Knowing when to fold or raise when playing poker online can be an easier task when players are more acutely aware of online poker hand odds. Players are constantly looking for advantages in order to help them win the games of poker that they take on, either online or off. When it comes to playing poker online, many players can improve their odds and chances of winning by understanding their online poker hand odds.

Online poker hand odds are almost always hurt from the start by the fact that the individual does not have the other players sitting in front of them, observing their body language and eye contact. As aresult, players may have trouble calculating the odds if they choose to include any behaviors of the individuals while they play. Additionally, online poker hand odds are slightly less easy to pin down because of the fact that all individuals have access and equal opportunity in order to involve themselves in utilizing the advantages of an odds calculator. It can be more difficult for an individual to make a lot of money off of the online poker hands because if individuals are always checking their odds, they are going to get out early on if their online poker hand odds are not in their favor.

In order to determine an individual’s online poker hand odds, the individual needs to be able to quickly observe what they have before the flop. A player will have improved odds if they have a pair, two cards of the same suit or two cards that could be used in a straight if the cards in the flop benefit them. By using the internet, it is very easy for players to invest in calculators and other devices, online, that will allow players to quickly and easily determine their online poker hand odds.

From
http://sports-odds.com/poker/060308-online-poker-hand-odds.html

Final Table Set for Bayou Poker Challenge WSOP Circuit Event

From the Bodog Beat:

The Bayou Poker Challenge WSOP Circuit event is down to the final nine players playing for a WSOP Circuit ring. (Image courtesy of FlipChip/LasVegasVegas.com)

Day 2 of the Bayou Poker Challenge WSOP Circuit event at Harrah's New Orleans wrapped up in the wee hours of the morning when Fatolla Shahen was eliminated in 10th place to cement the final nine who would make up the final table.

Leading the way into Day 3 of the event is Timothy "TK" Miles, who moved into that position by eliminating the bubble boy. The Tallahassee, Fla., resident has a couple of WSOP Circuit prelim events wins under his belt, but a win here to take home the $382,928 first-place prize would be by far his largest career cash.

At the opposite end of the spectrum near the bottom end of the chip counts is a poker player who has made himself quite comfortable in the Harrahs New Orleans poker room. Lou Esposito is entering his third straight WSOP Circuit championship event final table held at this casino. He finished third at the Bayou Winter Challenge back in December and is the defending champion of the Bayou Poker Challenge from last May. If anyone can crawl up the leaderboard, "The Big Easy" can.

Here are the full final table chip counts:

1. Timothy “TK” Miles - 687,000
2. Ed Jatho - 406,000
3. Jeff Tims - 345,000
4. Marc Fratter - 311,000
5. Nick Ceci - 256,000
6. Gabe Costner - 166,000
7. Chuck Kelley - 142,000
8. Lou Esposito - 116,000
9. Floyd Vanderford - 65,000

The final table gets underway in about two hours and PokerNews.com will have all of your live updates, or come back to the Beat for a recap tomorrow.

Pokler Online - Frank, Paul Advise Federal Agencies Not to Implement UIGEA Regs

Frank, Paul Advise Federal Agencies Not to Implement UIGEA Regs
US Congressmen Barney Frank and Ron Paul, who made news last month by leading a Financial Services Committee hearing looking at the regulation of online gambling, have written a letter to the heads of the US Treasury and Federal...

Women's Poker Spotlight: Vanessa Selbst at the Bellagio Five Star
I first met Vanessa Selbst a few years ago at a ladies tournament in California. She was sitting across the table from me, and at first glance you could see she was all about the "business" of poker. While her intense concentration...

Frank, Paul Advise Federal Agencies Not to Implement UIGEA Regs
US Congressmen Barney Frank and Ron Paul, who made news last month by leading a Financial Services Committee hearing looking at the regulation of online gambling, have written a letter to the heads of the US Treasury and Federal...

Women's Poker Spotlight: Vanessa Selbst at the Bellagio Five Star
I first met Vanessa Selbst a few years ago at a ladies tournament in California. She was sitting across the table from me, and at first glance you could see she was all about the "business" of poker. While her intense concentration...

Pokler Online - Full Tilt finds PL.com winners across the globe

Full Tilt finds PL.com winners across the globe

Abbott, who lives in Leeds, England, picked up his win April 12, while Indiana native Joel Mohr picked up a win in the freeroll April 19.

Abbott is an IT Project manager and has been playing poker for about five years. He said he plays probably four or five days a week at Full Tilt Poker.

"[Full Tilt Poker is an]excellent site with good user interface and some pretty loose action," Abbott said.

