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A bill that has surprisingly slipped through the cracks in the last week is the reintroduction of an online poker bill for the state of Mississippi. House Bill 254, or the Mississippi Lawful Internet Gaming Act of 2013, is pretty much the exact same bill as the 2012 Mississippi online poker bill. This time around, sponsor Rep. Bobby Moak hopes that the bill will at least get to a vote. Last year, the bill died in committee.

Much like the bill last year, this year’s bill opens by saying that the state’s gaming laws coupled with this online bill offer a legal exemption from the UIGEA. In addition, they cite the Department of Justice memo of December 23rd, 2011 as strengthening the state’s authority to legalize online poker.

Anyone wishing to offer online poker in Mississippi will need to be licensed through the Mississippi Gaming Commission and licenses will be good for five years. The fees for those licenses are the same as last year. It will cost a total of $200,000 for a site to become licensed and they must then deposit $200,000 annually to be split between the State General Fund and a Mississippi Gaming Commission Fund used to combat criminal activity.

In addition to the initial licensing fee, there will be “a license fee shall be imposed on the Internet wagering gross revenues per calendar month of a gaming licensee in the amount of five percent (5%) of such revenues.”

Other provision from last year’s bill regarding player accounts remain in place, meaning that players must be 21, have proof of age, provide a physical address and email, and sign a penalty of perjury form. Also, casino employees are prohibited from playing on sites owned by their employer.

Considering that many in the state of Mississippi are opposed to online gambling, one has to wonder whether this bill will again die in committee. At present, only Nevada and Delaware have passed online poker bills, yet neither have actually started offering games. New Jersey’s legislature have passed an online poker bill but await a signature from Gov. Christie on the matter.







Mississippi Reintroduces Online Poker Bill

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At the end of January 31st at the stroke of midnight the so called rake back war will be over according to an article posted on Calvin Ayres’ web site As of this deadline forward players at Carbon Poker have been informed that the site will no longer offer rakeback. Players will be automatically enrolled in Carbon Poker’s VIP program. While Carbon was the first to announce the news, it has since been confirmed that the change applies to all the Merge Gaming Network skins.

The last time Merge changed its rake back policy in 2011, the change affected only new players, as existing rakeback deals were kept intact for registered players. This time, there are no exceptions and the VIP points players earned under the old rakeback program will not be transferable, so it is advisable to dispose of those points while you still are able. Carbon’s email sent to players said that the change would allow it “to offer larger and more beneficial bonuses and ultimately allows for an improved distribution of bonuses to our players.”

Player representative Carbon Ryan posted a message on the 2+2 forum page in which he said, “moving away from rakeback to an improved VIP program is the best way to build and improve the overall poker ecology of our network.” CarbonRyan also said the company was “taking these steps now to secure the longevity of the network,” Merge, has had a difficult time of it lately what with the banning of player to player transfers and the loss of a number of Merge poker skins with many players looking for something different even the Chief Executive Officer Anthony Taylor bolted for parts unknown. With the demise of Full Tilt Poker and Absolute after the Black Friday crackdown Merge was the go to poker network but because of the flood of customers the payment processing aspect could not handle the surge.




Online Poker Rakeback Folds At Carbon

In a radio appearance Tuesday night, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie offered up some sobering words for those hoping for online poker in the Garden State.

When a caller asked him about the Internet gambling bill currently in his hands, Christie said he hasn’t “made a final decision yet” but that he’s “concerned” about whether the activity will actually help Atlantic City casinos, as well as more problem gambling.

Some are worried that brick-and-mortar traffic could be hurt by the games going online. Others argue the web games would compliment, promote, strengthen and so on, the games which take place in the live setting. Some cite widespread, although not exactly legal, U.S. online poker in the past bringing more action to the brick-and-mortar card rooms.

If Christie’s concern holds water, then casino firms and their technology partners might have better revenues, but jobs for those lower on the socioeconomic ladder could be lost.

“I’m concerned that it may drive traffic away from Atlantic City — that if people can gamble in their own homes on their laptops, why are they going to go to Atlantic City? And I think it’s contrary to what we’re trying to accomplish there,” Christie said.

As John Brennan pointed out in a blog post on Christie’s comments, the concern over whether the bill would benefit Atlantic City casino operators could be more complex. It’s reportedly not 100 percent guaranteed that Atlantic City would retain its monopoly on gambling if Internet gaming was authorized in the Garden State. Lawmakers don’t want “Internet cafes.”

