UIGEA Delayed

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) is expected to make a statement Friday that U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner granted the Poker Players Alliance's petition to delay the compliance date for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

The Poker Players Alliance declined to comment on the possible delay until official word comes from Frank or the Treasury Department. Joe Brennan, chairman of the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association, confirmed that he did hear directly from one of the parties to the agreement that Geithner granted a six-month delay. The six months would be a compromise to the year requested by the PPA and Frank.

Advertisement

Word of the delay comes just days before the Dec. 1 date when banks and financial institutions were to be held responsible for making sure no outgoing transactions were made to web sites related to what was termed as "illegal Internet gambling."

"It's really surprising we got this concession," Brennan said. "It's very unusual for any department of the government to essentially forestall an act of Congress. This is a testament to the power of Congressmen Frank. This has been his pet issue, because it is part of his core values, for some time now. If Barney Frank was not an advocate, this does not get done regardless of the efforts of the PPA and the banking industry."

Frank made a telling indication that a delay will happen by scheduling for Dec. 3 a hearing in the House Financial Services Committee to discuss his two poker-related bills — including the Reasonable Prudence in Regulation Act that asks to delay full implementation of the UIGEA until Dec. 1, 2010. It wouldn't make sense to hear discussion of delaying a law that went into full effect two days earlier.

The six-month delay, while not a victory in itself, sets the stage for future victories by giving Frank time to address his other bill, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act. Because of his important role in shaping the economic stimulus and health care legislation that has dominated this session of Congress, Frank had not found the time to hold a committee hearing on the bills that relate to the poker industry.

"We thought it would probably have to wait until January, so we're pleasantly surprised to see this happen in December," PPA executive director John Pappas said of the hearing. "I think Barney is sending a strong message to regulators and others that he's serious about changing this law. He's going to move forward with his plans to license and regulate this industry."

The PPA filed a joint petition along with the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and American Greyhound Track Operators Assocation early in October to delay the compliance date of the UIGEA. Frank followed by hand delivering to Geithner a letter signed by 19 members of Congress supporting the petition. The request received a boost earlier this week when six Kentucky congressmen wrote a letter supporting the delay, citing specific incidents of a credit card company blocking horse racing transactions despite the sport having an exemption in the legislation.

It remains to be seen how the banks and credit card companies will respond to a delay. The situation likely will remain similar to recent months, where some are blocking transactions and some are not. But the six-month stay should prevent blocking from getting worse.

"Do I think things will automatically loosen between the banks and credit card companies?" asked Brennan. "No. They've already moved up to this point in the regulations. They're not going to tear it up and say now we have this six-month window. They're going to take a wait-and-see attitude."

2009 BC Poker champion arrested

Canadian Sophon Sek won the 2009 BC Poker Championship Sunday, but was arrested today in connection with one of the worst gang murders in the history of British Columbia.

The 30-year old Surrey man has been charged with manslaughter and break and enter in relation to the gangland murders of six people, including two innocent bystanders, in 2007.

The incident is referred to locally as the Surrey Six Slaughter.

Sek made an appearance in Surrey Provincial Court today, but was sent back into custody to await continuation of his trial Nov. 30.

He could still face additional charges in connection to the murders, according to Cpl. Dale Carr of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.

Sek outlasted 679 players to win this year's $2,700 (CDN) buy-in BC Poker Championships late Sunday night at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, a suburb of Vancouver.

Sek's $364,364 (CDN) in prize money is being held by the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation at the request of the RCMP, according to Howard Blank, vice president of media, entertainment and responsible gaming at the GCGC.

This is the fifth year the BC Poker Championships have been held in the current format and the tournament continues to draw world-renowned poker players.

This year Amazing Race stars Tiffany Michelle and Maria Ho played as well as Gavin Smith, Liz Lieu, Lacey Jones, "Yukon" Brad Booth, Greg "FBT" Mueller and Scott Clements. Clements made the final table but eventually busted seventh.

Last year Daniel Negreanu, who is perhaps the biggest name in Canadian poker, outlasted all 688 players to win the event for $371,910 (CDN).