His play at the poker site resulted in qualifying for the weekly $3,000 freeroll for PokerListings.com players. Any player who signed up at Full Tilt Poker through a PokerListings' link is eligible for the freeroll if they earn 150 player points during the seven-day qualification period leading up to the weekly freeroll.

The April 12 and April 19 freerolls both had good turnouts with 90 qualifiers showing up to play.

"I had some pretty good cards early and mid tournament and took the lead toward the end without endangering my stack with sub-premium hands," Abbott said of his freeroll.

"I used my lead to pressure the small stacks late in the tournament and was the aggressor heads-up, eventually winning despite a couple of all-in outdraws by the second place finisher."

The April 12 freeroll final-table results were:

Place	Name	Prize
1st	Revielation	$960
2nd	Chucker10	$585
3rd	GrandDonkey	$420
4th	laapins	$330
5th	mdk23	$240
6th	Lhirsute	$180
7th	RiverDog24	$120
8th	Masterplan 89	$90
9th	Kobbers	$75

Abbott, who is married and has a daughter and another child on the way, didn't waste any time putting his freeroll winnings to use either.

"I have already bought a new mattress for my pregnant wife!" he said.

Mohr, a 21-year-old college student, isn't sure yet what he'll be doing with his $960 win. He was really happy to have the win because his bankroll was almost gone, and he said he's sure glad to have the extra cash now.

"I've been playing poker for about five years, I would say," Mohr said. "What got me attracted to poker was watching the '03 WSOP on TV. I just thought it was the coolest game and I've watched pretty much every WSOP episode since."

His interest in the game led him to playing online at Full Tilt Poker as well, where he plays almost every day.

"Full Tilt is a great site; they have the best pro players," He said. "I love to watch them play high stakes."

Mohr, who plays as JOELPOKERGOD at Full Tilt Poker, isn't much of a high-stakes player himself. This freeroll win is his biggest win so far.

"The freeroll playing field was interesting. I pretty much got off to a nice start early in the game had like 4500 chips and I pretty much stayed in the top 10," Mohr said. "From there, when we got down to two tables, I became the chip leader."

Mohr didn't play a lot of hands as the playing field was getting closer to the final table, and he said play ended up being 10-handed for a grueling 30 minutes.

"When I got to the final table, I had about an average stack," he said. "People seemed to just be blowing up left and right, so I just let them take each other out and really didn't play many hands while for or five people got KOd moving up the money ladder."

Mohr got more involved when play was down to the final four.

"I just played my game and tried not to make any mistakes," he said. "There were some ups and downs, but I eventually got the win."

The April 19 freeroll final-table results were:

Place	Name	Prize
1st	JOELPOKERGOD	$960
2nd	egasMoniz	$585
3rd	reyecatcher	$420
4th	bloumi	$330
5th	Raisey_Daisy3	$240
6th	1972md	$180
7th	zejuan86	$120
8th	hiz61	$90
9th	DevilsBankroll	$75

Full Tilt Poker also hosted a World Series of Poker* freeroll exclusively for PokerListings.com players on Sunday. Out of 78 entrants, FreakshowGE1904 came out on top to pick up a $12,500 prize package for the 2008 WSOP Main Event.

The prize package includes the buy-in for the WSOP Main Event plus money for travel and accommodations.

There are seven exclusive WSOP freerolls left for PokerListings players at Full Tilt Poker. The next one is May 4 at 1 p.m. EDT, and players have from April 19 to May 3 to accumulate the 300 player points to qualify. There will also be WSOP freerolls May 18, May 25, June 1 and June 8 with a WSOP seat up for grabs.

Full Tilt Poker is upping the ante for PokerListings players in the June 15 and June 22 freerolls by offering two prize packages for each freeroll. That makes it double the chance to get to go to the World Series of Poker on the Full Tilt Poker dime and still only having to earn 300 player points to qualify.

*World Series of Poker and WSOP are trademarks of Harrah's License Company, LLC ("Harrah's"). Harrah's does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with PokerListings.com or its products, services, promotions or tournaments.

Related Articles:

• German Man Has Full Tilt Win on His Mind
• Full Tilt Poker Reloads for FTOPS VIII
• Canuck Wins WSOP Seat at Full Tilt

Visit PokerListings.com

Finn gets free shot at million dollar prize

Soininen won his spot in the World Poker Crown through a freeroll at Pacific Poker hosted exclusively for PokerListings.com players. All he had to do was collect five player points during the seven-day qualification period before the freeroll.

The qualification was no sweat for Soininen, who is a full-time poker player specializing in cash games. He plays poker online for a few hours a day and visits Pacific Poker on a weekly basis.

"I really like the site and the software," Soininen said about Pacific Poker. "Games there are very good. The only thing that bothers me is that I can't play more than four tables at a time."

