The robbers were almost definitely amateur thieves, allegedly.

Their names: Chaz White and Travis Thomas, ages 18 and 19.

One of these fellas supposedly had played in the game recently while the other watched. They have been charged with aggravated assault.

The impounded getaway car belonged to Billy Thomas, out of Kaufman. The elder Thomas reportedly confirmed that the two boys had borrowed the car earlier that day.

Original post here

It’s been conventional wisdom around LV for nearly two years that as goes the fate of CityCenter, so goes the fate of Las Vegas. The multibillion-dollar project and biggest construction endeavor since the Pyramids (and maybe the Great Wall of China?) has had its shaky ups and downs … Five workers have died building it, and the project almost was abandoned under bankruptcy until Dubai World bailed out MGM/Mirage, which saw a 10 percent drop in stock price Friday after Wall Street learned of Dubai’s own $60 billion debt problems. But the stock price did rebound …

The artistically bent glass-and-steel center-Strip monstrosity begins opening in phases tomorrow, with the Aria casino putting cards in the air on Dec. 16.

Your very quick look at the newest poker room in Las Vegas — at what’s supposed to be the crown jewel of the MGM/Mirage gambling empire — comes at 1:37. Cheesy (but apt) poker metaphor at 1:54.

Details still coming it … but so far it sounds like the feel-good poker robbery of the year:

Last night two masked, pistol-wielding youngins reportedly ganked about $7,000 from a NL Hold’em game of mostly retired old-school Texas rounders (ages 50something to 80something) on the rural outskirts of Dallas.

But sprinting across a rain-soaked pasture to a presumed getaway vehicle, the wannabe bandits apparently spooked some horses … one thing led to another … and with sirens in the background getting louder, two players chasing after them had their own guns pointed at the armed robbers as they lay in a field. According to a source on the scene, the de-facto table sheriffs disarmed their assailants in a hailstorm of expletives, pulled off their masks, and grabbed back the moneybag while waiting for police. (Half the cash was missing, and what was still there was soaking wet.)

Seagoville PD arrived soon after and arrested the two “very young” white males the players had captured.

After talking to police, players returned to the tables and action resumed.

More TK as details emerge …

UPDATE: Info on arrested persons here.

NeverwinPoker.com, the filthiest, most offensive poker site on the internet — filled with racist, sexist, drug-addled degeneracy and perverse nudity that provided a voice for a notably vile, socially maladjusted segment of the poker world — is no longer, or at least no longer what it used to be.

Tony G and the semi-corporate interests at PokerNews, who bought a controlling interest in the “gossip site” two years ago, have turned off the infamously uncensored forum. It simply wasn’t “converting” supposedly.

But don’t expect thousands of black-cock refugees to suddenly flood 2+2. Neverwin pioneer Bryan Micon is launching a new site for his toxic flock of angry outcasts at www.donkdown.com.

Meanwhile, PokerPages is somehow staying afloat — producing semi-regular new poker articles — despite declarations that they’d be fully out of business by the end of October.

Interesting story in the Miami Herald about Joe Cada, Kevin Schaffel (Florida’s representative in the November Nine), skill vs. luck, and whether or not the game is good for you. My favorite line(s):

“We had 115 different countries have players represented this year,” said Seth Palansky, a World Series spokesman. “It’s just an astonishing amount — more than the Olympics.”

To be fair, that’s only more than the Winter Olympics. Poker still has a bit more work to catch the Summer games.

Ha ha. Burn on Palansky.

The story continues:

Not everyone is happy with the poker boom. Gambling critics like the Florida Family Policy Council say the game’s greater social acceptance is largely a result of aggressive PR efforts.

“It’s being promoted as something that’s sexy and adventurous and cool,” said council President John Stemberger. “All the big money is on the side of promoting it, not on the side of educating people as to why it’s not a smart thing.”

True enough, Mr. Stemberger, but the same thing could be said about religion, right? You think our activity can be harmful — and indeed it can — and I think your activity can be harmful … and indeed it can. But that’s where living in the wonderful US of A comes into play … As an American (and Floridians are Americans, even the ones who are Cuban) I have the personal freedom to pursue my happiness, just as you do … even though I can show you example after example of people pursuing the activities Big God money is pushing doing tremendous harm … usually with a lot more blood and death, in fact.

Trust me, when it comes to potentially addictive products, poker is much closer to Starbuck’s than Marlboro … even though financial advisors have shown time and time again how quitting a $5 a day Starbuck’s habit can equal millions of extra retirement dollars in the course of life.

Meanwhile, here’s another Herald story about Florida’s longtime wagering culture as the state considers it’s biggest expansion of gambling in history.

From the New York Post:

* “Lie to Me” (Monday, 9:01 pm., Fox): From the “Of Course! What Took Them So Long?” file comes this entertaining installment set at the World Series of Poker, with Tim Roth’s Lightman trying to read the faces of people who know how not to have their faces read. Master magician/cardsharp Ricky Jay guest stars.

