Pokerati | Texas Hold'em and Las Vegas Poker Blog » HB-3186

Legalize Poker in Texas, Take 2

DanM — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:44:39 +0000

Dave in Grapevine (from the Yestbay1 poker blog) wrote in on Friday with a reminder that the Texas Legislature is about to be back in session (the state congress meets every other year there) and our second go-round with Make Poker Legal is starting strong out of the gate:

Hey Dan,

I heard a news story on the radio way home today which you or someone else on the Pokerati staff is probably all over already, but I thought I would e-mail you about it anyway.

It appears that Jose Menendez has (re-)introduced his bill to legalize poker in Texas. I found a couple of links to news blurbs about it, although nothing of much substance:

http://www.q1019.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=&article=4621581

http://lonestartexasnews.com/pages/3363793.php?contentType=4&contentId=3098073

http://radio.woai.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=119078&article=4621581

These short articles are all pretty much the same thing, with quotes from Menendez about his reasons for the bill.

I look forward to reading more about it on Pokerati.com as things develop.

Dave Westbay
Grapevine, TX

Thanks much, Dave, for the heads-up. These articles may not be big, but session isn’t even underway yet, so it’s a good sign that poker is already getting early ink and airtime from the non-poker press. Indeed, Pokerati can’t help but to be all over it as the legislation moves forward. We (Texas poker people) got further than expected in 2007 … and if we can successfully punch Menendez’s bill through this time (re-branded as the “Poker Gaming Act of 2009″) … well, hey, Vegas has been nice, but you can expect this not-so-humble little poker blogger to return home posthaste from self-imposed exile.

RE: Rallying the Troops

DanM — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 03:03:45 +0000

Pokerati file photo: The HB-3186 war room, led by Lavigne in Austin (standing, top left) with Texas poker politicos, player representatives, and out-of-state allies preparing for a capitol offensive.

In addition to those state-by-state member numbers, the PPA put out a press release this week announcing its new state directors. Good to see poker players getting more involved in grassroots activity as the politi-dudes looking out for us in Washington DC continue to develop into a real Beltway force. However, there’s one state where the director curiously isn’t named — and that’s Texas.

Um, Mike …? Has there been a change to your resume ~~that you might wanna blog about~~ that you might wanna blog about?

UPDATE: Lavigne ~~in Austin~~ en-route-to-Wichita-Falls confirms via Blackberry that he is indeed still a state director for the PPA, and showed off his political skills by dodging my follow-up question about “why the ‘TBA’ then?” by reassuring me that the poker political machinery in Texas, having been built and tested now, will be well-oiled for 2009 with real Texas Hold’em in Texas in 2010 so long as I don’t write anything to muck it up.

Re: Red Men’s Raided (2)Dallas County maintains perfect record of zero convictions in poker cases

DanM — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 11:01:53 +0000

A temporarily anonymous reader writes in with an update on some cases against “alleged” poker dealers and room operators at the Audie Murphy VFW, which was raided (as opposed to just busted) in April:

I just thought you might want to know that all of the Gambling Promotion charges that were pending against 11 alleged dealers, and or operators have been deleted,or shall I say in the words of that wonderful attorney of mine “Dallas County has decided to throw in the towel”. Chalk up another one for the Poker Players and give my attorney a raise? NOT!!! he was expensive enough to begin with but well worth it.

Cool, awesome … good for you. I mean except for the legal fees part. But considering how much money Dallas attorneys tend to donk into a game, it’s probably a wash, right?

(Not sure “deleted” is an actual legal term, by the way. But I suspect it is still good for the defendants.)

More on the VFW and other poker busts in Dallas here.

These came, interestingly enough, just a couple weeks after the Dallas DA publicly declared his support for HB 3186, which set out to clarify the legality of raked poker games and set up standards to regulate such businesses.

More on Dallas’ poker-friendly courthouse here.

Re: Wagons Are Circling

DanM — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 16:59:25 +0000

Just as the anti-poker side is encouraging their “pro family” members to write their representatives about the plagues that will fall if the UIGEA is undone, pro-poker ambassadors are also hard at work rallying the troops. Click below to see the letter Greg Raymer sent out seeking similar political activity from presumably lazy poker types.

Interestingly enough, I have a PokerStars account and am a paying member of the PPA … but didn’t get this email. (It was forwarded to me by Don the Las Vegas Real Estate Guy.) With the other side well-practiced in their methods of swinging votes, I gotta think the poker side may need some extra coordination to keep up with the competition. Perhaps the three federal bills in play would benefit from something similar to what we used in Texas to electronically connect the legislators and citizenry en masse. Seriously, this relatively small programming effort went a long way toward ensuring our beloved little HB 3186 was a good chunk of the hallway/bathroom buzz around the state capitol at a semi-critical time.

Again, Greg Raymer’s request below …

Dear Don Jones,

I am writing to you on behalf of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) because we need your help. Congress is currently considering a bill which would clarify the legality of online poker in the United States by creating a regulatory and licensing framework. Please join me in supporting the “Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act”.

The early support of many Congressional Representatives is crucial to the success of this bill. Please call your Representative Jon Porter today in his Washington, D.C. office, 202-225-3252. Ask him to cosponsor H.R. 2046 before the August Congressional recess.

Your support is vital. Please take a moment and call today.