The 29-year-old only needed to be able to play one table at a time to win his ticket to the World Poker Crown. He took down the very first PokerListings.com freeroll for the event at Pacific Poker back in February.

"There were about a hundred players, and the play was rather tight," Soininen said. "I tried to start with tight, solid poker. I had some setbacks but stayed alive."

Soininen, who plays as Mahve78 on the poker site, changed up his play to play more aggressively as the blinds increased.

"During the play, I got lucky a few times, and I managed to double up," Soininen said. "Overall, I achieved my win with a combination of good cards, good timing and aggressive play."

Soininen has been playing poker for about two years and he said he would consider this freeroll win his biggest tournament win so far.

His ticket to the World Poker Crown is worth $1,050, and gives him a chance to win part of a $3 million guaranteed prize pool. Better yet, it's a shot at the $1 million guaranteed first-place prize.

"I am very excited about playing," Soininen said. "For sure, it's life-changing money. I've tried not to think about it too much."

Going deep in the World Poker Crown could also mean a trip to Barcelona, Spain. When play gets down to the final table online, the game will be stopped so that the final players can finish the game live in Spain.

Soininen and five other PokerListings.com players won seats in the World Poker Crown through exclusive freerolls at Pacific Poker. The poker site opened up a few more freerolls for seats this week for PokerListings.com players in Italy, France, Germany and Spain as well.

Now there's one more chance for PokerListings.com players to get into the WPC without having to shell out the full $1,050 buy-in from their own pockets.

On Friday, April 25, Pacific Poker will offer a $25+$2.50 tournament open only to PokerListings players that will guarantee one seat per 10 players. The tournament will be open to all PokerListings players who have an account at Pacific Poker.

The World Poker Crown begins April 26 at 10 a.m. Pacific Poker Time. The final table will take place May 6-10.

Related Articles:

• 888 Offers 1¢ Qualifiers for WPC
• Pacific Poker Adds WPC Seats for PL.com Players
• Pacific Poker Gives WPC Seats to PL.com Players

Visit PokerListings.com

Full Tilt finds PL.com winners across the globe

Abbott, who lives in Leeds, England, picked up his win April 12, while Indiana native Joel Mohr picked up a win in the freeroll April 19.

Abbott is an IT Project manager and has been playing poker for about five years. He said he plays probably four or five days a week at Full Tilt Poker.

"[Full Tilt Poker is an]excellent site with good user interface and some pretty loose action," Abbott said.

His play at the poker site resulted in qualifying for the weekly $3,000 freeroll for PokerListings.com players. Any player who signed up at Full Tilt Poker through a PokerListings' link is eligible for the freeroll if they earn 150 player points during the seven-day qualification period leading up to the weekly freeroll.

The April 12 and April 19 freerolls both had good turnouts with 90 qualifiers showing up to play.

"I had some pretty good cards early and mid tournament and took the lead toward the end without endangering my stack with sub-premium hands," Abbott said of his freeroll.

"I used my lead to pressure the small stacks late in the tournament and was the aggressor heads-up, eventually winning despite a couple of all-in outdraws by the second place finisher."

The April 12 freeroll final-table results were:

Place	Name	Prize
1st	Revielation	$960
2nd	Chucker10	$585
3rd	GrandDonkey	$420
4th	laapins	$330
5th	mdk23	$240
6th	Lhirsute	$180
7th	RiverDog24	$120
8th	Masterplan 89	$90
9th	Kobbers	$75

Abbott, who is married and has a daughter and another child on the way, didn't waste any time putting his freeroll winnings to use either.

"I have already bought a new mattress for my pregnant wife!" he said.

Mohr, a 21-year-old college student, isn't sure yet what he'll be doing with his $960 win. He was really happy to have the win because his bankroll was almost gone, and he said he's sure glad to have the extra cash now.

"I've been playing poker for about five years, I would say," Mohr said. "What got me attracted to poker was watching the '03 WSOP on TV. I just thought it was the coolest game and I've watched pretty much every WSOP episode since."

His interest in the game led him to playing online at Full Tilt Poker as well, where he plays almost every day.

"Full Tilt is a great site; they have the best pro players," He said. "I love to watch them play high stakes."

Mohr, who plays as JOELPOKERGOD at Full Tilt Poker, isn't much of a high-stakes player himself. This freeroll win is his biggest win so far.

"The freeroll playing field was interesting. I pretty much got off to a nice start early in the game had like 4500 chips and I pretty much stayed in the top 10," Mohr said. "From there, when we got down to two tables, I became the chip leader."

Mohr didn't play a lot of hands as the playing field was getting closer to the final table, and he said play ended up being 10-handed for a grueling 30 minutes.