With regards to problem gambling, Christie remarked:

“I’m also really concerned about setting up a whole new generation of addicted gamblers. You know, if you can sit on the edge on your bed on your laptop and gamble away the paycheck — that’s a lot different than making the decision to go down to Atlantic City.”

Those two points of Internet gambling criticism have long been debated by people with varying levels of support for or opposition to the idea of casino games on the web. Christie’s concerns have never been truly refuted or legitimized.

The bill currently sitting on the governor’s desk would keep the games intrastate, but they could eventually spill over to other jurisdictions should deals be brokered that fell into compliance with all applicable laws. Nevada has started looking at such partnerships.

The author of the legislation told Card Player this week that he wouldn’t bet for or against a Christie signature. He has until Feb. 4 to make a decision, though Christie said Tuesday that he will decide “in the next couple of days.”






Chris Christie Not Sure If Online Gambling 'Will Help Atlantic City'

Online poker is something of a mystery to me. Having never been a huge gambler - my staple being a flutter on the horses - I've never been tempted by the idea of playing poker against some faceless keyboard warriors.

Admittedly, this blinkered view is probably skewed by my experiences of 'face-to-face' poker being very costly ones - and also my limited knowledge of the said online pursuit.

My first real experience of this phenomenon was over a regular Sunday lunchtime chat - accompanied by a pint - with a team-mate following our Sunday morning football matches. So blown away was he by this 'new' craze (you can tell this was a few years ago) that he would happily talk at great, and far too detailed, length about its 'addictive' qualities.

I must confess to the 'a' word ringing a few alarm bells - poker being the ultimate form of gambling - but I've spoken to him on numerous occasions since our football playing days ended, and not once has he mentioned The Priory. I'm therefore assuming that all is good, particularly given he no longer mentions online poker... or is that because he daren't mention it... or he can't mention it?!

Perhaps I'm thinking too much...

In recent years - with my football career long since consigned to the history books - online casinos have fallen off my radar somewhat, albeit one can never be totally unaware given the plethora of advertising - online, TV and traditional - and spam mail.

Only relatively recently has online poker returned to me as a faint bleep, and was due to a pure chance encounter with a documentary on an obscure satellite channel. So obscure I can't even tell you which channel it was - but what I can say for certain is that I happened upon it due to a desire to steer clear of soaps and 'reality' TV.

The programme was made in the US and was focussed on individuals who make a living by playing online poker. Now I confess right now to being a tad wet behind the ears - and apologies to those who are already au fait with these things - but the numbers being discussed were astronomical.

I was already aware that traditional poker was played by professionals - there are Poker World Tours for heaven's sake - but for a bloke to earn something akin to $4 million for a few hours play was almost too much for my small brain to process. Apparently the nasty old US government have temporarily put the kibosh on online poker my shutting down their major online sites, albeit they expect these laws soon to be amended to permit it to be played 'within regulated jurisdiction'.

Either way - and whichever way you look at it - it's massive business. A trawl through Poker Forum - Online Poker Forums & Strategy - CardsChat-com gives one an idea of exactly HOW big this business is. One of the leading online poker forums, it provides links and discussion pieces on all variants of the game - useful for a numpty like me who has taken fifteen years to catch on!

After a year’s hiatus, the NBC heads-up championship, an invitational tournament pitting together 64 of the most recognizable poker personalities and pros, commences Thursday.

Mori Eskandani, the producer of the 2013 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship, welcomed the return of the event as a sign of progress for poker in the US.

While the $25k buy-in, invitation-only event is certainly made-for-television, poker community leaders are saying its return after a Black Friday-sparked hiatus could even help spur a renewed interest in online poker.

“When [NBC is] bringing poker back, it’s good news,” Eskandani said at Wednesday night’s draw party at Cleopatra’s Barge inside Caesars Palace.

For the first time since the tournament launched in 2005, the wsop-com brand is being marketed on the banners. Caesars Interactive Entertainment Inc., which owns the site, recently received the OK to operate online poker in Nevada.

The first round of the event starts at 2 pm. PT on Thursday in the Caesars Palace poker room, with more than a few interesting match-ups.

