60 Minutes Garbage

This quote is from an advance copy of the 60 Minutes story that will be broadcast Sunday. We live in a nation of politically correct imbecils. It's sad that so much of the so called news we receive is such garbage.

"One can imagine how passionate these outlaws are about poker, because thousands of them emailed us in a great panic under the delusion that poker is not illegal. Nonetheless, it is in fact illegal, so much so that President Bush made sure of that by recently passing the UIEGA so that there were no misunderstandings. Because we wish to preserve the privacy of our viewership, the names of these people were not reported to the authorities. We are, after all, not the police but a beacon of freedom."

This is a brief email I sent to 60m@cbsnews.com letting them know how I feel about their so called news reporting. I encourage everyone else to email them as well.

Even though I am disgusted about the cheating scandal at AP/UB I will be more disgusted if a program purporting to be a news program airs this blatant of lies on Sunday night. 60 Minutes spent months researching this program and this is the best you could come up with? Has anyone from 60 Minutes even read the UIGEA? Since it's obvious you haven't or intend to broadcast junk anyway to increase ratings I'm going to tell you the facts very quickly which if 60 Minutes were a true news program you should have been able to ascertain for yourself.

There is NO federal law which make playing online poker a crime nor those who do so criminals as you refer to us. Furthermore, there are very few states which have laws which make gambling online a crime. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was never intended to make playing poker online against the law nor does it. The UIGEA has to do with financial institutions facilitating the funding of offshore gaming accounts. For all its grandiose title it has nothing to do with players playing much less making doing so criminal for players in any way.

The program hasn't even been broadcast yet but I am very disappointed with 60 Minutes. I would have thought that after spending months on this story that 60 Minutes could have at least broadcast accurate facts at least if not a fair and balanced story. I will never watch 60 Minutes again and I will strongly encourage those I know not to either. I hope the millions of American "outlaws" who play poker do likewise. And by the way, feel free to report me to the authorities. I have not committed any crime.

60 Minutes Story on Absolute/UB Cheating Scandal

The long awaited 60 Minutes special on the cheating scandal at Absolute and Ulimtate Bet is finally set to air this Sunday at 7PM ET. Unfortunately, this story is probably going to portray online poker in an extremely unfavorable light.

A Quote from Roy Williams, UNC-CH Men's Basketball Coach

"PERFECT practice makes perfect!"

--------------Coach Roy Williams, Head Coach for UNC-CH Men's Basketball Team

The perfect Christmas gift for the Juice....

PPA Congress Scorecard Election 2008 Results

PPA Congress Scorecard Election 2008 Results

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) played an important role in the national elections this year by supporting pro-poker candidates for Congress all across the nation. While the voters casted their votes based on a number of important issues it is clear that poker players made a real difference in several key races.

The PPA was successful in helping to unseat a number of anti-poker U.S. Representatives, we also achieved our goal of electing many pro-poker candidates. Of the 54 candidates PokerPAC, the political action committee of the PPA, endorsed (12 of which were challengers) 46 won their elections on November 4, 2008. Moreover, we are pleased to announce that more than 40 of our lowest rated Members of Congress will not be returning to Washington next year.

The PPA’s advocacy efforts have come a long way since successfully unseating then Iowa Congressman Jim Leach, who was the author of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) in 2006. With your continued help, we can have an even greater impact in future elections.

Follow the link below to a listing of how PPA rated Members of Congress fared in the past election. Please note that this only tracks Members of Congress people who were given a grade by the PPA, the full PPA Ratings Guide can be found at http://www.congressionalpoker.org/.

I Bet it All and I lost...

Well, I actually "called" it all and lost... since Bart pushed and I just called, but I was pretty certain that I had like 54 outs... hmmm... at any rate, it didn't work out, for me, anyway...

Yep... it's late Juice, it's me, Bart and Ronnie in this particular hand. Bart had raised it about $50 pre-flop and the already short-handed table of 6 playing $5/$10 Omaha Hi-Lo all call....

I've got...

And here we go with the flop...