"When I got to the final table, I had about an average stack," he said. "People seemed to just be blowing up left and right, so I just let them take each other out and really didn't play many hands while for or five people got KOd moving up the money ladder."

Mohr got more involved when play was down to the final four.

"I just played my game and tried not to make any mistakes," he said. "There were some ups and downs, but I eventually got the win."

The April 19 freeroll final-table results were:

Place	Name	Prize
1st	JOELPOKERGOD	$960
2nd	egasMoniz	$585
3rd	reyecatcher	$420
4th	bloumi	$330
5th	Raisey_Daisy3	$240
6th	1972md	$180
7th	zejuan86	$120
8th	hiz61	$90
9th	DevilsBankroll	$75

Full Tilt Poker also hosted a World Series of Poker* freeroll exclusively for PokerListings.com players on Sunday. Out of 78 entrants, FreakshowGE1904 came out on top to pick up a $12,500 prize package for the 2008 WSOP Main Event.

The prize package includes the buy-in for the WSOP Main Event plus money for travel and accommodations.

There are seven exclusive WSOP freerolls left for PokerListings players at Full Tilt Poker. The next one is May 4 at 1 p.m. EDT, and players have from April 19 to May 3 to accumulate the 300 player points to qualify. There will also be WSOP freerolls May 18, May 25, June 1 and June 8 with a WSOP seat up for grabs.

Full Tilt Poker is upping the ante for PokerListings players in the June 15 and June 22 freerolls by offering two prize packages for each freeroll. That makes it double the chance to get to go to the World Series of Poker on the Full Tilt Poker dime and still only having to earn 300 player points to qualify.

*World Series of Poker and WSOP are trademarks of Harrah's License Company, LLC ("Harrah's"). Harrah's does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with PokerListings.com or its products, services, promotions or tournaments.

Related Articles:

• German Man Has Full Tilt Win on His Mind
• Full Tilt Poker Reloads for FTOPS VIII
• Canuck Wins WSOP Seat at Full Tilt

Visit PokerListings.com

Finn gets free shot at million dollar prize

Soininen won his spot in the World Poker Crown through a freeroll at Pacific Poker hosted exclusively for PokerListings.com players. All he had to do was collect five player points during the seven-day qualification period before the freeroll.

The qualification was no sweat for Soininen, who is a full-time poker player specializing in cash games. He plays poker online for a few hours a day and visits Pacific Poker on a weekly basis.

"I really like the site and the software," Soininen said about Pacific Poker. "Games there are very good. The only thing that bothers me is that I can't play more than four tables at a time."

The 29-year-old only needed to be able to play one table at a time to win his ticket to the World Poker Crown. He took down the very first PokerListings.com freeroll for the event at Pacific Poker back in February.

"There were about a hundred players, and the play was rather tight," Soininen said. "I tried to start with tight, solid poker. I had some setbacks but stayed alive."

Soininen, who plays as Mahve78 on the poker site, changed up his play to play more aggressively as the blinds increased.

"During the play, I got lucky a few times, and I managed to double up," Soininen said. "Overall, I achieved my win with a combination of good cards, good timing and aggressive play."

Soininen has been playing poker for about two years and he said he would consider this freeroll win his biggest tournament win so far.

His ticket to the World Poker Crown is worth $1,050, and gives him a chance to win part of a $3 million guaranteed prize pool. Better yet, it's a shot at the $1 million guaranteed first-place prize.

"I am very excited about playing," Soininen said. "For sure, it's life-changing money. I've tried not to think about it too much."

Going deep in the World Poker Crown could also mean a trip to Barcelona, Spain. When play gets down to the final table online, the game will be stopped so that the final players can finish the game live in Spain.

Soininen and five other PokerListings.com players won seats in the World Poker Crown through exclusive freerolls at Pacific Poker. The poker site opened up a few more freerolls for seats this week for PokerListings.com players in Italy, France, Germany and Spain as well.

Now there's one more chance for PokerListings.com players to get into the WPC without having to shell out the full $1,050 buy-in from their own pockets.

On Friday, April 25, Pacific Poker will offer a $25+$2.50 tournament open only to PokerListings players that will guarantee one seat per 10 players. The tournament will be open to all PokerListings players who have an account at Pacific Poker.

The World Poker Crown begins April 26 at 10 a.m. Pacific Poker Time. The final table will take place May 6-10.

Related Articles:

• 888 Offers 1¢ Qualifiers for WPC
• Pacific Poker Adds WPC Seats for PL.com Players
• Pacific Poker Gives WPC Seats to PL.com Players

Visit PokerListings.com

Pokler Online - College Poker Life: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

College Poker Life: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
The school year is almost over for University of Chicago students, bringing the end of many regular campus poker games. Student poker players enrolled in the small, private school have seen a reasonable amount of poker action...