Jennifer Tilly faces Antonio Esfandiari, her boyfriend Phil Laak’s BFF.

“He’s the only one I can’t read,” Tilly said at Wednesday night’s draw party. Esfandiari was absent at the event, attending a family dinner to celebrate his father’s 70th birthday. Laak, meanwhile, squares off against Phil Ivey.

In the match of online wunderkinds, Ike Haxton will play Justin Bonomo, while Michael Mizrachi faces Mike Matusow and Liv Boeree plays Gaelle Baumann.

Phil Hellmuth and Mike Sexton square off again in the event (Hellmuth beat Sexton in 2009). But one of the game’s most popular personalities, Daniel Negreanu, has opted out of the tournament, citing a prior engagement.

Players must win at least two matches to cash. The champion must win six matches to capture the $750k first place prize on Saturday.






NBC Heads Up: "Good News" For Poker in US | Pokerfuse Online Poker News

When playing poker online you find yourself gathering small pieces of information about your opponents and learn to pick up on the tells of novice players. It is good to know some of these small tells which people might use, as they can teach you how to cover yourself. Think about this as developing an online poker face.

First of all when you play smaller online tournaments you should watch out for people who run down their play timer and sit out often. One thing to notice here is that the player might not be paying much attention to the game and could be doing something else at the same time, which could mean that they are more likely to only play attractive hands when they see them. Alternatively they could be trying to waste time in a tournament to try and go deeper, waiting for players in other tables to drop out. Either way you look at it this type of player is more likely to only play really attractive hands and it could be easier to bluff them off a hand whether it is pre-flop or in play. And remember if someone is sitting out in a tournament they will be auto-folded so a simple raise will allow you to steals their blinds.

Another thing to look for is whether a player uses the auto-check option, which is a button that some players use to automatically check their hand when it is their turn. You can often tell when a player does this as it is instantaneous. This often means that they have a weak hand and do not want to commit themselves to playing out the rest of the hand. A simple raise will often see you win the pot.

When players play online you are obviously not able to see their faces or mannerisms, so looking at how fast people play is often one of the subtle ways that you can determine a novice player’s intentions. If players often play quite quickly and have not shown many big hands before, a slowdown in the speed of their play during a hand might indicate a strong hand. Likewise if players are quick to check after the flop it might be a sign of weakness, showing that they haven’t hit anything as they are not taking the time to think about how much to bet. To learn more about getting how to get information from your opponents, you can visit the Online Poker School at pokerstars.co.uk.

Of course these tells are often only seen in ring games and tournaments with recreational players, as you play in higher stakes games players are often much more aware of how to manipulate their image and playing patterns online.

The Apocalypse did not come in December as the Mayans predicted, but you’ll have to excuse those in the online poker community if they failed to notice. After all, their Day of Reckoning had already come. April 15, 2011. Black Friday for those in the know and United States v. Scheinberg for those law types who prefer their legalese formal and their whiskey drawn neat.

When US poker players booted up their computers and headed over to Poker Stars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker that day, they were not asked for their login information as was the norm, but were instead greeted with a not so friendly message from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) informing them that the domain name they had entered had been seized by the government and reminding them in no uncertain terms that Internet gambling was illegal. Not only that, but US players had their accounts frozen, meaning that they were unable to withdraw the money that they had plunked down in the first place.

Cue the chaos. Bring on the anarchy.

US players panicked immediately. It’s not that they never imagined this day would come — the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) had been a sore subject amongst members of the poker community since it passed in 2006 — but so much time had passed that a lot of people started to believe nothing would ever come of it. Besides, the poker sites repeatedly assured players that their money was safe and there was no need to worry.

Since then, many things have come to light about the inner workings of online poker sites like Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker. But one question remains unanswered: Is online poker ever coming back in the US?

*****


The US online poker industry exploded in 2003 after people saw amateur Chris Moneymaker take down the best pros in the world on his way to first place in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, the championship bracelet and $2 million.[1] It was the poker world’s version of The Miracle on Ice. But it wasn’t just that Moneymaker won; it was how he won. While many in the field plopped down $10,000 to enter the event, Moneymaker’s entry only cost him $39. How? He had entered an online satellite (basically a mini-tournament) and outlasted enough of his opponents to secure his entry in the WSOP Main Event, where he effectively turned his $39 investment into $2 million.

