Street Cred on Wall Street

Read this on pokernews.com and thought it was worth reposting...

Street Cred

Generally speaking, getting a job on Wall Street isn't easy. It seems that poker players could have an edge when it comes to securing one of those lucrative positions. Wall Street firms are recruiting poker players because the skill set required to succeed at poker translates to the Financial District.

Apparently all you poker players out there have a "penchant for risk-taking and a dispassionate regard for large sums of money," and it's hard to find that in individuals who have never "put the money on the table at some point in your life." Danon Robinson, partner at Toro Trading has been quoted as saying that a "lack of interest in poker was “a red flag” and “almost the equivalent of not reading the Wall Street Journal.”

Mint.com has the whole story.

Running Hot

After running hot in cards in 2009, Trinity managed to finish the year by running hot one more time. Trinity participated in a nuclear hot wing eat-off on Daytime Tri-Cities. The challenge: to eat 20 Beef O'Brady's Nuclear hot wings in less than 20 minutes. "I feel pretty confident that I can do this in under 10 minutes," Trinity said when ask prior to the beginning of the challenge how he thought he would do. Friends and co-workers were all in agreement that Trinity would go untouched in this challenge.

The Results: Trinity (1st on left) finished in 6min, Mike 7min (2nd from right), Kevin 7min45sec (1st from right)...

To quote Andrew T (2nd from left) from Beef O'Brady's "Impressive".

Trinity hopes to continue his hot streak with a win in the 2009 RPL Main Event on January 9th. Trinity was also the 2009 Player of the Year and is going into the Main Event as the defending champion.

Phil Ivey's Marriage gets Flushed on the River

Phil Ivey, one of the most dominant professional poker players in the world -- isn't suited for marriage ... dude was just granted a from his wife Luciaetta. full story

Preview of Dec. 3 Committee Hearing

Internet poker will be the topic Thursday on Capitol Hill as Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) leads a hearing of his two poker-related bills in the House Financial Services Committee of which he is chairman. (Full Story at PokerNews)

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... (read full story at Pokernews)

Six Kentucky Congressmen Support Pushing UIGEA Deadline Back One Year

The Poker Players Alliance's petition to delay the fast-approaching compliance date for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act received a boost Monday when all six Kentucky congressmen submitted a letter to U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to support pushing the Dec. 1 deadline back a year. (full story)

Patrik Antonius and Isildur1 Play Largest-Ever Online Pot at $1.3 Million

For the second time in less than five days, Patrik Antonius and "Isildur1" broke the record for the largest pot in online poker history. see full story at pokernews

Online Poker... Keep It Legal

Let your Congress and Senate know where you stand.

Sign the Petition

Dear Members of the Congress and the Senate,

I want to register my strong disapproval and disagreement with the recently enacted bill concerning the prevention and/or regulation of Internet Poker/Gambling. The bill was initially introduced by Representative Bob Goodlatte in the House of Representatives and was attached to "must pass" legislation in the Senate by Senator Bill Frist.

I strongly believe that the government should not attempt to ban online poker by adults as poker is a game of skill and not of chance. I support the legalization, regulation and taxation of online poker by the government of the United States of America.

Sincerely,
The Undersigned

NC tribe votes to allow casino alcohol sales

CHEROKEE, N.C. — Alcohol sales at a North Carolina mountain casino have been approved by members of the Cherokee Indian tribe as a way to boost profits used to run tribal government and pay its members.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians approved alcohol sales by 1,847 to 1,301 Thursday after nearly half the tribe's registered voters went to polls, The Asheville Citizen-Times reported Friday.
see full story

See Gus Play...

When you just cannot get enough poker on TV... Check out GusHansenTV.com. It is easy to get absorbed into it. It's quite entertaining.

Florida Considers Legalizing No-Limit Poker as Part of Gaming Expansion

As reported by PokerNews
If a new proposal in the Florida Senate prevails, true no-limit poker will soon be available at Seminole Tribe resorts and parimutuel outlets across the state. Last week, the Senate unveiled a sweeping new plan to liberalize gaming laws statewide, with the aim of raising revenue and transforming the Sunshine State into a major gaming destination.

