Poker News

Poker Site Haiti Donations Top $2m

Currently PokerStars players have donated $670,000 with five days left to participate while Full Tilt is up to $307,721 and still taking donations.

Both rooms will match the amount their players donate meaning more than $1.9 million from just those two rooms alone will be going toward relief efforts in Haiti.

The smaller rooms are getting in on the cause as well with Absolute Poker and UB Poker hosting a $5 rebuy event that drew 717 players last week.

Cake Poker and RedKings Poker will also be taking donations in their lobbies all this week. Bodog founder Calvin Ayre has committed to matching up to $1 million of the donations made to the cause.

The Poker Players Alliance publicly commended the online rooms' efforts.

“Like the rest of the world, the poker community is eager to do anything it can to aid Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake,” said PPA chairman Alfonse D’Amato.

“I applaud PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Cake Poker for providing poker players across the globe an easy way to make a contribution.”

The PPA estimated that over 50,000 players had donated with proceeds going to organizations like the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders or UNICEF.

Haitians are still dealing with the catastrophic effects of a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Jan. 12. More than 150,000 people have been reported dead and millions are homeless.

Players can still make donations with most of the major online poker rooms until Jan. 31.

Online Poker Community Donates $1.5 Million to Haiti Earthquake Survivors

The online poker community has raised $1.5 million for victims of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that rocked Haiti earlier this month, according to a press release distributed by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA).

Full Tilt Poker saw 22,785 donations come in from concerned members of the industry for total donations of $293,211. In a gracious showing, the world’s second largest online poker site doubled contributions from its patrons for a total donation of $586,423, or over one-third of the figure cited by the PPA. Aid for Haiti play and no-play tournaments were held on Full Tilt Poker and a special user account was created to accept incoming transfers benefiting the relief efforts.

As expected, PPA Chairman Alfonse D’Amato, a former three-term Republican Senator from New York, was elated to see the giving mood of the online poker community. In a press release distributed by the lobbying organization this week, D’Amato commented, “Like the rest of the world, the poker community is eager to do anything it can to aid Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake. I applaud PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Cake Poker for providing poker players across the globe an easy way to make a contribution. The generosity online poker players are showing makes me even more proud to be part of this community.”

PPA Executive Director John Pappas echoed D’Amato’s sentiments in an interview with the online poker forum PocketFives.com, calling the massive effort “a tribute to the generosity of the poker community.” Pappas added that the seven-digit donation mark does not include private contributions made by poker pros and other members of the industry to organizations like the Red Cross and UNICEF, which hit the ground in Haiti shortly after the epic January 12th tremor.

The PPA revealed that 50,000 online poker players have donated a total of $760,000, an average of about $15 each. With online poker sites matching the funds dollar-for-dollar, the total amount generated surpasses $1.5 million. On PokerStars, donations are being accepted until January 31st at Noon ET. No-play Haiti Earthquake Relief tournaments have buy-ins ranging from $1 to $1,000. Text found on PokerStars’ website succinctly explains, “You will not need to play an actual tournament; instead, all of the 'entry fees' go straight to the fund.”

PokerStars, the world’s largest online poker site, also created a special player account called “Haiti Fund.” Users can transfer funds to the account and PokerStars will match all money raised for the relief effort. The website, which has campaigned for a variety of charitable causes like Ante Up for Africa over the years, reminded its clientele, “PokerStars has been quick to facilitate this after previous disasters, and once again it is giving you an easy way to donate cash.”

Meanwhile, Cake Poker, a USA-friendly site that features Lee Jones as its Poker Room Manager, is taking donations until Midnight ET on January 31st. Five “holding tanks” were created for players to donate to the cause in $5, $25, $100, $200, and $500 increments. Past charity efforts by Cake Poker include involvement in the Aces and Angels Celebrity Poker Tournament and Oregon’s West Side Poker Club.

Other sites, including RedKings, UB.com, Absolute Poker, and DoylesRoom held poker tournaments last week to raise money for the cause. On the CEREUS Network, 717 players turned out for a $5 rebuy benefiting earthquake victims. In addition, customers on the Network’s two sites, UB.com and Absolute Poker, can donate their player points in each room’s store. On DoylesRoom, a special Haiti Bounty saw Academy Award nominee Mickey Rourke hit the felts.

A magnitude 5.9 aftershock hit Haiti shortly after and the Red Cross noted that three million people may have been affected. We’d like to salute members of the poker community who donated.

No Decision Handed Down in Kentucky Internet Gambling Case

The Kentucky Supreme Court failed to hand down a decision on Thursday in the case involving the seizure and potential forfeiture of 141 internet gambling domain names.

The list of sites that could be affected includes PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. Officials from the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) and others involved in the case had anticipated a Thursday release of the Kentucky Supreme Court's decision. However, none was passed down as the day came and went.

A press release distributed by iMEGA on Thursday added that the next time the case could be addressed is late March. iMEGA Chairman Joe Brennan told Poker News Daily what his reaction was to no decision being rendered by the Commonwealth's highest court: “Everyone was surprised in Kentucky. The rumor mill thought the decision was going to be rendered. That could have been why their attorneys acted so quickly at the end of December, so if they got an adverse decision, they could keep it alive.”

No dates for releases of court opinions are listed in February. The next date shown for verdicts to be handed down on the Kentucky Supreme Court's calendar is March 18th. Others include April 22nd, May 20th, June 17th, August 26th, September 23rd, October 21st, November 18th, and December 16th. Twenty pages' worth of decisions were handed down on Thursday in the Frankfort court.

Back in October, oral arguments were heard by the six of the seven justices that comprise the Kentucky Supreme Court. In December, two months after the proceedings occurred, attorneys for the Commonwealth filed a motion to add names to its original complaint. Its counsel explained the reasoning behind identifying more defendants two months after oral arguments transpired: “In the course of the litigation and the Commonwealth’s continuing investigation, the Commonwealth has learned the identity of certain entities and individuals involved in internet gambling operations, some of whom are U.S. citizens.”

The motion called for a hearing in front of Judge Thomas Wingate on January 20th. However, because the motion was never acted on by the Kentucky Supreme Court, no such hearing took place. Wingate upheld the initial seizure order as part of a decision rendered in October 2008. The last-second move by Commonwealth attorneys to add names to the record, to some in the industry, indicated that the Kentucky Supreme Court was readying to hand down a verdict. However, those inclinations ultimately proved to be false.

The case centers on whether domain names, which are housed in the depths of cyberspace, constitute “gambling devices” under Kentucky state law. The two-word phrase traditionally refers to physical objects like roulette wheels and slot machines that you'd find in an underground casino. The domains were allegedly seized without due process back in September 2008. Wingate mandated that the affected sites cease taking customers from Kentucky immediately, else risk losing access to their domain name worldwide.

For now, it appears that the future of domain names like FullTiltPoker.com and PokerStars.com will remain up in the air in the Bluegrass State. Also involved in the case is the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the industry's 1.2-million member strong lobbying force. The PPA filed an amicus brief to the Kentucky Supreme Court charging that poker is a game of skill and therefore not gambling under state law.

Original estimates pinned a decision in the Kentucky Supreme Court between three and six months after oral arguments took place, or sometime between January and April. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on the case.

New Jersey Gaming Revenues Fall 13.2% in 2009

According to figures released by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, gaming revenues in Atlantic City dipped 13.2% during the 2009 calendar year compared to 2008. All told, area casinos raked in $3.9 billion.

Revenue derived from slot machines and table games were both hit hard. Funds pulled from the one-armed bandits dropped 13.1% in 2009 to $2.72 billion, while table game revenue fell 13.5% to $1.22 billion. Casino Control Commission Chair Linda Kassekert commented in a press release, “Casinos continued to suffer in 2009. The weak national economy, growing competition across our borders, and the partial ban on smoking in casinos combined to depress gaming revenues.” Officials in New Jersey are eyeing gambling expansion in Pennsylvania and Delaware as additional competitive pressures. In response, New Jersey State Senator Raymond Lesniak recently introduced a bill to allow intrastate internet gambling.

Despite the rapidly increasing competition and shrinking sources of revenue, Kassekert remained optimistic that Atlantic City’s uniqueness would continue to attract visitors to its casinos: “Atlantic City has a lot to offer visitors in addition to gambling. When the economy improves and people have more money to spend on entertainment, Atlantic City will draw more and more people interested in visiting our shops, enjoying a concert, dining in our fine restaurants, and relaxing on our beach.”

During the 2009-2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit schedule, Atlantic City plays host to a pair of events. In December, Harrah’s Atlantic City held a slate of 17 poker tournaments. Its $5,150 buy-in Main Event saw Chris “SLOPPYKLOD” Klodnicki best a field of 195 players to earn $215,000. Heads-up, Klodnicki defeated fellow online poker player Kyle kwob20 Bowker, who pocketed $128,000. The WSOP Circuit returns to the New Jersey city in March for the Caesars Atlantic City festivities. The casino is fresh off awarding a record-setting $553,000 Bad Beat Jackpot to Delaware native Steven Gedney.

New Jersey casinos’ taxable gross revenue in 2009 was $3.7 billion, which meant that gaming establishments paid $295.3 million to the State. The funds, which represent 8% of taxable gross revenue, go directly to the Casino Revenue Fund, which benefits senior citizens and New Jersey residents with disabilities. Casinos also coughed up $49.3 million in reinvestment costs. On that cash outlay, the Commission explained, “They are required to reinvest 1.25 percent of taxable gross revenues in projects approved by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.”