Not surprisingly, online poker skyrocketed soon after. People could play when they wanted, for however much they wanted, and they didn’t even have to leave their home. What’s more, they had just seen Moneymaker — an everyman if ever there was one — win on the grandest stage of all. ”If he could do it,” most people seemed to say, “so can I.” Best of all, it was thought to be legal thanks to a federal ruling in 2002 that said, “The Wire Act does not prohibit non-sports Internet gambling.”

But, cracks began to form late in 2006 with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) that prohibed “gambling businesses from knowingly accepting payments in connection with the participation of another person in a bet or wager that involves the use of the Internet.” [2]

The UIGEA precipitated a minor drop in poker interest here in the United States[3] and led Party Poker — one of the largest online poker sites in the world — to pull out of the US market completely. But other sites like Poker Stars and Full Tilt Poker continued with business as usual. After a while, players started to think that they were fine, believing that if the US government were to come after anyone, it would be the sites themselves, not the players. Besides, players could always pull out their money whenever they wanted.

Then five years later, Black Friday came. The levees had finally broken.

Again, it wasn’t just that US players were no longer able to play online poker, it was that they were unable to withdraw funds from their accounts and had no idea when they would be able to do so. Players who played on Poker Stars were relieved when they were able to withdraw funds from their accounts less than a month after Black Friday. Full Tilt Poker players? Not so lucky.

Turns out that Full Tilt Poker wasn’t run as a conventional business, but as a Ponzi scheme. High-level First Tilt Poker executives and board members, including well-known poker stars Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson and Rafael Furst, were paid millions of dollars using players’ funds. According to reports, Full Tilt Poker owed their players $390 million, but actually had well less than $80 million to distribute. The Full Tilt Poker players had their worst fears realized: Their money had been stolen and it did not look like they would be recouping any of it anytime soon. And then at the end of July, finally some good news: Poker Stars had settled with the DOJ and would be taking over Full Tilt Poker’s operations, including paying out the money owed to Full Tilt players. And yet nearly seven months later, the question of online poker’s future here in the US still lingers.

*****

The biggest roadblock towards legalizing poker in the US is still the UIGEA. Until it is repealed, online gambling will continue to be illegal.

However, the online poker industry scored a big win in August when a federal judge overturned a conviction against a man found guilty of running an illegal gambling business on the grounds that poker is a game of skill, not luck. The implications of such a case are obvious: if poker is considered to be a game of skill, than it can’t technically be defined as gambling and should thus be thought of in the same vein as fantasy sports, which is perfectly legal under the UIGEA.

But even if online poker becomes legal once again on a federal level, it does not mean that players will be legally entitled to play anywhere across the US. For instance, the gambling site Bovada has banned residents from four different states from opening accounts with them, in large part because they are worried

Mississippi has re-introduced the online poker bill it had introduced in 2012. Called the House Bill 254 or the Mississippi Lawful Internet Gambling Act of 2012, this bill had died a natural death last year, but Bobby Moak, the chief sponsor of this bill, is hopeful that it will be successful this year.

The online poker bill, along with the state’s existing gambling laws, are believed to be capable of providing more customer protection than the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006. To make things easier for individual states, the Department of Justice (DoJ) recently published its re-interpretation of the Wire Act of 1961, according to which online casino gaming and online poker gaming are legal activities. If Mississippi successfully passes this bill into law, the Mississippi Gambling Commission will start issuing licenses to online poker operators just as the Nevada Gambling Commission is currently issuing licenses. These licenses will be considered valid for 5 years, but operators are required to pay a fee of $200k to get the license to launch one online poker room in Mississippi. In addition to the licensing fee, they will have to pay separate fees of $200k, which will be used to solve gambling-related issues.

In addition, the regulatory body in Mississippi will require interested gaming operators to pay “a license fee on the Internet wagering gross revenue per calendar month of a gaming in the amount of five percent of such revenues.”

If Mississippi’s online poker bill is approved, it will protect consumers by making it mandatory for players to be more than 21 years of age before they can gamble. It will be illegal for players below 21 to register for real money play at any Mississippi online poker room. Players will also have to submit documents proving their contact details and age before they can be allowed to wager real money. Mississippi’s online poker bill proposes to make it illegal for casino owners and casino employees to place bets at state-approved gambling venues.

