My most recent LuckyDog Poker column dissing the new tweeting rule for the 2010 World Series of Poker hit a sore spot for at least one reader.

Joe in Tennessee wrote:

Hi Russ, I’ve been trying to get good enough to play in the WSOP, but with this Rule in effect, I’m now saving for a WPT Event. This change proves that Harrah’s/WSOP is more concerned with building their “brand” than they are in promoting good poker and I’ll have no part of it!!!

Only an IDIOT would like this idea. Besides, Twitter is the most useless tool ever invented for people with too much time on their hands!!! Thanks!

I wrote Joe back:

I wouldn’t give up on playing in the WSOP, Joe. While I admire someone who has principles and sticks to them, I think in this case you’d be depriving yourself of too much reward/joy in an effort to stand up against Harrah’s stupid rule.

Don’t give up the thrill of playing for a WSOP bracelet. It’s something every poker player must do at least once in a lifetime.

Can’t wait to see if WSOP floor supervisors will be able to avoid tweeting chaos at the tables this year…

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T.J. Cloutier

Pro pawns 2005 WSOP bracelet but hopes to get it back

I hope T.J. Cloutier gets back his World Series of Poker bracelet. I really do, even though I remember the night he… Well, more about that in a minute.

Cloutier has won six WSOP bracelets in a long and successful career as a tournament pro (60 titles, nearly $10 million in winnings). But his last bracelet — won in 2005 in the $5,000 no-limit hold’em championship — made headlines in recent days when it was sold at auction on eBay for $4,006.

The seller was a pawn shop in Texas where T.J. had pawned it for an undisclosed sum. “Yeah, it’s mine,” he was quoted as saying by several poker websites. “I was short. I pawned it. I tried to get it back with my ticket but I was too late.”

The buyer was online site Cake Poker. A spokesman for the site has been quoted as saying they will “have some fun” with the bracelet through their poker site and then return it to Cloutier.

In the site’s blog, a Cake Poker representative stated the following.

“Since winning the bid and celebrating wildly, we have taken some time to reflect on our glorious new prize. As much as we would love to have a WSOP bracelet, or even award it to one of our cherished poker players, we can’t, in good conscience keep it from the man who rightfully won it, which is why we’ve decided to return it to T.J. Cloutier…just as soon as we have some fun with it.”

I suppose at that point, everyone will be a “winner” in this bizarre story. T.J. got some cash for the bracelet, the pawn shop made money, Cake Poker will have had some fun, and the pro will get his prized possession back.

But my first thought when I read about this was a night about 10 years ago in a stud tournament at Hollywood Park in Los Angeles. The field was down to nine players and I was still alive, but short-stacked as were two others. Only eight of us would get paid.

The action had slowed to a snail’s pace. For at least 30 minutes it was: low card brings it in, high card completes, everyone folds. Nobody wanted to risk missing out on cashing, including me. All very strategic, but very boring.

Then, to move things along, a tall-stacked player proposed that everyone agree that the tournament winner would give the ninth-place finisher his buy-in back out of his first-place winnings.

Excellent idea, everyone said. Well, everyone except T.J. He steadfastly refused to agree to the plan, no doubt figuring that as the most experienced player left he had a good chance to win the event. Giving up a couple hundred bucks, if he won, wasn’t in his playbook.

So, the deal was nixed and play continued. As you can guess by now, I busted out ninth, with nothing to show for many hours of competition. The infamous “bubble boy” title was mine.

Although T.J. did nothing wrong by quashing the deal, at the time it struck me as not particularly sporting of him. Then again, my view of the situation admittedly was colored.

Two nights later, in another stud event at the same tournament, I found myself once again short-stacked as the money bubble approached. This time, more determined than ever not to bust out without cashing, I managed to score a fifth-place finish, which soothed the sting from what happened two nights earlier.

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The online poker world has joined the rush to contribute to the aid of Haiti’s earthquake victims.

Several poker sites are offering multiple ways that players can contribute to the relief effort with just a click or two on their computer. Based on similar charitable efforts by the poker sites in the past, I’m sure the generosity of poker players will emerge once again.

Here is a good story by Dan Cypra posted today at PokerNewsDaily.com that has the details:
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Leeann Tweeden returns for her third season as hostess of NBC’s popular “Poker After Dark,” which now is in the second week of its sixth season.

Players featured in this week’s new series of shows for Season 6 are, from left, Annette Obrestad, Mike Matusow, Antonio Esfandiari, (host Leeann Tweeden in center), Erick Lindgren, Phil Laak and Phil Hellmuth. Ol’ LuckyDog wonders how many times the aggressive Obrestad will come over the top of Hellmuth’s raises acting right after him? No doubt he’ll try to trap her with some smooth calls…

(NOTE: ENTRY UPDATED 1-11 WITH BACKGROUND INFO ON ‘NICKNAMES’ EPISODE PLAYERS)

Producers of “Poker After Dark” are promising dramatic action, first-time winners, new faces and plenty of laughs when NBC launches the show’s sixth season, beginning with nightly episodes late on Monday.

