ChasingAmy's blog

One of the four horsemen of the online gaming apocalypse bit the dust. Thirty year incumbent Jim Leach, sponsor of the UIGEA (HR 4411), was unseated from his high horse by political science professor Dave Loebsack. While this was an admittedly tight race, Leach never trailed his opponent in the polls leading up to the election. One has to wonder if online gamers edged Leach onto the Congressional rail.

This article discusses the race and the other three horsemen.

Tomorrow is the big day and it looks like many of the co-sponsors of House anti-online gaming legislature are in some very tight races. The online gaming vote could make a difference in a lot of tight House district elections.

This article covers some of the tighter races. But also check out the links at the bottom to see if your House Rep co-sponsored anti-online gaming bills. There is another link to see the latest poll data for your district.

Let's put these folks out of office. Maybe with a little time on their hands, they'll pick up a constructive online hobby, like poker.

OK. So technically Ayn Rand is dead. But apparently people still buy a boatload of her books and the institute that bears her name continues her individual-centric philosophy. I have to admit I was never a Rand fan. Somehow celebrating the full stomached in a dog-eat-dog contest seemed a little...well...callous. But to be a good poker player, you have to admit to Rand-esque behavior, otherwise you're just one more fish for the snacking.

In a turn of events that can hardly be a surprise, The Ayn Rand Institute sent out a press release trashing the UIGEA.

I'm beginning to feel for Congressman Barney Frank. Not only does he find he's aligned with conservative Charles Murray relative to the UIGEA - now he has to share a bed with a dead Objectivist biatch.

I was wondering why Card Player's site said the next scheduled broadcast of their internet radio show, The Circuit, was on "December 14th: To be announced." The Circuit has been a wildly popular format for Card Player; hosted by Scott Huff, Gavin Smith, and Joe Sebok. Then I saw Joe Sebok's blog and saw that Scott was apparently leaving the show.

Cameron Faith Hannum Percy was born on October 24th. She weighed a healthy 9 lbs 8 oz. Cameron is the daughter of the much loved and much missed WPT cameraman Paul Hannum, who died unexpectedly in August of this year. While Cameron will never be able to be spoiled, in person, by Paul, there is still something we can do to help give Cameron the life Paul would have wished for her. Please check out Baby Hannum's fund and registry.

It's not that I'm unpatriotic, but after the passage of the UIGEA I did find myself humming "Oh Canada," wearing my Team Canuck Poker hat, and checking out the cost of living in the lands to the north. But after reading about the legal winds blowing in Ontario, I think I may have to scale that new 700 mile fence and head south.

In her 1969 book On Death and Dying, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross outlined the five stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. As I've been cruising through the poker blogs and internet sites, I've found many examples of all of the above relative to the UIGEA. Some seem stuck in a particular stage, while others have moved quickly through the cycle. Some of my favorite examples:

Denial: There were many examples of denial; most pre-passage of the UIGEA. Many assumed it would never happen. But perhaps the archetype denial, post-passage, was Allyn Jaffrey Shulman's legal assessment on Card Player. I felt for Allyn, who's family business relies on the ad revenue from online poker sites. Keep thinkin' that nothin's changed, baby. It'll be alright.

Anger: Well there were so many to pick from in this category; many of us apparently took the express train to anger. I thought PokerShrink's post was particularly dark and surprisingly pithy. And Michael Craig seemed to enjoy unloading.

Bargaining: My odds on favorite was the series of posts from Wicked Chops Poker, where they satirically redefine themselves as Wicked Chops State Lotteries.

I've always felt that Jay Greenspan, author of Hunting Fish: A Cross-country Search for America's Worst Poker Players, was a writer's writer and a gambler's gambler. But even Jay impressed me when I learned that his wedding vows included a high stakes game of Roshambo (rock-paper-scissors).

Apparently the bride and groom used a winner-take-all Roshambo "one throw" to determine who would have to say their vows first. Although clearly more experienced than his lovely bride to be, Jay consulted with tiltboy and 2006 WSOP bracelet holder Rafe Furst.

To find out who prevailed, you'll have to check here.

