If you haven’t voted a few times already, there’s a poll right over there ( –> ) asking you what’s your favorite poker blog by a bona fide poker pro. Daniel Negreanu is running away with it, as he probably should be. My personal fave: Doyle Brunson’s blog.

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.

In case you missed the multi-network coverage last night of my prop-bet with Tom … I won! The main bet was an easy victory, but I had to sweat it out on the 5-percent point-spread sidebet.

But in the end, the American people have spoken — and I’d like to thank them for showing up in droves on my behalf. Though the exact number could change a bit — 3 percent of the vote is still uncounted — Pokerati is going to declare a full victory for Michalski over Schneider, as Obama is currently ahead of McCain in the nationwide popular vote by 6.071945 percent.

See, already the economy is looking up!

UPDATE: 6.149579 percent difference, with 98 percent reporting.

Was just checking out the RJ for some local election results, and their front-page pic featured a shot of the Nevada State Democratic Party party …

Didn’t even need to read the caption to see that official Go Obama election-night headquarters were on poker-hallowed ground.

If you’re like me and scrambling for more action on the election before results start coming in … (Pauly’s not returning my emails/phone calls right now; he gets this way with friends on meth binges, too) … check out this site, which takes a sports online-poker-geek’s look at handicapping political races and making electoral projections. (via Thrillist Chicago)

Though it might be hard to get action on the presidential election this late in the game, there are still plenty of Senate races in play … and 538 breaks those down, too.

U.S. citizens, today is Election Day. Not only is the office of the presidency on the line, but there are important congressional seats and important propositions on ballots as well. And despite my previous biased posts about my presidential candidate of choice, I am refraining from pushing that here. My only point is that you vote. Your vote is your voice, and it is of the ultimate importance that you express it today.

Please vote.

What I will mention with a bias is an important proposition on the Missouri ballot. Prop A will repeal the $500 loss limit in Missouri casinos, which has long been the reason that those establishments have not attracted major poker tournaments, high-stakes players, or revenue-driving action of any kind. The loss limit was put in place to save gamblers from themselves and prevent gambling addictions, as players were restricted to losing no more than $500 in any two-hour period. The ridiculousness of it is obvious, and the limit can be repealed today with a YES vote on Prop A. Casinos would be required to pay a $2 fee per visit toward a Schools First Elementary and Secondary Education Improvement Fund, but the casinos would likely attract more high-stakes players and that additional revenue would likely offset the cost to casinos.

The downside to Prop A is that the number of casinos allowed in Missouri would be limited to those already established or still under construction. (I think that number is 12.) However, the existing casinos would have much more of an opportunity to succeed - and thrive - if the loss limit is repealed, so it seems that the pros outweigh the cons here. More on the initiative here and a few words from the Missouri Gaming Association here.

As a native Missourian, I’m asking that you get out there in the Show Me State and vote YES on Prop A. (I am California Jen, and I approve this message.)

Phew … I was a little worried about asking the only Beyond the Table co-host to ever drop an N-bomb in an episode where he stood on my prop bet with Tom the election. But he lets me and others know by forwarding an email that gives a little hint about his views/vote — and more proof that one side’s lack of internet understanding (and respect for the laws governing it) hasn’t really helped his cause. A technical mistake, most likely, but still … telling:

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:

More…

Just curious. We all know the presidential election has been a boom for Saturday Night Live’s ratings … tonight I was watching to see John McCain’s guest appearance. Gotta say, he was pretty damn good:

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?

More…

Sorry I’ve been a little out of pocket in recent days weeks months. But I got kinda hooked on election coverage. Dammit, promised myself four years ago that I wouldn’t get caught up in the BS-laden pre-election horse race coverage, but instead ended up making the biggest prop bet of my life about a month ago — $1,000 on Barack Obama.

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.

