First UIGEA Conviction in the Books The DOJ logged their first win on UIGEA charges — making the supposedly weak law thus far undefeated — against online sportsbook operator Todd Lyons. His arrest back in May 2010 shoulda been a big warning sign to American online poker operators (and players?) — and Full Tilt specifically — that the DOJ was coming to get them! [CalvinAyre.com]

First Black Friday Trial Date Set John Campos and Chad Elie, the Utah banker and PokerStars payment processor indicted for their role in online poker criminal activity, have a trial date in March … creating a tangible timeline for Black Friday cases and added pressure on the big fish the DOJ really wants — Isai Sheinberg, Ray Bitar, and Scott Tom. [Legal Poker Sites]

MGM Sues Poker Domain Squatters Just as Caesars sued (and won) to obtain the domain WSOP.com, MGM has filed suit to repossess the domains mgmpoker.com, bellagiopoker.com, luxorpoker.com, mandalaybaypoker.com, and ariapoker.com. Apparently the casino giant thinks they’ll have need for them soon. [VegasInc]

Barton Says Online Poker Bill Still Alive This Congress Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) gave a luncheon keynote at the DGLP, where he spelled out how his online poker bill is moving forward as a piece of stand-alone legislation and/or still could be absorbed into some omnibus bills. Pretty straight-forward, honest-sounding stuff as Barton even talks about his own live real-money play and admits to multi-accounting for play money on PokerStars. [Pokerati Soundcloud]

Adelson Balks at Readiness for Online Poker The poker masses got spun into a tizzy after Vegas politico Jon Ralston “reported” that Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson has been buzzing around DC that he is morally opposed to online gambling … and that age-verification technology isn’t ready yet. Ralston concludes that this could kill online poker’s chances in Congress as if Adelson alone is more powerful than the combined forces of Caesars, MGM, Steve Wynn, Station Casinos, Boyd Gaming, Michael Gaughan, et al. Quick to cry, some poker players have begun calling for a boycott of Venetian Poker. [Las Vegas Sun]

Nevada Regulations Almost Ready While so many chatter about complex details of future online poker, the Nevada Gaming Commission and State Gaming Control Board seem to be the only ones systematically moving forward with thorough, enforceable rules and regulations for online gaming. In one of the biggest overhauls to state gaming regs in history, they just released a whole bunch of revisions for licensure and suitable ownership that Big and Small casinos alike are paying close attention to. [gaming.NV.gov]

Fry Howie? Funny/sad, shortly after Black Friday I thought we might be seeing T-shirts that said “Free Howard!” not “Fry Howard!” But loyalty can be a fickle bitch when you eff up with someone else’s money. Hence this flash creation for players wishing to express their personal outrage against Full Tilt and Howard Lederer violently. [PokerListings]

UB Player Database Leaked Lots of offline debate over how and why nearly 3 million poker-player IDs leaked out. Work of a disgruntled employee or scuttling the ship before UB ultimately hits sea-floor? And will there be more such pressings of self-destruct? [Haley's Poker Blog]

Rest o’World: Cyprus on Crackdown, South Africa’s Open-Market Mind, German Pre-unification Some of the other key political moves from the rest of the world, as the future of legal online poker (and gambling) actively takes shape … the mediterranean island that isn’t Malta doesn’t have moral opposition, they just want their cut (kinda like Kentucky) … while South Africa continues its progressive-minded movement from staunch opposition to tolerance to active support of online gambling … all while the German province of Schleswig-Holstein’s acceptance of new online poker rules is so big it actually moved some major market needles. [Legal Poker Sites]

Would be much cooler if the “1″ represented a bracelet, and he got a new car for every one he won. But oh well, sometimes third place and $4 million will have to do.

ALT HED: Germans Win Again

Oh, and almost forgot to post … here’s Pauly and I on scene doing some Tao of Pokerati during the moment from the final 3 with him that we’ll all remember:

Tao of Pokerati: First Hand Fireworks FTW? by Pokerati

Congrats are in order for Linda Johnson and Barry Greenstein, as WSOP officials announced earlier today that they won the ballot race this year — and will be inducted into the Caesars-owned Poker Hall of Fame during the November Nine.

I still haven’t been able to find the actual “hall” anywhere on Google maps, but hey, at least there’s a list … which is included in the announcement below. Fwiw, whether right or wrong or historically consistent or not, a 2011 nomination (and subsequent induction) does seem to come with an extra stamp of approval for poker careers run on a clean path.