See April's review of Hunting Fish

As online gaming companies respond to the new US legislative terrain, they are falling into two camps. Publicly traded companies are taking the safe route and divesting or blocking access in the US. The private companies tip toe on. This makes sense when you consider the added risk of being a public company; the regulatory environment, the added burden of shareholder liability, and the comparitive ease of prosecution.

Excapsa (UltimateBet's parent company) was one of the anomalies. They were publicly traded and yet continued to affirm their committment to the US market. Well the other shoe dropped; they are public no more. PokerStars is another company that is still dallying in the US market. It came as no surprise that PokerStars postponed its planned $1.6 billion IPO to go public last week. It was a choice: give up the US or stay private.

It's not like the public companies are less loyal or are behaving with knee-jerk reaction. They just knew that as publicly traded and regulated companies they had bigger bulls eyes painted on their chests. At the first sign of a carve-out for poker - or the legal test case that determines poker is not a game of chance - they are poised to serve us once again. Build it and they will come (back).

For me, online poker was a godsend. I live in Texas where you can kill people "if they need killin'," but there are no casinos. As a mixed game player, it's hard to track down too many home games where players actually want to play with more than two cards. Online, you don't have to worry about when the player next to you decided to take a shower last. Online sites never make color-up mistakes:) And I love playing in my jammies.

There is one edge that B&M casinos offer; the visual. It's not the physical tells I'm hoping for, it's the people. When I saw this T-shirt in Tunica, I thought it summed it up nicely. "People are strange," especially poker players. And I love seeing that.

I like seeing that Mike Matusow has a sense of humor about his nickname "The Mouth" and that he used this globe as a chip protector. It's the globe that 2005 WSOP runner-up Steve Dannenmann gave to him. He gave it to him because Mike liked the one Steve had and Mike kept singing "He's got the whole world in his hands."

Instead of some vague bill that no one can interpret relative to online gaming, I was thinking Congress should have made webcams manditory for online gamers. But then I started to realize just what I might be seeing. I then thought of an amendment that would require players to at least wear their best "date" underwear. But then enforcement became an issue. The banks aren't excited by enforcing this law - I can't imagine too many people volunteering to enforce my underwear statute.

Two private equity firms (Apollo Management Group and The Texas Pacific Group) raised their initial $15.05 billion bid for Harrah's up to $15.5 billion. More here.

Apparently Harrah's rejection of the initial bid was cited for the sweetened deal - and there was predictably no mention of the shareholder lawsuit filed earlier in the week.

Another interesting sidenote to the takeover story is that Harrah's had a "poison pill" provision to prevent hostile takeovers - which coincidently expired on October 5th.

Like most solid citizens, I spent yesterday pouring through the new gaming legislation looking for loopholes. If we want to look for the silver lining in this big dark cloud (lovely photo by Ron Holle), I guess we’d have to hang our hats on just how vague this law is relative to the legality of online poker.

I got a glimmer of hope when I saw that “Bet or Wager” was defined as “the staking or risking by any person of something of value upon the outcome of a contest, a sporting event, or a game of chance…” “Ah ha”, I thought. I had been told countless times that when California opened its card rooms, they had done so after determining that poker was a game of skill, not chance. Since the law deferred to state gambling statutes, I wondered if California would become the new epicenter of online poker. If under California law, poker was not a game of chance, it did not fall under the new law’s definition of an illegal act.

But don’t move west just yet. It turns out this argument isn’t quite that clear.

Last week's $15 billion bid for Harrah's sent the stock soaring, taking along other casino stocks. Friday, that trend started to reverse as Harrah's was downgraded by Moody's and S&P. There was also a lot of concern about what looked like obvious insider trading just prior to the bid.

This from AP writer Michelle Chapman:

Later in the week, speculation on unusual swings in the trading options and derivative debt instruments in Harrah's prior to the bid confirmation Monday raised suspicions among some insider trading experts. However, the Securities and Exchange Commission, Harrah's and the Chicago Board Options Exchange all declined to comment on the matter.

So I'm trying not to freak out about the potential end of my current universe. I took some solace in that the current issue of Woman Poker Player was waiting for me when I got home today. I even perked up when I realized that they used three of my photos.