More…

The anti-old-rich-white-guy filmmaker appeared on Larry King today … and as we’re now just some two weeks away from the presidential election WSOP main event final table, he was busy educating the non-poker public on why the little guy doesn’t stand a chance against the big guy relative stack sizes and the importance of game selection.

Check it out … the poker talk begins at about 1:45, and is used to explain something about the evil ways of Wall Street and their control of the rake.

He made his appearance in part to promote his new net-distro film, Slacker Uprising, about rallying the next generation of voters online poker players.

I attended the grand opening/premiere/LV poker mixer for The Real Deal at the Venetian on Tuesday. I’m still processing what I witnessed — but I am pretty sure it was the official jumping of the shark for poker, as some 500 poker fans (including Tim Conway, Robert Wagner, Bob Newhart, multiple poker agents, WSOP officials, and the owner of the Venetian and president of the Sands, who walked out after 25 minutes) witnessed painfully how getting lots of airtime on ESPN, GSN, and Fox Sports comes nowhere close to making you a Vegas entertainer worthy of a $100 ticket twice a night, let alone twice a lifetime.*

*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

Well, to be truthful, it coulda been a lot worse! On first glance, it may look like Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear has won this court case… but not so fast. While it’s true that the court upheld the state’s right to seize the domain names, the did give online gambling company’s an out! Tune in to see!

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:

Hmm, I tend to think poker players should try to step out of their little-big poker worlds every so often, if only to keep a check on reality. But yikes, maybe not … when a Seattle columnist stepped into a game to get some old-white-men takes on the presidential election … well let’s just say at least a few players behaved like jive-ass crackas weren’t exactly great ambassadors for the game.

(But hey, real people, real life, right? Isn’t being able to take money from the sketchy part of why we play?)

Play with the pros for free on FullTiltPoker.net.

It is no secret that Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama plays poker. The subject was first brought to light in a September 2007 CNN article in which players in Senator Obama’s Illinois Legislature poker game were interviewed.

“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.”

Seriously … she addresses online poker players specifically about 3 minutes in:

(Matt Damon and Tobey Maguire also make appearances, indirectly repping the WSOP)

I don’t want Tom to vote, however. Or people who think like him. Country Second! I’ve got actual money on the line.

Just watching a little WPT on GSN (for the first time in forever?) and saw the promo spot for an upcoming poker schedule change: World Poker Tour and High Stakes Poker blocked together, Sunday eves, 7pm/6 central.

Hmm. Seems like a smart move — grab all the poker dorks viewers at once, on a day where they’re likely camped out in front of a TV somewhere … and if they happen not to really care about the Sunday night NFL game … golden.

Only semi-related, was previously watching some election coverage and can’t help but wonder if the best of what McCain/Palin are offering is simply a matter of too-little-too-late.

I offered “Shmom Schmeider” a sizable-to-me-but-big-blind-to-him wager on the outcome of the US presidential election. I even was willing to give up a few points on behalf of Obama, but he wanted to bet it straight up for “any amount” because he’s obviously a little bit of an Arizona homer with the hots for Sarah Palin … so, um, yeah, I’m thinking about borrowing some zeroes if ya know what I mean. So any of you with a few extra (tens-of?) thousands lying around, please be in touch.

He also probably doesn’t realize I have the inside scoop with the ongoing Pokerati presidential poll (to your right).

(Am I the only one surprised that Duplicate Poker is still alive and kicking?)

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.

Here’s an updated article from the non-poker world about this Republican platform plank. I take much interest in what the non-poker commenters have to say — seems they are starting to understand our single-issue/special interest even though they are just starting to see the tip of the online poker iceberg.

Reason Magazine is on top of it, too.

And take a look at how the comments are running within their own party about the issue. (Not sure this link will take you directly to the page I am looking at, but do a search for “gambling” and you will see that our point of view has about 99 people in favor, and 1 against,)

The Republican Party has made its intention very clear. They want to render internet gambling illegal, and whether we like it or not, their definition of gambling includes poker.

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.