NBC reports that 13 players will make their PAD debut this season.

Returning to the show are Ali Nejad to provide commentary and hostess Leeann Tweeden to do interviews (and brighten up the poker room!).

Of special interest the first two weeks will be the debut of Joe Sebok from Poker2Nite and High Stakes Poker’s new co-host Kara Scott in Week 1’s “Commentators” episode, followed the week of Jan. 11 by the PAD debut of the young poker phenom Annette Obrestad in a “Nicknames” episode.

Here’s the season lineup, updated today:
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Just in time for some holiday dreaming — and planning! — the World Series of Poker lineup for 2010 was announced Thursday in Las Vegas.

A quick look at the full schedule reveals that players with relatively modest bankrolls will have their best opportunity ever to experience poker’s biggest show.

One of the key additions to next year’s WSOP — which starts in just five months — is a sixpack of $1,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournaments. No WSOP bracelet event has ever cost less than that.

Moreover, five of those six tournaments will be on weekends, allowing potentially even greater participation than the $1,000 Stimulus Special held in 2009 which drew more than 6,000 players — the largest turnout in history for a non-main event WSOP competition.

The expansion to six of the $1,000 events virtually assures that the 2010 WSOP will set attendance records again, breaking last year’s record of nearly 61,000 total entries. The total number of event remains at 57 next year.

There are plenty of other reasons to start thinking about a trip to the WSOP — triple starting stacks, a new food court, a 20 percent increase in the number of tables, and more.

Now that I think about it: For a poker player, what could make a better Christmas gift than a seat in a WSOP event in 2010!

Here’s a news release sent Thursday by Nolan Dalla, WSOP media director, which gives the particulars:
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Fans of Poker After Dark on NBC shouldn’t have any problem finding a favorite to root for on the Season 5 finale, which begins tonight/early Tuesday morning. The two-week-long cash game episodes will feature, from left: Patrik Antonius, Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen, Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan and Phil Hellmuth. That’s hostess Leeann Tweeden brightening up the photo in the center. (Photo by PAD)

Poker After Dark wraps up Season 5 on NBC over the next two weeks, starting tonight, with a televised cash game featuring six of poker’s most popular players. (OK, Phil Hellmuth is playing, so let’s just call him one of the game’s most-talked-about players, and move on.)

It should be fun to watch a lineup of Patrik Antonius, Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen, Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan and Hellmuth go at each other with starting buy-ins of at least $100,000 (max buy-in is $250,000).

NBC will air five late night/early morning episodes each week (check local schedules for times), then wrap up both weeks with a “director’s cut” episode late Saturday night.

The players will redraw for seats after the first five episodes. Here, from Poker After Dark, are bios of the six pros:
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Jacob Zalewski, who suffers from Cerebral Palsy, came up with the idea for a charity poker tournament to help victims of the disease. The second annual “All In For CP” event is set for Saturday, Dec. 12, at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas — and you’re invited!

TOURNAMENT BRINGS TOGETHER PROS, PLAYMATES, CELEBS & AMATEURS

“We hope to see a future where Cerebral Palsy is a thing of the past. We know are getting one step closer to that vision everyday.”

With that guiding premise, Cerebral Palsy victim Jacob Zalewski of Houston initiated the “All In For CP” no-limit Texas hold’em tournament a year ago. Now it’s time for the second annual tourney, and you’re invited to join the fun!

The event is set for Saturday, Dec. 12, at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. That’s one day before the start of the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic, so you can expect many top pros to be on hand to help the CP cause.

You’ll also see Playboy Playmates (!) and personalities from television and film coming together to benefit the One Step Closer Foundation, which is 501(c)3 certified. Jennifer Tilly will host the event.

If you’re going to be in Vegas that day, this will be one of the highlight events to consider. The tourney starts at 2 p.m. at the Hard Rock with a $550 buy-in and $200 re-buys. For tickets and information, call 281-740-8604 or go to www.allinforcp.com.

After the event, the Poker Players Alliance, headlining sponsor for the tournament, will host a party for participants.
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Well hallelujah! There’s a bit of sanity left in the federal government after all!

Earlier today, the U.S. Department of Treasury and Federal Reserve Board announced a six-month extension of the compliance date for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act.

That means the ill-conceived, citizens’-rights-thwarting legislation won’t fully kick in on Tuesday. The new date is June 1, 2010.

This gives Congress, with continued pushing from freedom-loving Americans, six months to enact HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, which would legalize, regulate, and tax U.S.-based secure online poker.

Today’s action might be a huge momentum swing in favor of legalizing online poker in the U.S. All citizens — not just poker players — who don’t want their rights trampled will be watching and hoping that Congress does the right thing.