'Poker After Dark' Releases Season Four Preview
Fresh off the April 18th wrap of filming for the upcoming season's episodes, the popular program "Poker After Dark" has released the highlights for the fourth season of the series, which will consist of ten new episodes...

College Poker Life: University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
The school year is almost over for University of Chicago students, bringing the end of many regular campus poker games. Student poker players enrolled in the small, private school have seen a reasonable amount of poker action...

'Poker After Dark' Releases Season Four Preview
Fresh off the April 18th wrap of filming for the upcoming season's episodes, the popular program "Poker After Dark" has released the highlights for the fourth season of the series, which will consist of ten new episodes...

Pokler Online - No requirements for PokerStars June WSOP freeroll

No requirements for PokerStars June WSOP freeroll

PokerStars has been dishing out seats in exclusive freerolls for PokerListings.com players who earn certain amounts of player points during the qualification period for each freeroll, but come June, there will be a freeroll with absolutely no qualification required.

The freeroll will be open to all real- and play-money players who signed up at PokerStars through PokerListings.com. It takes place June 7 at 3 p.m. EDT.

Up for grabs will be a $12,500 World Series of Poker* prize package. That includes the $10,000 buy-in for the Main Event as well as money for travel and accommodation.

There are six other exclusive freerolls for PokerListings.com players, too. They are scheduled for:

Date	Time	Points Needed	Qualification Period
May 10	3 p.m.	100	April 1-30
May 17	3 p.m.	250	April 1-30
May 24	3 p.m.	500	April 1-30
June 8	3 p.m.	100	May 1-31
June 14	3 p.m.	500	May 1-31
June 15	3 p.m.	1,000	May 1-31

All times listed are in Eastern Daylight Time.

*World Series of Poker and WSOP are trademarks of Harrah's License Company, LLC ("Harrah's"). Harrah's does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with PokerListings.com or its products, services, promotions or tournaments.

Related Articles:

• PokerStars Pulls Off Another Big Sunday
• PokerStars.net Offers Free Seats to WSOP

Visit PokerListings.com

E-mail containing virus falsely claims to be from Doyle’s Room
An e-mail circulating that claims to be from Doyle’s Room, an online poker site, actually contains a malicious virus and has no relation to the site. According to cardplayer.com: A malicious e-mail made to look like a customer service message from DoylesRoom.com warning that the player’s account ��...full article

An e-mail circulating that claims to be from Doyle’s Room, an online poker site, actually contains a malicious virus and has no relation to the site.

According to cardplayer.com:

A malicious e-mail made to look like a customer service message from DoylesRoom.com warning that the player’s account has been suspended has been hitting inboxes recently. Players should not open this message, as it contains a virus.

The message contains a DoylesRoom.com banner, the words “Your account will be blocked. Please click on the link and read the document, report its decision,” several links to download software, and several phone numbers. The subject line reads “account temporarily blocked.”

Whole thing here.

PPA reaches one million member mark

"Reaching one million members puts the PPA on par with such political powerhouses as AARP and the National Association of Realtors, and will allow us to advocate even more effectively on behalf of our members," said PPA Chairman Former Senator Alfonse D'Amato.

Taking advantage of that growth, the Poker Players Alliance has launched a comprehensive voter registration campaign.

The "If You Play, Have a Say" campaign will include onsite voter registration drives in key battleground states as well as during the 2008 World Series of Poker beginning May 30. The campaigns goal is to register 100,000 or more poker players as new voters.

In order to reach as many PPA members as possible who aren't currently registered to vote, the campaign will also include a simple online form in order to register to vote. The online registration can be found at Poker2008.org.

Another goal of the "If You Play, Have a Say" campaign is to increase awareness as to why being active in the political process is important to the future of poker.

The PPA takes that idea to the next level as well with the launch of PokerPAC, its political action committee.

The PokerPAC is open to dues paying members of the PPA as well as PPA Board Members and Employees. D'Amato will serve as the PAC chairman as the PokerPAC helps strengthen the group's efforts on Capitol Hill.

Annie Duke will serve as an honorary PokerPAC board member, and former Congressman Toby Moffett will also lend his support as the PAC's vice chairman.

"The formation of PokerPAC and the 'If You Play, Have a Say' campaign sends a clear message to elected officials in Congress and the state capitals that poker players are paying attention to the laws they enact that impact an individual's right to play poker. Our one million members' voices will be heard," D'Amato said.