Barry seems incredibly deserving for his accomplishments mostly on the felt, with a little bit of important poker work off of it. He got 3 of my 10 votes.

Linda got 5 from me. Only the second women bestowed with the PHOF honor, she put up admirable numbers back in the day and still plays winning poker in medium-big mixed games during the WSOP … but really helped shape the direction of poker off the table as publisher of CardPlayer Magazine through the ’90s, a founding member of the TDA and PokerGives.org, and an instrumental force in the World Poker Tour, the PartyPoker Million, the general concept of “poker cruises”, and the Women in Poker Hall of Fame (which doesn’t have a hall either, but does have a fancy dinner with speeches, food, and booze; I do miss the grander fete for PHOF induction way-back in 2009 when Mike Sexton got in). Extra-charming to know the job she quit to pursue a career in poker was at the post office.

Scotty Nguyen got my remaining 2 votes, but did not get in.

[press release]

Poker Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2011

Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson Join Poker’s Most Exclusive Fraternity

Official Induction Ceremony to be held Tuesday, November 8th at 4:30 pm

Inside Rio’s Penn & Teller Theater Prior to Conclusion of WSOP® Main Event Final Table

LAS VEGAS (October 27, 2011) – One is known as “The Robin Hood of Poker.” The other is “The First Lady of Poker.”  Come November 8, 2011, both can add “Poker Hall of Fame” to their illustrious resumes.

Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson will become the 41^st and 42^nd individuals to be inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame.  The two newest members were initially nominated by the general public and then voted in by a 35-person panel made up of existing Poker Hall of Famers and members of the media.

Johnson becomes just the second female to be bestowed the honor, joining Barbara Enright who was inducted in 2007.

Both Greenstein and Johnson were among the finalists for the honor in 2010.  This year, both players successfully garnered enough votes to become the game’s newest members.

Greenstein and Johnson will be officially inducted on Tuesday, November 8 at the Rio All-Suite® Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas just prior to the start of the final playing session of the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event Championship.

The special induction ceremony and celebration will take place at 4:30 PM inside the Penn & Teller Theater and will immediately precede the three-handed finale.

It is fitting that these two exemplary individuals will be enshrined together.  Both possess impressive tournament and cash game success, over many years.  But it is perhaps their tireless efforts away from the green felt that have more profoundly impacted the game of poker, fostered the image of the game, and contributed to its growth and good sportsmanship.

“I am extremely proud and humbled to be voted into the Poker Hall of Fame,” said Johnson.  “I feel lucky to have been involved in many facets of poker over the past 35 years.  Being recognized by the industry is a tremendous honor.”

“I’m happy to be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside my friend Linda Johnson who has been the most fervent ambassador for poker for as long as I can remember,” Greenstein said.

The Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council would sincerely like to congratulate the other 2011 finalists — all whom remain eligible for future induction: Annie Duke, Jennifer Harman-Traniello, John Juanda, Marcel Luske, Jack McClelland, Tom McEvoy, Scotty Nguyen and Huck Seed.

Greenstein has amassed more than $7.5 million in worldwide poker tournament winnings and for nine consecutive years has won at least six figures on the tournament circuit.  Greenstein possesses three World Series of Poker bracelets, two WPT titles, and also plays in many of the highest stakes cash games in the world.

The 56-year-old Greenstein was born in Chicago, Illinois and earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  He also studied for his PhD in Mathematics, but never defended his completed dissertation.  He learned poker and other card games from his parents while growing up in the Scottsdale neighborhood of Chicago.

Barry went to work for a start-up company named Symantec in the 1980’s in Silicon Valley, California and was part of the team that developed its first product called Q&A.  The system provided both a word processer and a database and was cited as a significant step in making computers more user-friendly and less intimidating.  Greenstein is credited with developing the word processing component of Q&A. He left Symantec in 1991 at age 36 to play poker full-time.

It was 1992 when Barry entered his first poker tournament, the World Series of Poker Main Event, where he finished in 22^nd place.

Barry is also the author of the widely-acclaimed poker book Ace on the River, and as is his personal trademark, Greenstein autographs a copy of the book for players in tournaments that eliminate him.