In December, casino revenue slid 9.8% year over year to $272.1 million. Hit hardest during the final month of the decade was Trump Marina, whose revenues plummeted by 25.2% to $10.1 million. The second largest decline was seen at Trump Plaza, where revenues skidded 18.9% year over year to $13.0 million. At the Atlantic City Hilton, the news on casino “win” was equally poor, as revenues dipped 17.3% in December 2009 compared to December 2008 to $11.7 million. Caesars Atlantic City, contrastingly, saw a 4.4% rise in revenue in December.

For the 2009 calendar year, every single casino in Atlantic City posted lower revenue than in 2008. Three locales – Atlantic City Hilton, Trump Marina, and Trump Plaza – saw win dive by 20% or more year over year. Virtually untouched amid the sagging economy was the Borgata, whose revenues of $695.3 million in 2009 trailed its 2008 figures by just 5.9%. Only one other casino’s revenue fell by single-digits year over year, the Trump Taj Mahal. Beginning on Wednesday at the Borgata is its annual Winter Poker Open, which runs through February 5th. The Main Event, which has a $2 million guaranteed prize pool, begins on January 31st.

In Las Vegas, casino gambling revenue rose in November year over year, posting the first monthly gain in nearly two years. In Atlantic City during the same month, revenues slid 13.4% compared to November 2008.

Tribes meet in city to discuss internet poker

Internet Gambling Bill Introduced in New Jersey

Legalized internet gambling and online poker may be coming to New Jersey. State Senator Raymond Lesniak introduced S 3167, which specifically legalizes the internet version of popular brick and mortar games like poker, roulette, baccarat, blackjack, craps, the big six wheel, slot machines, mini baccarat, red dog, pai gow, and sic bo.

Servers and monitoring offices for internet gaming companies created under the bill must be located in Atlantic County, New Jersey. The State is charged with protecting consumers under the bill, which explains that a government division would develop “technical standards for approval of software, computers and other gaming equipment used to conduct internet wagering, including mechanical, electrical or program reliability, security against tampering, the comprehensibility of wagering, and noise and light levels, as it may deem necessary to protect the player from fraud or deception and to insure the integrity of gaming.” Online accounts would only be open to players age 21 or older, mirroring the standards of the brick and mortar casino world.

Online poker is mentioned by name several times, mitigating any doubt that the game may not be legal if Lesniak’s bill were enacted into law. Internet gambling outfits would be subject to a 20% tax paid to the state’s casino revenue fund. An additional tax will see a portion of its proceeds go to the New Jersey Racing Commission “to be used for the benefit of the horse racing, including but not limited to the augmentation of purses.”

The act would take effect immediately upon future Governor Chris Christie signing it into law, setting up a model for intrastate online gaming that other jurisdictions could soon mimic. The New Jersey Casino Control Commission would establish a Division of Internet Wagering to oversee operations and licensing. Permit holders would be required to pay an up-front licensing fee of $200,000, with renewals running $100,000. In addition, operators would be required to fork over a $100,000 non-refundable deposit and $100,000 annual fee that would go towards treating compulsive gambling.

The Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) has been one of the leading forces pushing for legislation in New Jersey. Its Chairman, Joe Brennan, commented in a press release distributed by the trade organization, “We’re happy that New Jersey has taken this issue into their own hands. New Jersey is recognized as having the toughest gaming regulators in the U.S., but as a leading gaming state with a long track record of doing things the right way, internet gambling will have a great home here and the opportunity to begin normalizing the industry.”

Legal online wagering on horse racing is available to New Jersey residents on 4NJBets.com. Those placing wagers must be 18 years of age and have completed a form W9 for tax purposes. An automated phone betting system supplements the website, allowing multiple avenues for New Jersey residents to place wagers on their favorite ponies. Popular New Jersey tracks include Monmouth, Meadowlands, and Freehold.

On a national level, New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez has introduced S 1597, the Internet Poker and Game of Skill Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act. As its name implies, the measure legalizes skill games like online poker in a similar fashion to Congressman Barney Frank’s (D-MA) HR 2267 in the House. S 1597 was introduced in August, but has not yet picked up any co-sponsors. Menendez’s bill defines “skill game” simply as “an Internet-based game in which success is predominantly determined by the skill of the players, including poker, chess, bridge, mah-jong, and backgammon.”

In the meantime, iMEGA anxiously awaits a decision from the Kentucky Supreme Court on the future of 141 internet gambling domain names, including those belonging to PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, that face potential forfeiture. A decision may be handed down as soon as January 21st.

David Carruthers Gets 33 Months Jail Time in BetOnSports Case

In April, former BetOnSports CEO David Carruthers pled guilty to racketeering charges stemming from his operation of the popular online sports book. He faced up to 33 months in prison and a maximum sentence was handed down on Friday.

U.S. District Court Judge Carol E. Jackson sentenced Carruthers on Friday after he was indicted by a grand jury four years ago, according to an article that appeared in Business Week authored by Bloomberg. In court late last week, Carruthers expressed remorse for his actions: “I understand now that the business was operating outside the laws of the United States. I realize I made the biggest mistake of my life. I am sorry for the actions of BetOnSports and the trouble it caused.” The company purportedly raked in over $1 billion in 2004 alone, with Bloomberg noting that a whopping 98% of wagers came from customers in the United States.

Carruthers had been under house arrest in St. Louis since 2006, but found time to get out and stretch his legs as part of the St. Louis Marathon. BetOnSports had been traded in London on the city’s stock exchange and Bloomberg added that Judge Jackson fined BetOnSports $28.2 million. However, the firm owes creditors in the United Kingdom and would likely not be able to make good on the $28.2 million penalty. Attorney Jeffrey Demerath told the financial news outlet, “We won’t be able to pay the $28 million. We have an obligation under the laws of the United Kingdom to pay the creditors first.”

A bevy of guilty pleas were entered in the BetOnSports case. In August, the company’s founder, Gary Kaplan, pled guilty to violating RICO in a Missouri courtroom. Kaplan received more than four years behind bars for his role in the company as well as a $43 million fine, according to the AFP news service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Holtshouser commented in a press release distributed by the U.S. Department of Justice, “The prosecution and conviction of Carruthers is significant to the government's efforts at enforcement of U.S. laws against offshore Internet and telephone sports wagering businesses, because Carruthers was both a foreign national and a top executive of BetOnSports.” Kaplan was arrested in 2007.

In June, Neil Scott Kaplan, Lori Kaplan-Multz, and Penelope Tucker all entered guilty pleas in front of Judge Jackson in the BetOnSports case. Each agreed to hand over money in Swiss bank accounts, but would not face any jail time. Scott Kaplan and Kaplan-Multz also received time in a halfway house. An article that appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch explained why the trio received significantly lighter sentences than Kaplan and Carruthers: “Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Holtshouser said the sentences reflect the minimal roles that Neil Kaplan and Kaplan-Multz played, their lack of decision-making power there, and their willingness to surrender their BetOnSports money.”

The USA-facing online poker site Bodog, founded by Calvin Ayre, continues to accept wagers on sporting events. The site is in the midst of the National Football League (NFL) playoffs, which kicked off over the weekend. Carruthers assumed the head role at BetOnSports in 2004 after joining the company in 2000. Both the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) participated in the investigation of the former CEO. Besides Holtshouser, Steven Muchnick and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Birmingham led the case on behalf of the United States Government.

On Capitol Hill, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) is carrying the flag for explicitly legal online poker in the United States. Financial services industry compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was delayed six months to June 1st. The delay came after a November decision by U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) is championing the cause on the Hill with HR 2267, which establishes a full licensing and regulatory framework for internet gambling outfits to solicit U.S. customers. The measure is up to 63 co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle, but would not permit online sports betting.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from the BetOnSports case.

I Raise You a Cart Full of Groceries by Lee Jones

It was a typical evening of cards at Gil’s house. Gil is the regular host of my local poker game and he does it spectacularly well. The game starts on time and ends on time (for those folks saddled with real j*bs).  He’s got a great sound system and the tunes range from Massive Attack to George Jones; you don’t know what you’re going to hear, but you know it’s going to be good.

It’s $1-$1 No Limit Hold’em with two inviolate rules: (1) no discussing religion and (2) no discussing politics. We all know that such discussions can destroy a perfectly convivial poker game and any time the conversation strays in that direction, people are quick to put a stop to it. The game – the camaraderie – is far too important to threaten when a political debate turns personal.

Anyway, Gil’s game has been running for a few years and it’s not hard to see why. The people are wonderful, generous, and kind to each other. In my short tenure in the game, I’ve become close friends with a number of them; I count myself incredibly fortunate to settle into a chair in Gil’s basement once a week.

I had been up and down throughout the game. I got ahead a couple hundred fairly early, but then gave it back in a poorly played semi-bluff. Then, I managed to win back a couple of pots that got me back up about $100; that’s when the grocery hand broke out.

Tom, on my left, was dealing. A couple of people called the $1 blind. I raised to $4 with pocket eights – I thought it would get me the button and if I hit something, there would be a nice pot to win. Tom folded, as he should have, but I still ended up with three or four opponents. I slid my cards over to Tom so he could sweat along with me. I mean, the flop was coming K-Q-2 and I would be done with the hand anyway.

Tom is one of those dealers who puts the flop out one card at a time. The first card he put on the felt was an eight. So much for the “fold to the first bet” plan.

The bad news was that the next two cards were a nine and a jack. I might already be in trouble and with $300 to $400 stacks in front of many of us, this had the makings of the biggest pot of the night.

Chris, who had defended his blind, fired $26 into the pot. Odd bet – maybe 20% bigger than the pot. Parker, in middle position, called pretty quickly. Wow – things were getting interesting. I had no intention of letting a cheap straight card peel off the turn and I thought that either of them would have checked a flopped straight to me hoping that I’d continuation-bet it. On the other hand, I was not giving any cheap straight-making cards: “Buck and a quarter,” I said.

