In doing so, you’ll learn why he’s not playing in the WPT Championship, and that Phil Ivey lost $1 million in Bobby’s Room last night.

And then, back to his blog, he explains to all the Teabaggers out there why he thinks they should STFU!

I headed over to my CPA to get my taxes done and ran into a traffic jam. Hundreds of people were blocking the streets having what they called a “tea party”. I think they were protesting the current financial crisis our nation is going through, but some of the signs were ridiculous. “Impeach Obama”, “What comes after trillions”, “Stop spending our money” and other statements blaming our president. For Pete’s sake, let’s give the guy a chance to straighten this mess up. I got a lot of heat for voting for McCain, but I knew when I cast a late vote, John didn’t have a chance to win. I was just being loyal to the Republican Party. But now that the nation has spoken that they wanted Obama, we should all support him.

Not only do I enjoy the Doylism of the Day, but also, Big Poppa can write! In his most recent post, he explains why having backed John McCain doesn’t make him anti-poker any more than it makes him a racist:

First, I’m about as far away from being a racist as you can get. I’ve had black friends all my life, and I mean really good friends. That was back before it was “fashionable” to have blacks as friends.

Hmm, that might be a dig at anyone like me who has specifically been courting black girls, thinking interracial intercourse is about to become all the rage (just kidding LaTasjia — you’re still my #1 shorty). But seriously … check it out — not only does Doyle’s blog have other good blogstuff such as a relatively personal Flickr gallery, but also he was able to make a solid point for voting McCain in four paragrafs that neither Tom nor my dad could do in four weeks of email manifestos and belligerent phone calls. It’s the kinda writing I’ve grown to expect from Brunson, who clearly has refined his skills in the 36 years since authoring Super/System.

Another pretty good one comes from Annette 15. Even though the Michelle Wie of Poker (?) says she’s really more of a forum girl, Annette Obrestad’s blog (added to the poll by a reader) is filled with worthwhile reads from a young pro making her way through the high-stakes world, live and online. I really dug her post introducing “set mining” to me (the phrase, if not the concept), with a simple, straightforward math-based explanation of when it’s worth seeing if you’re pocket pair can trip up.

Anyhow, just a couple that I’ve found worth the clicks and eyeball time, and possibly a few votes.

If you ever wanted to know where McCain stands on SPAM…..

This email, below, not only disregards industry best-practices and standards, but is in clear violation of the CAN SPAM Act of ’03.

He’s already holding himself to a different standard.

Begin forwarded message:

---

From: “John McCain” <ecampaign@johnmccain.com>
Date: November 3, 2008 7:41:54 PM CST
To: karridy
Subject: Make History Tomorrow

My Friend,

From the time I entered the Naval Academy at age seventeen I have been privileged and honored to serve my country.

Throughout my years of service, I’ve been faced with challenges where I could have taken the easy way out and given up. But I’m an American and I never give up. Instead, I choose to show courage and stand up and fight for the country I love. Today, I am asking you to stand with me and to fight for our country’s future.

Our country faces enormous challenges and our next president must be ready to lead on day one. My lifetime of experience has prepared me to lead our great nation. I’m prepared to bring solutions to our economic challenges, bring our troops home in victory and improve our nation’s healthcare system.

Time and time again, my country has saved my life and I owe her more than she has ever owed me. I have chosen to show my gratitude through a life of service to our country and tomorrow, you will have a choice before you.

I humbly ask you to make the choice that will allow me to serve my country a little while longer by casting your vote to elect me as your next President of the United States.

Finally, I ask that you never forget that much has been sacrificed to protect our right to vote. We must never forget those Americans who, with their courage, with their sacrifice, and with their lives, have protected our freedom. It is my great hope that you will exercise your right to vote as an American tomorrow.

I thank you for your kind support, your dedication to our cause, and most importantly I thank you for your vote.

With sincere appreciation,

John McCain

Please visit this page if you want to remove yourself from the email list.