Greenstein is a father of six, including four stepchildren, and has made a career of donating to child-focused charities.  He has donated more than $3 million to various charities through his poker winnings, earning him his nickname “The Robin Hood of Poker”.

He currently resides in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, and can be found in California and Las Vegas card rooms and the world’s largest poker tournaments.

This year’s other inductee – Linda Johnson is a 58-year-old poker player originally from Long Island, New York, now living in Las Vegas who captured her WSOP gold bracelet in 1997 in a Seven-Card Razz event.  Johnson is one of only 15 females to capture a WSOP open event championship, and she has seven WSOP final table appearances on her poker resume.

Nicknamed “The First Lady of Poker” by fellow Poker Hall of Famer Mike Sexton, Johnson has been a leading force in the poker world for much of her life. She began playing poker in the 1970s after buying some poker books and teaching herself how to play.

Linda was immediately enthralled with poker and had a special ability for the game. She entered the World Series of Poker Ladies seven-card stud tournament in 1980, deciding in advance that if she performed well, she would quit her high-level job at the United States Post Office and move to Las Vegas to become a professional poker player. As fate would have it, Linda finished fifth in the tournament and promptly gave her two-week notice. She moved to Las Vegas and played poker full time from 1980-1993, one of just a handful of women who played the game professionally during those years.

These days, Linda enjoys teaching WPT Boot Camp and regularly hosts poker seminars and tournaments at many cardrooms around the country. She is a partner in Card Player Cruises and has hosted more than 90 poker cruises to destinations around the world.

But Johnson really made her mark and blazed a trail for other poker players by parlaying her poker acumen into ventures off the felt.

In 1993, Linda purchased Card Player magazine. Over the next eight years, the magazine grew from a 68-page, black and white newsprint publication into a 132-page, full-color, glossy magazine. As publisher, Linda became an ambassador for the poker world, traveling to more than 200 cardrooms around the world, always personifying class and professionalism and consistently setting new standards of excellence.

She has co-written three poker books and was instrumental in helping to establish many influential poker projects — including the World Poker Industry Conference, the World Poker Players Conference, and the Tournament Directors Association. Her next project was helping to establish the World Poker Tour for which she had the role of studio announcer during its first six seasons. Her involvement in promoting poker led to being chosen as the original chairperson for the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a leading lobbying group in Washington, DC.

Linda is currently on the Board of Directors for the PPA and the Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS).

Already a member of the Women’s Poker Hall of Fame (inducted in 2008), Johnson co-founded PokerGives.org as a way to assist poker players to donate to worthwhile charitable causes using the game of poker as the platform.

The Poker Hall of Fame Governing Council is delighted with these two fine choices and congratulates both Barry Greenstein and Linda Johnson on their well-deserved selection and induction.

The Poker Hall of Fame, established in 1979, was acquired by Harrah’s Entertainment (now Caesars) along with the World Series of Poker, in 2004.  Though the Hall of Fame is virtual in nature, its membership includes poker’s most influential players and other important contributors to the game.  There are now 20 living members.

The main criteria for the Poker Hall of Fame are as follows:

• A player must have played poker against acknowledged top competition
• Be a minimum of 40 years old at time of nomination [to be known as the “Chip Reese” rule, adopted in 2011, 20 years after Reese’s induction at age 40]
• Played for high stakes
• Played consistently well, gaining the respect of peers
• Stood the test of time
• Or, for non-players, contributed to the overall growth and success of the game of poker, with indelible positive and lasting results.

The entire list of 42 Poker Hall of Fame members includes (alphabetical with year of induction in parenthesis):

o         Tom Abdo (1982)

o         Crandell Addington (2005)

o         Bobby Baldwin (2003)

o         Billy Baxter (2006)

o         Lyle Berman (2002)

o         Joe Bernstein (1983)

o         Benny Binion (1990)

o         Jack Binion (2005)

o         Bill Boyd (1981)

o         Doyle Brunson (1988)

o         Johnny Chan (2002)

o         T.J. Cloutier (2006)

o         Nick Dandolos  (1979)

o         Barbara Enright (2007)

o         Fred “Sarge” Ferris (1989)

o         T “Blondie” Forbes (1980)

o         Henry Green (1986)

o         Barry Greenstein (2011)

o         Dan Harrington (2010)

o         Murph Harrold (1984)

o         Phil Hellmuth (2007)

o         James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok (1979)

o         Red Hodges (1985)