Industry analysts are, however, skeptical about the success of this bill, which could not be successfully passed last year. The people of the state are not gambling friendly and several individuals and organizations are raising their voices against online gambling.

The only US states that have successfully passed online gambling bills are Nevada and Delaware. New Jersey could join their ranks soon if only Governor Chris Christie approves New Jersey’s online poker bill.







Mississippi Makes Another Attempt to Legalize Online Poker

Participants in the “Zoom Challenge” play-chip promotional tournament held at the 2013 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure have received word of adjustments made in payouts, with seven additional players cashing after PokerStars’ review of the events surrounding the tournament.

Details of the adjustments were released by PokerStars official Lee Jones in a post made on at least one major poker forum, announcing that four additional players would be bumped up to the eighth-place, minimum-cash level, receiving $2,360 each, while three other players who already cashed would also receive the $2,360 bonus.

The one-off promotion, charging a $1000+50 entry and allowing repeated buy-ins by players, drew the ire of participants after alleged last-day changes to the promotion’s operational structure allowed several players to participate in a group, against each other, and thereby receive an advantage.

Four of the eight in-the-money finishers as originally determined came from two separate groups of five players that were allowed to play simultaneously, whereas on earlier days, Stars workers reportedly only allowed players to participate individually or in pairs.

Many players sought full or partial refunds of their original entries, even though they finished well down the standings and would have finished out of the money regardless of the play of the two large multi-player groups. Those players will not be compensated.

On behalf of PokerStars, Jones acknowledged the promotion’s flaws, writing, “First, we didn’t plan the promotion as thoroughly as we should have.” Jones also noted that while players on earlier days may have been told they could only play in ones or twos, such a restriction was not actually a part of the promotion’s Terms and Conditions.

The adjustments and additional payouts to be made by PokerStars are an attempt to defuse the situation, but does still raise some questions. The seven additional players to receive bonus payouts include the top four finishers from prior days, who may have been bumped from the money spots by the four players who cashed while playing in groups of five.

Left unaddressed in Stars’ announced solution is that it does not include bumping up players to the slots and payouts occupied by player who participated in groups.

Instead, Stars has chosen to pay a total of $16,520 in payments and describe it as a “goodwill” gesture. A true “bumping up” of individual players would have cost Stars an extra $11,210.

Overall winner David Williams played either alone or with one other player, and his $20,650 cash remains the same. “Group” players finished in spots 2, 3, 5 and 6, and cashed for a combined $27,730.

The snafus surrounding the promotion turned out to be a mild embarrassment for PokerStars, which designed the concept as a simple vehicle to publicize the site’s new “Zoom” (fast-fold) tables.

As Jones noted in his post, “Sometimes in the preparation for a promotion you don’t think of all the angles and we didn’t think of all of them this time. We’re sorry.”








PokerStars Apologies, Compensates Players in PCA "Zoom Challenge" Blunder | Pokerfuse Online Poker News

The European online gambling market has definitely grown in size as well as scope as countries like France and Italy continue to offer great gaming and poker pools that attract huge numbers. Poker Stars has been doing very well in the French and Italian jurisdictions and is keeping pace with the new regulations set out by the gambling authorities in those lands.

A product that has captured the imagination of poker players in Europe is Poker Stars version of fast poker called Zoom Poker. Recently ARJEL the French gambling authority approved the game of fast-fold Zoom Poker to players in France. In the beginning in Italy Poker Stars offered a micro-limit Zoom Poker ring game with stakes ranging from 2 euro to 10 euro. The same hold true for the French offering at the start it will be micro betting only. Now Italian players can play Zoom Poker with stakes of up to 100 euro while dotcom players can play for higher stakes, five times that of resident players.

ARJEL is restrictive in their policy regarding this type of poker action with rules governing the game. Resident players are only allowed one chance to join a player pool compared to the usual four times for each pool. Poker Stars will try to introduce two poker pools at eh same bet level in order to skirt the regulation set out by the authority. This type of restrictive play has kept the online poker market from expanding fast in France. Italy has revised some of its regulations in order to become more competitive and it may be advisable that France’s regulator does the same in order to attract more players and do more business. Poker playing online in France is said to be on the decline for those very reasons mentioned and ARJEL does recognize that more variety with less restrictions may be in order soon.