Related Articles:

• PPA Launches Litigation Support Network
• PPA Names State Directors
• Organizations Stage Pro-Poker Rally

Visit PokerListings.com

Another exclusive Pacific tournament with overlay
Pacific has set us up with another great tournament with excellent added value. Note that this tournament is open to both new registrations and those that registered for the event held last Sunday: Time: Friday April 25th at 3pm EST Name: PTP & RBN WPC Qualifier Buy ��...full article

Pacific has set us up with another great tournament with excellent added value. Note that this tournament is open to both new registrations and those that registered for the event held last Sunday:

Time: Friday April 25th at 3pm EST
Name: PTP & RBN WPC Qualifier
Buy in: 27.50

Prize Pool:
-1 WPC seat ($1050 value) for every 10 entrants. If less than 10 players enter, 1 WPC seat will still be awared to the winner.

-The next 10 places will receive a free entry into Pacific’s WSOP sub-satellite ($110 value). This is true no matter how few people register.

To register for the tournament:
You must not already have a Pacific Poker account
You need to create one with this link:

http://www.pacificpoker.com/PokerInstaller?lang=en&sr=391864

Only by registering with the above link will you be able to join in the event.

The WPC event is a $1050 $3million guaranteed event on April 26th at 10am est. The $110 WSOP sub-satellite will is the one on May 2nd at 4pm eastern. The registration process is done manually; winners won’t be automatically registered when the tourney ends.

The WPC looks like it will overlay, so the value of that entry may actually be much more than $1050. The value here is great for those of you that can take advantage of it.

Pacific offers a 100% deposit bonus up to $400; 25% of it is released instantly. The rest needs to be cleared

No US Players, issue your complaints directly to congress.

U.S. Representatives send letter to Treasury Dept. regarding UIGEA
U.S. Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and others sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Treasury regarding the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act on Monday. The letter comes soon after Frank introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would stop the UIGEA from ��...full article

U.S. Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and others sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Treasury regarding the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act on Monday.

The letter comes soon after Frank introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would stop the UIGEA from being implemented.

Here’s some of the letter:

Your agency and the Federal Reserve have been struggling to issue these (UIGEA) regulations, but as the hearing made clear, the underlying statute makes your job extremely difficult, if not impossible. Given the many other priorities that are pending at your agencies, including the mortgage crisis, HOEPA, and UDAP rulewriting and many other issues, we believe it would be imprudent for you to devote additional agency resources to this Sisyphean task, especially as we intend to vigorously pursue legislation to prevent the implementation of these regulations.

Whole thing here on a 2+2 thread.

More on the Frank legislation as it makes its way though Congress.

Poker Players Alliance reaches 1 million members
Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a poker advocacy group in the United States, said in a press release today that it has surpassed 1 million members. The PPA also announced that it has launched a political action committee in advance of this November’s elections.

Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a poker advocacy group in the United States, said in a press release today that it has surpassed 1 million members.

The PPA also announced that it has launched a political action committee in advance of this November’s elections.

(more…)

Two states look at expanding poker

According to the Palm Beach Post, the Florida Senate has approved allowing around-the-clock poker play on weekends and 18-hour days during the week in the state.

The Senate approved the change in hours last week as part of a larger pari-mutuel measure, but it has yet to be approved by the House.

The Senate will soon be considering expanding what poker rooms can offer in the way of tournaments as well. Poker rooms may be permitted to host two high-stakes, televised poker tournaments each year, like those put on by the World Poker Tour. They could also be able to host six celebrity charity tournaments each year.

Senate members pointed out that the changes are necessary for the casinos to compete with gaming run on the Indian reservations.

The reservations were recently allowed to expand their poker operations, while the non-reservation cardrooms are restricted to a 12-hour day.

In Colorado, Sen. Ron Tupa has proposed a constitutional amendment that will eliminate the $5 bet limit on table games in Colorado casinos.

According to local media, the senator said changing the bet limits is one easy area to find additional revenue for the state.

His proposal doesn't suggest a new limit for the bets on table games such as poker and blackjack. Instead Tupa is waiting to see what his fellow lawmakers have to say about the limits and what they could potentially use the extra money for.

Tupa's proposal will need to be approved by two-thirds of the members of the state House and Senate to make it onto the November ballot.

Even just doubling the wager limit to $10 for blackjack, poker and slot machines could bring in an additional $13.7 million in state taxes in the first year, according to the legislature's chief economist, Mike Mauer.

Changing the betting limits could also help offset the dip in revenues that casinos saw in March. Some people in the gaming community are pointing to the smoking ban as the cause of a 15% drop in revenue during the month.

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No requirements for PokerStars June WSOP freeroll

PokerStars has been dishing out seats in exclusive freerolls for PokerListings.com players who earn certain amounts of player points during the qualification period for each freeroll, but come June, there will be a freeroll with absolutely no qualification required.

