As we know, HB 222 actually isn’t up for a vote until next week … but it’s looking strong. Here’s The Dallas Morning News’ take on yesterday’s meeting:

Texas Poker Players Willing to Ante Up Tax Money for Legalization

As is always the case in these mainstream media stories, check the comments for a pulse of the people. In this situation, so far, there are 14 comments supporting the bill (with 41 thumbs-ups), and 0 against (with 1 thumbs-down).

Could this thing be any more obvious? It’s a big matter of technicalities and lobbying and money and stuff at this point — along with some political infighting between proponents of the bigger casino bill and a horse-racing slot machine bill (which has been unsuccessfully fought for for about, oh, like 12 years now?). For good measure, Jose Menendez did extend an olive branch to the horse-track people Wednesday, letting them know that poker is indeed happy to help their bottom line — and you can look at other states where bringing poker rooms into the race tracks to get a sense of the many millions they do bring in.

That’s all good and cool — go horse-track poker! — but at the same time, why does politics have to be so hard (and expensive)? I’ve got a solution that should save everyone time and money, and could fit easily on just about any ballot for anything:

Poker in Texas
☐ Yes
☐ No

Isn’t politics at least in part about representing the will of the people? Because we already clearly know the answer to the above question.

We all have our guilty pleasures … and one of mine is taking corny 7- to 10-question quizzes on Facebook. So far I have learned I should be living in Italy, the Star Wars character I most resemble is Jar-Jar Binks, and the US President I would be is Ulysses S. Grant. I’m sure you are all impressed …

Anyhow, Tuscaloosa Johnny posted a comment that got me thinking:

You sure do like your quizzes. Is there a quiz telling you which poker player you are most like? By the way, U.S. Grant was one of the most incompetent presidents in our history…

That really would be a fun little quiz. Full Tilt or PokerStars … can you get your people on that? Thanks, I would really like to take that quiz, and I’m sure it will be much appreciated by Facebook’s 275 million users, most of whom don’t play poker but probably have a few friends who do.

Oops … sorry for the vote-tease … but hey, I’m just a political rookie sophomore. I thought the Committee vote on Texas HB 222 was today … but they have put it off for a week, so the full committee can vote on it and Menendez and friends can fix some alcohol tax language.

But I think we (Texas poker people) did a good job representing. Now we just wait. (I think.)

The Wynn Las Vegas Poker Room is hosting $50,000 worth of Free-Roll Tournaments coming up in April.   To gain entry to one of the four weekly $12,500 Free-Roll Tournaments players must log at least 12 hours of live poker during the qualifying periods.  You can earn extra starting chips by playing more hours in the poker room, 12 to 16 hours of Live play start with 4,000 in chips, 16 to 20 hours get 5,000 in chips and 20 hours or more start with a 6,000 chip stack. For more information call the Wynn Poker Room at 702-770-7654 or visit wynnpoker.com.

Tournament Dates & Qualifying Periods

Monday, April 6th at 12:00pm – Qualify between March 30 – April 5
Monday, April 13th at 12:00pm – Qualify between April 6 – April 12
Monday, April 20th at 12:00pm – Qualify between April 13 – April 19
Monday, April 27 at 12:00pm – Qualify between April 20 – April 26

April Free-Roll Payout Structure:

1st Place: $5,000
2nd Place: $2,000
3rd Place: $1,2 00
4th Place: $1,000
5th Place: $800
6th Place: $600
7th Place: $500
8th Place: $400
9th Place: $300
10th Place: $200
11th – 15th Place: $100

Just trying to move the convo here to keep it fresh.

Click here to watch the hearing live.

* Ooh, he read an email to former special counsel Royce Poinsett right off the bat — letting him know that Texas already sees poker as a game of skill, and therefore doesn’t need a Constitutional Amendment — hey, we went to high school together! Fun!

* Wow — Michigan charity revenue up from 7 million to 72 million … and their population is way less than ours!

* Hey, they mentioned the emails! Woot!

* Ooh, now they’re talking about actual card rooms! OK, they want Menendez to clarify the licensing issues. Fair enough.

“The definition in the bill is too broad.” … hmm, actually I agree.

* Lavigne in Austin is up! Representing the PPA!

* Lavigne is making some points we’ve brought up right here! About pizza and beer.

* Rob Kohler from Christian Life Commission is speaking against. Boo! Boo!

He’s got three issues:

1. not a game of skill
2. electronic tables need a class 3 gaming license
3. ???