Paid for by McCain-Palin 2008

From Online Casino Reports:

Obama now stands at 1.07 at Ladbrokes, against McCain’s 7.5. The odds on Obama winning more than 370 of the 568 seats on offer have shortened to 2.62, with the Democrat candidate favored to win most of the battleground states.

British bookmakers are also taking bets on who’s gonna be the next Secretary of State. (Wow.) I think we should give the next president authority to take the entire national Treasury and place a wager.

The host was Ben Affleck — real poker player — and in the group farewell, it was like a sincere, conciliatory ovation to the honorable senator. Majillions had to be watching … and from that scene, at least here on Cox cable in Las Vegas, it went right to Poker after Dark. (And a good episode, too! Mike Matusow vs. all previous champs, director’s cut.)

Certainly at least a few folks (thousand? hundreds of thousands?) had to be drawn into poker for their first time in a while with that fortunate positioning, right?

Interestingly enough, when I finally got bored with the episode (I had seen it before), I flipped to the news channels for some analysis of the McCain SNL appearance. Because really, I saw that, coupled with his most recent ad, as practically a concession speech. Big news! But all the news stations were in stock coverage and rerun mode … CNN was doing a bio of Obama, and on it was more than a mention of Obama’s Illinois politico poker game. He learned the game in an effort to improve his people/political climbing skills, and eventually it turned into an escape where he and his legislative adversaries could enjoy good friendly times.

Anyhow, lots of poker on TV, and good poker … very close to the election stuff that’s killing in the ratings these days.

More McCain on SNL:

Since then, I’ve spent my days and nights flipping news channels and scouring YouTube for funny/insightful political vids to send to that great online Deuce-to-Seven player, luvgamble, aka Donkey Bomber, aka Tom the Plumber. My original offer was $500 +3 points, and when given the opportunity for better odds without the points, I had to double my wager. (That’s just smart gambling, right?) So when the pundits are saying there’s a lot at stake this election … they ain’t kidding!

Tom’s an Arizona homer for McCain who’s been mass-forwarding easily disprovable, often hypocritical right-wing propaganda for about a year-and-a-half now — the sort that screams, imho, “Holy shit, is America really gonna put Hillary Clinton a black guy in there!?!” To be clear: I’m not saying luvgamble nor any of his email distro cronies are racists or sexists. I’m just saying they’re white … and probably don’t own any Dr. Dre.

And that’s why I felt (and still feel) that I had a better read on the election than he did.

$1k’s a pretty big bet for me. If I lose, totally not paying I will definitely feel it. It won’t make me cry or head to the pawn shop or anything, but no more upsizing combo meals and extra fries for the dog for a while. Basically, making this bet was like shoving all-in early, so I couldn’t get outplayed after the flop. And though I’ve had a few moments of discomfort about the wager(s) along the way, as Election Day draws near, if I, er, I mean Obama, does indeed win … that’s right, baby, we’re goin’ to Sizzler! America’s going to Sizzler!

Since the bet, Tommy-boy and I have been having quite the political discourse — educating and challenging ourselves like all good Americans should via Socratic dialogue and Lincoln-Douglas debate. But far from reaching any common ground or finding solutions to world problems (we both believe the other just doesn’t get it, and probably never will) we instead decided it was in both our interests to just gamble more. And admittedly, I’m a little less confident about our recently sealed sidebet of an extra $400 on a 5-point spread.

While Obama will be my first ever presidential vote for a Democrat, Tom insists his unbending support of McCain is all a matter of practical business — “Taxes! Socialism! Hillary! Terror!” — to which I really had no response other than to put my money where my vote was.

Shortly after the VP debate, Tom made me a buyout offer — $100 to call off the bet. Please. Am I really that much of a prop-bet rookie? I countered with $1,100, he declined.

