joe

WILL POKER PLAYERS SWAY THE ELECTION?

Vote Here Sign SThe Poker Players Alliance (PPA) is one of the game’s key lobby groups in the United States, having campaigned for several years for the rights of the country’s several million poker players to play the game they love without committing a criminal office.

This week the PPA published the results of its survey of poker players’ voting intentions ahead of this year’s elections. Thousands of PPA members completed the survey which created some interesting results, results which could be politically significant in November.

As you can read on the PPA website, 31 per cent of those questioned were registered Democrats, 31 per cent were registered Republicans while 38 per cent were Independent, Libertarian or Undeclared.

Will this make poker players pivotal to the election? The PPA certainly hopes so, pointing out that both major parties are fighting for the vote of those not affiliated with either the Republicans or Democrats and that 90 per cent of poker players (according to the survey) intend to vote in the elections.

Not only that but 75 per cent of respondents indicated that their vote for Congress and the Senate would be determined by their local candidate’s position on legalized online poker.

For that there’s the Congressional Ratings Site giving details of all elected representatives in the US. Will the voice of millions of American poker players make a difference? Results in November may tell.

joe

BIT PART FOR POKER AUTHORS IN KEY RULING

Frustrated Writer SmallThey were instrumental in introducing poker to thousands of players, even before the internet changed the game forever. Now it seems three of poker’s most esteemed authors have played a not insignificant part in one of the most important legal rulings in the game’s history.

Earlier this month Senior US District Judge Jack B Weinstein dismissed an indictment against Lawrence DiCristina who was charged with operating an illegal poker game, in violation of the Illegal Gambling Business Act of 1955.

The defence argued that poker was in fact a game of skill, backed by the findings of Dr Randall Heeb, and therefore exempt from the bill. Judge Weinstein agreed.

The 120 page ruling, which makes for compelling reading, presents the entire case, including the welcome case that skill plays a key part in the amount of money won or lost in a poker hand. Emphasising key points, it also refers to excerpts of three books which have become classics of the poker cannon, those of Anthony Holden, Jim McManus, and Al Alvarez.

Bigger Deal: A Year Inside the Poker Boom in which Holden, President of the IFP, recounts his year on the poker circuit amid the online poker boom, was referenced in part to explain just how significant internet poker had become by 2006. That year some 44,500 players took part in that summer’s World Series of Poker.

In Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker, McManus, an IFP Ambassador, added a further layer of legitimacy to the case, describing how past presidents, politicians and public figures have been poker players – far from the seedy underworld of illegal gambling.

There was also reference to Al Alvarez’s 1983 masterpiece The Biggest Game in Town, in which Alvarez described how poker players bet on their own skills, in contrast to sports bettors who put their faith in the skill of others.

The document is well worth the read, if not for the legal jargon then the simple fact that it has a happy ending. Judge Weinstein’s ruling could prove to be a turning point in the game. If that proves true the likes of Holden, McManus and Alvarez will have played a small but crucial part.

joe

INDIA’S POKER LAW GETS COMPLICATED

India Flag SThe situation regarding online poker in India sparked confusion this week. A Delhi court ruled that online betting is an offence in India and a website allowing people to play poker involving money cannot be given protection under the constitution.

The ruling effectively means that, while poker is considered a game of skill in India, it is illegal to play it.

District Judge Ina Malhotra made it clear in an order released this week that even skill games cannot be held to be legal and banks can refuse to provide their normal service to companies offering such games.

The courts verdict came following a petition made by an internet start-up company founded by an Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi alumnus, along with others, proposing to launch a website offering games including chess and poker, as well as other “games of skill.” The company sought the opinion of the court to ensure they did not violate any laws.

The news was not good. The court ruled that online games such as these were “illegal.”

“So, while betting or playing for money among players on a game of golf, chess, bridge or billiards may be permitted, they cannot be considered legal if operated by a gaming house,” the court said.

Read the full article on the Daily News website.

joe

WSOPE ACTION HEADLINES THE WEEK’S NEWS

Cannes

Cannes

The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) dominated the week’s live poker action in the south of France, with five of seven of the Series’ events now complete.

While Ben Manbett won the WPT Borgata Poker Open in the United States, across the Atlantic the WSOP action started in historic fashion, Imed Ben Mahmoud becoming the first Tunisian in WSOP history to win a gold bracelet. Mahmoud topped a field of 227 in Event #1, the €2,700 six-handed no-limit hold’em event, beating Frenchman Yannick Bonnet from France. Roberto Romanello narrowly missed out on a Triple Crown, finishing in fifth. Romanello already has WPT and EPT titles.

There was nothing new about the winner of Event #2, with Antonio Esfandiari earning his third gold bracelet in the €1,000 no-limit hold’em. Esfandiari defeated Remi Bollengier heads-up, topping a field of 626 players.

Roger Hairabedian took honours for France in Event #3, the €5,300 pot-limit Omaha event. It’s Hairabedian’s ninth career title bit first WSOP bracelet, defeating Ville Mattila heads-up. Michael Mizrachi finished in third place while former main event winner Joe Hachem finished sixth. Jason Mercier finished ninth.

There was more success for France in Event #4, the €3,250 no-limit hold’em shootout won, by Giovanni Rosadoni. In Event #6 Francisco Da Costa became the first Portuguese player to win gold in the €1,650 six-handed pot-limit Omaha. The 36-year-old beat Ana Marquez heads up, much to the delight of his countrymen.

It leaves two events to play. Event #5, the €10,450 Mixed Max no-limit hold’em, comes to an end on Monday after the final heads-up phase. Brandon Cantu and Jonathan Aguilar will play for the title. The main event of the WSOPE plays on this week with the final table to take place on Thursday.

joe

POKER IN THE PHILIPPINES

Philippines Map SmallThe Philippines is not exactly considered one of live poker’s hotbeds, at least not yet. But an article on the PhilStar.com website sets out how poker is becoming more and more popular across the country thanks in many ways to one man’s efforts to establish the Philippines Poker Tour (PPT).

Jojo Allado was a lawyer working at the Department of Justice when he caught the poker bug, starting with play money before undergoing a tough apprenticeship in his local card room where he gradually stopped losing and starting winning, and against tough opposition.

But his love of the game went further than playing. As he described it, he had a brainwave.

His plan was to organize the owners of various card rooms around the country and form the new poker tour. The plan worked. Now the PPT is made up of ten monthly championships, mainly in the capital Manila but also in more and more of the country’s other major cities. The result has been a new and successful tour for poker players across the region, and one that may create a promising future for the game across the Philippines.