UPDATE: Sorry, but Arnold may be having more computer troubles in Vegas. Friday was to be the PAD taping, but I’m still hopeful the next post will come this weekend, telling us what it was like to go toe-to-toe with the “big boys” — plus Tilly, of course! — LuckyDogRuss

Arnold Thimons of Greensburg, Pa., hits Las Vegas today and, in less than 24 hours, he’ll take his seat for a taping of Poker After Dark against some of the top players in the world. Watch for his “Arnold’s Antics” posts exclusively here at LuckyDogPoker.com.

IT’S JUST VEGAS, BUT THIS TIME IS DIFFERENT

By ARNOLD J. THIMONS

Well, it’s finally here! The night before another Vegas trip. There’s nothing like it, except this one is different.

I’ve been to Vegas countless times, and it’s always the same feeling: excitement for the break from work, anticipation for the riches that surely lie ahead (but rarely ever follow), and the uneasiness of making sure I didn’t forget to do something before I left. Kiss the wife and son, and off for a couple days of fun and relaxation.

But this one is different. Having been lucky enough to win the qualifier for Poker After Dark, the feeling and preparation is so different. I feel like I’m leaving on a mission. I have spent many hours/days over the past 2 months studying the players I’m about to face. Poker has always come easy to me, and I’ve looked at every game as a fun few hours to do what I love.

But this time its different. It truly feels like a mission; stomach has a few knots in it. I haven’t thought twice about whether or not I’ve forgotten anything, and there’s a feeling of unfinished business.

Some of my best friends have helped me get ready for this, and thankfully they will be making the trip with me. Everyone in my home game seems to have a nickname, so I’ll mention them accordingly. There’s Jay, aka Pickles, who insists he’s the better player out of us two, and Greg, aka Turd, who plays poker like he’s ordering fast food: everything on the menu and bring it fast! We’ve gone over the players, but either right or wrong, we have focused on 2 main ones; Chan and Matusow.

I have never looked forward to something (other than the birth of my son Arnold) so much, and I can’t wait for (Thursday) morning to come. Hit the sack pretty early, hope I can sleep for at least a couple hours, and have one final dream of the exact hand that I’ll be taking Johnny Chan out with.

And by the way, every dream for the last 2 months ends the same way; me and Chan, I win with a set! Well, I’m off for now, and will write again when I touch down in the sand.

Arnold J. Thimons

* Read how Arnold won his spot on TV here.

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UPDATE: Arnold’s first post has been delayed. It’ll be posted as soon as possible. — Russ Scott

Ever wonder what it’s like to play poker for big money on TV against some of the best? Arnold Thimons IV is about to find out — and he’s going to take us along for the ride.

Starting Wednesday evening, the fun-loving 44-year-old Greensburg, Pa., amateur who won a seat on NBC’s Poker After Dark will blog his once-in-a-lifetime experience — exclusively on LuckyDogPoker.com!

Arnold Thimons IV

The one-table tourney will be taped at the Golden Nugget on Friday, but Arnold plans to file his first post Wednesday, one day before flying to Vegas with 5 of his poker buddies.

There should be a fresh post or two each day into the weekend as Arnold takes us behind the scenes of one of TV’s most-popular poker shows. It should be a blast! YOUR comments are welcome, too!

Arnold won’t be able to tell us who wins the $120K, but we’ll learn what it’s like to battle Johnny Chan, Daniel Negreanu, Mike Matusow, Phil Laak and, hmmm, Jennifer Tilly. (Hey, she’s got a World Series bracelet and I don’t, so I probably should keep my stupid comments to myself!)

Don’t miss a single post of “Arnold’s Antics” — right here, starting tomorrow!

Take ‘em down, Arnold!

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Olympics star Michael Phelps isn’t just the fastest swimmer on the planet, he’s a fast starter at poker, too.

Phelps, who stirred the poker world by acknowledging his love of the game during an Olympics interview with The Baltimore Sun, his hometown paper, made the final table of a significant no-limit hold’em tournament over the weekend at Caesars Palace.

Phelps, who started playing live and online cash games seriously a couple of years ago, reports he has made two final tables now in four tournaments following his Beijing exploits.

On Sunday, Phelps placed ninth in Event No. 2 of the Caesars Palace Classic in Las Vegas. The buy-in was $1,500 and there were 187 players in the two-day tourney. He won $5,213.

Phelps was short-stacked going into the final table and made his last stand with A-K against an opponent’s A-J. Although he got his money in good for a potential double-up, a jack fell on the river to send the superstar to the rail where fans and media were waiting.

Not wanting to miss a chance to capitalize on Phelps’ presence at the tournament, with everyone watching, poker room manager Jim Pedulla presented Phelps with a Caesars Palace medal.