After Prez-debate#2, he offered $400. Still wasn’t interested … ($650 or so probably woulda been enough to make me think about it …) but it did have me wondering if it was uncool of me to not even consider some sort of chop. So plagued by capitalist greed gambling addiction liberal guilt, here’s where I may or may not have made a bad add-on wager:

I said we’ll bet another $500 on a 4 point spread. Because really, all along I’ve felt in my gut — the poker-savvy innards Tom has been teaching me to get in touch with — that Obama will win in a landslide. So if Obama won the popular vote 52-48 or better, I’d win $1,500. If he just edged out McCain, I’d win only $500. And if he were to lose, Tom would get the pleasure of having me personally (and painfully) hand him a minor WSOP event buy-in.

Alas, due to a technical prop-betting error (my fault: I made the offer, Tom responded “cool”, but I didn’t confirm until three weeks later, when the polls were at their biggest disparity) the 500+4 was considered a non-bet (I declined arbitration), and we renegotiated, adding a $400 sidebet on a 5-point spread, adjusting the numbers above accordingly.

Oy, the gap between 4 and 5 percent seems huge — and I’m not just talking about the $800 swing it represents to me. The more I’ve thought about it … if Obama just barely wins, the country is still split as ever – and we can expect four years of Rush Limbaughs, Sean Hannitys, and even intelligent conservatives trying to tear him down by any means necessary. But were he to win by a sizable margin … well then the country is arguably unified once again.

The most reliable tracking poll in 2004 (the conservative Investor’s Business Daily) has the split currently at 4.5.

When I first started writing this post (more than a month ago), I had a couple links to some pop-culturey current-event commentary that I thought made convincing arguments. But the funny and telling kept changing by the day, so if you’re still with me here … below are some link and video highlights of what’s been keeping me warm at night while making a convincing case that, indeed, it was my patriotic duty to bet a fat wad on Barack Obama.

It’s the economy, stupid:

The endorsement that gave me actual confidence to pull the trigger and bet came from Wick Allison. The D Magazine publisher and former editor of the National Review is the most intelligently argumentative conservative guy I know (a McCain contributor no less):

A Conservative for Obama
My party has slipped its moorings. It’s time for a true pragmatist to lead the country.

Ask yourself, do you really blame George Bush for all our problems right now, or do you think he had help?

I’ve never seen in an election anywhere, ever, so many high-profile defections. Former Bush press secretary Scott McClellan:

Tom the Plumber dismissed the relevance of this. But hey, can’t be a total idiot, right? At a minimum, McClellan knows how to sell books!
What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception

Colin Powell endorsed Obama as well, and explains away pretty much all the anti-Obama arguments with a little more credibility than I can:

Disturbing Sidenote
I voted early the other day. Waited in line for a half hour. The election official who scanned my registration card never asked for me to show any ID. So I could’ve had a registration card with anyone’s name on it.

Oh, well, I’m not gonna say anything. Florida karma.

Opie for Obama:

One issue raised repeatedly by my prop-bet opponent and otherwise reasonable Republican stalwarts is something super-duper critical about taxes with promises of trickle-down catastrophe. I dunno, sounds similar to what they were saying before those dark days of relative peace and economic surplus under Bill Clinton and the Tax & Spend Liberals, when the nation’s biggest problems were getting one too many blowjobs.

Challenged to “find one successful businessman” who backed Barack Obama’s economic plan (“not counting Hollywood!”) I did a search on Wikipedia for “obama endorsements” and got this page — a list of what must be close to 1,000 notable names attaching themselves to Obama.

A search for “mccain endorsements” … no page with that title exists. Hmm, I wonder if the internet’s gonna factor into global finance in the 21st Century.

Anyhow, for those of us incapable of comprehending the socio-fiscal implications of Obama adjustments to the always-adjusting tax code, we can at least know that despite threats of imminent (and immediate!) disaster under Barack Obama, the following businessy-econ types still give him the thumbs-up:

* Martha Stewart (can she vote?)
* 6 Winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics
* Paul O’Neill, former Secretary of the Treasury under George W. Bush
* Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton
* Robert Rubin, former Secretary of the Treasury
* Lawrence Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury
* Marc Andreessen, software engineer, Silicon Valley entrepreneur and co-founder of Netscape
* Warren Buffett, investor and richest man in the world
* Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s [Note: They don't count to conservatives]
* David Geffen, media executive, producer and philanthropist
* Nicholas A. B. Gray, owner of Gray’s Papaya hot dog restaurant in New York City
* Gary Hirshberg, Chairman, President, and CEO of Stonyfield Farm
* Chris Hughes, co-founder of Facebook
* Sheila Johnson, co-founder of Black Entertainment Television
* Jeffrey Katzenberg, film producer and CEO of DreamWorks Animation
* Billy King, former general manager and team president of NBA team Philadelphia 76ers
* Alex Rigopulos, CEO of Harmonix Music Systems, company notable for creating Rock Band and Guitar Hero
* Brink Lindsey, Vice President of Research for the Cato Institute and editor of Cato Unbound
* William Louis-Dreyfus, billionaire New York financier
* Hugh McColl, former CEO, Bank of America
* Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of Rupert Murdoch and Chairman and CEO of Shine Limited
* Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCo
* Dan Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL
* Eric Schmidt, Google Chairman and CEO
* Leigh Steinberg, sports agent
* John W. Thompson, CEO of Symantec
* Billy Vassiliadis, CEO of R&R Partners
* David Voelker, owner and manager of Voelker Investments
* Craig Newmark, founder of website Craigslist
* Steve Westly, founding executive of eBay, managing partner of the Westly Group, and former California State Controller
* The Economist

And here, for good measure, Tom-look-a-like Jim Cramer explains (about 2:00 in) why Obama’s tax plan is no threat to the markets, at least no more of a threat than any other tax plans out there:

Meanwhile, McCain reached out to 17,000 members of the American Economics Association looking for signatories to his warning of dire consequences of Obama’s economic plan, and he got 70 to agree.

And for those who like it a little simpler, BusinessPundit gives his 5 Reasons Obama is Good for Business.

So warn me all you want about the danger our economy faces under an Obama Tax Plan … I have confidence that successful businessfolk will always figure out how to succeed, no matter what the set-up. After all, I can only imagine that getting rid of slavery threatened to be pretty “disastrous” for the economy, too.

Obama Girl explaining the tax issues:

This election is not just an American issue, — it’s of global importance. In the Bahamas recently, I saw T-shirts that said “Bahama Obama“, and in Mexico signs that said “¡Viva Obama!” Nothing of the sort for McCain, though he did get an endorsement from Al Qaeda.

Since then, The Economist has put out a really cool map of how the election would break down were Manifest Destiny ever fully achieved and all the nations of the world admitted to the Electoral College.

Apparently the rest of the world has taken sides (wow, what a concept, a whole planet agreeing on something!) and, eager to love America again, has all its hopes for us on a mulatto from Chicago with a funny name.

An Italian “commercial” for Obama:
(thanks, Jen!)

Kenyan Afro-fusion musician Makadem’s new hit song, “Obama Be Thy Name”:

The Kenyans also have Obama the Musical:

But not this drunken Hillary Clinton supporter … she likes black guys – just not A-rabs!

So while the meth crowd might not be down with Barack, Obama does seem to have a handle on the booty-shaking demo:

via Barely Political via Justified Right

BTW, if you liked that vid … Obama Girl back in the day when she thought she might be duking it out with Giuliani Girl:

Deadheads for Obama:

via Huffington Post

Negative campaign ads:

It’s not about race, though I gotta say I am pretty excited about the chance to vote for a black guy. Seriously, I was raised to embrace diversity and pshaw racism, yet never in my 36 years have I had the chance to take part in something that would serve as such vivid testament to those non-racist ideas — and dare I say ideals? — actually being put into practice.

At a minimum, it would essentially be a national resolution telling people like these motivated McCain/Palin supporters to STFU!