French Online Gamblers Now Allowed Zoom Poker

Senator Harry Reid’s failure to get the federal online poker bill passed has invited criticism from several quarters. Reportedly, Senators Harry Reid and Jon Kyl had done their best to get the bill passed during the lame duck session of the Congress, but the bill was not considered important enough. The federal online poker bill for 2012 definitely died and chances of online poker being legalized and regulated at the federal level are now slimmer than ever. Critics are questioning Reid’s methods of handling the federal-level online poker bill, which would have legalized online poker if it was passed into law. Reid hurt any chances his bill might have had when he attacked Dean Heller for failing to garner adequate support for GOP. Critics have also demanded to know why the two senators agreed upon a bill that legalized only poker, but not other forms of online gambling, thereby angering casino companies, lottery companies, and other gambling companies. It is generally felt in the gambling circles that Reid did not lack any GOP support; instead, he lacked Democrat support, which was why he refrained from formally introducing the online poker bill.

Although the senator has promised to make another attempt in 2013 and has assured the online poker community that he has enough support from the Democrats, American Gaming Association (AGA) CEO Frank Fahrenkopf is skeptical. He said, “Heller and Kyl went to Republican senators, and most of them agreed something had to be done about the problem, but until we see a bill and look at it, we can’t say for certain we’re going to vote for it. Sen. Reid had the same problem on the Democratic side.”

When the Department of Justice (DoJ) announced in late 2012 that the Wire Act of 1961 no longer applies to online casino and online poker gambling, US states took it as a green signal to regulate their respective online gambling industries. While US states such as Nevada and Delaware have already legalized and regulated online gambling, several other US states such as Mississippi and New Jersey have taken definite steps toward this direction. Many more US states are now considering the merits and demerits of legalizing online gambling.

Meanwhile, the AGA has demanded that the federal government must ban all online gaming, except Internet poker on grounds that legalizing online gambling would lead to a downfall of the US land casino industry.









Failure of Federal Online Poker Bill Invites Criticism

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Wellcome😡

Mike Matusow thrust his hands and the air with a flying leap after the QDiamond Suit hit the river, completing his flush to win the 2013 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. Jumping up and down, the man known as “The Mouth” screamed, “You gotta go for it, baby!”

For the win Matusow earned the $750,000 first-place prize and 504 Card Player Player of the Year points. Perhaps most special of all for Matusow was being able to play in the finals against his good friend, 2005 champion of this event Phil Hellmuth. “It means a lot to have Phil alongside me. All you hear from the young kids is ‘Mike and Phil used to be good, but they can’t keep up with us kids, with our generation.’ But where are they standing today?” Matusow said in his post match interview for NBC, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Indeed, out of a field of 64 invited players that included many of poker’s most lauded up-and-comers, two of poker’s best known “old-school” pros were able to find a way through to the final. Matusow had to beat some of the best young-guns and established names on the road to the title. First he defeated three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and two-time World Poker Tour champion Michael Mizrachi. In the second round he dispatched online nosebleed cash game phenom Viktor “Isildur1” Blom.

In the third round he topped three-time WSOP bracelet winner Barry Greenstein, setting up a quarterfinal battle with two-time bracelet winner John Hennigan. In the semi-finals he overcame an in-form Scott Seiver, fresh off a $2 million win at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure super high roller just weeks ago. Seiver earned $100,000 and 294 POY points for his semi-final showing, moving into 10th place in the overall standings.

With that Matusow set up the fan-favorite final clash with Hellmuth. Throughout the tournament matches had been single elimination, but in the finals the format changed to best of three. Matusow won the first major hand of the meeting when he flopped a set of sixes against Helluth’s pocket queens and then turned quads. After re-raising preflop and betting every street, Hellmuth moved all-in on the river. Matusow snap called and quickly revealed that he had the nuts, taking a huge chip lead as a result. Although Hellmuth briefly mounted a comeback, Matusow was able to seal the deal and take a 1-0 lead in the final. Read More: Mike Matusow Wins 2013 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship - Poker News

One of the many joys of Louie is that it takes on topics that most people wouldn’t contemplate, dwell on and certainly not utter out loud in the company of other people. For that reason, it’s hard to reveal some of the subject matter tackled in this second episode. Just expect the unexpected, is all I can say.