Chris immediately folded, which fascinated me. I meant to ask him later what he’d made that play with, but now Parker went into the tank. That’s when I noticed that he had only about $140 left in front of him. If he called here, the rest of the money was going in on the turn. It was clear he had a difficult decision; I was 100% sure that I was in front.

“I call,” he sighed. To avoid giving away anything, I looked directly at Parker as Tom put out the turn card. He looked at the card and shrugged. “I’m all-in.” Almost afraid to see what the card was, I glanced at the board. A queen. If Parker had made the call with an open-end straight draw, I now had ten outs. But his all-in was $40 and there was nearly $300 in the pot; behind or not, folding was not in my list of options. “Sure Parker, I call.” I turned up my eights and he winced. He had Q-J and had turned two pair.

The river did not bring Parker’s four-outer or a pot-splitting ten and I scooped an almost $400 pot. The game ended not too long after that and I left with a healthy profit.

I had to stop by the grocery store to get some staples – the weather was warning of a potent snowstorm moving in. As I walked into the nearly deserted store, I saw, near the registers, the barrel for the local food bank. Like so many food banks in our country, their donations are down and requests for assistance are up. People who used to contribute to the food bank are now going to it for groceries.

The donation barrel was empty.

I thought about that and Parker’s $100 call of my raise. My shopping plans changed. The front “kid carrier” part of the cart was all I needed for my items; I decided to fill the rest of the cart with non-perishables: Beans, rice, mac and cheese, powdered milk, healthy cereal, oatmeal, grits, peanut butter, and canned vegetables. This was fun.

I got to the cashier and asked him to ring up the front half of the cart separately for my tax receipt. As the total climbed on the register display and the front half of the cart was emptied, I started to chuckle; when he hit the “Total” key, I laughed out loud – it was $101.64. I had a put a soul-read on a grocery cart full of food.

The cashier and I rolled the cart over to the donation barrel. The last two bags we put in perched above its rim. Parker will be tickled when he reads this – he’ll be proud of where his money went.

I will certainly have the opportunity to make some bad semi-bluffs in Gil’s game in the future and there will be times when those six-outers come in against me. But last night, I turned a flopped set into a cart full of groceries for the Manna Food Bank. That’s +EV right there.

Lee Jones is the Card Room manager of Cake Poker and has been in the online poker business for over six years. He is also the author of “Winning Low Limit Hold’em,” which is still in publication over 15 years since its initial release.

Poker2Nite Welcomes Poker Tournament Director Matt Savage

This week, the UB.com-sponsored poker news franchise “Poker2Nite” welcomed acclaimed tournament director Matt Savage. The creator of the Iron Man tournament and former director of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), Savage assessed the industry entering 2010.

First up on “Poker2Nite,” which airs on Wednesday at 11:00pm ET, was an evaluation of several of the high-stakes world’s top names. On Isildur1, who has been largely absent from the virtual felts of Full Tilt Poker following a run-in with CardRunners instructor Brian Hastings, “Poker2Nite” co-host Scott Huff noted, “He’s won huge amounts for sure, but he’s lost a lot of it back and that, to me, just means it’s on the level.” According to PokerTableRatings.com, Isildur1 is out $2.6 million since November after being up as much as $5 million.

Then, “Phil’s Best Blowups” took center stage. The segment recaps some of the top escapades of UB.com poker pro Phil Hellmuth. This week’s was “an oldie, but a goodie,” as it panned out at the World Poker Tour (WPT) stop at Foxwoods in 2005. Hellmuth explained, in G-rated terms, “This lucky son of a gun hit running sevens on me after starting completely dead and then raised me on the flop with nothing.”

Hellmuth held J-9 against Hoyt Corkins’ J-7 and the flop came nine-high, giving the 11-time WSOP bracelet winner top pair. Hellmuth bet 25,000, Corkins raised it to 70,000 with air, and Hellmuth called. The turn brought a seven, giving Corkins second pair, and the action went check-check. The river was another seven, improving the DoylesRoom pro to trips, and Hellmuth led out for 80,000. Corkins min-raised to 160,000, Hellmuth called, and jumped out of his chair when he saw the bad news. WPT commentator Vince Van Patten observed, “It looks like his pants are on fire.” The odds of Corkins hitting running sevens were 314:1.

Savage succinctly explained the role of a tournament director to Huff and show co-host Joe Sebok: “My job is to keep order in tournaments.” One of his recent creations is the Iron Man format, a no-break tournament with three meals served at the table and a $10,000 seat added to the prize pool. Its first running clocked in at 19 hours and 20 minutes. Savage recalled, “The camaraderie at the table was great. I stayed up for the whole event and will again in February.” Next month, a $2,100 buy-in Iron Man tournament will play out during the annual L.A. Poker Classic.

The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), passed in the final moments of the 2006 Congressional session, led to several of the world’s top online poker sites fleeing the U.S. market. Accordingly, Savage revealed where he’d like to see the game headed as we enter 2010: “We’d like to see the UIGEA overturned and that’d be a big difference for us. We’ve [leveled] a little bit in the U.S., but it’s growing globally.”

A feature on Credit Card Roulette aired featuring former Bodog pro Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo, Isaac Haxton, Stephen “MrTimCaum” O’Dwyer, UB.com’s Adam “Roothlus” Levy, and Scott Seiver, with a $1,500 bill up for grabs. If you’ve never played the game, everyone seated tosses their credit cards into a hat and, one by one, the strips of plastic are drawn. The last person to have their credit card selected foots the bill for the entire meal. This time, Haxton was the poor, unfortunate soul and told “Poker2Nite” cameras, “Defeat is always painful.”

“Poker2Nite” closed with Absolute Poker pro and show correspondent Lacey Jones interviewing Shaun Deeb about his future in poker. Deeb commented, “I expect to take six months to a year, if not longer, to stay away from playing tournaments in general. I decided that, looking at what I was doing, I was spending too much time playing poker [tournaments]. So, I decided to quit them and play cash games with more flexible hours so I can do a lot more things with my time.” Deeb is a former number one player on the PocketFives.com Online Poker Rankings.

Catch “Poker2Nite” every Wednesday at 11:00pm ET on Fox Sports Net.

2009 Poker News Story of the Year

What is the poker news story of the year for 2009? Is it Swedish online poker pro Isildur1 igniting the high-stakes cash game world? Is it the World Poker Tour (WPT) being sold to Party Gaming? Is it something else? Poker News Daily’s staff evaluates the nominees.

In a poll posted on Poker News Daily asking readers to choose which of five news stories was the most important of 2009, an overwhelming majority picked the high-stakes cash game action featuring Isildur1. Others selected Joe Cada becoming the youngest winner of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, while many readers picked the delay of mandatory compliance with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). Also receiving votes were Party Gaming’s purchase of the WPT and the sudden closure of several high-profile poker rooms.

We asked each of our writers to select one option and argue why it is the top poker news story of 2009. Here’s what they had to say. Don’t forget to voice your choice in the poll to the right of this article.

Isildur1 Ignites High-Stakes Poker Scene
By Brett Collson

With the Durrrr Challenge moving at a crawl and the rest of the nosebleed games on Full Tilt Poker lacking in attendance, it appeared that the online high-stakes action was deteriorating in the fall of 2009. That all changed when an unknown Scandinavian with a seemingly bottomless bankroll appeared out of nowhere to take on anyone up to the challenge. Isildur1 shocked the world when he exploded onto the scene in November, recording multi-million dollar wins over Tom "durrrr" Dwan, the man we all perceived to be unbeatable. Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, and many others took notice and sat down with the Swede, resulting in swings that the online poker world had never witnessed before. At one point, Isildur1 had a profit of around $5 million, but after a number of losing sessions and a record-setting match against Brian Hastings, he was stuck nearly $3 million in a matter of weeks. While his masked emergence may have been brief, the mysterious Isildur1 changed the dynamic of high-stakes poker on the internet.

Joe Cada Becomes Youngest WSOP Main Event Champ Ever
By Jessica Welman

While Isildur1’s online run was impressive and the UIGEA delay was important, ask the casual poker fan what happened this year and they’ll likely cite the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table. This year’s November Nine had everything - big names, great stories, broken records, and a lot of suckouts. Fans were surely sad to see Phil Ivey bust in seventh place, but young Joe Cada has proven to be a more than adequate ambassador, as he brought poker to the mainstream media with appearances on the “Late Show with David Letterman,” CNN, “WWE Monday Night Raw,” “ESPN SportsCenter,” and Time Magazine. “The Kid” and his fellow November Niners captured the attention of people who typically didn’t give poker a second thought and took huge strides towards taking the game out of the backrooms, out of cyberspace, and into the spotlight, which no other poker headline was able to achieve in 2009.

WPT Sold to Party Gaming
By Earl Burton

There are several reasons why the sale of the WPT to Party Gaming is the top story of 2009 in poker. The most important reason is that, for the first time in its illustrious history, the WPT is now on a firm financial footing with an organization that can promote it to the fullest. In the future, with Party Gaming’s financial backing, there shouldn’t be problems securing tournament venues or television contracts. With the ability of Party Gaming, through its online poker site PartyPoker, to provide satellites for players to earn their way into events, tournament fields will probably grow in the coming year, potentially even returning to the “glory days” of a few years ago before the UIGEA. These and many other reasons should continue to keep the WPT in the same stratosphere as the WSOP and makes the sale of the WPT to Party Gaming the top story of 2009.