Here’s the news release from the Poker Players Alliance, which petitioned for the delay:
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There’s still time to protect your freedom and tell the government you’re mad as hell and not going to take its latest intrusion into your life. But not much time.

We’re only 10 days away from the scheduled Dec. 1 enforcement of the ill-conceived and freedom-curtailing implementation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. On that day, banks will start facing penalties if they allow electronic transactions between a personal bank account and a poker site.

Who knows what the eventual impact of the law will be for online poker? Already, other legislation is in the works that would outlaw the UIGEA and legalize regulated, taxed and secure online poker sites in this country.

I know this: The online poker sites will be crazy busy on Dec. 1, as usual, even if a current legislative effort fails to delay the start-up of a law that shouldn’t exist in the first place.

Poker is not a crime. Poker players will keep playing poker. Period. And people who say this isn’t an issue to get riled up about simply aren’t looking at the bigger picture.

Even if you don’t play the game, ask yourself if you really want government to:

* Impose control on legal activities in the privacy of your own home
* Restrict your use of the Internet
* Limit your personal freedoms
* Implement a new Prohibition Era to save society from itself
* Boldly seize money from your bank account without saying why

All of these un-American events either have already happened or could happen after Dec. 1. But it’s not too late to take a stand against the government’s attempt to squash our freedoms.

If you care about losing your fundamental rights, you must read this article by Rich Muny:

RAISING ON ACES AND EIGHTS: THE GOP’S BAD BET AGAINST ONLINE POKER

It’s posted at biggovernment.com and ought to make you angry about this latest attempt by government to diminish or eliminate our freedoms. Today the target is online poker, but if we don’t resist, what will the intruders go after next?

Muny, a board member of the Poker Players Alliance, notes that it takes just 60 seconds to tell your legislators that you don’t want the Internet censorship or curtailed freedoms tied to this moral attack on a legal activity that long has been an American pastime. You can go to “Tweet for Poker” and make your voice heard, or go to http://www.capwiz.com/pokerplayersalliance/issues/alert/?alertid=14005591&type=ML.

I did.

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Part of the big crowd Q-C Waterfront Convention Center in Bettendorf, Iowa, during the dinner break at Friday night’s charity tournament to support United Way.

LOTS OF RE-BUYS AT BETTENDORF CHARITY HOLD’EM EVENT!

A whopping 224 players came out Friday night in Bettendorf to test their tournament poker skills and help raise money for United Way.

When the chips stopped rattling at the spiffy new Q-C Waterfront Convention Center on State Street, the players had generated about $14,000 for United Way during the third annual City of Bettendorf & Scott County Texas Hold’em Tournament.

Emerging as champion was Bob Stineman of Davenport, who hit a three-outer heads-up to gain a commanding chip lead over runner-up Ted Papuga of DeWitt. After that huge pot, it took just one more hand to finish the tournament.

The heads-up battle only lasted six hands, but the action was punctuated by both players being dealt pocket aces once each in separate hands!

For his efforts, Stineman received a seat at a future World Series of Poker Academy event in Las Vegas, with travel courtesy of AirTran. The seat and trip were valued at $1,899. He also claimed the champion’s bracelet provided by Riddell’s Jewelry.

Any disappointment at finishing second was eased for Papuga when he received a $500 Galena Getaway from Trissle, Graham & Toole.

“That was a great turnout!” said tournament director Jason Schadt, Bettendorf city accountant. “It was an exciting (and exhausting) event. Hopefully we can continue to have this much success at future events.”

Schadt thanked everyone who contributed to staging the tournament and the players for their support.

Here’s a rundown of the remaining six players who made the final table and their prizes:

* 3rd — Steve Vonk, who came all the way from St. Joseph, Mich., a gas grill from J&K Hardware.

* 4th — Jason Williams, Rock Island, an Allsteel office chair.

* 5th — Drew Lawrence, a planter bench set donated by Creative Decks & Fence.

* 6th — Paul McShane, Bettendorf, a “Poker Night” deluxe poker chip set.

* 7th (tie) — Steve Comer, Davenport, and Delane Holmes, Aledo. Both players had the exact same chip count at the start of their final hand and both were eliminated by a third player in the hand. This was the second straight year Comer made the final table. Both players received a “Poker Night” deluxe chip set.

(NOTE: Ol’ LuckyDog came up short in the event. With about half the field eliminated, I raised pre-flop with pocket J-J and then called the all-in move by big-stack Jason Williams, who had A-Q offsuit. A third player called all-in, too, holding A-J offsuit. I liked my chances to win the roughly 25,000-chip pot when we turned our hands up, but alas, a queen came on the board helping to propel Williams to the final table. Nevertheless, the tournament was lots of fun and I recommend you check it out next year!)

Click “read the rest” for more photos from the tournament.
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