The freeroll will be open to all real- and play-money players who signed up at PokerStars through PokerListings.com. It takes place June 7 at 3 p.m. EDT.

Up for grabs will be a $12,500 World Series of Poker* prize package. That includes the $10,000 buy-in for the Main Event as well as money for travel and accommodation.

There are six other exclusive freerolls for PokerListings.com players, too. They are scheduled for:

Date	Time	Points Needed	Qualification Period
May 10	3 p.m.	100	April 1-30
May 17	3 p.m.	250	April 1-30
May 24	3 p.m.	500	April 1-30
June 8	3 p.m.	100	May 1-31
June 14	3 p.m.	500	May 1-31
June 15	3 p.m.	1,000	May 1-31

All times listed are in Eastern Daylight Time.

*World Series of Poker and WSOP are trademarks of Harrah's License Company, LLC ("Harrah's"). Harrah's does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with PokerListings.com or its products, services, promotions or tournaments.

Related Articles:

• PokerStars Pulls Off Another Big Sunday
• PokerStars.net Offers Free Seats to WSOP

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E-mail containing virus falsely claims to be from Doyle’s Room
An e-mail circulating that claims to be from Doyle’s Room, an online poker site, actually contains a malicious virus and has no relation to the site. According to cardplayer.com: A malicious e-mail made to look like a customer service message from DoylesRoom.com warning that the player’s account ��...full article

An e-mail circulating that claims to be from Doyle’s Room, an online poker site, actually contains a malicious virus and has no relation to the site.

According to cardplayer.com:

A malicious e-mail made to look like a customer service message from DoylesRoom.com warning that the player’s account has been suspended has been hitting inboxes recently. Players should not open this message, as it contains a virus.

The message contains a DoylesRoom.com banner, the words “Your account will be blocked. Please click on the link and read the document, report its decision,” several links to download software, and several phone numbers. The subject line reads “account temporarily blocked.”

Whole thing here.

PPA reaches one million member mark

"Reaching one million members puts the PPA on par with such political powerhouses as AARP and the National Association of Realtors, and will allow us to advocate even more effectively on behalf of our members," said PPA Chairman Former Senator Alfonse D'Amato.

Taking advantage of that growth, the Poker Players Alliance has launched a comprehensive voter registration campaign.

The "If You Play, Have a Say" campaign will include onsite voter registration drives in key battleground states as well as during the 2008 World Series of Poker beginning May 30. The campaigns goal is to register 100,000 or more poker players as new voters.

In order to reach as many PPA members as possible who aren't currently registered to vote, the campaign will also include a simple online form in order to register to vote. The online registration can be found at Poker2008.org.

Another goal of the "If You Play, Have a Say" campaign is to increase awareness as to why being active in the political process is important to the future of poker.

The PPA takes that idea to the next level as well with the launch of PokerPAC, its political action committee.

The PokerPAC is open to dues paying members of the PPA as well as PPA Board Members and Employees. D'Amato will serve as the PAC chairman as the PokerPAC helps strengthen the group's efforts on Capitol Hill.

Annie Duke will serve as an honorary PokerPAC board member, and former Congressman Toby Moffett will also lend his support as the PAC's vice chairman.

"The formation of PokerPAC and the 'If You Play, Have a Say' campaign sends a clear message to elected officials in Congress and the state capitals that poker players are paying attention to the laws they enact that impact an individual's right to play poker. Our one million members' voices will be heard," D'Amato said.

Related Articles:

• PPA Launches Litigation Support Network
• PPA Names State Directors
• Organizations Stage Pro-Poker Rally

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Another exclusive Pacific tournament with overlay
Pacific has set us up with another great tournament with excellent added value. Note that this tournament is open to both new registrations and those that registered for the event held last Sunday: Time: Friday April 25th at 3pm EST Name: PTP & RBN WPC Qualifier Buy ��...full article

Pacific has set us up with another great tournament with excellent added value. Note that this tournament is open to both new registrations and those that registered for the event held last Sunday:

Time: Friday April 25th at 3pm EST
Name: PTP & RBN WPC Qualifier
Buy in: 27.50

Prize Pool:
-1 WPC seat ($1050 value) for every 10 entrants. If less than 10 players enter, 1 WPC seat will still be awared to the winner.

-The next 10 places will receive a free entry into Pacific’s WSOP sub-satellite ($110 value). This is true no matter how few people register.

To register for the tournament:
You must not already have a Pacific Poker account
You need to create one with this link:

http://www.pacificpoker.com/PokerInstaller?lang=en&sr=391864

Only by registering with the above link will you be able to join in the event.