UIGEA Compliance Deadline Delayed
By Dan Cypra

I wonder whether I would even be here right now if the UIGEA regulation compliance date of December 1st had stood. The online poker industry in the United States, which feeds live tournaments around the world, could have potentially come to a screeching halt. Although nobody knows for sure what the real-world implications of the delay will be, the actions by U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke essentially preserved the status quo for another six months until June 1st, 2010. The delay marked the most important legislative development since the UIGEA was passed in 2006 and should be the most important poker news story of the year.

Pitbull Poker/Eurolinx/BetOnBet Closures
By Tom Jenkins

The closures of a handful of notable online poker sites represented a dark chapter of 2009. Pitbull Poker, Eurolinx, and BetOnBet all shut their doors to the general public, with thousands of poker players potentially out money as a result. Given the circumstances surrounding their closures, one can easily see why the very foundation of the online poker world could be disrupted going forward. Players must be able to trust that their money is safe when they deposit online given that very little punishment exists for wrongdoing by poker rooms. The wave of closures may ultimately lead to industry consolidation in 2010 and beyond, making this one of the top news headlines of the 2009 calendar year.

New Defendants in Kentucky Internet Gambling Case Remain Unknown

Following a chain of e-mails sent last week by attorneys for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the names of additional defendants in the state’s legal action against the owners of 141 internet gambling domain names remain a mystery.

In October, the Kentucky Supreme Court heard the case, which pits industry organizations like the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) and the Interactive Gaming Council (IGC) against the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, led by Secretary J. Michael Brown. Despite a ruling by the state’s highest judicial body potentially being handed down any day now, Kentucky attorneys filed a motion to add parties to its complaint last week. How the latest filing will affect the Kentucky Supreme Court’s decision, if at all, remains unknown. The additional parties in question were U.S. citizens and companies engaged in internet gambling.

When lawyers for iMEGA tried to obtain a list of the additional names, counsel for the Commonwealth turned them down. iMEGA Chairman Joe Brennan told Poker News Daily, “They've basically said that they don't recognize our standing. They're just ignoring what happened in the Court of Appeals, which confirmed our standing.” In a chain of e-mails between opposing attorneys available on iMEGA’s website, William Hurt of Kentucky counsel Hurt, Crosbie, and May states, “I do not believe anyone has standing to file a response or motion to strike.”

Brennan lashed out at the State’s attorneys, who are purportedly working on a contingency basis, as part of a press release sent on Monday: “They were counting on a big payday from our members in the form of settlements to get their own property back, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. Since they don’t get one nickel from the state to pursue this, it’s clear that the drive for big money has taken over and any sense of fair play or due process has gone out the window.”

The 141 internet gambling domain names in question include those belonging to online poker giants like PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker. If the Commonwealth of Kentucky were successful, these domains would be inaccessible not just in the southern state, but also around the world. The domains were seized back in September of 2008 on the grounds that they constituted “gambling devices,” a term that traditionally refers to tangible objects like slot machines and roulette wheels that you’d find in an underground casino.

In January, the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled by a two-to-one margin that the Commonwealth did not have jurisdiction to act, setting up an appeal by the State to its Supreme Court. iMEGA attorney Jon Fleischaker noted in an e-mail, “The Court of Appeals ruled that we had standing in this case, and by implication, a right to intervene. I believe the Supreme Court is likely to rule the same thing.” Hurt retorted that the State would “object to anything that you file, but will nonetheless continue to send you notice.”

Brennan told Poker News Daily that Circuit Court judge Thomas Wingate did not act on the motion to add names filed by Kentucky’s attorneys last week and the next day that it can be considered is January 21st. The motion calls for a hearing on January 20th in front of Judge Wingate, although its future appears to be in doubt. Judge Wingate upheld the State’s actions as part of an October 2008 decision.

The Kentucky Supreme Court has given no indication as to when it will hand down a ruling. As it currently stands, the Kentucky Supreme Court does not have any oral arguments scheduled on its calendar until January 13th. However, Brennan expected a decision from the Kentucky Supreme Court to be issued in January.

Vanessa Rousso Appears on E! Network’s Bank of Hollywood

On Monday, E! Network will air the second installment of “Bank of Hollywood,” which kicks off at 9:00pm ET and runs for one hour. The show stars, among others, Team PokerStars Pro member Vanessa Rousso.

Rousso makes up one-fourth of the Power Panel, joining producer Aaron Spelling’s wife, Candy, Pussycat Dolls member Melody Thornton, and Wilhelmina Models founder Sean Patterson. A series of hopefuls appeared in front of the panel asking for money for a specific purpose. If they received a majority vote from the panel, they’d take home the cash. If not, they’d leave with nothing. Rousso wore no PokerStars paraphernalia during the show.

The first hopeful was Robert Terry, who sought $8,750 to represent the United States at the Tap Olympics in Germany. After performing a routine on the “Bank of Hollywood” sound stage, the panel quickly awarded him the requested funds. The next hopefuls were Michael and Stephanie, who requested $75,000 for their dream wedding. Rousso, who recently was hitched to Chad Brown, told the couple, “I too had that whole dream of wanting a nice big wedding. I didn’t have the time to plan it and we ended up eloping. During the eloping process, I learned that the whole big dream thing isn’t necessary” and promptly handed down a negative vote.

Debi Carideo asked for $31,997.50 to fund half of her daughter’s commercial pilot’s license, while coming up with the other half on her own. Rousso admired Carideo’s selflessness, explaining, “Two things are amazing. You offered to pay half of it yourself and you’re asking for someone else and not yourself.” The panel quickly learned that Carideo had been the victim of financial scams twice in her life and ultimately elected to approve her request for just over $30,000. As a caveat, they would write the check directly to a flight school.

Also appearing in front of the “Bank of Hollywood” Power Panel was Cheryl Martin, who wanted $84,000 for a chance to follow Madonna on her next world tour, purportedly giving back to each community along the way. The panel was quite skeptical of her cryptic request, with the PokerStars pro ultimately concluding, “I feel it’s disingenuous and I vote no.”

Timothy Wilcots sought $21,425 to compete in the Miss Gay USA At Large pageant. Rousso inquired as to why traveling to a pageant costs over $20,000, to which Wilcots responded that an evening gown, entry fees, and travel expenses for his team were to blame. Wilcots had been arrested and spent 18 months in jail. Despite the feel-good story, Rousso did not support his request: “I vote yes to you as a person, but I vote no to your request.” The panel agreed and Wilcots walked away disappointed.

Then, “Bank of Hollywood” took an emotional twist, as Spencer Mroz desired $93,750 for a swimming pool in his backyard. Mroz, in a wheelchair, told the panel, “When I’m in a swimming pool, I can actually walk. I can’t walk on land.” Mroz is retraining his body to walk again using aqua therapy and was the victim of a drunk driver. The panel and many in the audience broke into tears during the presentation and Rousso concluded, “If I had the opportunity to make this a great, momentous, positive day, then hell yes.”

Also appearing were Drew Pokorny and Jason Gadino. The latter, a professional balloon artist, wanted $15,000 to travel across the United States to children’s hospitals making balloon animals. Rousso had a rather festive balloon hat on her head and the entire panel gave Gadino the thumbs-up.

“Bank of Hollywood” airs on Monday nights at 9:00pm ET on E! Check your local listings for station and channel information.

Applying Online Poker Skills to One-Week Fantasy Football Leagues

We’re in the midst of the fantasy football playoffs in many leagues and, with some managers not a part of the post-season, the popularity of one-week contests has ballooned. Online poker players, in particular, should be quite successful in these games.

Fantazzle.com has partnered with Poker News Daily to help our readers enter the world of one-week fantasy games and put their online poker skills to the test. Most weekly fantasy sites, in fact, have online draft lobbies that look nearly identical to the ones you’d find on your favorite poker room, showing the maximum capacity and number of players already registered. Familiar buy-ins like $5, $10, and $20 parallel sit and gos nicely, especially as it relates to understanding payouts and rake.

At Fantazzle.com, two different types of one-week fantasy sports leagues exist. The first is a salary cap format whereby each manager receives a set number of dollars with which to buy players. How does this relate to poker, you ask? In poker, you have to be able to spot value and weakness in opponents. In fantasy football, it’s the same way. If Jamaal Charles (RB - Kansas City Chiefs) is going for only $30,000 and plays the Cleveland Browns in Week 15, he might be a better one-time play than DeAngelo Williams (RB – Carolina Panthers), who might have a price three times larger and also has a tougher match-up in the Minnesota Vikings, one of the league’s top run defenses.

In poker, it’s all about spotting value. Knowing when you can profitably make a play at a pot is key, as is mathematically understanding whether a play is in line with expected value. Being able to spot value in tournament registrations, such as overlays, is also extremely important. If a tournament like the Bodog $100,000 Guaranteed has a perennial overlay, knowing this information and then registering for it increases your value in an event. In fantasy drafts, understanding value in the middle and late rounds is especially vital to your success.

Fantasy football is really all about exploiting match-ups. Who plays who typically pre-destines success or failure in a given week. If your fantasy players face off against the likes of Detroit, Oakland, and Seattle, then chances are you’ll be flying high. However, if your quarterbacks are locked down against teams like Pittsburgh, Baltimore, or the New York Giants, then look out. In one-week drafts like those you’ll find on Fantazzle.com, understanding the match-ups and compiling your team accordingly is what determines your relative success. In poker, some of the top players in the world are heads-up specialists, capitalizing on their skill relative to others in order to make a living.

Fantazzle.com has been in business since 2008 and its owner, Ryan Parr, told Poker News Daily, “You will be assigned to a group of people. You don’t have to wait around for others to come.” Unlike a poker sit and go, you won’t have to stand by until a table fills up to play. As soon as it’s game time each week, you’re off to the races. While many fantasy football managers are currently shut out of the playoffs, at Fantazzle.com, everyone is able to participate. Metaphorically, all you need is a chip and a chair.