More…

Semi-related to all the activity going on today … there’s a great story in Salon about poker:

A city awash in cards
Inside New York’s underground poker scene, where no one thinks about the recession, or their rent money, when there’s a good hand to be played.

Hi, my name is Jim, and I have a gambling problem.

I told myself the last time was the last time, but here I am, in another bind: $1,000 in chips resting anxiously on the felt in front of me, and the ace-queen of hearts in my hand.

My lone opponent is Al, an egg-shaped old wiseguy who breathes heavy when he has a winner. Right now he’s taking up most of the oxygen in this three-story walk-up.

The rational part of my brain is screaming at me. “Fold, you stupid motherfucker. That’s half a month’s rent you are about to toss into the pot on a draw.” But Al is legendary for losing and that’s all the compulsive part of my brain can focus on. “Maybe he’s bluffing,” it whispers. “Move all-in.”

Read more …

Click here to watch the meeting live

OK, here you go … click the link below to ping the House Licensing and Procedures Committee with your support for HB 222. And for those of you griping that the bill itself isn’t perfect … STFU! don’t worry, we can work on that … one step at a time … but first we have to get over today’s hump.

I’ll be letting them know that I am happy they are giving HB 222 it’s due consideration and that I’d like to weigh in with my enthusiastic support. I seriously hope you’ll do the same before opponents to our bill see this post and hijack this link for their own purposes.

Click here to insta-contact important representatives

Here’s the text I’ve included for you … but feel free to customize it however you feel necessary:

To: Edmund Kuempel, Jose Menendez
CC: Senfronia Thompson, Warren Chisum, Charlie Geren, Roland Gutierrez, Delwin Jones, Mike Hamilton, Chente Quintanilla
BCC: Pokerati
SUBJ: 222: please vote YES

Hi there your honors,

I know you have many important votes today. I recognize that HB 222 is a bill about personal freedom that protects Texas citizens while bringing economic benefits to our state. I hope you too will support this sensible government measure and let the voice of hundreds of thousands of Texas poker players be heard and given due consideration in the House of Representatives.

Thank you for your service,

UPDATE: Had Kuempel’s name spelled wrong in the first go at this … it’s been corrected … but just an fyi, in case you were a super-early sender whose email to the chairman bounced.

REMINDER: Don’t forget to add your name (and Texas city if relevant). One-click … type your name … click again … done — you have done your duty as an engaged citizen and contributed toward expanding gambling in Texas the betterment of the recognized skill game that is Texas Hold’em/making the world a better place.

We all know the value of selective aggression … and here’s what’s up in the next couple hours:

The committee voting on us consists of 9 members … so we need the support of five of them. Looking back at past voting records (and combined with some lobbyist intel), we can feel “really good” about four of them, and probably good about one. But two will definitely vote against us; one probably will … and then the big wildcard — we have no idea how he’ll vote — is the committee chair, Edmund Keumpel (R-Seguin). And if I understand committee dynamics right, even with support of the others, he has the power to derail us.

Ed Kuempel, Chairman
House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

OK, so you got that? He wants to hear from us. So this is where you guys come into play … NOW would be a good time to hit their Blackberries with your support for HB 222. You don’t need to explain the reasons or anything … they know the basic arguments — personal freedom + citizen protection + economic benefit = sensible government — but would love to get a last minute reminder that people out there actively care to see them vote yes and send this bill to the House of Representatives so a meaningful percentage of the Texas citizenry can have their voice, issues, and concerns heard by the people in a position to make a difference for them.

I’m working on a special email link so one click will let you hit them all. But in the meantime, here’s Kuempel’s page with his email and phone info.

You’ll be able to watch the Licensing and Administrative Committee hearing via internet live-stream. Here’s the direct link to the stream.

And in case for some reason that doesn’t work, here’s the back-up page where the Texas House of Representative indexes all their publicly visible action.

A lot’s been going on behind the scenes in Austin regarding HB 222 (as well as a racino slots bill and a general casino bill in Texas) … so hopefully we’ll have much more to say throughout the day and next month. We can’t win legal poker today, but we can lose in the Licensing and Administration committee. Michele Lewis is at the capitol right now getting ready to testify on poker’s behalf. I sent her a little strategic encouragement yesterday:

The fate of Texas’ future is all in your hands, Michele.