Chris Rock on why successful black people can’t be content with just barely winning:

An inspiring, non-partisan performance by 7th graders that, let’s face it, wouldn’t have happened were it not for Barack Obama:

Meanwhile, a McCain spokesman is trying to scare the Jews:

Did a search for “official mccain ads” on YouTube, and this was the first vid to come up:

The internet must be frustrating the shit out of the R’s, as Obama fans are using it to show the textbook similarities between McCain and Bush:

A search for “mccain supporters” brought up all sorts of stuff like this now infamous back of a lady’s head, who expressed her grave fear of Othello:

She’s probably what … 65-70ish years old? Think about it … When she was a little girl, the old people in her time were born in the 1800s!

True Bar-bettable Factoid:

When was the last time the Republicans won the presidency without a Bush or a Nixon on the Ticket?
1928

Separated at Birth: John McCain and Cotton Hill

via My New Plaid Pants

Sarah Palin’s kinda a ringer for Peggy Hill, too.

More on who the real Obama is, according to McCain supporters:

Poker Factoid:

Barack Obama has read Positively Fifth Street. Jim McManus’ wife works on his campaign’s finance committee.

Surprisingly poignant video from Paris Hilton (for Fake President):

Funny/sad/inspiring vid from the Budweiser “Wasssup!” dudes (offering personal opinions, not necessarily those of Anheuser-Busch):

It’s all about getting out the vote, and getting it out big, so there is no question about what the nation really wants. Nish Gaveer, a West Philly rapper rhymin’ for Obama … seriously, you didn’t see this kinda shit with John Kerry or Al Gore, and it’s what gives me a little confidence about my landslide sidebet:

(via The Audacity of Dope)

Also via TAD, via IllDoctrine.com, with a passionate get-out-the-vote vid from HipHopster Jay Smooth that I’m pretty sure is resonating even with the laziest among us:

Kinda interesting (to me) that I can’t really tell if he’s black or white … and frankly, two months ago, I probably woulda researched it to find out. But now, really, it doesn’t seem to matter. The message (and the beat, yo) is good enough for me.

And maybe that’s why I’m feeling a little inspired … my Obama support started as a simple matter of anti-Republicanism … but as I have followed the guy and gotten to know more, it’s the first time in my life that I can actually see the possibility of an America that I long ago figured didn’t really exist. I suppose that’s the dream Martin Luther King was speaking about … say what you will about taxes and job creation under McCain’s plan, but I gotta think the inspiration, the proof, that anything really is possible for anyone in this country, no matter what your prior circumstance or current obstacles, is worth more than a trillion dollars.

Joe Biden, pumping up the crowd:

More Kool-Aid, please!

In his most positive ad yet — seriously, this is an official spot — even John McCain seems to suggest if you can’t beat’em, join’em:

Ahh, now that’s the honorable John McCain we woulda given serious thought to voting for, had we had the chance 4 or 8 years ago. Very noble of you to lay on a grenade for the sake of American history.

In a way, we owe a debt of gratitude to the leader of the people who took so much advantage of their power, practicing politics without principle, that it brought us to this point – and you can express your thanks by shopping at the official George W. Bush CafePress store.

Seriously, the same way I could never have imagined the fall of the Soviet Union growing up, I never thought I’d see a speech like this in Richmond, Va., the former capitol of the Confederacy:

So there you have it. Exciting times. Should be a good Thanksgiving. Sorry for preaching to the choir/pummeling deaf ears here, but I kinda had to think through it all … and having now given my $.02 (and voted early), I think it would only be fair of me to offer Tom the Plumber a buyout for $1,399.98.

(I’ll consider it a gracious redistribution of wealth hedge-gift from one friend to another just in case you’re right about any of that economy stuff.)

*Exceptions: Lacey Jones and Vinnie Favorito were great.

Wicked Chops and RawVegas were there, too. And they took advantage of the red carpet to poll a few well known poker players on who they’re backing in the presidential election:

The breakdown:

Daniel Negreanu — Obama
Scotty Nguyen — McCain
Doyle Brunson — Diplomatic: likes McCain but “Obama is better for poker” (?)
Todd Brunson — McCain
Lacey Jones — Undecided: Worked in previous McCain campaigns, but “on the fence”
Eli Elezra — Filibuster: Obama “right guy for poker … but I’m a businessman also”
Gavin Smith — Obama
Dennis Phillips — Diplomatic Filibuster: House and Senate elections matter more

We also release the results of our Bodog cash out audits to see how long it really takes for players to get their money… plus ask why so many online gamblers seem to be in favor of electing John McCain!