Online poker sites are all about building credibility. Using names like Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu to sell a site’s viability results in players swarming the online poker room left and right. At Fantazzle.com, the New York Giants’ Steve Smith foots the bill, as the wide receiver is lending his autograph to tournament winners each week. Smith leads the Giants in receiving yards and receptions by a large margin and has found the end zone five times in 2009, tied for the second most on the team.

Visit Fantazzle.com today and put your online poker skills to good use!

Three Ps Approach to Playing a Maniac

You’ve settled into your chair at your favorite poker room or online and are ready to play some world-class, A-game poker. After a short time, however, a player comes to the table who starts to get, for lack of a better term, “crazy.” Pumping up pots with straddle bets, raises from out of position, and other action-garnering devices, the maniac asserts his table presence. To make matters worse, he is winning from players you were taking the chips from with your A-game.

I have seen many players go on tilt from playing against such maniacs and it is easy to see how they fall into that hole. The mindset of some players becomes “I’m going to get that sucker” rather than playing excellent poker and using the game to get the chips. There are three P’s that a player has to learn to be able to prevent from becoming one who spews chips to the maniac.

Position

The first way to have some power over the maniac at the table is to have position. If, for most of the hands, you can have the advantage of having him act before you, you can at the minimum gauge his actions and, when he either shows or goes to showdown, get an idea of the cards he is playing. If he is a true maniac, he is winning with some less than desirable hands, while occasionally showing down a monster.

Having this positional advantage will make it possible, if you have acquired a solid table image, to 3bet and, on some occasions, force him to leave the hand. Be mindful, though, that the maniac player is one who doesn’t fold something unless it is complete junk; you have to be prepared to play your hand, no matter how bad, if you get called on your 3bet bluff.

If you are out of position, you options are limited. You can wait until you have one of the few plays in position to decide to attack but, once again, you are probably going to head to the river. Thus, you are going to have to execute the second of the three P’s.

Power

There are two ways to use power to defeat the table maniac. The first, through a dominance of chips, is pretty easy to execute. Sometimes, the table maniac is there for the quick hit and run, to get a good score, or to make enough to get into a tournament. By having a larger chip stack than the maniac, you can thwart his indiscriminate play by coming over the top of him. After a few timely re-raises - remember, you can’t go overboard or you will just encourage him - the maniac will realize that when you’re in a hand, it is probably best that he doesn’t engage you.

The second method, and the one that most players will try to use to combat the maniac, is through the power of the cards. If a maniac is coming with questionable offerings, coming back at them with strong hole cards - and, yes, making some hands - will either slow him down or eliminate him from the table quickly. Strong hole cards, in this case, are big pocket pairs, A-K, or A-Q.

If you hit your set on the flop or make top pair, then let the maniac drive the car to the turn. If nothing comes there to change your dominant situation, spring upon the maniac with a re-raise and see if he is willing to give you even more of his chips. If he continues on, the opportunity to cripple and/or crush the maniac is yours.

Of course, to get the power cards, you have to execute the final part of the three P’s plan.

Patience

Perhaps this is the most important of the three P’s because you don’t want to become like the maniac himself. If you begin to enter more hands, play loosely, and show weak offerings, then you have set yourself up to be targeted as the maniac. A full exercise of poker skills is necessary to remain patient at the table and let a situation set itself up.

You must have the patience to wait for a strong starting hand to take on the maniac and you must be patient and wait for the time when you are in position. As you see, without the patience factor, the three P’s becomes ineffective.

Some Final Thoughts

Battling a maniac at the poker table can be exhausting work not only for your bankroll, but also for your mentality. It is critical that you don’t fall into the trap of trying to be the one who busts the maniac from the game because this will tremendously affect your play and could cause a significant financial loss. You must stay inside your strengths to be able to engage the maniac fully when the situation is in your favor.

And, finally, who said you have to break the maniac? By not falling into this mental trap of trying to be the table sheriff, you are able to take advantage of the other players at the table who are dropping the level of their game in response to the maniac’s plays. Through a proper usage of the three P’s, you should be able to get the chips from all of your opponents and not jut the maniac.

House Financial Services Committee: Key Issues

FBI Issues Online Poker Findings; PPA Responds

Online poker players tuned into last week’s House Financial Services Committee on internet gambling can recall a letter cited by Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) that claimed online poker games could be compromised.

The memo, dated November 13th and written by FBI Cyber Division Assistant Director Shawn Henry, addresses six questions put forth by Bachus regarding the current state of affairs in the online poker world. The report states, “The technology exists to manipulate online poker games in that it would only take two or three players working in unison to defeat the other players who are not part of the team.” Henry’s analysis speculates as to whether online poker sites would spend the time and money needed to combat these tag team maneuvers: “It really comes down to a cost analysis for the vendor. How much money will I make or lose by detecting cheating and implementing safeguards?”

The letter from Henry then addresses money laundering possibilities in private online poker tournaments before Bachus asked if “qualified personnel” existed to regulate the game should it be legalized. Henry responded, “FBI investigative resources are focused on our highest priorities, that being counterterrirosm, counterintelligence, and cyber threats to critical infrastructure.” No mention of online poker or internet gambling is given in Henry’s response to this question.

Henry questions the age and location verification mechanisms that online poker sites currently have in place. Henry responds, “For age verification, the possession of a credit card is usually the only validation these sites require. Credit card numbers are easily compromised and can be bought by the hundreds on several ‘underground’ websites.” On the question of location verification, Henry asserts, “While geolocation can be accurate when used to determine the physical country of residence, it becomes exponentially less accurate when determining the city or zip code.”

Also discussed in the letter from the FBI Cyber Division official are bots, programs against the Terms of Service of most major sites. In addition, Bachus asks whether U.S. law enforcement officials have had any conversations with their counterparts overseas where internet gambling is regulated about “potential vulnerabilities.” Henry emphatically claims, “The FBI has not engaged in this discussion with our foreign partners.” On casino bot programs manipulating online games, Henry admits, “While casino software could very easily be employed to manipulate games, the FBI has no data in this area.”

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) was quick to point out the pitfalls of Henry’s letter. Its Executive Director, John Pappas, charged, “Every concern the letter raises is better addressed by licensing and regulation than by prohibition. The letter misconstrues much about the current state of online poker, but it does so in a way that clearly makes the case for why federal oversight is necessary. Licensing and regulation is the most protective measure we can take to ensure the online community can be properly monitored while maintaining our internet freedom.”

The PPA added that Congressman Peter King (R-NY), the current Ranking Member and former Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, conveyed that money laundering and terrorism financing were not taking place through internet gambling. The PPA explains that online poker sites use credit databases to address age and location and that the Department of Justice has never found evidence that organized crime benefited from internet gambling. In total, the lobbying group notes, “In defense of Mr. Henry’s letter, it is intended to address the status quo, not the internet poker landscape under HR 2267.”

Age verification was one of the many issues discussed at last week’s hearing, which focused on HR 2267. The bill, proposed by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) crafts a complete licensing and regulatory framework for the internet gambling industry in the United States.

Barack Obama Poker Article Appears on Cover of National Journal

Since the inception of the game, poker has often been invoked as a metaphor for other parts of life.  Similarities have been drawn between poker and business, poker and relationships and, most recently, poker and politics.  The latest article to draw comparisons between government and gaming was recently published as the cover story of the National Journal.  The feature piece examines President Barack Obama’s tenure in office and draws comparisons between his political decisions and his poker game.

National Journal is a 40-year old weekly publication that covers the U.S. national political scene and emerging trends in policy.  The magazine is primarily read by the Washington political sect who, thanks to author Will Englund, now have some new insight on how President Obama’s style of poker play may be influencing his policy decisions.

Englund’s feature-length piece begins with his view on how poker imitates life.  In his words, “If there is a single game that comes closest to recapitulating modern existence – that both mimics and informs the logic of a cluttered, challenging, bewilderingly complicated, less-than-all-knowing, partially comprehensible human society – it is poker.”  As Englund notes, Obama is not just a metaphorical poker player, he is also an avid fan.  Fellow politicians and card sharks have referred to his playing style as cautious, patient and, oddly enough, conservative.  In other words, our President is a bit of a nit.

The article offers insight from both poker author James McManus, whose books include “Positively Fifth Street” and the recently released “Cowboys Full: The Story of Poker,” as well as Harvard Law School Professor Charles Nesson.  Nesson is also the founder of the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society, a Harvard student group designed to promote how poker’s strategic thinking that may be applicable to other avenues of life.

In the National Journal piece, both Nesson and McManus described Obama’s style of play as traditional and Englund cites the game of Stud, in which players have ostensibly more control over each street of play, as the type of game in which the President would excel.  His work on public health insurance is used as an example of President Obama’s conservative and cautious style as well as his ability to keep his holdings close to his chest and not let the opposition know exactly what he is planning.

The analysis of Obama as a poker player also includes a discussion of botched bets and misplayed hands and offers some predictions about the type of strategic decision-making the President has in store for the future: “Look for Obama to stick with Stud, where memory and insight and experience and calculation rule the table.”

On the whole, the article praises the game of poker as a way to sharpen critical thinking skills.  Nesson speaks to the game’s practical application in politics, business, and day-to-day interactions.  The piece also traces the long and storied presence of poker in American politics.  Former President Richard Nixon was known to have funded his early political campaigns with poker winnings and several game theorists have served as political consultants over the course of U.S. history.  More recently Obama and several other politicians have openly admitted their fondness for the game.  Another example of a politician and poker enthusiast is former Senator Alfonse D’Amato, who now serves as the Chairman of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA).