I know... I don't have anything right now, but I love this flop! This is the kind of flop that Rick will put all his chippies in the pot with and scoop it... and we all want to be like Rick! At any rate, Bartram leads out with a $100 bet and I almost pushed all in right there... but decided to see what Ronnie would do since he was behind me and I would love to catch the card without having to put all my chips at risk first. So... I just call and Ronnie calls.

The turn as is not normally the case at this game, is a brick...

I found out later that it actually was NOT a brick... so Bart pushes all-in and he has a huge stack as he has been making some big hands and catching cards most of the night - he has me and Ronnie covered. I've only got about $1200 or so but there's no low... any card above the 7 that doesn't pair the board gives me broadway and any diamond that doesn't pair the board gives me the nut flush... what the hell! It's late... I'm feeling froggy... I call! Bart starts showing his cards to everyone in the room (except me and Ronnie of course) and several people driving around the beltline stating that he is ahead... I said "I sure hope so 'cause that generally means that you're about the get poke-chopped!" Ronnie deliberates a few minutes (I was actually able to watch an episode of Lord of the Rings while I was waiting). He did lay it down and as it turned out, it was a good lay down as he had two pair and a worst flush draw and was basically drawing dead.

I'm not quite certain of Bart's fourth card, but I do remember the first three....

let's give him this one, since I can't remember....

And of course, unlike what would have happened if I had the top set and a heart draw against Rick or butt-head Dave... the river provides no help for me and Bart scoops all my chippies.

The River

Like I said, I bet it all and I lost... Nice!

Mikey! Mikey! Mikey!

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World Tavern Poker Regional Championships

REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
FALL 2008 PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE
FALL 2008 Regional Championships details are coming soon. Because of the holidays, some Regional Championships will be held the first 2 weekends in Decembers, while the balance will be held after the New Year.ALL PLAYERS WILL RECEIVE AN E-MAIL INVITATION IF YOU QUALIFIED.

Poke-Chop... I must be a psychotic!

It happened... almost like I posted below. This past Saturday night at the Juice's game... The flop comes 7x, 8x, Qh.... I believe it was Rick, Dave and Elvie... Rick makes a big bet, Dave calls and Elvie goes all in. Probably an $800 pot. Runner/runner no low... and Elvie scoops it with a FOUR high heart flush. He was actually drawing to the nut low with the Ace/deuce but scooped the pot when it went runner/runner high hearts... No low & he scoops... It was funny in that he had actually read my Poke-Chop blog and pointed out that he was drawing to the nut low AND that his scooper flush was only 4 high instead of the 5 high that I made up...

Very nice Elvie --- Let the suck outs begin!

ACTION ALERT - UIGEA Given Stamp of Approval. What now?

From: PPA Action Alert
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 9:22 PM
Subject: Action Alert - UIGEA Given Stamp of Approval. What now?

Dear PPA & TPJ Members,

I have unfortunate news to report. Despite the efforts of the poker community, the opposition of the banks and the recent news exposing inappropriate influence by the White House, today the current administration finalized the UIGEA regulations to be made effective on January 19th the day before president-elect Obama officially takes office. A copy of the final UIGEA regulations and the PPA’s response can be found on our Web site.

I am sure that you share my outrage over this last-minute "midnight rulemaking," but I have not lost my drive to correct this injustice and I call on you to join me and the million strong PPA to help continue our fight. In fact, the Politico Newspaper reports on 11/12 that Congressional leaders are already plotting legislation for next year that will undermine the White House's "midnight" regulations. We must make sure that UIGEA is part of this regulation reversal.

There are 4 things you should do to respond to the government's actions:

1. Call your Member of Congress and let him or her know how disappointed you are by the lame duck administration's implementation of UIGEA and subsequent erosion of your personal freedom.

2. Send an email to the Obama Transition team and tell President-elect Obama that once in office he should immediately turn back the UIGEA and other "midnight rules" issued by President Bush.

3. Help the PPA help you. Become a Premium Member of PPA if you are not already. For only $20 you help us be effective advocates for poker and your membership put us in a strong position to defend your rights. If you are already a Premium PPA member please consider making an additional contribution to our fight.