If you wish to read more about this bill, or to get more information about the Poker Players Alliance, please visit http://www.pokerplayersalliance.org. Thank you for your time, and your support of poker in the United States.

Sincerely,

Greg Raymer
PPA Board of Directors
WSOP 2004 World Champion and Member of Team PokerStars

You Gotta Fight…

Lavigne in Austin — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 22:00:22 +0000

AUSTIN–Sorry it took so long to get this Legislative Wrap-Up out, but I needed a little break.

The poker bill (HB 3186) indeed died this session. We most likely will not have legal poker in Texas before 2009. Thatâ€™s the bad news.

There is much more good news though. Before this session, legal poker was little more than an intangible wish. It is a lot closer to a reality now. Our bill explicitly outlined a workable system for legal poker. Because of this, we gained a lot of legislative support as the session wore on and legislators could study our proposal. This gives us a huge leg up next session. Rather than explaining how the bill works, we will be able to be considered alongside a number of other revenue generating proposals.

We got a lot farther than most predicted. We did win a vote in committee and in the Calendars committee. We were even set on the house calendar. This is great considering the fact that the state didn’t need the extra revenue this year. Unfortunately the clock ran out on us despite having enough votes lined up in the State House to pass it. We even had a Senate sponsor ready to pick it up.

We had a great media day on the day of our committee hearing. The story was picked up by press all over the state and even CNN and some foreign outlets.

Because of all the work we did this session, we have something that the idea of legal poker never had in Texas: Credibility. With this new asset, we can continue the fight.

We also made some good new allies this session. The bill sponsor, Representative Jose Menendez is determined to re-file the bill next session. The Poker Players Alliance helped us quite a bit, and the Texas Card Players Association is steadily growing in membership.

In the interim, we have much work to do. We need to:

1) Raise money for the Poker PAC
2) Get involved in elections
3) Grow our mailing list
4) Find more allies

Iâ€™ll be in touch with a more specific gameplan after the WSOP. I will be in Las Vegas the last week of this month for meetings, strategy sessions and a little R&R. If you are going to be there then, let me know as we may have a small event up there to let the rest of the world know what a good thing we have going here.

Before I signoff, there are a some people that need public thanking:

Dan Michalski has been an invaluable volunteer partner in this effort since the beginning. Michele Lewis, Clonie Gowen and Erick Lindgren all trekked to Austin to testify and do media interviews, and for that I am grateful as we got some amazing press that week.

Michael Bolcerek of the PPA has been very helpful and even let us blast his membership list with updates.

Finally, thank you to Texas poker players for all the encouragement and, more importantly, for contacting your legislators.

We have planted the seeds for a true grassroots movement in Texas. These are rare and very powerful.

Stay tuned,

Mike Lavigne
Treasurer, Texas Poker PAC
Texas State Director, Poker Players Alliance

Better Luck (the year after) Next Year

DanM — Wed, 30 May 2007 07:26:50 +0000

A little too little a little too late, perhaps … but the Houston Chronicle has a great piece by ~~columnist~~ sports-blogger and ESPN/The Ticket radio talk-show host Jerome Solomon about why poker in Texas shoulda been legalized. Lavigne in Austin certainly has the message down … and others are starting to hear it. Encouraging, actually, to know that next time around what the poker people have to say might actually make sense to those who don’t play, and even those who might be generally against gambling.

Makes me think that maybe some of us have been using the wrong term — “legalized.” As this column points out … poker already is legal in Texas (like golf, and fishing, and bridge) and all we are looking to do is allow people (and the state) to profit off letting certain good folks offer a slightly souped-up version of the game … just updating the current laws that already allow the game to be played. Can you imagine if it were legal to golf, but illegal to run a pro shop? Maybe our use of the term “legalize” makes it sound like drugs.

How a Bill Doesn’t Become a Law

DanM — Thu, 24 May 2007 10:03:32 +0000

The Texas legislative session is coming to a close, and save for the chance of hitting a miracle half-outer on the river, the Texas Poker Act is dead. Bummer. But better luck next time, right? And until then, I guess it’s off to Oklahoma we go!

Good article in the DMN about how Dallas essentially got its butt kicked on many issues that might matter to this city. What poker people might also find interesting is discussion of House Speaker Tom Craddick. He, of course, was essentially the guy who killed the poker bill. I mean he didn’t kill-kill it — officially he declared his neutrality — but he had the power to put it somewhere better on the calendar and chose to go the other way. Craddick, followers of Texas politics may know, has some hot water of his own to deal with right now — as a lot of people within the Republican Party want to replace him.

Mr. Craddick is in a pitched battle to retain his post as speaker. Three Republicans who have signaled their intent to replace him are from North Texas: Reps. Jim Pitts of Waxahachie, Fred Hill of Richardson and Brian McCall of Plano.

I don’t know much about Fred Hill. But Jim Pitts … in addition to advocating the execution of highly problematic pre-teens, was part of the minority declaring intent to vote against our beloved HB 3186. And lest you think nepotism abounds in Texas politics … this despite the fact that his brother and nephew, John and John Jr., were the chief lobbyists on legal poker’s behalf.

As for Brian McCall, despite his being one of the more liberal Republicans in the state … well … Pokeratizens know all too well that we’ve got some work to do in terms of endearing him to our cause.

ALT HED: Murmur?