That makes nine gold medals Phelps has won this year!

If Phelps continues playing high-visibility poker, conducting himself like a champion, and, on occasion, making final tables, the answer to the question “Is Phelps good for the game?” will be a resounding YES.

Here’s a CardPlayer interview with Phelps after his final-table finish. This video interview also is cool.

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Bob Pajich, who writes for CardPlayer.com, tonight posted an excellent article updating the status of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA).

The law was signed by President Bush nearly two years ago, but a specific set of rules for implementation still has not been approved by the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve.

Virtually any set of regulations will force extraordinary “policing” work on the banking industry to stop transactions with online poker sites. Seems to me the last thing the beleaguered banking industry needs right now is more red tape to wade through.

In any event, if you play online poker I commend this story to your attention.

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In a decision that surprised many and, some argue, could threaten Internet freedom as we know it, a Kentucky circuit court judge on Thursday dismissed all arguments against the seizure of 141 online gambling site domain names.

The ruling gave the affected sites 30 days to come up with Internet geoblocking software that prevents Kentuckians from accessing the sites or else their domain names will be forfeited. A number of the largest online poker sites are threatened by the ruling.

Click here and here for a couple of stories about the judge’s ruling. Sarah Polson’s story on PokerListings.com is a good wrapup of reaction to the judge’s decision.

Meanwhile, the Poker Players Alliance, though disappointed with the ruling, seems convinced the decision will be overturned on appeal. Read on for the PPA statement:
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The Poker Players Alliance today posted a ratings guide on members of Congress concerning the elected officials’ position on poker, based on the PPA’s information.

A cover letter by Sen. Alfonse D’Amato, PPA chairman, said the ratings guide “gives grades from A+ to F- to every member of the U.S. House and Senate based on their position on poker.” For those members of Congress whose position is unclear or unknown, there’s a question mark.

The guide is searchable by state and zip code.

“As an additional benefit, you can automatically send an email to your member of Congress directly from the guide to let them know how you feel about their grade and voice your support of the great game of poker,” D’Amato said in his letter.

Click here to see the guide.

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The two most recent LuckyDog Poker columns are now posted and linked at the bottom right on this home page.

Don’t miss the story of Becky Makar, a Las Vegas grandmother who has made nine final tables this year in tournaments around the country, including a victory recently in the main event at the Horseshoe in Council Bluffs, Iowa. She’s the first woman to win their main event.

Two interesting readers’ questions are discussed in the other article — when to give up on a bluff in no-limit hold’em and what’s the future for those automated poker tables in casinos.

Four columns prior to that which you may have missed deal with the best Omaha/8 starting hands, three top tips for a beginning player, the potential impact of Olympics star Michael Phelps on poker, and the start-up of one of the nation’s newest and largest poker rooms.

As always, your comments on the columns are welcome.

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The Kentucky judge considering the Commonwealth’s attempt to seize 141 gambling-site domain names heard more than three hours of testimony at today’s hearing in Frankfort.

At the end, he declared he’ll need a week to make his decision as to whether the case goes forward.

Here’s an interesting live blog of the hearing posted on Gambling911.com.

And here’s a solid report on the day’s activities by Dan Cypra on PokerNewsDaily.com.

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A rescheduled hearing is set for Tuesday (Oct. 7) to determine the validity of the state of Kentucky’s attempt to seize 141 gambling-site domain names.

The stakes are high for online poker players, but much higher still for general commercial use of the Internet and how it is regulated.

Here, from the PokerListings.com site, is one of the better stories I’ve seen summing up where things stand as we head into Tuesday’s hearing:
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NEWS RELEASE FROM POKERSTARS:

MICHAEL MARTIN WINS POKERSTARS EPT LONDON MAIN EVENT

LONDON, UK, October 6, 2008 –Michael Martin, of Washington Crossing, PA, won the fifth PokerStars European Poker Tour London Open – and a record $2 million (£1 million) first prize.

Michael was down to just 95,000 in chips when a series of incredible hands resulted in a miracle comeback in less than ten minutes. He then knocked out pro Eric Liu in fourth place and Team PokerStars Pro Marcin Horecki in third place to go heads-up against Swedish PokerStars qualifier Mike Tureniec. In the final hand, Michael had pocket fours (44) against Mike’s K 9. A four on the turn secured him the coveted EPT champion title.

Martin, 24, a former college hockey player from Penn State, was 105th on the waiting list to play in the London tournament and very nearly caught a flight home before managing to secure a seat in the sell-out event. His stunning victory follows his fifth-place finish at last season’s EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo and second place in the Amsterdam Master Classics last year.
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