The first photos I ever got into print were of Andy Beal. Beal, Michael Craig and I had lunch just after Beal won his first session against the pros earlier this year. I was with Michael when he negotiated with Bluff for an article about the games. I thought they just might want a photo so I brought my camera to lunch. Bluff bought three of my Beal photos and I had my first photo creds.

In my chapter for Women's Poker Night, I wrote about the 2006 Beal games. I always felt that Andy Beal came back after his earlier winning session to lose. Andy loved poker but knew he could never continue to devote the time this game demands. I still feel that coming back and losing it all to Ivey was Beal's escape route. I am truly hoping the legislature hasn't dictated mine.

TUNICA RESPORTS, MS--Tournament Director Jack Effel is just doing the player introductions at this afternoon's Main Event final table. Five of the players at today's final table have never cashed in a major tournament. So the mood is pretty jovial as many will be posting their personal bests here today.
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Mark Smith wins $306,003 + $10,000 2007 WSOP Main Event entry. Photo from Imange Masters

Mark Smith had a slight chip lead on Manny Minaya when it got to heads up. They didn't wait long to find one to push in on. On an 8 high flop, all the money went in. Manny had pocket nines to Mark's AJ. An ace on the turn sealed it for Smith.

Read more for finishes and Final Table Line-up

TUNICA RESORTS, MS--When people think of poker meccas in the US, they tend to think bi-coastally. Las Vegas, California and Atlantic City are usually the first locales that come to mind. But because of its southern/central location, Tunica Mississippi draws a large portion of the country's poker talent. They may not be television household names, but many of the players that "base" out of Tunica have established enviable tournament track records.

It seems like I've known Glyn Banks forever. But in reality, Glyn has only been playing tournaments for a couple of years. In that time he has cashed in nine major tournaments here in Tunica; within spitting distance from his home in TN. He's also scored five money finishes at the WSOP.

He’s got a pretty WSOP bracelet (2001 Pot Limit Omaha), but some people fail to recognize Galen Kester, from Senatobia, MS. Galen finished 173rd in this year’s WSOP Main Event, and has grossed $800,000 in tournament poker over the last five years.

I'm always happy to see Brian Lamkin. Brian is from my home town of Austin, Texas. I know it seems like Austin is hardly "local" to Tunica, but with no legal casinos in Texas, Tunica is where you'll find a lot of Texans feeding their poker urges. Brian finished 5th in the WSOP Circuit Event at the Grand in January and I suspect he's hoping for a final table repeat.

TUNICA RESPORTS, MS--I consider Barry Greenstein to be more than a friend. It's not like he and I correspond a lot; in fact we rarely email/chat between tournaments. But he is one of the people I look forward to being groped by chatting with in the field. So I was pretty stoked to see him here in Tunica - and pretty bummed to see him go out in flames early in the day. There is very little "big money" side action here, so pros usually bug out on the bust.

I spent a good deal of time at Barry's table today. We talked a lot about the articles that Poker Shrink and I had written about the extra chips at the WSOP. Barry wanted to know whether the article with the responses and reactions had been posted - which it has and which Barry is prominantly quoted.

We also talked a lot about the players that may have benefited. Barry told a story about something that happened at last year's WSOP Circuit Tahoe event. It was about an hour into the tournament and Barry hadn't played a hand. He wondered how much his folding ways had cut into his stack. He counted it down. He had 10,700 chips. They had started with 10,000 chips - and he hadn't played a hand. He looked around the table and realized he had been given an extra $1000 chip. He called over the floor. They counted down the table and they had 1,000 worth of chips over what they should have had. Barry had the floor remove his chip. Howard Lederer was at the table and wondered a) how many players would notice that they had an extra chip and b) how many players would actually notify the floor an hour into play once they noticed. Barry obviously did both.

Poker Shrink and I are thinking a lot about those very questions this week...although obviously our musings revolve around substantially more than a single chip.