RE: Down But Not Out

DanM — Sat, 12 May 2007 21:01:06 +0000

A Pokerati friend whose name may or may not rhyme with Rudy Giuliani writes in with some good reminders about how the political process works:

Condolences on your temporary setback, but don’t give up. If the Texas legislature is anything like New York’s (where I spent years as a staffer) then the following things are true (and if they sound facetious, they’re not):

1) No major bill becomes a law in the first year that it is taken seriously. (unless it bears the name of a child who died a tragic death.) That could be due to a healthy prudence that insists on letting an idea ripen before turning it into a law; or it could be a cynical ploy to extract more campaign donations and/or raise the political stakes before delivering the goods. Most often, I think, it’s just the rhythm of the institution. It takes a couple of years to see if the public support for the bill is serious enough to make it worth the confrontations that will be needed to get it passed.

2) No bill ever becomes a law just because it’s obviously a good idea; somebody with the clout to push it through has to have a political motivation to do so.

3) When a bill has strong public support, and enough sponsors to ensure its passage, but somehow gets held up in the process and never makes it to a vote: that’s when it gets interesting. Nine times out of ten, somebody loses money if this bill becomes a law, and that person (or industry group) has a lock on some powerful member who is able to hold up the process. The point of resistance needs to be identified and the sponsor of the bill has to be pushed into a confrontation with the powerful member. (Getting a law enacted is like giving a deep massage: you have to find the hidden resistance point and work it real hard, and if it isn’t painful you’re not working the right spot.)

Just some thoughts from a scarred veteran of many political wars. If you want to post this on your site, please don’t post my name; I’m still active in state government and it might be awkward if this came up when my name is googled.

Anyway, keep at it; the second year is the most important one. As the crap dealers say when you buy in for the second time: Better luck, sir!

Down, But Not Out

Lavigne in Austin — Sat, 12 May 2007 20:04:38 +0000

Sorry I didn’t post immediately after HB 3186 saw its untimely demise this week, but I went ~~out and drank~~ to bed Thursday night after it became evident that we weren’t gonna get there.

Lets bring the vitriol down a notch and look at the big picture here. I’ll do a proper post-mortem later, but for now lets remember a few things:

1) All good bills take time to pass. I was one of the primary organizers behind the legislation to give Texas teachers paid health insurance. That took us about 4 1/2 years in a time when the state was pretty flush with cash. Not because we did anything wrong, not because the system doesn’t work, but because that is just how long it takes to tell everyone what you want to do and why. We are WAY ahead of the curve on this one.

2) Nobody expected a bill this good to get filed…much less out of committee, through calendars and given a slot on the floor.

3) Our bill didn’t die because legislators don’t like/want poker. Our bill died because there were some major bad bills ahead of it that legislators didn’t want to get to. That is just the way it goes. Frankly, we are probably better off that some of those bills didn’t get voted on.

So, where does that leave us? That leaves us with about 2 1/2 weeks left of session. The possibility does still exist that we could amend our language onto another eligible bill that has already made it through one chamber. I’ll spare y’all the procedural civics lesson for now, but it is a possibility.

If that doesn’t work, we have 1 1/2 years to get ready to do this again. That isn’t very long. We will need to build up a better organization, raise money and stand together until then.

Stay tuned. The fatcats may be singing, but the fat lady isn’t even getting warmed up.

Democracy Inaction

DanM — Sat, 12 May 2007 10:52:03 +0000

I’m sure this won’t piss anyone off … but check out the letter Rep. Brian McCall (R-Plano) sent to a concerned poker citizen who requested his support on HB 3186:

click to enlarge

Wow. Way to encourage participation in the political process, sir. I think a lot of elected officials — perhaps the majority even — forget that regular people like Mr. Rogers are their bosses, not their bitches. I may be a little ~~jealous because he has way better hair than me~~ tilty based on the way he belittles a citizen who simply did what he was supposed to do to let his representative know where he stands on an issue. You’ll notice McCall doesn’t actually take a stance … he pretty much just calls Jason stupid for doing so.

Click below for more insight into what a simple-minded congressman Rep. McCall may or may not be …

ALT HED: Why We Lost, Exhibit A

In the letter itself, McCall implies that Jason, by having a strong stance on HB 3186, is not concerned about “public education, public safety, transportation … the budget, [and] crime.” Now if McCall can’t see why poker legalities are related to all of the above, then why, really, should he be in charge of anything of social importance? This bill was all about crime and public safety and the budget. Perhaps he could talk to the cops in his district for an explanation. McCall did go to Oxford, so he can’t be an idiot. But it is possible that a politician who touts his closeness to George W. Bush and Rick Perry as his strongest asset has become so full his party line that he has forgotten how to think for himself, let alone the people he claims to represent. Just a possibility. You gotta know what your opponent is capable of.

From his website:

Since being elected in 1991, I have fought to lower taxes, to reduce government waste, to preserve Texas values, and to help make the Texas economy one of the strongest in the nation.

[...]

Thank you again for the opportunity to serve you. I look forward to representing your interests in the Texas Legislature.

Reduce government waste? If that were true, then he would have seen the clear sense of making money by protecting people (from robbery, cheating, etc.) as opposed to spending money on tying up the police and court system with hard-to-prosecute misdemeanors.

And how does sending taxable dollars out of state while not taxing the poker money that stays in-state help make the Texas economy stronger? (It doesn’t … it makes it weaker.) And I won’t waste my time explaining the Texas values inherent to Texas Hold’em … but I would like to remind Reppy B-Mac that with that last sentence, hey, your God knows if you are bluffing.