From APCW.org:

Exposing John McCain! How deeply is he tied to the gambling industry? Does he want to criminalize online gambling? Why are Washington ethics groups calling for an investigation of his gambling activity? It’s certainly not our job to tell Americans whom to vote for this November, but it is our job to make sure people make the most informed decisions that they can. To that end, we have been doing some digging this week on what John McCain says and what John McCain does… and they don’t always seem to agree when it comes to gambling! Plus an in-depth look at the Kentucky domain name game.

Jay Busbee (from Bluff) has a good State of the Poker Union address on ESPN.com, where he officially declares the poker boom dead. Also interesting to see ESPN, for the first time I remember in a long-long while, running (non-affiliate) PokerStars ads. [ESPN.com]

Poker Shrink Cranky Olde Coot has a good post wondering why FIDPA still hasn’t made the “new rules” they’ve long ballyhooed public. [PokerBlog.com]

Full Disclosure: FIDPA is one of my MySpace friends. [MySpace.com]

Liberal columnist Michael Kinsley shares a story about John McCain going on some extremely unpresidential tilt at the craps table. (The TJ Cloutier of Politics? Tons of success, a sometimes dangerous love of craps, and never quite able to win the Big One?) [The Daily Beast, via Huffington Post, via Short-Stacked Shamus]

Beyond the Table has a new home online. [Podcast.com]

I think Dr. Pauly’s starting to get a little miffed at me for not working out some production kinks and posting our re-constituted incarnation of Tao of Pokerati, but I think I can make him feel better by simply reading his blog. [Tao of Poker]

With all the talk of what really goes into a world-record endurance poker session, I forgot to send y’all to live-forum coverage of The Poker Den 3 — PartyPoker’s 36-hour high-stakes televised cash game. [MatchroomPoker.com]

Dutch Boyd apparently bought Steve Hall’s Pokerfolio in a semi-hostile takeover. Poor Steve … but he has found a new home for his poker updates/pictures of attractive Asian female dealers. [Pokerfolio.Spruz.com]

Also, the X-10 electronic table — a knock-off of the PokerTek PokerPro popping up in so many places — sharing the same name as a hidden camera used by so many pervy peeping toms before a few lawsuits encouraged them to re-market themselves as a security device. [SlipperyBrick.com]

And long overdue, here’s a great tale of a totally degenerate poker blogger/gambler rescuing his bankroll by poetically chasing/hitting the Station Casinos bad-beat jackpot. [TheTrooper97, via Up for Poker]

There’s more, too, coagulating in my bookmarks and inbox. News stories, forum threads, tourney results … Who knows … maybe I’ll get to them for your reading pleasure, but as is always the case from Head Slacker at this Little-Ole Poker Blog, no promises. It’s good to be back with you all.

LATE ADDITIONS:

Lacey Jones is getting ready for her co-hosting duties of Real Deal, the pokery interactive musical at The Venetian, which kicks off next week. [PokerListings.com via LasVegasAdvisor.com]

She also hosted an interesting event at Cathouse (as simply Lacey J) where women showed up for a seductive-attire contest where the winner got a boob job. [Photobucket.com]

Meanwhile, there was a hardcore SWAT-team poker raid in Fayetteville, NC. A firsthand account as well as some non-poker media coverage here and here. [Triangle Poker Journal]

“By his poker buddies’ accounts, Obama is careful and focused. He’s not easily distracted and doesn’t give away his intentions unless it’s to his advantage. He’s not prone to taking risky chances, preferring to play it safe. But he’s also serious and competitive: when he plays, he plays to win.”