4. Forward this to your friends and stay updated on the latest developments regarding the UIGEA regulations.

This is not the time to bow our heads in defeat; rather we must continue our efforts with renewed vigor.

Thank you for your support and dedication to protecting the game we love.

Proud to play,
Alfonse D'Amato, Chairman
Poker Players Alliance

Word Variations from the Poker Table... Pork Chop

Pronounced Poke-Chop typically with a high vocal inflection on the "poke" ... yes, sometimes it is actually food that we consume at the table but in most cases... especially at the Juice's game... it means that your flopped-nut hand, you remember, right? When you pushed all your chips into the middle just got derailed by Elvie who was drawing to the fourth nut low and went runner/runner 5-high flush to scoop the pot and take all your chippies.

Poke-Chop!

Please feel free to share other words that you feel would fit into this category...

Let the suck-outs begin!

PPA Call To Action - Gov't Trying to Slip More Legislation Through Under the Radar!

Dear PPA Members & TPJ Members,

Just one week after a historic election the Poker Players Alliance is pitted in a fight to keep anti-Internet poker regulations from being enacted and we NEED YOUR HELP!

The current Administration is hastily finalizing a number of “midnight rules” before they leave office and the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) is on the list. See the 11/06 story in Dow Jones. Just like UIGEA was snuck into legislation in the dark of night in 2006, our opponents are again trying an 11th hour sneak job. We need you to help us expose and stop this reckless rulemaking.

Please call the U.S. Federal Reserve and tell them not to approve the UIGEA regulations -- Consumer Complaints, 888-851-1920 or Public Affairs, 202-452-2955.

Tell them:
-----The federal agencies responsible for our nation’s economy should not be focused on Internet poker regulations.
-----Finalization of the UIGEA rules will add additional burdens on our already crippled financial systems.
-----Internet poker is a game of skill and form of recreation for millions of Americans; it should be exempted from the UIGEA.
-----Please do not finalize the UIGEA regulations until their impact on our banking systems and average Americans has been fully studied.

Tell us how the call went by clicking here.

Your call will make a huge difference and will add the public’s voice to these last minute policy decisions our government is poised to make. We can’t stand idly by while they make decisions that will impact our right to play America’s card game. PLEASE CALL TODAY!

Proud to play,
Alfonse D’Amato,
Chairman
Poker Players Alliance

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Rick's Laws of Omaha --- Law #2

Law #2 - If you flop the nuts, you are about to lose a lot of money.
Boy is this a fact. The chances of two bricks coming are about the same as Jessica Alba and Scarlett Johansson showing up at my door offering to pay me to complete their fantasy threesome. Hang on a sec; I think I hear the doorbell…



Boy, did Akash see this one coming....


Akash's hand...






Junior's hand...

The game is our usual $5/$10 No Limit Omaha 8 and there's the usual straddle to $25 and everyone at the table is playing...


Akash is in early position and here comes the flop...












Akash leads out with a $150 bet and it folds around to Junior... who just smooth calls with the top boat.


When the turn hits:











Akash bets $500 and Junior immediately pushes all in... Akash likes, enjoys playing games with exposing his cards and shows Junior the 3d and the 7d - And Junior says... "NO LOW - GIVE ME A NINE!" Akash immediately announces... "You've got ONE OUT!" and turns over the quad fivers... the normally boisterous, loud... Junior went speechless for a moment when he realized that he was truly drawing to one out --- the case 10. He glanced down at his chips when he realized they were probably going away and probably thought for a moment, "thank god I've got him covered, I'll have a little left!" You see Akash had another $1400 or so on top of the $500 bet and I am certain that as Junior was trying to work some moisture back into his mouth and throat from realizing that he was almost drawing dead... what a mis-read!


And then, there it was... the great poker equalizer! Dumb, stupid, no explanation for it... luck... yeppirs... Mikey flips the river...