It should be noted that McCall is a member of the Calendars Committee.

Mr. 3186 says “I May Die!”

Michele Lewis — Fri, 11 May 2007 04:06:15 +0000

HB 3186 explains that he is one of the lucky ones and it’s not easy to become a law.

See his story here!

Re: More Important than Poker (2)

DanM — Fri, 11 May 2007 00:00:24 +0000

Lavigne in Austin just called me with something close to a concession speech. He won’t say it’s definitely not gonna get through, but he would be surprised. They’ve made it about halfway through the calendar in about eight hours. We have until midnight by house rule to get this done.

Lavigne says he has seen them disable the clock before so they could go past the deadline, but that seems unlikely … because what we have been seeing go on right now is something called “chubbing” — where people on the same side of an issue ask each other questions simply as a delay tactic. Apparently there is some very contentious bill on page 19 or 20 … and many of the members would rather not get to that. If they do, then it will have a long debate.

“We’re getting blinded out,” Lavigne says.

This reminds me of watching the UIGEA go down … with the clock ticking it looked like they might not get to that. But there, the man with the gavel (Sen. Bill Frist) had every reason to make sure they did. Not the case here with Speaker Craddick.

Meanwhile, in the Florida Legislature, they flew through the gambling and poker bills — correcting some betting limit problems passed in the last session — even though it upsets some of the conservative bedrocks of that state.

Re: More Important than Poker

DanM — Thu, 10 May 2007 22:23:13 +0000

OK, I am losing faith … I am thinking a few people need to die before poker becomes a priority.

Right now the debate on the Texas House floor is about some consulting fee to improve county jail standards — and it’s turning into a bitter fight about who’s got a worse lock-up, Dallas or Harris County. (Dallas has had major inspection failures four years in a row — and the Dept. of Justice is not happy.)

It’s all reminding me of the last time I followed a specific legislative push in Texas — looking to address dire circumstances faced by prison guards in 2000. The correctional officers had been getting stabbed and beaten at an alarming rate, Hepatitis was running wild, and the gangs were growing stronger with the violence seeping into the free world … and they never got anything heard on the floor. Why? Because too many pols (who weren’t specifically opposed to improving things for prison guards) were afraid of looking soft on crime.

The best EV in the eyes of the Legislature came from just not getting to the matter.

ALT HED: RE: Not-so-Super/System

UPDATE: Here’s the totally non-poker article on Texas’ prison woes, for those who happen to be interested in the potential for bad decision-making by elected officials.

More Important than Poker

DanM — Thu, 10 May 2007 21:35:25 +0000

I’m watching the House floor right now … in the background. HB 3186 ain’t coming up anytime soon … and if they don’t get to it by midnight, it is dead dead dead for 2007. So I may be updating this post throughout the next few hours to point out other things that have made their way to the legislative fore:

Hispanics want to shoot of fireworks for Cinco de Mayo. Interestingly, it’s a matter of police having resources to fight illegal fireworks shooting if it remains illegal. (It’s apparently also good for schools and charities.)
They are voting now on the fireworks thing … the amendment failed 29-110, but the bill itself passed! (I think. Can’t be sure.) Only 170 more bills to go before they get to poker!
OK, they just passed ~~three bills in like three minutes~~ five bills in four minutes — something about rural railroads, money for colleges in Central Texas, mentors for teens in foster care, and a pilot program to save Medicaid money.
Apparently reaching HB 3186 is mathematically possible. Am thinking poker would benefit from a relationship with Red Bull. If anyone can get a few dozen cases to the floor shortly after the dinner break — perhaps with a note saying “From Texas poker players in support of HB 3186″ — that would be pretty cool. No idea if it would be legal, but hey …
It’s nearing an hour talking about some county jail monitor. It is getting FEISTY! Legislative tilt clearly in play.
Unknown Legislator: Do you know why democracy takes so long?
Rep. Craddick: Wha…? Oh … democracy?
UL: That’s a foreign term around here.
Craddick: We’re interested in what you have to say.
OK, maybe there is no dinner break … someone just brought in barbecue (from Tuffy’s?). Seriously, next time … Red Bull.

C’mon … House!

DanM — Thu, 10 May 2007 09:17:27 +0000

The Thursday calendar is out. Poker is on page 21 of 23.

Oy.

It seems the other side (who that really is, I’m not sure) made its straight on the turn and we’re lookin’ for a boat on the river. Or quads … Ten-outer.

ALT HED: Not-so-Super/System

The Stars at Night are Big and (B)Right

Michele Lewis — Wed, 09 May 2007 23:07:00 +0000

Deep in the heart of Texas tonight HB 3186 will be waiting to hear the news of its existence and position. Lets take a moment to thank Dan and Lavigne of Pokerati for their great efforts in trying to legalize poker in Texas. Not only have they put a tremendous amount of work into getting the bill to the floor but they have done an excellent job informing the public.

No matter what happens tonight â€“ Thank You for getting off the soapbox and taking real action.

Re: Poker Lawmaking on the Air

DanM — Wed, 09 May 2007 18:39:44 +0000

Dale Hansen comes out of the closet to admit that yes, he has played and will continue to play illegal poker. You know, he is pretty good on the radio. He should so think about getting into podcasting.