As Obama’s campaign led him to the nomination of his party, poker references popped up here and there, for geeks like me those who were paying attention. In June of 2008, Obama revealed a number of good luck trinkets given to him by supporters that he carried in his pocket, one of which was a poker chip. In July of 2008, Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey took a break from the WSOP to attend an L.A. fundraiser for Obama, and Obama recognized the poker pros, as Negreanu discussed in this RawVegas.tv video:

Watch Daniel Negreanu Finds Himself in the 50K HORSE Event After a Meeting with Barack Obama on RawVegas.tv

Most recently, Obama made a little poker reference in his September 26th debate with Senator John McCain when addressing the economy, war, and dealing with the country’s problems, approximately 1:35 into the debate:

“So we have to put all chips in, right there, and nobody is talking about losing this war. What we’re talking about is recognizing the next president has to have a broader strategic vision about all the challenges that we face.”

And in a speech just last week, Obama brought up his own penchant for poker as compared to McCain’s love of craps:

“I read the other day that Senator McCain likes to gamble. He likes to roll those dice. And that’s OK. I enjoy a little friendly game of poker myself every now and then. But one thing I know is this – we can’t afford to gamble on four more years of the same disastrous economic policies we’ve had for the last eight.”

~Without so much as a press release to announce it, it seems that UltimateBet has signed Michael Binger as one of its newest team members. Oh, Michael, you too? Adam Levy has also joined the team, again with no official notice from the UB staff. The news came via Mean Gene’s UB Aruba blog and a picture posted from the welcome party.

~Short-Stacked Shamus gave his take on the recent issue of CardPlayer magazine in which Jeff Shulman said that CP was unaware of Scotty Nguyen’s unsportsmanlike behavior at the 2008 WSOP $50K HORSE event because of restricted media access at the final table. Disingenuous was the word over at Hard-Boiled Poker.

~It seems that the Eastern Europeans love them some internet gambling, and no recession will get in their way. A researcher with Global Betting and Gaming Consultants shows that a steady increase will continue because of favorable broadband and law changes, not to mention the Eastern Europeans’ “propensity to gamble.”

~Evidently, Senator John McCain likes him some gambling, specifically high-limit craps. How negative EV… The New York Times has looked into McCain’s ties to Indian gaming, and the gaming industry in general, and dug up some interesting info about lobbyists and McCain’s connections to them.

~The more I hear about WSOP “November Nine” chipleader Dennis Phillips, the more he seems like a great guy whose inner philanthropist has been able to shine with his $900K take-home money and potential for the $9.1 million first prize. In this episode of PokerRoad Radio released during the Borgata Poker Classic earlier this month, the guys sat down with Phillips and coach Roy Winston (huh?) where he explains that decision and his future plans.

But I gotta say, it was kinda interesting just now to see none other than Barney Frank (Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, D-MA) step out with Spencer Bachus (Frank’s enemy in recent poker fights, R-AL), letting the public know that they are working with the hastily constructed bailout bill to massage it into good working must-passable shape. Frank is talking about provisions Congress will add to the bill, and Bachus is there by his side, assuring taxpayers whatever happens, they won’t get screwed.

(Fingers crossed!)

Seeing these guys working together toward compromise (as John McCain and Barack Obama huddle with President G-Dub) made me think a little more about how poker might fit in to America’s 21st Century economy … and why shouldn’t the poker sites have to/get to pay a fee to American banks for processing their electronic transactions? Not anything to do with actual bets across the table, of course … but paying the banks to secure the transfer of money for players making deposits and cashouts … that certainly seems fair enough to me.

Maybe a drop in the bucket toward helping out such a huge industry … but a push in the right direction for the banks’ bottom line.

And we thought Washington state was bad for making it a felony to play online poker … now, in Kentucky, Governor Steve Beshear is trying to seize control of 141 gambling-related sites, blocking access to the likes of Full Tilt, PokerStars, Bodog, et al.

[Via AintLuck.com]

Yikes, this is some pathetic/scary shit. Not because he’s declaring sites we know and love as criminal enterprises, but because the guv wants to control its citizens’ private web access!