The WPC event is a $1050 $3million guaranteed event on April 26th at 10am est. The $110 WSOP sub-satellite will is the one on May 2nd at 4pm eastern. The registration process is done manually; winners won’t be automatically registered when the tourney ends.

The WPC looks like it will overlay, so the value of that entry may actually be much more than $1050. The value here is great for those of you that can take advantage of it.

Pacific offers a 100% deposit bonus up to $400; 25% of it is released instantly. The rest needs to be cleared

No US Players, issue your complaints directly to congress.

U.S. Representatives send letter to Treasury Dept. regarding UIGEA
U.S. Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and others sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Treasury regarding the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act on Monday. The letter comes soon after Frank introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would stop the UIGEA from ��...full article

U.S. Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and others sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Treasury regarding the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act on Monday.

The letter comes soon after Frank introduced a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would stop the UIGEA from being implemented.

Here’s some of the letter:

Your agency and the Federal Reserve have been struggling to issue these (UIGEA) regulations, but as the hearing made clear, the underlying statute makes your job extremely difficult, if not impossible. Given the many other priorities that are pending at your agencies, including the mortgage crisis, HOEPA, and UDAP rulewriting and many other issues, we believe it would be imprudent for you to devote additional agency resources to this Sisyphean task, especially as we intend to vigorously pursue legislation to prevent the implementation of these regulations.

Whole thing here on a 2+2 thread.

More on the Frank legislation as it makes its way though Congress.

Poker Players Alliance reaches 1 million members
Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a poker advocacy group in the United States, said in a press release today that it has surpassed 1 million members. The PPA also announced that it has launched a political action committee in advance of this November’s elections.

Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a poker advocacy group in the United States, said in a press release today that it has surpassed 1 million members.

The PPA also announced that it has launched a political action committee in advance of this November’s elections.

(more…)

Two states look at expanding poker

According to the Palm Beach Post, the Florida Senate has approved allowing around-the-clock poker play on weekends and 18-hour days during the week in the state.

The Senate approved the change in hours last week as part of a larger pari-mutuel measure, but it has yet to be approved by the House.

The Senate will soon be considering expanding what poker rooms can offer in the way of tournaments as well. Poker rooms may be permitted to host two high-stakes, televised poker tournaments each year, like those put on by the World Poker Tour. They could also be able to host six celebrity charity tournaments each year.

Senate members pointed out that the changes are necessary for the casinos to compete with gaming run on the Indian reservations.

The reservations were recently allowed to expand their poker operations, while the non-reservation cardrooms are restricted to a 12-hour day.

In Colorado, Sen. Ron Tupa has proposed a constitutional amendment that will eliminate the $5 bet limit on table games in Colorado casinos.

According to local media, the senator said changing the bet limits is one easy area to find additional revenue for the state.

His proposal doesn't suggest a new limit for the bets on table games such as poker and blackjack. Instead Tupa is waiting to see what his fellow lawmakers have to say about the limits and what they could potentially use the extra money for.

Tupa's proposal will need to be approved by two-thirds of the members of the state House and Senate to make it onto the November ballot.

Even just doubling the wager limit to $10 for blackjack, poker and slot machines could bring in an additional $13.7 million in state taxes in the first year, according to the legislature's chief economist, Mike Mauer.

Changing the betting limits could also help offset the dip in revenues that casinos saw in March. Some people in the gaming community are pointing to the smoking ban as the cause of a 15% drop in revenue during the month.

Visit PokerListings.com

Pokler Online - The Other Side of the Felt, Vol. 9: 2002 WSOP, Before the Boom, Part 1

The Other Side of the Felt, Vol. 9: 2002 WSOP, Before the Boom, Part 1
Way back in 2002, before Moneymaker, the internet explosion, and the World Poker Tour, I was offered the Tournament Director's job at the World Series of Poker at a time that the world's most prestigious tournament was in trouble...

Bodog CEO Calvin Ayre Announces Retirement
Calvin Ayre, the highly visible founder and CEO of Bodog, announced his planned retirement yesterday in a statement issued by the company. According to the statement, found at bodoglife.com, Ayre will also give up operational control...

The Other Side of the Felt, Vol. 9: 2002 WSOP, Before the Boom, Part 1
Way back in 2002, before Moneymaker, the internet explosion, and the World Poker Tour, I was offered the Tournament Director's job at the World Series of Poker at a time that the world's most prestigious tournament was in trouble...

Bodog CEO Calvin Ayre Announces Retirement
Calvin Ayre, the highly visible founder and CEO of Bodog, announced his planned retirement yesterday in a statement issued by the company. According to the statement, found at bodoglife.com, Ayre will also give up operational control...