Hour of Hansen
ESPN 103.3 FM – 5/8/07
[display_podcast]

Part 1: Dale Hansen speaks with Rep. Jose Menendez about HB 3186 and why legalizing poker in Texas is an uphill political battle / scared Republicans (and problems caused by redistricting) / luck vs. skill / Lottery hypocrites / the Governor will sign if it gets to him.

Part 2: Hansen speaks with Pokerati about underground poker in Dallas and the hypocrisy of the state not taking a rake on poker / what about fishing tournaments? / Oklahoma and Louisiana advertising on the highways / the impact of raids.

Part 3: Hansen takes calls / a sweet old lady busted in the VFW game / would Dale legalize drugs?

My only regret is that I forgot to push the charity angle … and talk more with Dale about how his attempt at a major benefit (Cards for Kids with DallasCAN!) was stymied, and would not have been under the purview of a new law.

Poker Lawmaking on the Air

DanM — Tue, 08 May 2007 23:03:43 +0000

Tune in to Hour of Hansen on ESPN radio (103.3 FM) here. He’s talking poker right now. Rep. Menendez is currently speaking with Dale Hansen from Austin on how far we’ve come and the obstacles we still face.

Sew*, I was thinking of gettinâ€™ in the kitchen and stirrinâ€™ the pot odds

Michele Lewis — Tue, 08 May 2007 20:13:10 +0000

Yes, we women think from time to time — or at least the men allow us. Especially down here in Texas where all men are rednecks and women are stupid, no? Offended? See fine print below. Anyway, I was thinking about HB 3186 and the paradox of why we are unable to play raked poker in Texas. Here is just one example:

Considering the process of Natural Selection, poker tournaments are a great example of Darwinism. When the first poker hand is dealt, Herbert Spencerâ€™s phrase â€œSurvival of the fittestâ€ becomes most poker playerâ€™s motto. We are forced to learn this scientific theory in our public schools while forbidding Creationism. Letâ€™s get something clear right now…Creationism over Evolution is not the point of this post. Darwinism vs. Creation or Intelligent Design is not the point of this post, either.

My point is … why do we force children to learn the scientific theory of evolution over the 5,000-year-old historical book of Genesis only to tell postgraduates they’re unable to practice the forced theory and make decisions on their own in life. Isnâ€™t it confusing the government will choose what you learn in school such as capitalism, free trade and freedom (which we pay for) only to forbid these things later in life? Is it me or does it seem the government takes religion away from children and then uses it against adults?

*Sew – Pun on women being stupid and knowing how to sew. Also read the comments on this post.
*Fine Print
The statement pertaining to Texas men being rednecks and Texas women being stupid is not true. State names have been changed to protect the ~~ignorant~~ innocent.

A Chip And A Chair

Lavigne in Austin — Tue, 08 May 2007 20:01:16 +0000

As we move along in the process to regulate poker in Texas, Iâ€™ve tried really hard not to overdo the poker metaphors, but this time it really is the best way to say it.

Our bill, HB 3186, is on the House General Calendar. The deadline for hearing this bill on the floor of the House is Thursday night. However, The House of Representatives is backed up pretty bad and the legislative carnage is evident already.

We feel good about our chances if we can get a vote, but at this point there is no guarantee that will happen.

The next few nights in the Texas House will be very late as they try to work through their calendar, but every time a contentious bill comes up for debate and one side begins to stall (or â€œchubâ€ as it is referred to at the Capitol) bills at the end of the calendar become less likely to pass.

We are still in this thing, and frankly weâ€™ve gotten farther than anyone thought we would.

In the meantime, continue to email your legislators. A good citizen recently posted this site and I encourage you to take advantage of it to contact your legislators: http://www.legalizepokerintexas.com/

Stay tuned, Thursday will be a very late night!

How a Bill Really Becomes a Law, Part 3

DanM — Tue, 08 May 2007 08:01:33 +0000

Tim in Dallas writes in with a late-night update on HB 3186, and a question that I think he was hoping was rhetorical:

From: Tim B
Sent: Tuesday, May 08, 2007 2:07 AM
To: dan michalski
Subject: woo WOO! HB 3186 made it through calendars!

Placed on General State Calendar 05/09/2007

they havent released the calendar for the 9th yet, so i dont know where in
the agenda it is, but this does mean its going to get a vote on the floor,
right??

Indeed, Tim, this is a really good thing … but it may not be enough! Being on the general calendar is no guarantee that the House will get to it … and if they don’t, then despite all hard work and good sense, it simply dies.

To be sure the bill gets heard on the floor, it needs to be on the Major State Calendar. Rep. Jose Menendez, Lavigne in Austin, and the lobbyists are actively trying to make that happen … but that’s why pressure still matters today and tomorrow. In fact, if you happen to be a big-time Republican donor … now would be a really good time to get in touch voice-to-voice with your highest-ranking peeps and encourage them to make poker a priority.

Fingers crossed, buttons clicking, stomachs turning … it feels like we’ve flopped a set only to be up against open-ended-straight and flush draws with two cards to come.

ED NOTE: Yes, I know there has been no Part 2 yet … it’s coming, I swear … along with coverage of the PI-07.

UPDATE: We are second-to-last on tomorrow’s calendar. Have a look at today’s for a comparison. That means it will be really late if/when they get to us … so if you haven’t already, don’t forget to send some emails encouraging the reps not to let this opportunity to do what is right for ~~poker~~ Texas get away from them!