At present, Florida law restricts no-limit poker players to a maximum buy-in of $100. That law is anathema to many players, who have complained that it blunts skill and actually promotes more gambling, since players who can never lose too much on any given hand are more likely to risk all their chips in marginal situations. Pro player and Florida native Vanessa Rousso argued that skilled players "don't have enough chips in front of them to play out the bets and raises that are required in the skillful aspect of the game." (read more)

Cherokee NC Gets PokerTek Tables

MATTHEWS, N.C., March 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PokerTek, Inc., the industry pioneer and worldwide leader in automated poker tables and related software, is pleased to announce that they have installed five PokerPro tables at Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel in Cherokee, North Carolina. The new poker room opened Friday March 6 at 4:00 pm. This is the first time that Harrah's Cherokee has offered live automated poker at the property.

"Installing PokerPro at Harrah's Cherokee is a great thing for the poker players of the South," said Chris Halligan, PokerTek's CEO. "This will be the only live automated Texas Hold'em offered within almost 350 miles, and we're confident that players in the region will appreciate the benefits of automated poker. At last, the good people of Asheville, Charlotte, Atlanta and Knoxville have a room they can call their own."

"The games are very popular in other markets, and we're confident our customers will be pleased also," said Ron Hager, Director of Table Games for Harrah's Cherokee Casino. "Players will find Texas Hold'em, Seven Card Stud and Omaha cash games and tournaments, with a wide variety of limits and buy-ins."

The Poker Room at Harrah's Cherokee expects to offer $1/2 No-Limit, $2/5 No-Limit and $3/6 Limit Cash games. For tournament players, $115 sit-n-go's and a variety of multi-table tournaments are coming soon, pending regulatory approval. For more information about the Harrah's Cherokee poker room and their specific game offerings, please visit their website: www.harrahscherokee.com.

PokerPro tables are cutting-edge electronic gaming devices that simulate live poker and allow players to play against one another. Players can privately view their hole cards and place bets using their individual screens. The community cards, pot and player table stakes are all displayed on a large center monitor for all players to see.

Harrah's Cherokee Casino & Hotel is located in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains and is owned by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The expansive property boasts a 15-story hotel and conference center, along with a multitude of restaurants and cafes. The casino offers a variety of gaming options, including the popular lock-n-roll games, raffle reels, video poker, digital blackjack and mini baccarita.

60 Minutes Online Poker Segment to Air This Sunday

According to the CBS News website, the long awaited
"60 Minutes" segment on online poker cheating will
air this Sunday, November 30th. An e-mail to the
"60 Minutes" subscriber base has also confirmed
this information.

The segment is titled "The Cheaters", and will
apparently be the lead segment for this Sunday's
program. The story is described as a "joint
investigation" between the Washington Post
and "60 Minutes". (full story)

UIGEA regulations pass

Letter from PPA...

I have unfortunate news to report.  Despite the efforts of the poker community, the opposition of the banks and the recent news exposing inappropriate influence by the White House, today the current administration finalized the UIGEA regulations to be made effective on January 19th the day before president-elect Obama officially takes office.  A copy of the final UIGEA regulations and the PPA’s response can be found on our Web site.

I am sure that you share my outrage over this last-minute "midnight rulemaking," but I have not lost my drive to correct this injustice and I call on you to join me and the million strong PPA to help continue our fight.  In fact, the Politico Newspaper reports on 11/12 that Congressional leaders are already plotting legislation for next year that will undermine the White House's "midnight" regulations.  We must make sure that UIGEA is part of this regulation reversal.

There are 4 things you should do to respond to the government's actions:

1.   Call your Member of Congress and let him or her know how disappointed you are by the lame duck administration's implementation of UIGEA and subsequent erosion of your personal freedom.