The article is currently on the Journal’s official website, but it is only available to subscribers of the magazine.

Becker Getting Better With Each Stroke

And while his teaming with PokerStars was widely criticized for being more of a publicity stunt than a legitimate move into the poker world when he first sat down to play at the European Poker Tour’s Grand Final in Monte Carlo in 2008, it’s obvious now he’s taking the game seriously.

“I have a better feel for the game and understanding at the table,” Becker told PokerListings at EPT Prague. “It naturally comes with the territory. The more you play, the better you get and I think I’m much better than I was last year.”

Becker fizzled out fast in that first appearance on the felt, but did manage a final table finish at a €500 side event in Monte Carlo that year.

However, his first real sniff at poker success came at the $25,000 WPT Championship in April of this year when he made the money finishing 40^th for $40,855.

While he’s enlisted the aid of several Team PokerStars Pros to help him learn the intricacies of the game, there are certain things the former World No. 1 tennis player and six-time Grand Slam champion already brought to the table.

“The mental game is very similar to tennis,” he explained. “You shouldn’t be afraid of big table or the big stage. For me it’s more about learning the details of the game, not so much about overcoming a fear of being on a big table or playing for a lot of money. That’s not something I worry about. It’s more about understanding the game better.”

Learning the game is one thing - having a passion for it another. But if there were ever any doubts Becker has a love for poker, one need only look inside his London home.

This past summer, Becker moved into a $9 million shrine to the game that brought him worldwide recognition.

The seven-bedroom home sits about 100 steps from Centre Court at Wimbledon, where Becker rose to tennis prominence winning the game’s most coveted title at age 17.

Wimbledon’s indoor practice courts are visible from the yard, but tennis isn’t the only game being played there.

Becker has built a room dedicated to poker inside, complete with a classic table, plush chairs and enough chips to get a serious game going.

“It’s really coming along,” he said. “My wife is a great player and we have many games together with friends. It’s nice because we are at home and it’s a bit more of a relaxed atmosphere. We have a lot of fun and some pretty good cash games there too.”

Becker’s home games are played mostly for fun, but with EPT founder John Duthie and fellow German Team PokerStars Pros Sandra Naujoks, Sebastian Ruthenberg and Florian Langmann having already stopped by to play, he’s been able to pick up a few tricks along the way.

Becker and his wife Lilly Kerssenberg are expecting a baby this February, but the New Year has even more for him to be excited about.

For the past two years, illness has kept Becker from playing the EPT’s annual trek to Germany.

But this year, with rumors the tour will be stopping in Berlin in March instead of Dortmund, he’s hoping to have the chance to show his native country a little bit of what he’s learned.

“I really hope to be willing and able to play,” he said. “I want to show the German fans that there is more to Boris Becker than tennis.”

Becker busted from EPT Prague before the money bubble burst, but the event continues with just 24 players left and Israeli Eyal Avitan holding a massive chip lead. For comprehensive coverage click through to PokerListings' Live Updates.

Poker Industry Reacts to House Financial Services Committee Hearing

On Thursday, the House Financial Services Committee, Chaired by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), hosted a hearing on two internet gambling bills. Twenty-four hours later, the online poker industry has had a chance to respond.

In one portion of Thursday’s hearing, Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) referenced a letter he received from the FBI noting that the integrity of online poker games could be compromised. On the letter sent by Shawn Henry, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) retorted, “The PPA takes issue with certain representations made by Mr. Henry, but believes that the larger point is the more important one: Mr. Henry’s letter makes a compelling case for licensing and regulation of internet poker as proposed in HR 2267.” Bachus is the Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee and a staunch opponent of internet gambling interests.

Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI) spokesperson Michael Waxman gave Poker News Daily his two cents on the 90-minute long hearing that took place on Thursday morning in one of Congress’ most powerful committees: “The hearing and witness testimony clearly portrayed why Congress should scrap an unrealistic attempt to ban internet gambling and regulate the burgeoning underground marketplace since it is the only effective way to protect consumers.” Witnesses covered the gamut, ranging from the banking industry to problem gambling interests.

Early on in the proceedings, Bachus questioned Frank as to why no representatives from the U.S. Treasury or Federal Reserve were present at the hearing. Frank responded that he had not received any such request. However, the Committee’s Chairman later recanted his statement after producing an e-mail dated 40 hours before the hearing began from Bachus’ staff calling for the Treasury or Fed to be present. The awkward exchange ultimately led to agreement that an additional hearing should take place featuring members of the two government organizations, setting up more debate on the internet gambling issue in 2010. The Treasury and Fed granted a six-month delay in compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).

On the proceedings, Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) Chairman Joe Brennan told Poker News Daily, “It’s good to see that the ball is rolling again. The trick is going to be if things are sustained beyond the hearing. The industry has this pace of getting a public hearing every six months, but there seems to be little follow-up. Seeing that the minority wanted to hear from the Treasury and Fed, it may be the opposition who keeps the ball rolling.” No hearing has been scheduled, although PPA Executive Director John Pappas expected swift movement to mark up HR 2267.

Bachus’ generalizations about millions of young Americans becoming addicted to online gaming if legalization were to occur rubbed many in the industry the wrong way. On some of the claims made by the high-ranking Alabama Congressman, PocketFives.com poster “RI Tony” commented, “This Bachus guy is a classic example of why I hate politicians. There would be no way to change this guy’s mind. He’s simple minded and arrogant, thinking he can legislate morality. Oh yeah, and like I’m going to play poker on my Blackberry as I’m driving or waiting in line at the supermarket as he suggested people would. Idiot.” Online sites like Cake Poker already offer a mobile client.

Bachus asserted, “If Congress repeals the law, online casinos will proliferate. In the next five years, I feel that if [we] are successful in creating a federal right to gamble on the internet, we will create a generation of millions of Americans who from their youth will be addicted to internet gambling and, therefore, life-long problem gamblers.” Frank labeled Bachus’ comments “hyperbole” and “based on no factual basis whatsoever.”

In June of 2008 during a separate committee hearing, Bachus relayed a study from McGill University claiming that one-third of college students who gambled on the internet attempted suicide. In fact, no such study had ever taken place. A representative for the university quipped, “I am confident the Congressman doesn’t read research – he could not misinterpret this.”

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest from Capitol Hill.

Poker2Nite Recaps UIGEA Compliance Delay

The six-month delay in compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was featured on Wednesday night’s episode of the UB-sponsored poker news show Poker2Nite.

The series, hosted by PokerRoad’s Joe Sebok and Scott Huff, opened with a discussion of the reprieve until June 1st, with the former explaining, “I don’t think we should start lying to ourselves and telling ourselves that all of the sites are going to start popping up. All this did is maintain the status quo.” Huff added, “The only way this was going to occur was if the message was being heard by more and more people.” Horse racing interests, members of Congress, and banking associations joined forces with the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) to petition U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for a delay, which was granted last week.

A trip to a poker home game in Los Angeles revealed that few people understood what the PPA or UIGEA were. The segment served as a lead-in to an appearance via Skype by PPA Executive Director John Pappas, who told Huff and Sebok, “It gives us six months to work with Congress to try to clarify the law so it won’t affect people who want to play poker in the internet… What we’ve done is put the onus back on Congress. We’ll be pushing Congress to move quickly.” He ardently told Poker2Nite viewers who question the legality of online poker, “There is no Federal law that says playing online poker is illegal.”

Dana Workman’s “Weekly Misdeal” came with a sponsorship from Bluff Magazine this week. Her satirical news segment focused on the arrests of 75 to 85 year-old women in Cypress for playing poker as well as a new Irishman signing with PokerStars. She also took a shot at California State Senator Margarita Prentice, who is considering proposing a new video keno bill after serving as a major proponent of a law that made playing online poker in the Northwest state a Class C felony. Finally, Workman recapped the ESPN: The Magazine Body Issue featuring four nude poker players, including UB.com’s Phil Hellmuth.

A new segment called “All in Blind” featured six topics sealed in white envelopes. Both Sebok and Huff had no idea what they were and the duo selected three to discuss. Up for debate first was whether 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event runner-up Darvin Moon’s appearance on ESPN’s Monday Night Football or the 16-0 New England Patriots team was better. Huff chose Moon because “he actually got something,” while Sebok selected the Pats because “they got a little bit of history.” The Patriots lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII.

The second topic discussed on the Poker2Nite “All in Blind” segment was innerpsy’s short-lived online poker record of 40,088 hands played in a 24-hour period. Finally, Huff and Sebok debated whether they preferred James McManus’ poker history tale “Cowboys Full” or Doyle Brunson’s new autobiography “The Godfather of Poker.” Huff resoundingly selected McManus: “The New York Times says it’s good, so it’s good enough for me.” Contrastingly, Sebok emphatically chose Brunson, the figurehead for the poker industry..

Finally, the Poker2Nite Dictionary came to life. The show’s hosts discussed the meaning of “stacks ‘em off,” which translates to “to bust someone, or knock them out,” and “button,” which originally used to be called the “buck.” Huff claimed that phrases like “Pass the buck” President Harry Truman’s “The buck stops here” originated in poker.

Poker2Nite’s air time varies by market, but according to UB.com, the series begins at 11:00pm ET each Wednesday. When Poker News Daily caught the show, it was scheduled for 1:00am ET. Repeats are available on Fox Sports Net on Thursdays at 4:00pm ET and Fridays at 11:00am ET and 6:00pm ET.

Visit UB.com for more information and to view online clips.

Internet Gambling Discussed in House Financial Services Committee

On Thursday morning, the subject of internet gambling took center stage in an informative hearing in the House Financial Services Committee, Chaired by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA). Seven witnesses participated.