Hiring: Dumb, Inc. and Dumber, LLC.

Karridy — Mon, 07 May 2007 16:14:27 +0000

Dumb
Found at CraigsList, here

Join The Fastest Growing Industry In The World…Become A Pro DEALER
——————————————————————————–
Reply to: job-314136637@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-04-18, 10:08AM CDT

OK, ITS ALL OVER THE NEWS!!! THERE IS A BILL IN AUSTIN RIGHT NOW TO LEGALIZE POKER IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE ESTABLISHMENTS. THIS BILL IS CALLED “THE POKER GAMING BILL OF 2007″. THIS BILL IS EXPECTED TO PASS AND WHEN IT DOES EVERY BAR WILL BE OPENING A POKER ROOM AND WILL BE IN NEED OF PROFESSIONAL CERTIFIED DEALERS LET “THE ALL AMERICAN CASINO DEALERS ACADEMY”, THE ONLY PROFESSIONAL DEALERS SCHOOL IN TEXAS GET YOU CERTIFIED NOW BEFORE THE RUSH. ALL INSTRUCTORS ARE CASINO CERTIFIED AND MOST ARE RETIRED PIT BOSSES OR DEALERS. DAY AND EVENING CLASSES AVAILABLE…CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION METRO (817) 857-3567. JOB PLACEMENT ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE!!!

If I have to tell you why this post is dumb, this blog is too intelligent for you. And that’s a very sad thing indeed.

Dumber
Found at CraigsList, here

Poker Dealers
——————————————————————————–
Reply to: job-324103313@craigslist.org
Date: 2007-05-04, 4:34AM CDT

So I am looking for some people who are experienced poker dealers. I am wanting to open up a poker house and need some dealer/investors. If you are interested in talking let me know.

…I’m speechless. Also, starting an employment offer with “So” compares professionally with starting a sales pitch with “Yo yo yo, check it. Yo, check it.”

Games People Play?

DanM — Mon, 07 May 2007 01:22:12 +0000

Not sure if this helps or hurts the poker cause … but the Texas Lottery has introduced a new $50 scratch-off game. Could spark an anti-gambling uproar, you gotta think, that might make the “no-no-no more gambling!” minority scare a few undecideds against the Texas Poker Act, which is still waiting to see if it can get on the “major state calendar” for a vote this week.

Or it could plausibly put the Lege into “fuck-it” mode … “hell, if we’ve got the biggest lottery game in the nation, then why not Texas Hold’em, gowl-dangit?” After all, even the Southern Baptist-lovin’ Sen. John Carona (R-Dallas) has publicly shilled for gambling in Texas — full-fledged casino variety, no less — on the grounds that it is the will of the public to see these dollars stay in state. Interestingly enough, it’s the Texas Lottery Commission that would be charged with the regulation and oversight of poker, as per HB 3186.

Meanwhile, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has an article with instructions for wagering on Texas-related politics online via Bodog. I wonder if the ST realizes how much money they could make if they linked to Bodog with an affiliate code.

Citizen Poker

DanM — Sun, 06 May 2007 08:11:31 +0000

Good story in today’s DMN about the VFW poker bust, the Texas Poker Act, and police frustration with the issue of illegal Texas Hold’em games in North Texas. No mention of the armed robberies that police don’t/can’t handle … and the person who accuses poker players of throwing bottles in her yard doesn’t give her name, which is too bad. I wasn’t aware of any poker players who have ever left poker rooms carrying beer bottles … in fact, I am so confident that these sorts of nuisance crimes from poker players are so infrequent that I would like to volunteer Pokerati’s services to clean up whatever mess poker players do leave in any particular residential neighborhood. I’m being serious. But we can’t help you or any accuser who isn’t willing to give their names/meet eye-to-eye.

That’s the thing with the anti-poker forces, whatever and wherever they may be … they don’t know what they are talking about.

This became clear in Austin when the Baptist lobbyist guy got his ass handed back to him by the legislative committee of elected representatives charged with hearing his point of view. If so many people have been calling in complaints as police claim, why is there not one of them speaking on the record with actual information, research, and knowledge? Think about how Dallas is when residents have had real problems — like the “Barking Dogs” folks who put up pictures of drunken Greenville Ave. revelers pissing on their fences. They had a real beef, and even though their solutions weren’t to my personal liking — hate dealing with parking now — they were fair, understandable, and enforceable. I don’t see anything like this when it comes to dealing with underground poker.

OK, that’s my rant. Sorry, just got a little hyped up. Jason Trahan did a nice job with the story. And the DPD are doing the best they can with the bad cards they have to play. And so many people in Austin are working their asses off trying to make things better for those of us who would like to pursue our hobby in legal peace.

And, of course, the people in Oklahoma are also hard at work — and are clearly banking on the notion that Texas will not be doing what ~~is right~~ makes so much obvious sense. I’m still holding out hope that our present issue will fall on the side of what is right … but every decent poker player knows that hope is seldom the best strategy.

UPDATE: If you want to engage in some electronic convo with the non-poker people, check out the Morning News forum here.

Poker Bill Update

Lavigne in Austin — Fri, 04 May 2007 23:58:54 +0000

We’ve gotten some decent ink going into the weekend, with some more expected.

The biggest threat to our little bill is that the House of Representatives is just on this side of a total meltdown over totally unrelated issues. The Capitol Letters blog is a pretty good one if you want to learn more about that.