Doyle Brunson’s Poker Autobiography Now Available

“I’ve still got mixed feelings about writing this book,” Doyle Brunson commented in his blog.

After reading “The Godfather of Poker”, poker fans won’t have similar problems with mixed feelings.

Instead, they’ll be glad that the game’s living legend chose not to hold back and, with sharp detail, went ahead and dealt out a book rich in narrative and stories that encapsulate his pioneering poker life and contributions.

While some poker biographies are short on meat, Brunson’s is packed with vivid recollections and memories of the people, events, and places that have shaped his high-stakes life.

Mike Cochran, whom Brunson has known since 1954 during their college days at Hardin-Simmons University, helped assemble the book. Cochran previously spent four decades chasing colorful feature stories for the Associated Press. In “The Godfather of Poker,” Cochran has helped Brunson organize and articulate a brilliant poker story. It covers not only Brunson’s own life, but also traces the birth of the high-stakes poker world that people obsess over daily.

“The Brunson story is one for the ages,” Cochran says in the introduction, “a classic paradox, beginning on a hardscrabble, dry-land cotton farm in West Texas and playing out seventy years later in the glitzy casinos of Las Vegas and the flashy cardrooms across the country and around the world.”

That story takes the reader from Brunson’s boyhood home of Longworth, Texas, to Fort Worth’s Exchange Avenue, where “shootings, knife fights and fistfights happened every day.” It then goes further, to the back roads of the Texas poker circuit, where Brunson, Johnny Moss, Sailor Roberts, and Amarillo Slim Preston earned their fame before pulling into early Las Vegas.

As Brunson leads you along his life journey, he introduces you to a cast of colorful characters, the world-class conmen and gangsters who dominated the high-stakes world he frequented. Minnesota Fats, Bill Boyd, Archie Karas, Jimmy Chagra, Titanic Thompson, Tony Spilotro, Lefty Rosenthal, Benny Binion, Puggy Pearson, Stu Unger, and Chip Reese, just to name a few, are all legends whom Brunson rubbed shoulders with. And the stories that Brunson shares from these assorted personalities make “The Godfather of Poker” a hard book to put down.

Readers also get a peek into Brunson’s personal life and the tragedies he’s faced, including the death of his first-born child and a freak injury that ruined his opportunity at a career in professional sports. Throughout the book, he chronicles how he’s survived the years, going from being broke to betting $1.6 million on a round of golf. It was all just another day at the office. Brunson is candid and brave throughout.

In one of the book’s more humorous chapters, Brunson goes into detail about his ventures in business. “A lot of my business exploits headed south faster than a gaggle of geese,” he says. If you name it, Brunson threw money at it — including attempting to raise the Titanic, uncover Noah’s Ark, buying gold and emerald mines, and funding Christian television networks — and it probably didn’t go too well.

In the latter part of the book, Brunson talks about how the game has morphed into a “cultural phenomenon” thanks to online poker, television, and celebrity endorsement.

Brunson, a two-time World Series of Poker main-event champion, admits to throwing the 1972 title in “The Godfather of Poker.” He dumped his chips to Amarillo Slim because, as he says, “I was afraid of the publicity that winning this event would bring, and the terrible shame it would bring to my family.” My, how perceptions have changed three decades later.

Near the end of “The Godfather of Poker,” Brunson says, “I’ve come to realize that life’s experiences are ours to keep and cherish permanent gifts, like diamonds that sparkle in your head.”

Thankfully, because Brunson chose to share his experiences, the previously oral-only history of poker’s wild-west days now exists in written form for everyone to cherish.

“The Godfather of Poker: Doyle Brunson”

An Autobiography with Mike Cochra

‘High Stakes Poker’ New Hostess Named As Kara Scott

It would seem that the rumours which started circulating concerning AJ Benza’s replacement on GSN’s hit show ‘High Stakes Poker’ might finally be laid to rest as it was announced today on Pokernews.com that Kara Scott would be the new co-presenter on the show.

Kara certainly has the experience to take on the role having spent a great deal of her working life in and around the industry. In 2005 Kara was the host of a series called ‘High Stakes Backgammon’ and also hosted the “World Series of Backgammon” in 2006.