o         Edmond Hoyle (1979)

o         Linda Johnson (2011)

o         Berry Johnston (2004)

o         Jack Keller (1993)

o         Felton McCorquodale (1979)

o         Roger Moore (1997)

o         Johnny Moss (1979)

o         Henry Orenstein (2008)

o         Walter Clyde “Puggy” Pearson (1987)

o         Julius Oral Popwell (1996)

o         Thomas Austin “Amarillo Slim” Preston (1992)

o         David “Chip” Reese (1991)

o         Erik Seidel (2010)

o         Mike Sexton (2009)

o         Jack “Treetop” Straus (1988)

o         Duane “Dewey” Tomko (2008)

o         Stu “The Kid” Ungar (2001)

o         Red Winn (1979)

o         Sid Wyman (1979)

For more information on the Poker Hall of Fame, visit www.WSOP.com.

ABOUT THE POKER HALL OF FAME

The Poker Hall of Fame, established in 1979, was acquired by Harrah’s Entertainment along with the World Series of Poker in 2004.  Though the Hall of Fame is virtual in nature, its membership includes poker’s most influential players and other important contributors to the game. There are now 20 living members, and 42 members have been bestowed the honor of Poker Hall of Famer.  The Poker Hall of Fame traditionally elects one or two members annually.  The enshrinement ceremony is now held in concert with the final table of the Main Event of the WSOP, held each November in Las Vegas.

It may not be PLO, but hey, I’m no one-trick pony. More like a half-trick pony, lol. But regardless, I’ve been meaning to sack up and get more live, low-stakes Razz under my belt. (I dominated the $1,500 event in the ’07 WSOP for Playstation — won a bracelet and everything!) The tournament is just a couple weeks old and supposedly has gotten a great response from the start: three tables of tournament action last week, followed by a $4/$8 HORSE cash game as players started busting.

Something similar expected tomorrow. RSVP on Facebook here … and/or just show up @ the Palms tomorrow at 7:30pm.

CORRECTION(S): I got a few factoids wrong. According to Michelle Lau’s FB invite …

Michelle Lau

Every Tuesday night 7:30, last week was our first tournament. Also Palms is gonna spread a HORSE CASH game at 5pm ($4/8) Come on down, lots of fun and very playable structure.

I don’t remember his name and certainly not his email address … but I met him last year at the same conference, where he was trying to sell his Nevada Gaming license … plate! I seem to remember him saying something about acquiring it back in the 90s. And I recall he was asking $5,000 — for the set! Or maybe that’s what he paid for it, and definitely wanted more? I know I’ve got those notes somewhere … but guessing if he wasn’t trying again to sell them this year he musta found a buyer?

I’ve heard it can be kinda cut-throat in the high-risk-high-reward Nevada license plate futures market.

Just a few days ago, someone put up a Nevada REALTOR license (plate) on Craigslist for $3,000 obo.

Have a look at the document. He filed the motion himself — “Verified Claim of Raymond Bitar, Pursuant to Rule G of the Supplemental Rules for Admiralty and Maritime Claims” — with an Irish notary public to make it official.

I certainly don’t know the nuances of Rule G of the Supplemental Rules for Admiralty and Maritime Claims, but it seems complex enough that an attorney might-should usually be filing this kinda thing. And the lack of legal counsel’s involvement in this civil matter raises plenty of questions about the financial status of Bitar … and maybe even the motivations of various comments by Full Tilt attorneys who may or may not be still be getting paid.

So either Ray Bitar is broke, wants to appear broke (hey, it apparently worked for Daniel Tzvetkoff) … or is running some sorta triple-range-legal-merge to extract maximum value from his dwindling stack of FTP dollars while conserving favors from friends who went to law school.

This pro se filing follows Jeff Ifrah’s removing himself as attorney or record on various civil matters and class-action lawsuits against Full Tilt companies and principals, and Full Tilt lawyers skipping out on the nearly week-long AGCC hearing that resulted in further suspension of FTP’s gaming licenses.

Ifrah emerged as the first lawyer willing to speak on Full Tilt’s behalf, when he let eGaming Review know that Bitar’s feelings were really hurt after Wicked Chops Poker reported the Ireland-based CEO had been ousted as captain of the Full Tilt ship.

