THE LATEST:

This detailed report covers what happened Wednesday at the UIGEA hearing in Washington. Anyone who plays online poker or is concerned about federal government ineffectiveness should take a look. — luckydog

EARLIER NEWS: RELEASE FROM MARCH NEWSLETTER, POKER PLAYERS ALLIANCE:

Federal Update: Congressional Hearing on UIGEA

On April 2nd the House Financial Services Committee is holding a hearing to discuss the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).

Click here for information on watching the live webcast.

As you know, UIGEA was tucked into a “must-pass” Port Security bill and was signed into law in October 2006. UIGEA has been roundly criticized, not only by the poker community, but also by the financial services industry and leading civil libertarian organizations.

The Poker Players Alliance is working with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle to ensure that the significant problems with UIGEA are discussed at this upcoming hearing.

To that end, the Chairman of the Financial Services Committee and the leading Republican on the committee issued this joint letter which calls on Congress to undo the UIGEA.

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Two just-posted LuckyDog Poker columns tackle how players should adjust their game when playing heads-up and what steps to take when you can’t shake — or explain — a losing streak.

These columns join others available for review through right-side links on the homepage. Enjoy!

BTW, the heads-up column talks about the recent National Heads-Up Poker Championship held in Las Vegas, including results. So, if you’re determined not to learn who won the event until NBC airs it on seven straight Sundays starting April 13, then skip that column for now. (And don’t scroll down here, either!)

Which raises the question: Are you bummed out when a poker article — not just LuckyDog columns — reveals tournament results, thus “spoiling” the telecast for you when it airs months later? Should poker writers warn you when results are mentioned so you can stop reading?

If you have an opinion or suggestion on this, please post a response here or send an e-mail to russ@luckydogpoker.com. Thanks!

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NEWS RELEASE:

John Gallaway, gaming industry pioneer & ex-Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc., president, dies at 69

Casino management pioneer John M. Gallaway, the former president of Isle of Capri Casinos who introduced business concepts that helped generate explosive growth in the global gaming industry, died Wednesday, March 19, at his home in St. Petersburg, Florida. He was 69 years old.
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NEWS RELEASE:

WORLD POKER TOUR AND GSN TEAM UP TO LAUNCH INTEGRATED WEBSITE, WPTONGSN.COM

WPTonGSN.COM Aligns Two Brand Initiatives to Deliver One Fan Experience

(LOS ANGELES) March 17, 2008 – WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ: WPTE) and its new network partner, GSN, are collaborating on an innovative business model where networks and production companies team up to reach fans together. The two companies—who signed a deal in 2007 to air Season VI of the World Poker Tour® (WPT) on GSN, premiering Monday, March 24 at 9pm ET/PT—have taken their partnership online, aligning their business objectives and consumer offering with the launch of a new website, www.WPTonGSN.com.

The new site provides a built-in call to action for viewers to find the World Poker Tour show on GSN while featuring both brands on one website. www.WPTonGSN.com delivers new information each week tailored to the final table airing on GSN, taking fans beyond the 2-hour show to experience with behind-the-scenes footage, player history, archived WPT Live Updates, statistics, as well as unique GSN content offerings.
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Freshly-posted LuckyDog Poker columns take you to the felt for a big online tournament, into the thoughts of the first amateur to appear on Poker After Dark, and to the poker etiquette book for dealing with rude players.

These three columns join two years’ worth of LuckyDog columns available for review through the links down the right side of the homepage.

Enjoy!

As always, your poker questions and comments are invited for possible use in future columns. Just send them to russ@luckydogpoker.com.

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SUNDAY NIGHT UPDATE:

THANK YOU, “JESUS”: FERGUSON CAPTURES HEADS-UP CHAMPIONSHIP

The winning moment for Chris Ferguson!

Chris “Jesus” Ferguson now has the title that eluded him twice before in the finals of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship in Las Vegas!

After losing Match 1 in the best-of-3 final and trailing badly in Match 2, Ferguson came storming back late Sunday night to claim the championship in a relatively short deciding third match against Andy Bloch.

On the final hand, Ferguson’s pocket jacks held up against Bloch’s top pair of tens and a flush draw after all the chips went in on a board of 10-7-3-7. The board finished with a 7, giving both players a full house.

But Ferguson’s was the better boat and he sailed off with the title after two previous runner-up finishes in this event!

(To learn more about Ferguson and how he approaches the game of poker and heads-up action, check out my interview with him in 2006.)

Read the news release here…

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