TUNICA RESORTS, MS--Considering this isn't a televised event, the WSOP Circuit Event at the Grand got a decent turn out today for its $5,000 Buy-in Main Event. They hovered near 200 starters (197 with still 15 minutes left in the registration period). Harrah's rightly assumed that without the lure of television, many of the big name pros would side step the Circuit Events. One thing they did to address this issue was reduce the main event buy-ins from $10,000 to $5,000. This seems to have worked as they did get a very nice draw of regional players.

There were a few recognizable players in the field; Barry Greenstein, Vanessa Rousso and Chris Moneymaker. Although being a name must have been the kiss of death as both Greenstein and Rousso were early exits and Moneymaker, last I looked, had not recovered from a boat over boat situation.

Barry Greenstein was first wounded when he hit a set on the flop only to lose to a player's higher set that hit on the river. His demise came when his aces were cracked.

Vanessa Rousso made a huge laydown early in the day. On a flop of Q-6-2 (2 spades), her opponent went all-in. She thought and thought and finally laid down a set of deuces, putting her opponent on a set of queens. My guess by his reaction was that he didn't have quite that many ladies in play. But apparently she had trouble laying down the next hand as when I went back to check on her, she was gone. I asked the table of gentlemen what they had done to her. They looked around blankly and said, "I guess we busted her."

Chris Moneymaker was in good shape on a flop of x-4-Q, with a set of fours. But the turn and river brought an ace and another queen. He very reluctantly called the river bet, saying, "I think you got me on the river but I just can't make myself lay this down." His opponent showed pocket rockets. "Ah" said Chris. "You got me on the turn."

So while our meager field of "names" is dwindling quickly, there are many outstanding players left. Later I promise a post with some of the talented regional players that started today.

While online gaming stocks plummet, trading on Friday night's legislative news, B&M gaming stocks are surging today. Today's rising tide was inspired by a $15 million...err...billion buy out bid for Harrah's.

The bid represents an $81 dollar per share price point, or 22 percent above where Harrah's stock closed on Friday. Although Harrah's is investigation the offer made by private-equity firms Apollo Management and Texas Pacific Group, they have stated that "The Special Committee has not determined that a transaction is in the best interest of Harrah's and its stockholders," it said in a release. "There is no assurance that Harrah's will enter into this or any other transaction."

Harrah's is currently trading at $75.95 - or 14.3% above Friday's close. You can read the AP article here.

TUNICA RESORTS, MS--Well it's another lovely day in Tunica. Although I see that the mothership's reporter is already in full rant mode. (I suspect this might not stay up as posted - so read quickly) I guess I'd feel the same way if I were denied a limo...well, not.

But for me, life is sweet. Although there won't be quite the pro factor at this venue as others, a few more have straggled in. For example, Hoyt Corkins is in the house. I saw him through my sleepy coffee seeking eyes this morning as I made my way through the lobby.

A guy named Nick saw I was online in the food court. He was still wearing his Aruba T-shirt. He said the attendance was a little low in Aruba this year, but that he had a nice run in the cash games. I suspect that had a lot to do with his jack high flush beating Devilfish's ten high flush in the pot limit game. He said he loves Party Poker. I checked a few sports bets for him, so we're tight now. Right now he's lying to his wife telling her he's coming home soon and won't be playing Niagara.

Poker Shrink and I are going to play the monthly Sunday tournament at the Gold Strike today. It's a $335 buy-in with 6000 starting chips and 40 minute levels. We're shooting for a chop - which means I've resorted to maximum cleavage. It's probably a little over the top for a Sunday afternoon, but what the hell.

TUNICA RESORTS, MS--Everything has been sublime here in Tunica. But the other night I had a flashback to a Saturday night at the Gold Strike back in January. So I dug through my files and found what I had written that night.

One woman yells, "Machine gun!"

We look over our shoulders like we are trying to outpace an encroaching tsunami. But the tsunami isn’t coming. We slow. We stop. Our hearts are racing. And then some yells “car.” Car?

TUNICA RESORTS, MS--I regret that this will top post the legislative issues, but poker goes on in the B&M world for the moment.