The hearing began with Frank candidly stating, “It is nice to be able to think legislatively about other things besides the financial crisis, which has consumed this Committee since September of 2008.” It was over one year ago, just before the world’s economy crumbled, that internet gambling was last discussed in the Committee. Frank added, “There are a whole range of things on the internet that we would not like underage people to use. The notion that because some people abuse something, you prevent everyone from doing it is as great of a threat to the individual as any cause I have ever seen.” He went on to cite smoking, video games, and dieting as activities that people abuse.

The Committee’s Ranking Member, Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL), summed up many of the opposing arguments for legislation like HR 2266 and HR 2267. The former delays compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) by one year, while the latter establishes a comprehensive framework for licensing and regulating the industry in the United States. Bachus asserted, “I believe that internet gambling is, has been, and will continue to be a substantial threat to our youth. Any economic benefits from taxing internet gambling would be more than offset by the harm it causes young people.” He then sourced a New York Times Letter to the Editor from a mother lamenting her son’s turn to internet gambling.

Bachus expressed remorse that the regulations of the UIGEA had not been fully implemented, citing last week’s six-month delay of their compliance: “These regulations should have been finalized and implemented more than two years ago. The House voted by an overwhelming number to stop illegal internet gambling. Chairman [Frank], it’s time for you, the Treasury, and the Fed to stop delaying the will of the great majority of this Congress and the American people.

Bachus noted that the Treasury and Federal Reserve, who granted the six-month compliance reprieve, should have been a part of Thursday’s witness panel. The Alabama Congressman quoted a letter from the FBI he received in November stating, “The FBI warns that technology exists to manipulate online poker games. The FBI rejects claims from vendors that they can validate age and location.” Frank retorted that he had not received a request from Bachus for the Treasury or Federal Reserve to be present, but later recanted his statement, referencing an e-mail from the Ranking Member’s staff late Tuesday afternoon. Both agreed that the Federal Reserve and Treasury should testify at a future hearing.

Seven witnesses each spoke for about five minutes, offering different viewpoints on the issue. Robert Martin, Tribal Chairman of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, noted that tribes were not consulted in the extension of the UIGEA deadline and “By following the law, we are now facing unfair competition because of these bills. Allow the regulatory scheme [currently in place] to protect what we have built.”

Parry Aftab, Executive Director of Wired Safety, candidly explained, “It’s ironic that I am sitting here today saying that the only way to protect consumers is by legalizing it. If we don’t legalize it, we can’t regulate it.” She referenced a study by Professor Malcolm Sparrow from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, who explained, “Legalization with regulation would provide U.S. authorities the power to grant or deny licenses.” He added that HR 2267 is an “adequate framework” in which to operate.

Keith Whyte, Executive Director for the National Council on Problem Gambling, remarked, “While participation in internet gambling by U.S. residents appeared to decline after the passage of the UIEGA, we did not see a decrease in indicators of gambling problems, such as help line calls.” A chart submitted by Whyte showed that help line calls instead gradually increased every year since 2006, when the UIGEA was approved.

Jim Dowling from the Dowling Advisory Group lent his insight into fraud, money laundering, and terrorism, while Mike Brodsky, Executive Chairman of YouBet.com, discussed the presumably legal online horse racing market. The legality of online horse racing was discussed at length, with Frank noting that the Department of Justice said it was against the law in 2006. Brodsky added that 88% of online horse racing wagers are transmitted across state lines electronically, which Frank also questioned the legality of.

Also speaking was Samuel Vallandingham, Chief Information Officer and Vice President for The First State Bank in West Virginia. Interestingly, Vallandingham was the only financial services industry representative present and explained, “The added burden [of enforcing the UIGEA] would drain our resources… The law doesn’t define unlawful internet gambling. As a result, the burden rests solely on financial institutions.”

After 90 minutes, the hearing adjourned, with Frank noting that the Committee would take up the issue again in 2010. No markup vote on HR 2266 or HR 2267 was scheduled.

Preview of Dec. 3 Committee Hearing

Internet Gambling to be Discussed in House Financial Services Committee

On Thursday, internet gambling will take center stage in the House Financial Services Committee. A hearing to be held at 10:00am ET in Room 2128 of the Rayburn House Office Building will discuss two bills that could change the landscape of the industry in the United States.

Although an official list of witnesses has not yet been announced at press time, Poker News Daily can confirm that National Council on Problem Gambling Executive Director Keith Whyte will speak during the proceedings. Whyte told us that he received his formal invitation Wednesday morning and is looking forward to discussing the issue in front of the Committee tomorrow. A press release distributed by the Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI) on Wednesday added, “Top experts are expected to describe how existing systems and technologies have proven successful in blocking minors from gambling online, combating compulsive gambling, and protecting consumers against money laundering, fraud, and identity theft.”

SSIGI spokesperson Michael Waxman commented that his organization is looking forward to a well-rounded discussion that could lead to one of two internet gambling bills being marked up and passed: “This hearing will provide further evidence on the ability to effectively regulate internet gambling and require licensed operators to utilize already-proven technologies to protect consumers. It’s expected this hearing will answer any outstanding questions and pave the way for a vote in the committee on Chairman Frank’s legislation.” Thursday’s hearing marks the first major discussion of internet gambling in the House Financial Services Committee in over a year and is expected to last around two hours.

At issue will be HR 2266 and HR 2267, both introduced by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA). The former, dubbed the Reasonable Prudence in Regulation Act, delays mandatory compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) by one year. Despite compliance being delayed by six months last week, a Committee spokesperson told Poker News Daily that HR 2266 would still be discussed on Thursday. The bill claims 53 co-sponsors.

Also to be discussed is HR 2267, Frank’s Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act. The measure, which was introduced on the same day in May as HR 2266, establishes a full licensing and regulatory framework for internet gambling companies to accept real money wagers from U.S. customers. It boasts 63 co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle and is Frank’s latest attempt to undo the effects of the UIGEA, which was passed into law in 2006.

Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Executive Director John Pappas told Poker News Daily that markup of HR 2266 or HR 2267 could be scheduled within one week of the hearing, although it would be contingent on the Committee’s calendar. Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have been focusing their efforts on a faltering economy and major health care reform, the latter of which could come with a $1 trillion price tag. A study by the Joint Committee on Taxation revealed that up to $42 billion over a 10-year period could be reaped by taxing the internet gambling industry at a rate of 2% of deposits pursuant to Congressman Jim McDermott’s (D-WA) HR 2268.

Waxman put the hearing in perspective: “Coupled with last week’s decision by the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve to delay UIGEA implementation, this hearing further builds the case for Congress to rewrite U.S. gambling laws. It’s simply common sense to override the UIGEA, a poorly conceived law that is doomed to fail, and replace it with a framework that regulates a thriving underground marketplace to protect consumers and collect billions in otherwise lost revenue.” Despite the UIGEA, traffic on the USA-facing site Full Tilt Poker, according to a recent report released by PokerScout.com, is up 127% year over year.

We’ll have a complete recap of the hearing right here on Poker News Daily.

Washington State Online Poker Opponent Considering Keno Expansion

The state of Washington has a long and complicated history with gambling and a new piece of legislation proposing expanded Keno games is just the latest chapter.  A recent bill is proposing around-the-clock Keno games starting every four minutes as a possible solution to the state’s projected budget shortfall of more than $2.5 billion.

The game of Keno is already legal in the state, but it currently only runs once daily and the prize pools range from $1 to $100,000.  The new proposal suggests expanding the current Keno system, making tickets readily available for purchase and displaying video screens in restaurants and bars.

The Seattle Times recently reported that none other than Margarita Prentice, the state’s Senate Ways and Means Chair, is contemplating sponsoring the Keno bill.  Some may remember Prentice as the woman who spearheaded the 2006 law banning online poker in the state.  The law was successfully passed and made gambling online a Class C felony, on par with animal cruelty and possession of child pornography.  The ban was an amendment of the state’s 1973 Gambling Act.

A blog by Caleb Hannan on the Seattle Weekly’s website suggested that Prentice pushed through the online poker law in order to protect the interests of Washington State Indian reservations.  These tribal groups also contributed heavily to Prentice’s campaign, leading local media like the Weekly to question the motives behind her actions.

Prentice commented to the Seattle Times about the new Keno bill, suggesting it differs from online poker, slot machines, and video poker, all forms of gambling she has previously fought against.  She claimed that the four-minute intervals between games offered people a chance to “cool their heels” and not let the game get out of control.

What seems to be swaying the politicians of Washington more than the nature of the game itself is the potential revenue it brings to the cash-strapped state.  The Keno initiative could bring in as much as $30 million in revenue annually, an amount that is getting the attention of numerous Washington officials, including Governor Chris Gregoire.  The Times published an article on Friday that said that Gregoire was “seriously considering” the legislation, according to legislative director Marty Brown.

The state legislature is set to meet in January to discuss its budget crisis and they will consider the keno proposal, other cost cutting measures, and potential tax hikes.  This is not the first time the state has considered a gambling initiative to add to revenue.  In 2004, it put a ballot initiative pushing for slot machines in bars in restaurants to a vote and it was defeated by a 60% to 40% margin.  The Governor’s office claims this new Keno proposal differs from the failed initiative in that it is not expanding gambling in the state, but rather building on the existing Keno system.

There has been no action on the Keno legislation just yet, but the reports from Seattle indicate that it will merit serious consideration as the state budget woes continue into 2010.  The current budget is set to cover the state’s needs through 2011.

Poker Industry Reacts to UIGEA Regulations Delay

Twenty-four hours after it was revealed that mandatory financial services industry compliance with the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) would be delayed by six months, the poker industry has had a chance to react.