The table exploded in noise, laughter and shouting... ye olde one outer! Akash having put approximately $2500 or so of his chips into the pot when he was way, way... did I say "way" ahead... slowly began double-counting the chips to see if he had any left... nope, Junior had him covered! And Junior fulfilled the common truth that we have all discovered in this crazy game of Omaha 8.... a little something that we call... "behind, behind... NUTS!"


Yep... you're behind on the flop, behind on the turn... and NUTS on the river!


Let the suck outs begin!

Rick's Laws of Omaha *** RE-POST ***

Everyone knows Murphy’s Law. Though I’ve seen it worded in several different ways, the basic adage states that “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” Most card players, especially those who play Omaha, will tell you that Murphy was an optimist. With the spirit of Edward Murphy in mind, I submit my own Laws of Omaha:


Law #1 - Don’t bet without the nuts.
The phrase should be tattooed into the forearms of all Omaha players as a constant reminder. This law becomes painfully obvious to anyone who has played the game for more than, oh, ten minutes. Luckily for my creditors, it remains the most widely-broken law in the game.


Law #2 - If you flop the nuts, you are about to lose a lot of money.
Boy is this a fact. The chances of two bricks coming are about the same as Jessica Alba and Scarlett Johansson showing up at my door offering to pay me to complete their fantasy threesome. Hang on a sec; I think I hear the doorbell…


Law #3 - If you turn the nuts, you’re probably drawing dead.
Okay, I’m back (damned Mormons!). If you happen to get lucky and hit your card on the turn, you’ll save money in the long run by just tossing your hand directly into the muck.


Law #4 - Don’t even think about bluffing.
Sheriff Buford T. Justice from the great state of Texas might say “Oh, you can think about it, but dooooon’t do it.” I say don’t even think about it. Most Omaha players, by nature, are not capable of laying down a hand. If you bet your busted flush draw, I guarantee someone will call $300 hoping his “live seven” is good for low, and will scoop the high also with his pocket nines.


Law #5 - If you have the nuts on the river, congratulations – you’re about to get quartered.
While this law is most often associated with the nut low, it’s also applicable to boats and straights as well. A good rule of thumb: If you have it, so does someone else.


Law #6 - If you flop a straight or flush, the turn will pair the board.
Every $!#*& time….every time…


Law #7 - If you flop top set, the turn card will complete a straight, flush, or both.
Every time. The last time I flopped top set and actually had it hold up, Alaska and Hawaii were still territories.


Law #7a – If you flop top set and the turn pairs the board, you’re about to lose a big pot to quads.
You’ve been waiting patiently all night, you’ve finally got the top boat, and players are actually giving you action! You think you’re “walking the dog,” but trust me, the dog is walking you. That idiot who just called your large flop bet with bottom set is about to take your entire stack.


Law #8 – If you flop nut low draw, the turn and river will be face cards.
Guaranteed. You have A-2-3-6 with a flop of 4-5-10, and you make the rookie mistake of liking your hand. Well, my friend, prepare to be confronted with more paint than at a Sherwin-Williams superstore, making you wonder who slipped in the pinochle deck when you weren’t looking.


Law #9 - If you happen to hit your straight or flush card on the turn, there is a 100% chance the board will pair on the river (see Law #3).
In my opinion there is no sicker feeling than, after a night of being sucked out on time and time again, finally hitting a turn card yourself, only to have the #$^%* dealer immediately afterwards turn up someone else’s nut card. As I like to say: “One good turn deserves a river.”


Law #10 - If you flop middle set, you’re drawing to one out.
And if you’ve been paying attention, this is a good thing (see law #7a) – you’re a lock!


Law #11 – If you hold A-2, you will flop two-pair.
This is a certainty. Once the flop comes, your once-promising low hand becomes trash, and your now-crappy high hand has less chance of winning than Pauly Shore at the Oscars.


Law #12 – If you hit your card on the river, you can’t get sucked out on.
While this law universally applies to all poker games, it especially holds true in Omaha. Several times each session I hear a player beg the dealer to “flop him the nuts.” I usually say “Give him his wish, flop him the nuts but river me the nuts!”