You’ll do great. A good freedom-loving, charity fundraising mom like you deserves a place to play at home. Though I am sure Pitts & Co. will prep you appropriately, you might consider playing the woman card, too … just because you have kids to take care of doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have the same opportunities to either make money or engage in a recreational activities that your sisters in Louisiana and Oklahoma have.

P.S. You forgot Erick Lindgren!

I wish she could Twitter in her updates … but Pokerati isn’t quite that sophisticated yet … but we’ll try to keep you updated, and maybe explain a little bit about where things stand before and after today. But regardless … Go Michele! Go Poker! And go Texas!

UPDATE: Michele is not actually in Austin yet … she’s en route. Hearing is at 2 pm central.

In previous years, the World Series of Poker would hold a Gaming Life Expo during the first four days of their main event. In the good old days (pre-UIGEA) numerous online poker sites would pay to have their own suites where you could stare at their stars, have a pillow fight with strippers models, etc. Nowadays, the GLE has been a scaled down affair where companies try to sell their various poker related products like books, bobble heads, training sites, poker associations, and many other products.

This year, they’ve retooled their GLE into what they’re calling Poker-Palooza. From their website:

More…

The M Resort & Casino’s 12-table poker room that opened on March 1st began hosting daily No-Limit Hold’em tournaments last week.  They start at 10 am with a $55 buy-in ($50+5), 3,000 starting chips, 30 minute levels, and have a $1,500 guaranteed prize pool.

For more info contact the M Poker Room at 702-797-1777.

Every once in a while we come across something in Las Vegas that has nothing to do with poker, but still, every poker player should know about it … (and when we happen to learn about it from a writer for PokerNews — thanks, Garry! — all the better).

Check out the Big Dig Adventure — which might even be better than shooting off machine guns (a popular offering here in LV) when it comes to shaking off a bad beat or plotting vigilante justice for Russ Hamilton and slowrollers. It’s basically a one-of-its-kind Brobdingnagian sandbox where, for less than $100, you get two hours of moving dirt with heavy Caterpillar-brand construction equipment — bulldozers, skid-loaders, and hydraulic claw-arm excavators. They also have “dozer races” and a high-roller option where you can run over, flip, and crush cars. I gotta think that’s a little more fun than taking out your frustrations by raising with 4-7 in middle position … and it’s good to see something pop up in these tough economic times to fill the entertainment void left by the after-poker shutdown of The Real Deal.

More details from our old pals at Thrillist here.

Wow that YouTube, I’ll-tell-you-what …

So yeah, the song PokerFace by Lady Gaga … it’s at the top of the charts these days. It hit #1 for UK Singles this week, it’s #3 on the “Hot 100″, #2 on the “Pop 100″, and #9 on the Mainstream Top 40. And … it’s all over YouTube.

Apparently teen (and pre-teen) girls across the country world are flocking to webcams while dancing to a song that shamelessly glorifies Texas Hold’em. Whether we might be seeing the next tough female pros or gold-digging railbirds, I’m not so sure … but either way, surely it’s got to be “good for poker” when a pop song about a brash sexy-chick beatin’ a gamblin’ man at his own game inspires a generation young, impressionable lip-syncers to vocally embrace the concept of “bluffin’ with my muffin.”

Click through and around “related videos” for a sense of just how rampantly this song is spreading the poker word. Technically all the vids are SFW because they’re on YouTube … but WARNING: you may feel a little weird looking at so many perky schoolgirls bouncing around in tight clothes and short skirts to a song about poker: I know I did after watching like 80 of ‘em … including:

Umm …
Uhh, poker?
Ooh So wrong
Clearly wronger

Also:

Russians
Gay
Karaoke
Kristy Gazes?

Pot limit Omaha is one of the only games where you can ever consider folding the ace flush on a non paired board.

This is especially true if playing deep stacked and the action has been very suspicious in front of you. Say you raise a hand like Ac7c8h9h and get three callers. The flop comes out 9c10cQc and it is checked around to you. You bet pot and get one call from a very tight player. The turn is a blank 2s and it is checked to you again, where you bet pot and get minimum check raised. You call and the river is another blank card – say the 5h. Your opponent thinks for a while and bets pot into you.

“Good Omaha players know that basically any hand that is not the nuts is always foldable in the right situation…”

This is a classic situation where you often want to be considering folding the ace flush if you know the player is solid (obviously against complete fish you should be usually be calling here). Omaha is a game that is usually played around nut hands – and regardless of what that nut hand is, whether it is a straight flush or a back door straight, when the big bets come out late in a hand it usually indicates the stone cold nuts.

More…