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) was one of several organizations that successfully petitioned U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to push back conformity with the UIGEA rules until June 1st, 2010. The 1.2 million member strong lobbying organization’s Chairman, Alfonse D’Amato, commented in a press release distributed on Friday, “We are thankful to our co-petitioners, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and the American Greyhound Track Operators Association, and for the dozens of members of Congress who voiced their support for this petition through letters to Secretary Geithner and Chairman Bernanke. The PPA looks forward to working with regulators and legislators to pass legislation that protects consumers and the great game of poker.” News of the extension originally broke on Wednesday.

The two horse racing outfits co-authored a letter with the PPA to Geithner and Bernanke outlining the potential for overblocking by financial institutions, which could have led to legal online wagers being denied by companies like Visa and MasterCard. According to the PPA, the possibility of an extension beyond the current six-month time frame exists. Ideally, Congress would formulate proper internet gambling legislation before June 1st.

To that end, Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative (SSIGI) spokesperson Michael Waxman commented, “This decision is the latest evidence that momentum is building for a shift in policy and a rewrite of U.S. internet gambling laws to provide for regulation and taxation instead of prohibition. Over the next six months, Congress should act to create a framework that regulates internet gambling to protect consumers and collect billions in much-needed revenue for critical federal and state government programs.”

Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA), whose House Financial Services Committee will host a hearing on two internet gambling bills next Thursday, gave his two cents on the UIGEA compliance date being postponed: “The Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board of Governors deserve a great deal of credit for suspending these midnight regulations promulgated by the Bush administration which would curtail the freedom of Americans to use the internet as they choose and which would pose unrealistic burdens on the entire financial community. This will give us a chance to act in an unhurried manner on my legislation to undo this regulatory excess by the Bush administration and to undo this ill-advised law.”

On the PocketFives.com online poker forum, Rich “TheEngineer” Muny, who serves as the Kentucky State Director for the PPA, broke the news early on Black Friday. While many online poker players were out hunting for deep holiday discounts, PocketFives.com member “mordan” was on the message boards candidly responding, “Everyone in the poker community just won a 30/70 with this development. Although this doesn’t guarantee regulation in the future, our odds have significantly increased with the U.S. Treasury recognizing problems with this bill.”

The future of the legality of games like online poker remains up in the air. In the PPA forum on TwoPlusTwo, poster “Distajo” questioned, “Was the delay granted more for the clarity of the UIGEA rules? Thus, being more beneficial for banks? Like don’t fund poker accounts, but allow horseracing wagers?” Past attempts to clarify the UIGEA have mandated that “laundry lists” of legal activities be created. If a bill like Frank’s HR 2267 is passed, much of the industry seems likely to be legalized and regulated in the United States.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest UIGEA headlines.

UIGEA delayed six months

A joint press release from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board announced Friday that the date for implementing regulations in the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) has been delayed by six months, from Dec. 1 to June 1, 2010.

The regulations were to force financial institutions in the U.S. to stop processing any transactions related to Internet gambling.

However, the delay will now give the U.S. House Financial Services Committee the chance to hold hearings on two bills designed to regulate and tax online gambling and futher delay UIGEA enforcement.

Those hearings are schedule for Dec. 3.

Committee Chairman Barney Frank applauded Friday's announcement.

"This will give us a chance to act in an unhurried manner on my legislation to undo this regulatory excess by the Bush administration and to undo this ill-advised law," he said.

A poker advocacy group lobbying to legalize online poker in the United States, the Poker Players Alliance believes the delay is also the first step towards legal and regulated online poker in America.

"This is a great victory for poker, but an even greater victory for advocates of good and fair public policy," said PPA Chairman Alfonse D'Amato.

"These additional months are critical to provide legislators time to clarify UIGEA and pass legislation to licence and regulate poker early next year."

UIGEA Regulations Officially Delayed Six Months

Online poker players in the United States have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season. On Friday, CNBC and the Associated Press confirmed that U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke had granted requests to delay the mandatory compliance date of the regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) by six months to June 1st, 2010.

Word of a potential delay first broke on Wednesday from Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) Executive Director Joe Brennan. However, no official comment had been handed down from Geithner, Bernanke, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), or the office of Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA). Around 12:15pm ET on Friday, cable station CNBC ran a segment touting the successful six-month delay and an Associated Press article had hit cyberspace 15 minutes earlier.

The six-month delay will take the internet gambling industry to June 1st, 2010. In the interim, the theory goes that sensible legislation governing the industry in the United States will be passed. Frank introduced HR 2267 back in May. The bill, which has attracted 63 co-sponsors, establishes a full licensing and regulatory framework for online gaming outfits to solicit U.S. customers.

An Associated Press article sourced both the Treasury and Federal Reserve as saying that the UIGEA’s regulations would indeed be pushed off until mid-2010. The news service explained, “The delayed rules would curb online gambling by prohibiting financial institutions from accepting payments from credit cards, checks or electronic fund transfers to settle online wagers. The financial industry complained that the new rules would be difficult to enforce because they did not offer a clear definition of what constitutes internet gambling.” Since the UIGEA was approved in 2006, a Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruling stated that the legality of internet gambling may depend on state law, similar to the way that the brick-and-mortar version is governed.

Next Thursday, December 3rd, the House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing discussing the merits of HR 2266 and HR 2267. The former bill delays mandatory industry compliance with the UIGEA regulations by one year to December 1st, 2010. Its relevance given Friday’s confirmation that the regulations would be pushed back six months is up in the air. The hearing kicks off at 10:00am ET in Room 2128 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Witnesses for the informational hearing have not yet been announced and the proceedings can be followed via a live webcast accessible from the Committee’s website.

Potential overblocking by credit card companies like Visa and MasterCard led the PPA, two horse racing organizations, and members of Kentucky’s Congressional delegation to petition Geithner and Bernanke, urging that the regulations of the UIGEA be shuttled back to December 1st of next year. PPA Executive Director John Pappas told Poker News Daily, “Many believe what you’ll see is overblocking of legitimate transactions. It’s not a good thing for players. It won’t just affect poker; it’ll affect horse racing, lotteries, and other online entities.”

Around 1:00pm ET, the PPA confirmed the news. The organization’s Chairman, Alfonse D’Amato, commented in a press release, “The PPA is extremely pleased with the decision by the Federal Reserve and Treasury to grant the six month extension. This is a great victory for poker, but an even greater victory for advocates of good and fair public policy.”

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest news and events from Capitol Hill.

UIGEA regulations postponed by six months

UIGEA hearing scheduled Dec. 3

According to the House Financial Services Committee website, a full committee hearing on two bills designed to regulate and tax online gambling in the US and delay UIGEA enforcement will be held Dec. 3.

House Financial Services Committee chairman Barney Frank, a longtime proponent of legalized online poker, unveiled both bills this past May.

HR 2266 is designed to delay UIGEA compliance until December 2010 while HR 2267 seeks to render the act moot by establishing a federal regulatory and enforcement framework to license Internet gambling operators, including online poker sites, in the United States.

The hearing will be held Dec. 3 at 10 a.m. ET in the Committee's Rayburn House Office Building and interested members of the public can watch a live webcast through the Committee's website.

In the meantime, UIGEA regulations come into effect next Tuesday Dec. 1 forcing financial institutions in the U.S. to stop processing any transactions related to online gambling.

Report: UIGEA Regulations Postponed Six Months

The regulations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) have been delayed six months from December 1st, according to Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA) Chairman Joe Brennan.

Neither U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner nor Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke had made any official comment regarding a six-month delay at press time. The two government officials received petitions to stay the UIGEA’s regulations by one year in letters filed by the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the American Greyhound Track Operators Association, and members of Kentucky’s Congressional delegation. Congressman Spencer Bachus (R-AL) and Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) asked the two officials to uphold the original December 1st industry compliance deadline in a dissenting opinion.

The news comes one week ahead of a hearing in the House Financial Services Committee regarding two internet gambling bills introduced by Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) in May that would alter the landscape of the industry in the United States. The first, HR 2266, would have postponed the regulations of the UIGEA by one year to December 1st, 2010. Its viability given today’s news of a likely six-month postponement is up in the air. The measure had attracted 53 co-sponsors on both sides of the aisle.

HR 2267, claiming 63 co-sponsors, creates a full licensing and regulatory framework for the internet gambling industry in the United States. It marks Frank’s latest attempt to undo the UIGEA, which was passed in 2006 after being attached to an unrelated port security measure at the prompting of then-Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN). In the Senate, the SAFE Port Act was passed by unanimous consent.

On the hearing next week, which will be held at 10:00am ET in Room 2128 of the Rayburn House Office Building on Thursday, Safe and Secure Internet Gambling Initiative spokesperson Michael Waxman told Poker News Daily, “Chairman Frank is clearly indicating his commitment to switch the government’s position on Internet gambling, replacing attempts to prohibit the activity with a regulatory framework where consumers are protected. Chairman Frank’s commitment is further reinforced by scheduling this hearing and taking up this issue on the heals of the push for financial industry reform, which has been the committee’s exclusive focus the last six months.”

The six-month window will take the internet gambling industry to June 1st, right before election season in the United States in 2010. While issues like health care and a sagging economy have taken center stage since late 2008, internet gambling may finally see its day in the sun. Brennan explained his thoughts on the breaking news: “It’s encouraging that you’ve had this stay on the compliance, but it’s unfortunate that it took this long. We should all hope that in the next six months, a bill that already has 63 co-sponsors can be heard.”

To be clear, no official comment from the Treasury or Federal Reserve was available at the time of writing. With December 1st occurring next Tuesday, a stay likely had to be granted today or Monday, November 30th given the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. Word breaking on Black Friday was also a possibility.

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on this developing story.