she is able to come on the show, that will tie up all the phone lines. If Amy can’t make it, that will leave one free line for listener phone calls.

I’ll have Mike and Tim on for the entire hour, so there’ll be plenty of time to talk about anything that comes up. If you want to talk to Mike the Mouth, or Dr. Tim, or even me, here are the call-in numbers:

US 810.496.3428
Canada 519.913.2250
UK 0207.993.6143

Hope you can join us this Thursday for Mike the Mouth, Tim Lavalli, and maybe Amy Calistri on Keep Flopping Aces, at http://www.roundersradio.com/.

Poker Poised to Expand in Florida

The State of Florida is poised to expand poker offerings in the Sunshine State after lawmakers passed a bill on Friday that would allow casinos and cardrooms located at horse tracks, dog tracks, and jai alai frontons to offer no-limit poker and remove the $100 maximum buy-in and the $5 maximum bet per betting round in limit games. Poker tournament buy-ins limits will also be removed, making Florida an appealing destination for big-money poker tournaments.

The bill, expected to be signed by Governor Charlie Crist, is dependent on the Seminole tribe approving a new deal with the state, and the state and the Seminole tribe will have until August 31 to work out a new deal. After that, the Florida Legislature will have to approve the compact for the bill to go into effect.

Under the new law, cardrooms will be permitted to operate 18 hours a day Mondays through Fridays, and 24 hours on the weekends. The gambling age in Seminole casinos will also be increased from 18 to 21, matching the minimum age found elsewhere.

I’ll continue to report on new developments in Florida as they occur.

New Internet Gambling Legislation Would Protect Consumers and Generate Billions in New Revenue

Representative Barney Frank (D-MA) pictured right,, Chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services, and Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA), pictured left, introduced two bills on May 6 to regulate Internet gambling and ensure that taxes are collected from online wagers. Frank also introduced the Reasonable Prudence in Regulation Act of 2009, a bill to delay compliance for one year with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA)—the law that sought to limit Americans’ ability to gamble online.

Frank’s Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act of 2009, would establish a licensing and enforcement framework that permits licensed operators to accept wagers from individuals in the U.S. The legislation also mandates a number of significant consumer protections, including safeguards against compulsive and underage gambling, money laundering, fraud, and identify theft.

McDermott’s bill seeks to ensure that individual and corporate taxes owed on regulated Internet gambling activities are collected. According to a recent analysis, collecting taxes on regulated Internet gambling would allow the US to capture an amount estimated to range from $48.6 billion to $62.7 billion over the next decade. Without this legislation, this revenue will remain uncollected while millions of Americans gamble online without consumer protections.

“The government should not interfere with people's liberty unless there is a good reason,” Frank said. “This is, I believe, the single biggest example of an intrusion into the principle that people should be free to do things on the Internet. It's clearly the case that gambling is an activity that can be done offline but not online.”

The legislation also grants the Treasury Department authority to license and revoke licenses of Internet gambling web sites, assess license holders for the costs of background checks and investigations of web sites applying for the license, and repeals language passed in 2006 and signed into law by President Bush that made it illegal for banks and credit card companies to process bets made on the Internet.