(Ifrah was saying in July: “We can completely deny the reports that Ray Bitar is no longer CEO. In fact that [rumour] really ruined his day yesterday. It doesn’t help anyone for sites to be reporting news that’s not true.”)

We’ll have to save for later a rundown of what Full Tilt legal representatives had said over time … it’s an interesting progression suggestive of what game Full Tilt might really have been playing at various points along the way.

Meanwhile, Chad Elie and John Campos — a payment processor and the Utah banker — have filed motions in the court that Forbes magazine calls the “first direct assault” on the DOJ’s case … essentially arguing that if poker is indeed a game of skill, then the premise for virtually all of the government’s case against online poker falls apart.

The imminent talk-and-text ban on the Las Vegas Strip and across Nevada will not only have a notable impact on 10s of thousands of local lives … but also gives a good microcosm look at how a bill may or may not become a law. Stuff to think about as we watch the next push for federal online poker legislation this fall.

Online Poker Logic
When I first heard about a “distracted driving” bill in Nevada, I was immediately concerned about lives lost and unnecessarily put at risk my future as a photographer of mildly amusing and sometimes pokery license plates. Though I have obtained many of these images with a handheld calling device while driving on Nevada highways, fortunately, using online poker logic, I’m sure I can find a lawyer who will tell me I’m totally in the clear.

The criminalization of “distracted driving” relies on what really is a rather poorly written bill (in parts); nothing makes it specifically illegal to play mobile cameraman so long as I’m not trying to live stream video while driving … and the law as written really is about the transfer of voice and data over handheld devices — and manually connecting to the internet — not about capturing Twitpics on a handheld device for later distribution on the internet (in a car with automatic transmission).

You know, gray area.

But perhaps most important to my defense … I still have a 214 area code, so even if I were to transfer voice and/or data “illegally”, it wouldn’t be taking place in a Nevada jurisdiction. Right? Unenforceable, obv. All that and Twitter is a game of skill.

Technology & Government Control
The Las Vegas-to-Reno mobile phone ban goes into effect Oct 1, with fines of $50, $150, and $250 coming into play Jan 1, 2012. Just a little bit of prison time (6 years max) if you happen to kill someone.

Personally, I believe the law is too far-reaching in how it gives police authority to determine a driver’s mental acuity. And kinda lame that cops are allowed to talk and text on the cell phones while driving — suggesting that all the safety data quoted to pass this bill mighta been kinda bullshit, no? Either that or law enforcement safety is less important than mine.

But regardless, check out this provision:

7. For the purposes of this section, a person shall be deemed not to be operating a motor vehicle if the motor vehicle is driven autonomously through the use of artificial-intelligence software and the autonomous operation of the motor vehicle is authorized by law.

Holy crap, we have that!?! If fully legal bot cars coming aren’t reason enough to legalize online poker now, well, OMG, I don’t know what America I’m living in.

#ThatsPolitics
Read the lineage of how SB 140 came to be. (Final bill text here.) This is for just a little bill, on the state level … It took three sessions, two governors, and seven individual bills for Nevada to become the 34th state to enact such a texting ban — one that in the end would be strengthened to include a ban on handheld phone convo, too.

Funny thing is … in the time it took to get the bill to the Governor’s desk, a new study came out with data showing that these laws don’t actually work, and in fact have had the opposite effect — increasing crashes and fatalities in three out of four states.

Would love to know who has “POKER” … and whether he’s had it forever or acquired it for a premium post-Moneymaker or even post-Jamie Gold.

The big one that didn’t get away.

TRICAT (not a poker player) says the driver of this notably American semi-luxury SUV was an “average 50something white guy” talking on his phone … but he got away before she was could get a clear shot of whoever it was who’s tagged himself with poker everywhere he goes. Drat! But oh well …

I’m thinkin’ Mike Sexton? Bobby Baldwin? Someone who doesn’t drive himself to the WSOP?

With @Donkeybomber so far my toughest potential competition … well, let’s just say I’m starting to get excited about the actual poker at hand in early August. And though TV exposure had nothing to do with my initial interest … that’s apparently now part of it, with Epic’s recently acquired sister company, the Heartland Poker Tour, coming to Vegas to film the tournament for syndicated distribution on its nationwide network of local TV stations, some of which are actually in HD.

(Yay!)