We have to have our bill heard on the floor of the House by Thursday if it is to continue on to the Senate. This is doable, but we need to keep applying pressure.

A Pokerati reader created a web page to make that even easier. GO THERE NOW!

Poker Bill On The Move!

Lavigne in Austin — Tue, 01 May 2007 18:59:39 +0000

HB 3186 was voted out of the House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee. We will be seeing our first Texas House vote on Poker as early as Friday. More to come, but for now please contact your State Representative and ask them to support HB 3186, The Texas Poker Act.

Make Your Voice Heard…NOW (And Again!)

Lavigne in Austin — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 20:25:35 +0000

It has been a little while since I last updated y’all on the progress of our Texas Poker Bill (HB 3186). When we last left our little bill it had had a great hearing in the Texas House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures. At the end of that hearing it was left pending and the real work began behind the scenes.

Your team has been busy…and successful. We anticipate it being voted out of committee very soon, but we need every poker player in Texas to do something between now and Monday afternoon. Call the legislators on the committee and let them know you support the regulation of poker, specifically HB 3186.

When you call, please remember a few things:

1) Be nice
2) Tell them specifically you support HB 3186
3) Ask them to support HB 3186 too

It will only take about 30 seconds a call and there are 9 members of the committee.

We are very close to getting this bill to the floor of the House, where we believe we may have enough votes to pass this thing.

Hopefullly, I’ll be updating you with some very good news on Monday night!

Dallas Police to Poker Players: Don’t Speed on Your Way to Shreveport!

DanM — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 06:01:59 +0000

Julian in Dallas writes in with some official information about this past weekend’s poker busts, and … perhaps like a player intentionally showing his hole cards? … informs Dallas pokerers about what the police plan to do next.

(Austin poker people may also want to take note.)

In a nutshell, I think what he’s saying is stop ~~playing poker~~ giving citizens reason to complain about illegal gambling … or their gonna getcha, and might possibly sick the Feds on yo ass! As things stand now, 79 players were ticketed this weekend, 18 of whom are soon to be arrested … with some TABC violations to boot.

Hey, I’m just passing on info — and perhaps contemplating hosting a ~~charity tournament~~ freeroll for the Assist the Officers Foundation — so don’t shoot the messenger:

Dan …

Just FYI, we did not take the persons charged with M/A Keeping a Gambling Place to jail on Saturday night. Those charges have now been filed and those persons will now be picked up and placed in jail. In the future, all persons charged with M/A Keeping a Gambling Place will be placed in jail. Persons charged with M/C gambling are also subject to arrest and could be placed in jail depending on the circumstances. All persons recently charged with Gambling M/C were issued citations and released.

For the purposes of your website, I think you all should know that the Vice Unit would much rather have voluntary compliance from the businesses and citizens of the City of Dallas. Gambling investigations are in fact time consuming operations and we have other priorities that we could be working on. Let me repeat, we would rather have voluntary compliance from a group of normally law abiding citizens. If we cannot get that compliance then we will have to conduct operations that will ultimately discourage those normally law abiding citizens from engaging in such behavior.

The Vice Unit plans to continue to address citizen complaints regarding illegal gambling operations within the City of Dallas. However, the Vice Unit will soon start the process of conducting operations that will lead us to the filing of more serious charges against the operators, businesses and players. Gambling is illegal and the citizens of Dallas expect us to enforce those laws as long as they are in place. The Vice Unit will soon consider the filing of Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, IRS violations, drug charges and violations of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code. The owners and operators of these criminal enterprises need to also understand that ultimately, we will come after them, their businesses and their assets.

Again, I think it is only fair to put out this information so that everyone involved in an illegal gambling operation will understand the ramifications of their actions. As I previously told you, we get information from the citizens of Dallas regarding these gambling operations weekly. When they move or change operations we hear about it, just like the folks on your website.

Other operations are currently being planned and will be conducted. Whenever you or your website have questions or hear about one of our operations please feel free to ask about them. I am more than happy to give you the correct information so that it can be disseminated as appropriate.

Here are the recent locations and operations conducted.

Friday Night 4-13-07
Island Club, 10834 Ferguson Road
2 â€“ Keeping a Gambling Place M/A
8 â€“ Gambling M/C
1 â€“ TABC Open Saloon
Seized 2 poker tables, assorted gambling paraphernalia and $2,873.00

Am Vets Post 106, 2308 Oates
3 â€“ Keeping a Gambling Place M/A
6 â€“ Gambling M/C
Seized 7 tables, assorted gambling paraphernalia and $776.00

Slick Billiard, 2344 Oates
1 â€“ Keeping a Gambling Place M/A
TABC Violations

Saturday night:

VFW Post, 2325 Lakeland
12 â€“ Keeping a Gambling Place M/A
47 â€“ Gambling M/C
1 â€“ TABC Open Saloon

Seized 12 poker tables, assorted gambling paraphernalia and $6,882.00

Deputy Chief J. A. Bernal
Narcotics Division and Vice Unit
Dallas Police Department

Thanks much for clarifying, Deputy Chief. But wow, the Am Vets? For $776? Really?

Remember, a clear majority of the citizenry supports your rights to play better poker. (75 percent according to TV news polls.) So write your representative — and any politically heeled friends — in support of HB 3186. It’s the best chance we have right now, imho, not only to make our own lives easier, but also to free up our undercover/uniformed friends to some day sit down and play an enjoyable game of poker with us while while off-duty, not on- … perhaps after a hard-day’s work fighting crime?

