Had a pleasant chat with PPA boss John Pappas yesterday about the state of poker legislation. “We have a new website!” he says. OK, that quote’s semi-made up, but he definitely wanted to pimp the Poker Players Alliance’s new forums, benefit packages, and webtronic goodies. Yeah, yeah, website uh-huh … I didn’t tell him that I get most of my PPA on MySpace, where they share rank with Ed, The Poker Atlas, and RawVegas TV.*

Anyhow, in hearing about what they’re trying to achieve, I came to realize just how much progress the PPA has made. There are currently five bills pending in Congress specific to our issue. You can say all you want about the “special interests” … but that’s what we are. And frankly a rather small one in the Beltway schema. Yet those five bills come with 98 unique sponsors — meaning nearly a quarter of the House of Representatives are more than familiar with poker causes and have affirmatively declared themselves on our side. That’s pretty impressive progress over the course of 18 months.

With that said, Pappas doesn’t necessarily expect to see a legally enforceable undoing of the UIGEA this year. Nor do I, nor does Lavigne in Austin, nor does anyone actively working toward that goal. This being a presidential election year, with so many big big issues in play and seats at stake, Congress just isn’t gonna get around to making the world safe for online poker in ’08. I could be wrong on this — and hope I am — but I’m not. Fortunately the PPA leadership and lobbyists seem to recognize that hoping is seldom a good strategy … and while there’s always a chance poker could hit a political miracle on the turn and river, the PPA should shove all-in! what’s important now for the PPA is putting us in a position to succeed in 2009, when table conditions are sure to have changed.

* Pauly, dude, when are you gonna get on MySpace?

As I surveyed the room, it was about what I expected/hoped for. Mostly pros and several table with 5-6 well known players per. Sure, it would be tough as could be, but what a great experience nonetheless. At first glance, Ted Lawson was the only player I recognized at my table, sitting to me immediate right in the 2 seat and fresh off a win in one of the prelims. Then I saw that Mark Newhouse was in seat 6. Okay no biggie. Come to find later that Theo Tran was in the 1, John Racener the 7 and Michael Esposito in 5. There was also a very aggressive Asian kid in 10 who appeared to be a pretty good player at first blush.

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Tom Dwan, aka Durrr, cracked Phil Hellmuth’s pocket aces with pocket 10s in the third hand of the opening round of the National Heads-Up Poker Championship … and now there is talk of a rematch for $100,000.

(Hellmuth already made about $90k from other players offering insurance on the hand while waiting for the flop.)

Phil wrote about the hand itself — and he’s right, Durrr made a bad play — unless of course the online phenom was possibly taking Chris Ferguson’s philosophy that worked against TJ Cloutier into account, which says that when you are outmatched it is mathematically in your interest to gamble. Anyhow, here’s Hellmuth’s recall of how the 2008 hand went down … and here are the terms of a potential rematch:

After I told him that I wouldn’t have lost $3,000 with 10-10–which is the truth–Durr handled himself with class, albeit he did what all the young guys do when they’re a bit insecure, he challenged me to play heads up for $100,000. Durr knew he played the hand poorly, and if he doesn’t know now, he will understand how bad a play he made in two or three years. Will I play him heads up in the real world? Absolutely! But on my terms. I don’t need the money, and I have nothing to gain from playing him heads up, whereas he does have something to gain. He could say that he beat me. Despite that, here are my terms: I will play him in the bay area, in a casino (his terms, and I echo them), during the daytime (like starting at noon), whenever I feel like it (I choose the date). I don’t need to play him, I crushed him in three hands on NBC!! He may have won the chips, but the world knows who really won the hand!!

I rarely post hand histories, but this one is just too good. I am curious what people think of my move on the flop? The set-up: we are on the bubble in last night’s Sunday Million on Pokerstars, and I am sitting in pretty good shape in the top 40 in chips with 487 left (486 get paid) when I am dealt KT suited, aka the ‘new John Brown’. One other somewhat criticalish piece of info (and as a result of playing a PL Omaha game simultaneously) when I made my move I did not realize that ’2A472′ was in the pot.

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Last week was the Chinese New Year — we’re in the year of the Rat — and to celebrate, CardPlayer had Tom Schneider explain to all the white kids out there how to play what has never really been known as the Yellow Game.

ALT HED: I miss Sang.

Click here to watch Uncle Tom’s video lesson about properly arranging your cards in Chinese Poker.

Tom and Karridy and I have been talking a lot lately about our various goals for next year — poker, podcasting, and otherwise. Apparently Tom thinks he knows a thing or two about setting and achieving said goals … man, how long do you think he’s gonna try to ride this 2007 WSOP Player of the Year-makes-me-smart thing? Anyhow, below is an email I sent to my partners in crime — including Karridy was really just a courtesy — and I figure, hey, I’ve got nothing to hide … so I might as well share them with you folks as well, and perhaps you’ll have some insight that can help me accomplish what I set out to do … whatever that may be.

(Already am thinking of adding “Make one ‘major’ final table” and/or “develop a strength in NL 2-7 lowball single-draw.”)

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T.J. Cloutier has another “blog” about good times around the unique concept of the US Poker Bowl with his Dallas Roughnecks teammates. Though for some reason he doesn’t extol the virtue of Karridy’s team management prowess — he was the bossman of the Roughnecks — in it T.J. does point us to Kenna James’ write-up about the same event — where the singing cowboy discusses how the team concept really got his juices flowing as a guy who played sports in high school but always found himself sitting on the sidelines.

Good stuff. Can’t wait to do the commentationating once they cut it all up.

It’s been a long time since I posted an online hand history, but if we can’t celebrate this one, then really … why are we here?

(Props to Robert Goldfarb on how I played it to maximize my return.)

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In my last post, I responded to an email that I received from Ralph, a nice young guy who wanted to become a professional poker player. I told him that if he hadn’t read at least 15 books he might not be taking his attempt at playing professional poker seriously enough. On Tilt commented that I must be kidding about 15, and wondered if I was exaggerating to make a point.
The answer is no, I wasn’t kidding. I was dead serious.

I have a few questions for you:

How many books do you think a lawyer reads about law before becoming a professional? How about an accountant? Pick a doctor to perform back surgery on you. Do you want the guy who hasn’t read anything since med school or the guy that has read 15 books in that time? The answer is clear for me. That’s why doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc. are required to go to continuing education to keep their license.

Besides, why wouldn’t you read virtually every book that might help you make money in your chosen profession? Why should poker players take their job less seriously than other professions? There are times when I have read a book and picked up some tips and thought what a dumbass. If I had read that book 6 months ago I would have made an extra $20,000 over that time by using that strategy.

One of the most ridiculous excuses I hear for not putting in proper study time is from people who claim to be “running good” and not wanting to screw up their play. How stupid are you? For those who don’t think they are capable of ignoring bad advice, don’t read the following: Chocolate ice cream is the best way to lose weight.

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In a weird way, you can see how Potripper might have convinced himself it was still something of a game:

Click here to see the rest of this 4-part series.

Call me sick for thinking this, but there is a thing or two you can learn about strategy from watching these.

Recently stumbled across this video, where Phil Laak espouses the basics of bankroll management — i.e. 10 buy-ins and 100x the big blind. Personally, I think the 10 buy-ins needs to be increased for no-limit players … because otherwise, how does the “10 percent rule” apply when you lose your first four sessions of $1/$2 NLH? Are you still just waiting out the variance that you’ve accounted for, or is it already time to drop your stakes to a game that doesn’t exist?