Law #13 - Your draw to the non-nuts will always get there, and will always cost you money.
Tell me if this sounds familiar...you've got A-3 and a king-high spade draw. The flop is 7-8-Q with two spades, and as the 4s comes up on the turn, you think to yourself "Hey, good card for me, I might now have a scooper!" Well, you're probably half right. Someone has a scooper, it's just not you. He moves all-in, and even though you know in your gut you're dead, you somehow convince yourself that "I've got to be good for half the pot." That stack of chips you've spent all night building is about to go bye-bye.


By following these basic guidelines, you will soon find yourself getting much more enjoyment out of your Omaha game. To recap, avoid betting whenever possible – you will probably never see those chips again. Fold often, especially to a bet by me (remember, I only bet the nuts and I never bluff…). Lastly, try your best not to have anything until the river; then at least you’ll have a chance to win half the pot….

See ya at the tables!
Rick

The Other Big Hand was with Eli

One of the most difficult things in Omaha 8 is to have a big hand and have someone else have a hand with which they are willing to risk all their chippies... This wasn't long after the previous hand that I just blogged with Bart and Eli... and when Eli busted out of that hand, he re-bought for $5k. I'm the big blind and have these cards:









As always, in this game of $5/$10 Omaha 8 No Limit, there's a pre-flop straddle to $25 and I'm fairly certain that there was some sort of small raise. There's approximately $300ish in the pot. So, here somes the flop.






Not a bad flop, but if I bet, everyone folds so I want to try to let someone hit something or maybe even pocket sixes get a little wild and crazy. But unfortunately for me, it checks around the table to the button. The turn card:





Now I'm hoping that someone has pocket sixes or six/Jack and maybe even Jack/Jack... how sweet would that be! So I lead out with about $300 bet on the turn. The table folds to Eli who smooth calls. I really liked the Jack, but now if someone is holding pocket Jacks, they still have one out and at this table, they could even be drawing to a straight flush so we're off to the races.

The river:

I lead out with a $500 bet and Eli raises it to $1000. I re-raise all in and he struggles with it for a while but eventually makes the call. I thought that he would fold with 2 set of potential quads on the board, he had turned Jacks full.

Eli...

And I scoop another very nice pot. This, of course, is driving Rick and Bart crazy. You see, these are the hands that they normally catch.

Let the suck outs begin!

Big Hand with Bart...

It was a really good night for me last night at the Juice's game even though the Juice wasn't there... How does that happen? He came in for a couple of minutes last night and announced that he was going out of town today to which I responded so "you're trying to save some money since you're traveling and you're not going to play, is that it?"

At any rate, we had an action table so I didn't mind as much... tonight's case includes me in seat #1 and the following folks around the table, Rick, Bart, Elvie, Akash, Junior and Eli. I think that everyone was there for the long haul. Bart was the first one to leave and he didn't leave till around 3 or so... I went down early when I made a pot sized bet after flopping top set (jacks) only to have Rick run me down with a big wrap and a flush draw.

I had 2 really big hands last night, the first one again Bart. I know this is one of my many poker short-comings but if a guy pisses me off once or twice, it is likely I'll call his big bet when I'm just drawing. Rick has known this all along and thoroughly abused me with it... LOL. Dave would like to think that he takes advantage of it as well, but he just isn't capable. So last night, Bart does the old "what are you calling me with" a couple of times early on to a couple of guys at the table and I don't really remember the betting sequence, but the flop was something like....







My hand...





I'm not certain who bet first, but with about $300 or so in the pot, Bart moves all in with about $2,000 or so in front of him. Eli quickly calls for less and I don't really remember what caused me to make the call, but I did... now had this happened against Rick, it would have gone runner/runner Aces and I would have gotten nothing.... but as fate would have it, Rick folded.

As is the custom at this table, Bart flips his cards up and he has pocket Kings with second set... Eli turned his up as well and amazingly no one was on the flush draw. And I don't even remember Eli's hand, but I really liked the turn.

The turn...





Now I'm free-rolling for at least half the pot and guess what came on the river!

The river...

Sweet! The nut low and a straight and I scoop about a $6K pot... Bart was never the quite the same which is always a good thing.

Let the suck outs begin!