However, poker is where Kara’s heart lies and she soon became the main host of tv show “Poker Night Live” whilst also writing articles for ‘Flush’ magazine and ‘Poker Player Magazine.’ In 2007/08 Kara hosted the European Poker Tour but after a 104th place finish at the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) $10,000 buy-in Main Event for $41,816 Kara announced she would be leaving the show she was then working on, Sky Poker on the Sky Television channel, to concentrate on a career as a poker professional.

The following year, at the 2009 WSOP, Kara Scott finished 238th at the same event for $32,963 and in so doing became only the second woman ever to cash at consecutive WSOP Main Events.

Kara has enjoyed success in her poker career having earned $537,797 from live tournament wins including her biggest victory to date, a second place finish at the 2009 Irish Open for an impressive $443,594 pay day. Following that win Kara commented:

“I know a lot of people don’t think I can play and there are always going to be people who say I can’t. But I have made the final of a female championship, I won a Sports Star Challenge, I went deep in the World Series of Poker Main Event and now I’ve come second in the Irish Open.I think my game is improving.”

We wish Kara all success in her new role of ‘High Stakes Poker’ co-presenter.

Season Two of Best Damn Poker Show Debuts in Europe October 20th

Leading online poker site sportsbetting.com hits the airwaves on the Poker Channel this month with second season of “Best Damn Poker Show,” a poker series featuring Phil Hellmuth, Annie Duke and 24 would-be poker champions.

Poker announced that Season Two of “Best Damn Poker Show” will debut in Europe on Tuesdays and Wednesdays on The Poker Channel Europe throughout the run of season, beginning October 20th, 2009 at 22CET. The 7-episode series will be repeated on Thursdays and Saturdays at 16 CET on Europe’s largest dedicated gaming TV network, available online to a global audience and to more than 18 million cable and satellite homes in Europe.

The second season of “Best Damn Poker Show” aims to determine which poker legend –—Phil Hellmuth or Annie Duke—can better teach the game of Texas Hold’em, transforming ordinary poker players into champions capable of competing on the world stage.

Each episode includes player eliminations, so expect the pressure to escalate from week to week as the race to survive the cut builds to a dramatic finale. See Annie Duke and Phil Hellmuth highlighting card play, analyzing the competition and commentating on eliminations. Extended versions of the intense showdowns between the two poker champions will be available exclusively online.

Tune in to see who emerges as the one to watch as the weeks roll on. Will the Moneymaker effect play out to perfection with the winner ‘freerolling’ right into the Champion’s seat? Don’t miss a beat as the episodes progress; bets are on to decide if Team Hellmuth or Team Duke will triumph come time for the show’s finale.Much like the first season of Best Damn Poker Show, which aired in early 2008, online poker players at sportsbetting.com competed for a spot on the show by creating and submitting an audition video that highlighted why they deserved to be on the ultimate poker reality series. Many of the user-submitted videos can be seen on YouTube.

The online site also invited Texas Hold’em fans to take part in a series of qualifiers that paid out spots on the show. What’s more, a live audition process took place at the 2008 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. The majority of the 24 poker hopefuls were cherry picked from the legion of on-camera interviews conducted here, where producers had access to the thousands of talented Texas Hold’em fans who were in town for the world’s most prestigious poker tournament.

Poker-playing priest hits the small screen

We've seen it happen too many times...poker players falling down on their knees to beseech the poker gods for some luck...just...one...time!

Although that scene plays itself out all over the world, we never really considered what would happen if one of them combined some of the most powerful possible forces. That is, what if one man combined his almighty God with one of poker's most respected deities?

The priest from South Carolina recently sat down to compete for a chance to win $1 million. Not only was able to quite officially bless the cards before the dealer got to work, but the holy man also had Daniel Negreanu sitting right beside him offering advice.

The episode aired last Sunday after the FOX NFL games . If you don't live in a place where you can see FOX, we've got the episode for you right here.

We won't tell you how it turns out, but either way, it's a great way to spend some time this afternoon. By the way, another episode of the Million Dollar Challenge airs at 4:30pm ET this Sunday, October 18.