From the Federal Reserve and US Treasury:

Agencies Extend Compliance Date for Final Rule to Implement Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act

The Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced the release of a joint final rule to extend the compliance date for their joint regulation implementing certain provisions of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act by six months to June 1, 2010.

An Atlantic City newspaper reported that Donald Trump and Andy Beal are battling for control of three Trump Casinos. I have to admit if I had the chance to rail bird this match live, I’d be wearing my “Go Andy Beal” T-shirt and maybe a great big button of his face, too.

I like PokerNews’ globetrotting on-camera chick Gloria Balding’s Top 5 thingies …

This go-round she tackles some of the challenges of international travel that are unique to poker players jetsetting into and out of action … and specifically the need for a good poker face when moving through Customs.

Here’s this week’s Poker 2Nite episode discussing Isildur1, a charity poker tournament hosted by Annie Duke, Brandon Cantu getting tased and an interview with Andy Bloch. Parts 2 and 3 appear on the next page:

More…

Technically I think Madsen is the MC, and really, it all would work better (for my hedline at least) if he were to rhyme-partner with Scotty Nguyen … but oh well, this still made me LOL:

ALT HED: P.W.A. Straight Outta Bellagio

More on this to come, but reports coming from the PPA, Pokernews, and other sources state that the UIGEA regulations will be delayed for 6 months. This news, along with an informational hearing of HR 2266 and 2267 December 3rd by the House Financial Services Committee are good news who enjoy online poker and hope for some sort of regulation.

Hank Gilbert

---

OP-ED

---

Over the course of my campaign for governor, I’ve had a lot of people come up to me to ask me about gambling issues in Texas. In particular, I had a gentleman the other day approach me and ask me how I felt about the fact that you can’t even play Texas Hold ’Em—at least for money—in Texas.

I told him I thought it was sad that our state leaked millions upon millions of dollars to Louisiana that could be helping fund Texas public schools.

Yesterday afternoon, I rolled out a three-part plan that will both fund improvements to Texas public schools and allow Texans the opportunity to vote on whether or not they want casino gambling in Texas.

The core of that plan would allow Texas’s existing racetracks (pending voter approval, of course) to operate full casinos (not just VLTs) and allow for the opening of a limited number of destination style resort casinos.

Texans want better public schools. And, according to a poll taken earlier this year, Texans want to be able to play Texas Hold ‘Em (and other casino games) in Texas.

In short, it is time for Texas to decide if we’re going to hold ’em or fold ’em.

Our state’s current and most recent former governor repeatedly passed the buck on major school finance reform and educational improvements. Yes, they proposed some plans and new taxes, but nothing that generated any really significant new revenue to improve educations.

If voters allow casino gambling in Texas, it will be a source of new revenue to fund improvements to Texas public schools—more than $1.3 billion a year in new revenue, in fact.

Absent any similar new significant revenue stream, Texas public schools will continue down their current path, and we won’t see any major improvements to public education. It’s like folding and walking away from the table when you have a bad hand.

Texans want better public schools. And, according to a poll taken earlier this year, Texans want to be able to play Texas Hold ‘Em (and other casino games) in Texas.

It is a win-win situation. Our schools win. Our communities and cities win because it will be a boon to economic development. The agriculture industry—particularly horse breeders—win. The state wins because it is a new revenue stream for public schools without higher property taxes. Texans win because it creates more jobs and more economic opportunity for Texans.

Here’s some video of Joe Cada enjoying his ringside seats at WWE Raw (with Dennis Phillips) … as pro wrestler Sheamus O’Shaunessy shows the poker champ how to best handle Norman Chad:

There’s a little brouhaha I think outta Costa Rica that I’m not really following, but there might be something there. It involves PICClub … one of those loophole-based payment processing alternatives that has found itself embroiled in a 6-figure payment dispute with a network of smaller online poker sites (Carbon Poker, Reefer Poker, ACED, GR88.com, Felt Stars, StinkyFish Poker, and more than a dozen others).

Apparently someone’s ripping off someone, and flaming fingers are starting to point all willy-nilly in a world of folks trying to play as legit as they can providing a service that the US government would prefer they not.

I first learned about PICClub about a year ago … heard about it from one of my old cronies in the Dallas underground, and TJ Cloutier was apparently involved. Though I had decided it was not quite my thing, I wanted a second opinion, so I sought the counsel of a trusted friend and colleague semi-involved in the poker bidness:

On Dec 3, 2008, at 9:22 AM, [name removed] wrote:

[Name removed] told me about it. But I’ve decided it’s in my best interest to steer clear of shady, 4-year-late concepts that are audibly mistaken for porn sites.

LOL, right, exactly …

More…