That might seem a little minor-league for the more-pro, less-am players in Vegas … but hey, this $1,500 event will be my second-biggest tournament to play in ever — so HPT coverage seems just about right for me and Tom Schneider at this point in my pro career. Having won my way into the August 5-7 tournament, I’ve clearly got game that’s ready for UHF.

Satellites running at 7pm on Saturday and Sunday in the Key West Room at the Palms.

Move over Full Tilt Poker dot net. Scotty Nguyen sends the whole table a virtual Corona!

Personally, I don’t think they coulda picked better pros — Scotty Nguyen, Maria Ho, Jean Robert Bellande, and Dani Stern, aka Ansky (not pictured) — even better than a Team of Brunson, Hellmuth, and Negreanu, imho. If you don’t see why these pictured three +Ansky should do incredibly well @RisePoker … well, I could tell you, but, well … let’s say it goes beyond just “Asian”.

We already know about Maria Ho, already repping Team Choctaw and following that deal up with the biggest cash by a woman in WSOP-Las Vegas history … and here’s a video about Bellande’s 2011 WSOP travails — complete with talk of the grind of going 0-for-8 so far at the Series, and starting off with nearly $20k of make-up. Very real.

And though we don’t have any pictures of Ansky … we do have a picture of his license plate, which says a little something about the guy:

From PokerGrump on the 215, presumably returning home from the WSOP:

And here’s one seen in a fast-food drive-thru, across the street from Casino Dealer School, sent to us via @KBBMT:

Seen outside the Rio today, this high-performance Mustang either being offered up as a gift by someone trying to recruit WSOP exec Ty Stewart over to the WPT or it’s probably the ride of an appreciative WPT champion at the WSOP going after a different brand of bracelet.

Like this one on a Trailblazer making a (non-legally binding?) statement in the VIP Poker area of the Venetian parking lot:

Some people around Las Vegas, of course, are keeping lower profiles than others:

Poker media asking the tough questions:

Those who’ve read Lost Vegas may recognize the “Redneck Riviera” off to the left … westbound on Trop a few lights away from the Strip. Pauly called this fortress of blight and putridity home for two months during the 2005 WSOP. It’s also near where I began tailing this fine imported automobile with a driver clearly driven by poker:

click to zoom in.

I wanted to follow close enough to grab a shot of the plate with the school bus rolling past the Adult Superstore — caption contest maybe? — but traffic sped up and I missed the shot … and before the Clark County school kids would pass the next porn outlet, Pocket 8s+Broadway would turn into the Orleans … leaving many to wonder about the role of education poker in bridging the rich-poor gap as seen in Las Vegas neighborhoods surrounding the Rio.

This import (from Illinois) has gotta belong to a poker player, right?

Seen in the Palms parking lot (up close to the door, suggesting an early morning arrival) during the Zynga Pokercon tourney:

Either that or maybe it’s just commentary on the fact that someone sold this guy a yellow car.

Here’s doozy from @PokerVixen. (Thanks, Lori!) We’ll have to take her word for it — because really, it is hard to drive and photograph* — but supposedly it says DGENRAT. LOL, is that a Mustang?

Meanwhile, here’s one I got — not sure it’s a poker player, but hey, it’s more likely to be Russ Hamilton than OJ Simpson driving this Jetta on Russell Rd., heading toward the south end of the Strip.

* WARNING: Pokerati supports safe driving, and encourages you NOT to photograph poker-related license plates while operating a motor vehicle. However, if you insist, please snap multiple shots and check later to see if you got one in focus. You should also wear your seatbelt just in case.

Pokerati, of course, has eyes and ears in parking lots all across the planet … and agents spotted this one on a Toyota pickup at the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, AZ (a pretty shmancy-new Indian joint, it seems … oh, wait, more clicking … pretty sure this is Casino Arizona … all duded up now with a new name, hotel and golf course).

They really do play a more sophisticated game down there, obv. Whereas in Virginia, some take a differently clever approach to their license-plate action:

2009 twitpic: @EweE420 (now @EricMizrachi)

Today’s event, Event #3, happens to be $440 NLH/PLO with $40k Guaranteed. Wonder if they’re aware that Lev Serzhenko was recently crowned the World Champion of $230 NLH/PLO with a Single $200 Rebuy.