Event #3 was another $300 No Limit Hold'em Event (and another 16.33% for the house). Brett Thomas (pictured right) took down the 637 person field for first. But he had his work cut out for him. He had to go heads-up against Richard Jentoch (pictured below), who had started this final table by ordering a double Crown. In the land of the Big Muddy, Crown rules and everyone at the table knew that Jentoch was planning a prolonged southern seige. Jentoch, who's nickname is Stoney, also confessed that he learned poker by playing tong in prison. Needless to say, Jentoch was given a wide berth for most of the evening.

Like all Tunica tables, this one didn't fail to entertain. The boys were boisterous and the poker was swell.

1...Brett Thomas......$50,344
2...Richard Jentoch...$26,071
3...Michael Ciaruino....$14,384
4...David Tanner.......$12,586
5...Orion Fliessbach......$10,788
6...Larry Tomaszewski....$8,989
7...Jim Harris.........$7,192
8...Neil Stone........$5,394
9...Roger Ballard.......$3,595

Read more for results to Event #4 and my favorite hair of the Circuit so far.

TUNICA RESORTS, MS--I'm always surprised at how small the poker world is. It seems that if you spend any time within its confines, you end up knowing everyone. They say that in the world, in general, we are all joined by six degrees of separation. In the poker world, I set the over/under line at three.

And like the poker world they cover, poker bloggers also make up this small, tightly connected community. It seems like I know almost every blogger; by reading their blog, by cross links from other blogs, or in person. Every time I step foot in a casino, I know I'm going to connect in some way or some form with a blogger. And here in Tunica, that has already fulfilled. The other day I'm strolling through the field, only to get stopped by a player saying "Do you write for PokerBlog?" Well sure I do. Turns out it was none other than Manny the Minnow, the newest blogger at Pokerati.

Welcome to our small,cozy, world Manny.

TUNICA RESORTS, MS--The $500 buy-in No Limit Hold'em Event drew 540 players - some of whom I actually recognized! Yup, tournaments in Tunica draw an interesting crowd. They are usually made up of fun loving rednecks and southern charmers; all with some level of anonimity. But when the final 14 players started Day Two yesterday, I actually recognized Nani Dollison, Glyn Banks, Angel Word (pictured right), and Ed Pellegrini; all who would make last night's final table.

Glyn Banks, who I've known a good many years now, wasn't excited about getting heads-up with Angel Word. Although he hadn't played her until this event, he noted she was a good aggressive player and could "get her chips in." When all the chips went in, Glyn felt pretty good about his A-6 vs her A-2 until the deuce fell on the flop. He tried to convince her and the poker gods that the Circuit ring would look much better on his finger - but without a six on the eventual board, the ring was hers. The official payouts are below, but I'm bettin' money that the payouts for first and second were pretty close to equitable.

A heard Nani Dollison was in the "pink" - but I just thought that meant she was feeling good to be back at another final table. But no, she was really in the pink. She finshed a stunning 4th.

1...Angel Word.......$75,944
2...Glyn Banks........$40,066
3...Scott Ellegood...$20,952
4...Nani Dollison.....$18,333
5...Joe Simmons......$15,714
6...Corrie Wunstel...$13,095
7...Ed Pellegrini.......$10,476
8...Ben Heiks............$7,857
9...John Bennett.......$5,238

TUNICA RESORTS, MS--Like many things in Tunica Mississippi, printing is slow here. But results are now starting to flow - and like the Big Muddy, I suspect them to keep on flowin'.

As I mentioned earlier, the first event was a $300 No Limit Hold'em Event that attracted a total of 841 players; 700 starters and 141 alternates. The total prize pool was $242,694. As Poker Shrink mentioned this was played with a $40 fee and an additional 3% juice taken off the top. This meant that 16.33% of every player dollar went to the house - or basically Harrah's made second place money. And apparently Mississippi gets an additional 3% once the payouts reach $600. Other final table winners were:

1...Eric Crain.......$63,105
2...Raymond Owens...$33,495
3...Joseph Rizo......$19,416
4...Michael Wommack..$16,989
5...Jared McVay......$14,562
6...Gary Huggins.....$12,135
7...Dan Mitnick.......$9,708
8...David Clark.......$7,281
9...Mark Silvers......$4,854

I heard that Eric was very generous after his win. Rumor has it that he spread that $63K (and then some) around the online sites. I guess it was burning a hole in his pocket. What a nice kid.