Um, hello, communism? What makes it worse is that he seems to be doing it on behalf of the brick-and-mortar casino industry … dude, I know you guys are slow in Kentucky, but the idea that online play hurts as opposed to helps casinos went dead in like 2006. No details on how one would actually block the internet within state lines … I suppose you can force your cable and phone providers to behave in certain ways … but, um, out-of-town cell phones maybe? Seriously, ‘Tucky-Guv-Dude, are you really that out of touch with the world/American Constitution?

[Non-topical, anti-Republican rant deleted] Stupid Democrat.

Previous Poll Results

Evidently, Duplicate Poker has players. And 1,639 of them were willing to complete surveys about the upcoming presidential election and their intended votes.

Obama took it by nearly a 2:1 margin – 1,043 votes for Obama, 596 votes for McCain.

Other results of interest:

Stronger ticket: Obama (1,167) v. McCain (499)
Predictions for victory: Obama (1,117) v. McCain (538)
Race as a factor: Yes (737), No (915)
Deciding issues: Economy (602), Vision for America (379), Iraq war (348)
Most decisive voters: Women (575), African-Americans (541)

The survey was conducted from September 4-6, and all respondents were U.S. citizens, 87% of whom were men ages 18-54. Average income of the surveyed was $77K, average education was college graduate, and online poker frequency was twice per week.

Take it for what it’s worth, but it is the first survey done of poker players on the upcoming election.

Sure, the UIGEA was the first to act, but it was the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) who bought the drinks and started the bigger conversation. Most recently, the poker lobbying organization did something that didn’t seem like a big move in the beginning but is turning out to be an ingenious one. They established two charity tournaments to benefit the Paralyzed Vets of America, one to be played at each of the political conventions. The Democratic National Convention was the stage for the first, where none other than Ben Affleck won it. The second event will take place tomorrow in Minnesota, close to the site of the Republican National Convention. Both events are getting wide mainstream media coverage, i.e. Bloomberg, Politico, The Wall Street Journal, and The Denver Post.

The poker/politics affair goes even further, as poker has also become the analogy of choice for many writers and reporters well outside of the poker community. Terms like “poker face” and “all in” are finding their way into articles about Barack Obama and John McCain, either because Obama has been known to play poker or simply because poker is a good analogy. For example:

Chicago Sun Times: Does Barack Obama Really Have a Poker Face?

The Times Herald: America Needs a Decent Poker Player

Lastly, poker veteran Bob Ciaffone got a nice write-up in The Bay City Times when he recently traveled to Denver as an Obama delegate.

Earlier this week, when the Republican Party’s national platform was released, internet gambling was notably absent from it, which immediately garnered much praise from the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) and poker media. But within hours, it was back in with harsh language:

Millions of Americans suffer from problem or pathological gambling that can destroy families. We support legislation prohibiting gambling over the Internet or in student athletics by student athletes who are participating in competitive sports.

Nice flip-flop. With McCain hoping to head up the Republican Party and presumably pursuing the goals of the party, internet gambling – and thus, internet poker – will be on the hit list in the name of family values. It brings to mind one of my favorite quotes from the Democratic National Convention in Denver last week from Gov. Bill Richardson: “McCain may pay hundreds of dollars for his shoes, but it will be us who pays for his flip-flops.”

Think what you want about McCain v. Obama and Republicans v. Democrats. That is each person’s individual prerogative. But the Republican Party has made its goals quite clear. Not only did it remove the language and quietly replace it later in a seemingly planned intention to deceive, but the party sincerely plans to tell the American people what we can or cannot do in the privacy of our own homes. Poker is on the line here.

Stand up and make your voice heard.

Tell John McCain how you feel about his party’s platform.

Register to vote in the November 4th election.

“Let me get back to you on it,” he said. “I haven’t thought about the issue.”

He did say he had concerns about Internet gaming originating in foreign countries. Of course, this happens because of U.S. policy and restrictions, but never mind.

McCain also spoke about oversight and making sure the kiddies don’t have access.

“I’ll call you back,” he added.