Running throughout, though, is that blacker-than-pitch humour, a prime example being this comment from Louie’s brother, who is “helping” the comedian through his divorce: “You’re gonna die alone in a room with a thin blanket over you and the nurse comes in and just shuts the machine off. Picture that.”
About this programme

2/13. The comedian's divorce is finalised, and he decides to move on by tracking down a woman he knew in school. Comedy, starring Louis CK as a fictionalised version of himself.

Iowa, which has looked at web poker the past few years, has another crack at the idea currently sitting in its legislature. A bill was brought back into play last Wednesday.

Senate Study Bill 1068 could eventually allow existing licensees to potentially offer web poker.

Iowa study bills are used to “determine reception of an issue” by lawmakers, according to a look at the state’s legislative process by the University of Iowa. If successful, a study bill leads to an introduction of an official proposal to move through the legislature.

The sponsors of SSB 1068 are Senators Jeff Danielson, Wally Horn and Randy Feenstra.

The bill could allow gamblers within Iowa to play online poker, but could also permit the state to offer games to players “from any other location where authorized by law, subject to any requirements adopted by the commission.” In other words, intrastate first.

Other states that have dabbled in the online poker concept have similar plans.

Iowa appears to be a state capable, willing and confident enough to go ahead with Internet gaming on its own, rather than hold out any hope for federal lawmakers to approve a bill. In fact, the Iowa Lottery CEO recently announced opposition to a federal plan.

There’s no mention of lottery in the new bill.

Casino companies which stand to potentially benefit from the legislation include Caesars Entertainment, Penn National Gaming, Isle of Capri Casinos and Boyd Gaming.

In 2012, the Iowa Senate signed off on an online poker bill, but the measure failed in the House. The majority of Iowans also reportedly oppose the idea of legalizing the activity.

According to a 2011 report released by Iowa gaming regulators, Iowans had given offshore online poker companies $13 million to $60 million in revenue annually. The proposed tax rate for online poker (22 percent) would yield $3 million to $13 million for the state.









Iowa Retrieves Online Poker Bill From Muck

It’s been quite some time since we heard from Rafael Nadal so let’s check in and see how the former world #1 is doing. According to Russia Today, he’s involved in some serious gambling. And by serious I mean he’s playing online poker. And by playing online poker I mean he’s entering tournaments for €10 (that’s Euros for the non-worldly among you).

IMPORTANT NEWS😡

Nadal entered a €10 freeze-out tournament on PokerStars.es. and defeated his 47 opponents to walk away with the €152.40 – not the biggest jackpot compared to his $50 million tennis career winnings, but no doubt the win gladdened the 26 year old.

Having joined PokerStars in June 2012 Rafa is still a relative novice at poker. There is a great deal of space between winning a €10 buy-in tournament and being recognized as one of the greats of the game.

But he is progressing fast, receiving training in the nuances of the game from top professionals, and one day he could reach the top, where, as his tennis career proves, he feels most comfortable.

You guys, you guys, Rafael Nadal could totally be like the Spanish Doyle Brunson if he sat at a computer for 15 hours a day. Put your mind to it Rafael, go for it! Forget the whole tennis thing. Today, it’s €10 and soon €20. By the time 2020 rolls around you’ll be the king of the low limit room.

The Poker Players Alliance has been eagerly observing the ups and downs of the bid in New Jersey to legalize online casino gaming of all sorts.

Now the group is asking its 20,000 members to urge Governor Christie – who vetoed a similar bill in 2011 – to sign this bill before the Feb. 7 deadline:

“The New Jersey legislature voted in near unanimity to revive the state’s gaming economy by making New Jersey an epicenter for online gaming and poker,” the group said in a statement.

“Thousands of New Jersey residents have contacted the Governor urging him to sign the bill into law,” said John Pappas, executive director of the PPA. “In addition to providing New Jersey poker players with a safe and regulated online poker market, this important legislation will add millions in state revenue and thousands of jobs to the state. New Jersey has the opportunity to be a leader in a vibrant and thriving 21st Century industry, and we hope Governor Christie recognizes the many benefits this bill will bring to this state and its citizens.”

All New Jerseyans who support this idea are being asked to go to the PPA web page to find info on how to contact the Governor. PPA says that since the campaign was launched last week, New Jersey voters have “made more than 500 calls to the Governor, sent over 1,300 emails, and flooded the Governor’s social networks with Tweets and Facebook posts urging him to sign the bill.”

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Wellcome!!

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