TUNICA RESORTS, MS--I've been to Tunica during a poker feeding frenzy before, so I'm well acquainted with the din of chips flying into pots and a tournament room sized chorus of southern drawls. If poker had a soundtrack, in my world, this would be it.

Yesterday, the first event of the WSOP Circuit Tournament at the Grand Casino kicked off with 700 players and an additional 141 alternates. The $300 No Limit Hold'em Event had a decidedly sweet structure for a low buy-in event; players started with 1500 chips and negotiated 40 minute blind levels, starting at 25/25. Given the luxurious structure and the large starting field, when they stopped play at the 2:00am witching hour, they still had not quite reached their final table. Apparently the eighteen remaining players tried to hammer out a chop last night. They had 17 chop proponents and one chop hold out. So play will begin today and progress until we have a winner - or until they bust anyone with anti-chop leanings. I'll post the list when it's available.

Today's $500 No Limit Hold'em Event started with 560 players. Players have 2000 starting chips and 50 minute blind levels to work with.

The pro factor will increase somewhat with the blind levels. That being said, however, this event will probably not have the pro draw of other events. For one thing, there is a competing tournament in Aruba this week. The other critical factor is that this event will not be televised. All that being said, there are still a number of recognizable faces in the fields already.

Barbara Enright passed on the first event, but was charming the chips off her young adoring fans during yesterday's second chances event (where she finished 4th). And I recognized Glyn Banks. I'll keep you updated as they roll (or straggle) in.

So I'm watching my TiVo'd ESPN WSOP Day Seven episodes frame by frame for the third time; looking for any more leads or information about the ill-fated $5K color-up. I see a number of my media pals on the rail. And then I realized that while author Jay Greenspan sent me a nice email about the articles the Poker Shrink and I wrote, I never questioned Jay in person about what he might have seen. So I immediately call him.

As I'm dialing, I seem to remember that Jay was getting married sometime this month. When he answers, I ask him when his big day is. "Uh. Today." Ooops. I know Nancy Drew (Pauly's new nick for me) would have pursued her quest, but I decided to let the boy have his day.

Congrats Jay!

I hate when Card Player scoops me, but it looks like they got me this time. I had heard that the WPT put the squeeze on former WPT hostess Shana Hiatt when she was up for the NBC Heads-up gig, claiming she had a non-compete clause in her old WPT contract. I mean how long a non-compete clause could it be - until she was a grandmother? But I totally missed her revenge. Today Card Player reported Shana was granted an injunction, prohibiting the WPT from trying to keep Shana off the poker airwaves.

My SO, like apparently everone's SO, was keeping tabs on the cruise tournament; probably the only time they cared how we poker playing other halves did. When Poker Shrink busted me, his QQ vs my AK, I yelled, "The cruise is out."

My SO's response, "Tom Crusie came out? You gotta be kidding me?" OK. So maybe he wasn't paying that much attention.

But I feel somewhat vindicated that the Poker Shrink put my chips to good use. I thought he was going to falter at one point when he heard how hot Coonie was. The Poker Shrink is a sucker for a woman that knows her way around a deck.

Congrats buddy.

Two strange things happened while the Poker Shrink and I were investigating the 2 million extra chips added into the 2006 Main Event: we did not end up killing each other and we joined the World Poker Association.

Writing can be a personal thing and writing collaboratively is always a challenge. We survived brilliantly although we did call each other names. I know he called me a "pencil pushing grammatically controlling biatch". I believe I might have mentioned that he was a "drug ravaged psycho that hit the wall and thought that commas and other grammatical conveniences were out to get him". Not bad for the now four articles we have co-authored.

In the course of our investigation, the Poker Shrink and I - without discussing it - both joined the World Poker Association. Independently, we both came to the same conclusion: poker players need a unified body to represent their interests.

Players, you upchuck the buck. You need to support a group that will make sure you get a level playing field and the best possible game for your money. Check it out.