Update and Call to Action
Things have been busy here in A-town as we work to bring Hold’em to Texas. We had a successful day on Tuesday as we bombarded the state with our media outreach and made a strong case for Poker in the committee hearing. I’m sure Dan and Michele have/will post(ed) links to the Pokerpages video and some other resources if you want to follow what went down.
There are way too many people to thank for the success we had yesterday and its a little early to pat ourselves on the back just yet, but please know that the Texas Poker PAC, PPA and Texas Cardplayers Association are in collusion right now and working well as a team.
Our witnesses testified perfectly and were really patient as we were delayed about 6 hours. There are worse things in the world than being holed up in a hotel conference room with Clonie and Michele…not to mention two Poker Hall of Famers (Lyle Berman and Crandall Addington) and Erick Lindgren. I even learned that there is such a thing as “Perfect Chinese” poker, though none of it was on display there.
The bill was left pending in committee which is standard operating procedure for major bills and even most smaller ones.
Michele already recapped much of the action and i’m sure Dan will be doing so as well when he’s done gloating over his half victory in last night’s drinky rules debate…
We have a really good chance at passage of the poker bill this year. Admitedly, I didn’t even think our chances would be this good at this early stage in the fight.
WE NEED YOUR HELP NOW!
Call and email your State Representative and ask them to support the Texas Poker Act, HB 3186 by Menendez. Click Here to find out who your Representative is and to get their contact info.
We need you to do this right now! We will be polling members next week to see where we stand so please let them know you are out there today. If you get a machine leave a message and call back tomorrow or send an email or do both. We want to make it known that there are a lot of us, we vote and we want poker.
Stay tuned, we are just getting started here…
As always, you should feel free to contribute to the effort monetarily by joining the Texas Poker PAC.
PS. Does Dan play the same “questionable” hands in Dallas or does he just save that crap for when he plays us Austin donkeys?
Fresh Princess says:
April 5th, 2007 at 3:17pm
Nice work.
Woody says:
April 5th, 2007 at 3:54pm
Nice work, guys and gals.
I sent my representative the e-mail below. In an effort to avoid a long-winded e-mail that would increase the odds of not being read, I went with “short and sweet” and picked what I believed to be the two most compelling issues (from the Legislature’s point of view). Feel free to use/modify as you see fit.
****
I am writing in support of HB 3186, which relates to the limited legalization of poker in Texas.
Hundreds and hundreds of “underground” poker games are played each day/night in Texas, where professional dealers are employed and the house takes a rake (i.e., I’m not talking about a group of friends playing at someone’s house). And many Texans are going to casinos in Oklahoma and Louisiana to play poker.
The fact that Texans will seek out a place to play poker presents two significant issues that warrant support of HB 3186:
First, Texas is missing out on a potentially lucrative amount of tax dollars that are going to either operators of the local games or neighboring states.
Second, it presents a safety risk for those playing in the local “underground” games. A safer, regulated, public environment would be a win for everyone…especially the law enforcement agencies who are using an inordinate amount of resources trying to eliminate the illegal games.
Thank you for your consideration of one of your constituent’s views.
Event Recap: Texas Poker Bill Public Hearing in Austin, TX « Poker Players Alliance Blog says:
April 5th, 2007 at 4:01pm
[…] 5th, 2007 · No Comments article: Update and Call to Action (Pokerati, 04/05/07) “Our witnesses testified perfectly and were really patient as we were delayed about 6 hours. […]
DanM says:
April 5th, 2007 at 4:03pm
Nicely done, Woodrow. Makes sense to us, of course.
I’d also like to remind people about the charity angle … not that these are the biggest deal, but really … we are just looking to be able to give prizes … and in general, make poker more like golf, fishing, bowling, etc.
In the end, the choice comes down to: do we, as a state, want to spend money to put on a dog-and-pony show that doesn’t get rid of the demand to play a social game, or do we, as a state, want to actually benefit from the process of responding to 3/4 of the citizenry’s desires?
Lavigne in Austin says:
April 5th, 2007 at 4:09pm
Woody,
Great letter!
We need everyone to do something similar.
If i could suggest that this legislation is seeking to regulate and/or benefit from poker more than seek its limited legalization.
I hate to parse words, but sometimes it matters.
Thanks again. well done.
Fresh Princess says:
April 5th, 2007 at 5:03pm
If any of you are interested in the WPT or the WSOP EVER holding a TEXAS Hold’em tournament in THE GREAT STATE OF TEXAS, then write/call your representative now!!
Pokerati | Texas hold’em blog » Blog Archive » Contrary to Unpopular Opinion says:
April 6th, 2007 at 11:49am
[…] on The Pokerati Correspondent Player RankingsFresh Princess on I want my PTV!Fresh Princess on Update and Call to ActionFresh Princess on Beware Yo […]
Snick says:
April 7th, 2007 at 7:20am
Thank You. You guys make it easy to get your opinion known to those in our government. Please, everyone, write a letter, write an e-mail, make a phone call! Just Do It.
Pokerati | Texas hold’em blog » Blog Archive » Media Hype says:
April 8th, 2007 at 11:04am
[…] to contact your state representative(s) to voice your support for legal poker. Click here if you need help with what to say. And in the interest of trying to come across as an unbiased […]
Pokerati | Texas hold’em blog » Blog Archive » Near-Robbery at Dallas-Area Card Room says:
April 14th, 2007 at 1:36pm
[…] A thriving low-stakes poker room got a bit of a scare last night — when two unidentified visitors attempted to rob the joint at gunpoint. This comes as the state Legislature is considering a measure to legalize various forms of poker in Texas, in part to offer more protection for players. (For all you who were there and may or may not have shit in your pants … have you written your state representative yet?) […]