Since the main here will be more or less the regional championship in my old stomping grounds — in fact, thinking we might-should call it the North-North Texas Championship in future posts — I find myself wanting to follow these events uniquely as a fan. I’ve got tons of friends playing and would expect to see plenty of past opponents from the Dallas underground, presumably some Batfaces, lots of ole Lodge amateurs, and, I hope, a few Team Pokerati players. Also curious to see what type of pros show up.

But semi-live coverage of the River is hard to come by. Lots of future thoughts on why that is … but in the meantime, here’s where I’ll be checking for River buzz, for starters …

@WinStarWorld
@Fossilman
2+2 Tournament Circuit thread

And because Pokerati can’t be there this year (but kinda-sorta would like to be) here are some possible news stories I see shaking out, or at least stuff worth looking into for anyone who might wanna ask some questions or snap pics with their iPhone and send an email or an @reply on Twitter:

Opening Day Shutout Fiasco

Event #1 was a $330 $50k Guarantee. Supposedly without any pre-registration available, Tent management was unprepared for the flood of players who showed up. Held in the cash-game room, and not the usual auditorium? More than 100 alternates and more than 100 shut out eventually. At least that’s what I’m hearing. Not confirmed.

Guaranteed Ass-Coverage?

Last year they came up $580k short on the $3 million guarantee. So this year WinStar is promising only $2.5 million in the main event prize pool. The other $500k has been spread out across preliminary events. That’s all. Nifty. Clever. Seems like forever ago (5 years?) WinStar was getting grief for claiming “malfunction” whenever someone hit a super-big slots jackpot.

NLH/PLO Tournament

Event #3. Beautiful. Awesome. Let’s talk at length about this game. Do you guys need cut cards?

Some Players Go Deep, Others Bust

Who’s there? Any Mizrachis? November Niners? Batfaces? What about Clonie? I’m looking for my buddy John. He’s got short hair and probably a white shirt. Can you tell me how many chips he has?

Parking Lot Robberies + License Plates

I’ve heard rumors from multiple sources over the past few months (but with zero confirmation or simple police check) of high-stakes cash game players getting jacked in the WinStar parking lot. Definitely wanna find out more on this, as it was at The River a few years ago (then the Red River Roundup) where Pokerati pioneered the concept of parking-lot coverage. Also, any funny pokery license plates? Saw this one there in ’07:

Legal (Oklahoma) Poker Coming to Texas?

The Chickasaw — WinStar’s backers, essentially, in alliance with ultraChristians — have spent millions in recent years opposing any efforts to legalize poker or expand gambling in Texas. Their alliance with ultraChristians made for formidable opponents. But will they soon be officially switching teams?

In the past couple years, the Oklahoma tribe has spent well more than $150 million buying up beleaguered race tracks and other casino-minded plots of land, er, worldwide — most recently Lone Star Park, smack-dab between Dallas and Fort Worth, and next door (by car) to both Cowboys Stadium and the Ballpark in Arlington. (Go Rangers!).

2011 Texas legislative session is right around the corner … can we expect WinStar checks to show up in the TexasPokerPAC’s paypal account? Is there a concern that a new poker room in North Texas would put WinStar’s current Tent City digs in North-North Texas out of business?

And as long as we’re going there, what about the Choctaw, the Chickasaw’s rival poker tribe down the river? Could these business enemies join forces to fight for gambling in Texas, or is that just ridiculous because you hate those guys? Is TJ Cloutier playing your events wearing their gear? He’s done well in The River main event in the past, and supposedly he’s got a deal now with Choctaw to represent at the tables in exchange for weekly buffet comps or something.

Tent City, Oklahoma

So really, what’s up with the tent? WinStar is supposedly the 3rd largest casino in the world (though that number is disputed, despite it coming from BusinessWeek) … you’ve got a hotel, restaurants, a spa, a golf course … seemingly a nice upgrade from the old Microtel for Texas’s poker refugees … yet technically you have to have your casino in a tent?

So all those walls are fake, and everything takes place under something akin to the WSOP’s poker kitchen but the size of five football fields? Is that by compact or something?

Not to be racist, but acknowledging some Okahomans who mighta had something to do with setting up Indian gambling in the area, is that based on some premise that you guys could do whatever you damn well please in your teepee? Is it the same way for the Choctaw — because their new building looks pretty fancy and made of stone — or are tent rules specific to your people?

And if it’s not WinStar, who holds the Guinness record for biggest tent in the world? Just curious …

Aren’t you guys scared of tornadoes?

(Think he’s bluffing?)