2.   Send an email to the Obama Transition team and tell President-elect Obama that once in office he should immediately turn back the UIGEA and other "midnight rules" issued by President Bush.
3.   Help the PPA help you.  Become a Premium Member of PPA if you are not already. For only $20 you help us be effective advocates for poker and your membership put us in a strong position to defend your rights.  If you are already a Premium PPA member please consider making an additional contribution to our fight.

4.   Forward this to your friends and stay updated on the latest developments regarding the UIGEA regulations.

This is not the time to bow our heads in defeat; rather we must continue our efforts with renewed vigor.  Thank you for your support and dedication to protecting the game we love.

Proud to play,
Alfonse D'Amato, Chairman
Poker Players Alliance

Congrats to Aris on His Big Win

Congratulations to Aris on his big win at the Daniels Fall Big Game Event. I don't have any details on the game other than that. When I do I will post the details. Maybe I can get Aris to write it up and then post it.

Poker Bling and AIPS Tourneys on Full Tilt

Have you ever wanted some poker bling to intimidate your opponents at the poker table? Well now is your chance. You could buy one but it would feel so much better if you won one from PokerBling.com's weekly tourney on Full Tilt. The tourney runs most Tuesdays at 9PM EST. This is a $10+1 Knockout Tourney. It is usually a small field of players. Go to their site for more information. You will probably see All In Reed or OutlawJesco playing in these when available.

Another great tournament series is the Ante Up! AIPS events. This is a year long set of tournaments with a mix of all the games we love to play. If any of you guys have not checked out Ante Up (2007 Best Poker Podcast, Bluff Magazine Readers Choice Awards) then you don't know what you're missing. Make it your goal this month to start listening to these guys. There are more than 138 episodes of poker info, tips and interviews with top poker professionals. Start by listening to the current episodes and then go back and listen from the beginning. Reed and I have been listening to these guys for almost two years.

Good luck and we'll see you at the tables.

Poker's own version of MySpace/Facebook

After an episode of Ante Up, Sean and I became aware of a new social network for poker players. Check out PokerPlayersSocialNetwork. It is full of pros and joes.

Also, ReedPoker has added a new feature to make signing up for Home games much easier. In the right column under SIGN UP you can select from the live game list and it will open an prepared email that goes directly to us.

RPL Gains a Decent Second Table for '08

With the new year, it was decided by the executives at the Reed Poker League that it would be good to invest in a decent second table since more often than not we were having enough people for two tables. January's game will debut the new table complements of Dick's Sporting Goods (actually we had to pay them)

Chip Reese Died Tuesday Morning

PokerNews.com--The poker world erupted with shock and condolences this morning as news spread that three-time WSOP bracelet winner and legendary cash-game player David "Chip" Reese died early today, at the age of 56. His dominance in poker was so pronounced that in 1991 he was the youngest player ever inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame, an honor usually bestowed on those after a lifetime of achievement. more

Bracelet Winner McKinney Arrestedin Kingsport Gambling Raid

As reported on PokerNews

2005 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Seniors Event winner William Paul "Cigar" McKinney was arrested last week along with 15 others during a gambling raid in Kingsport, Tennessee. Police were informed about the alleged operation via a citizen's tip and raided the building around 9:30 p.m. Friday night, only to find the men sitting around a table playing cards.

According to a report by the Kingsport Times-News, police seized $19,900 in cash, several decks of playing cards, poker chips and betting slips for both college and professional football games, labeled with the names of the people wagering and the amounts of their bets.

Police have determined that Donnie Godsey, part owner of the Hog Wild Saloon, was the game's proprietor. Godsey faces aggravated gambling promotion charges, as does McKinney, who allegedly ran a bookmaking operation from inside the makeshift poker room and is alleged to be one of the game's organizers. McKinney, 82, had an undisclosed number of pills on his person at the time of the raid and also faces one charge of possession of schedule III narcotics.

McKinney's arrest marks the second time in three months that a bracelet winner from the 2005 WSOP has been arrested during a poker raid. Back in September, Maciek "Michael" Gracz was arrested on gambling-related charges after a group of officers from the Alcohol Law Enforcement agency raided a single-story building in Benson, NC.