How a Bill Really Becomes a Law, Part 1

DanM — Mon, 16 Apr 2007 12:05:33 +0000

Or not … our beloved little HB 3186 still has a ways to go. But we are “this much closer” to legal-better poker in Texas … at a minimum, people in the law business are becoming more and more familiar with our “issues” … and an increasing number of political bidders are looking at dollar signs (and calculating implied pot odds) on an unusual bill that has, let’s say, 75 percent public support …

Here is the testimony presented earlier this month for and against legalized Texas poker to the legislative committee charged with making the first rounds of decisions about this bill. You will find it either totally boring or C-Span fascinating … and if you’re in the latter camp, you’ll probably hear much that you find encouraging. Listen closer, however, and you may get a sense that some hardline politicking has only just begun:

House Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee
Austin, TX – 4/3/07

[display_podcast]

0:01 — Rep. Jose Menendez (D-San Antonio) updates committee on changes to the bill, gives background on underground Texas poker

3:35 — Letting the Indians in on the action

4:40 — Constitutional amendment not required, Attorney General says

5:20 — Summation of the bill

6:00 — How the licensing will work, how the rake will work, and how much the state stands to make

7:45 — Special housing assistance for seniors and veterans

9:05 — Too many people show up to speak on poker’s behalf

9:20 — Willing to prevent alcohol from being served for free in poker rooms? “Absolutely”

9:45 — 76 votes = $150 million

* * *

10:30 — Texas Eagle Forum, against the bill, not present to testify

13:20 — Longtime Libertarian Rock Howard … poker provides teaches anger management, stops road rage, extends lives

15:40 — A teacherly Vernon Harrison, Texas Card Players Association, explains why Texans need more than just home games

17:45 — Rob Kohler, Christian Life Commission of the Baptist General Convention of Texas, opposing the bill on grounds that poker requires a Constitutional amendment because sometimes you get a 2 … and it’s not socially acceptable like Bingo

21:30 — Rep. Ismael “Kino” Flores (D-Palmview) entertains himself and crowd by ripping Kohler a new one for his position on Bingo supremacy

23:15 — Chris Jones, veteran Houston police officer and lobbyist for CLEAT … personally in support of the bill … admits that lots of cops like to play

25:00 — Flores yuks it up with the pro-poker crowd, semi-jokingly seeks support for his VLT’s-in-horse-tracks bill, pokes at Menendez by calling him “Melendez.” ~~NOTE: Weak means strong?~~

* * *

25:30 — Lyle Berman on bringing the World Poker Tour (and associated economic activity) to Texas … explains technicalities of Indian Tribe classifications and the game-of-skill concept … Flores inquires about a friendly game before mocking Rep. Carl Isett (R-Lubbock), the lone committee member clearly opposed to the bill

30:00 — Clonie Gowen says yea poker! Speaks of her experiences in the Dallas underground and the need to protect players

31:15 — Hall of Famer Crandell Addington (sent as Doyle Brunson’s emissary) on poker’s roots in Texas and taking the game to Nevada in the 1960s and its evolution beyond the law … detailed explanation of skill vs. chance/flop percentages

37:10 — Michele Lewis … kids with cancer need charity poker to help fill in budget gaps created by cuts in state funding … women need to feel safe – from guns and over-raking … create jobs!

41:10 — Michael Bolcerek, president of the PPA, speaking on behalf of 20,000 Texas members

43:20 — Dan Michalski, blogger/consultant … on how charities are crippled because of a legal quirk in how the game currently has to be played. Nothing revolutionary, just looking to make poker akin to fishing/golf so we can stop looking stupid

47:20 — Menendez closes up after a long day and night … “Here we are as a state, in effect condoning illegal gambling because we’re not willing to regulate what we already have”

Hey! I’m serious, man. We’re talkin’ poker here!

* * *

Stay tuned for “How a Bill Really Becomes a Law, Part 2″ …

PRESSING FLESH on 6TH STREET (L to R) Lavigne in Austin, Brad Beats,
Clonie, random girl, Erick Lindgren, and Sweet Texas Jimmy.

Re: Another Big Poker Bust

DanM — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 10:45:19 +0000

Dallas po-po says they know about “a majority” of local games. And even though we have yet to see a single conviction (by judge or jury) of more than 200 potential defendants, here’s a list of underground poker rooms put out of business recently: (Feel free to add if I missed any — but, hey, don’t go naming your friends just to be funny!)

~~Aces~~
~~Jackie’s~~
~~JB’s/Goodfellows~~
~~Ace High~~
~~R&R #2~~
~~VFW-Audie Murphy~~
~~Top Shelf~~
~~Island Club~~
~~DC’s Poker House~~

Previously and outside of Dallas proper
~~EV Enterprises~~ (Richardson)
~~Sons of Italy~~ (McKinney)
~~Poker Pound~~ (Duncanville)
~~R’s Game~~ (Addison)
~~R&R~~ (Carrollton)

Hmm, wow … OK, it looks like they’ve gotten all of ‘em. Yep … all gone. No more cardsy fun for citizens to complain about. Now poker players can take up new hobbies en masse … like fishing/bowling/golf/panhandling/beekeeping/graffiti.

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