Freshman Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) fears online gambling, but hopes his TV show does as well as 2 Months 2 Million.
I’m not sure how much we’re supposed to be sayin’ about this … it seems like a major change in online-gambling law could still be in play in 2009 … but if so, our peeps in DC may be trying to keep it all on the downlow. At least that’s what a staunchly anti-gambling Republican in Utah is trying to suggest.
“I’m raising the red flag,” Chaffetz told the Deseret News on Wednesday. “I feel the imperative to get this organized before it is too late.”
Rep. Jason Chaffetz is speaking to his constituents sounding the warning bells that the billions and billions from online gambling that government just may not be able to say no to could dramatically alter everyone’s way of life. And he doesn’t just mean the positive stuff that we see from being able to play in safe and secure US-based games …
Chaffetz says a chance meeting he had with Frank makes him worry that unlike similar past efforts that went nowhere, Frank is deadly serious about legalizing online gambling this year, and it could come up quickly without much time to organize opposition.
“I saw him in the airport in Salt Lake a number of weeks ago,” Chaffetz said. “I said, ‘Barney, what are you doing here in Salt Lake?’ He was traveling back from Las Vegas, which led to our discussion about his Internet gambling bills.”
Chaffetz said, “He assured me that come this fall, he would be getting these bills through his committee, and I believe him … He may be bluffing, but we can’t afford to take that chance.”
[…]
“This has an unfortunate and real potential of happening,” he said. “This is a big deal. I can’t impress upon you how big of a deal this is.”
Wow. Cool. Awesome. We know we have public support for “our issue” and in general our facts fall on the right side of the law … so I gotta think we only stand to benefit if a guy like Chaffetz is using Frank’s efforts to rally his own base in preparation for 2010 … because really, isn’t that his game here?
I watched the season premiere of The Amazing Race last night … and I gotta say, I’m already hooked on the show, but probably for all the wrong reasons.
Guilty pleasure, I suppose. As a man who has misread my own standing and floundered prolifically before, I’m finding it oh-so-enjoyable — cringe-tickley, I’d say — to watch two hot(ish) poker girls (one of whom I kinda-sorta know personally) gloriously stumble for my amusement. Seriously, mocking each other’s failures and belittling successes is the foundation of some of my strongest, most enduring friendships! I think it’s how guys show love.
In the premiere episode of The Amazing Race, we see Tiffany and Maria start out in 1st, drop down to last, and rebound to finish in 7th. In the process they paint themselves (and poker pros) in a less than favorable light.
The first team to put a bitter taste in our mouths, however, are unendearing professional poker players Maria Ho and Tiffany Michelle, who incurred a two-hour penalty after losing two of their group. The shady duo rival Johnny Fairplay’s dead-grandma fib by telling teammates they work as counselors for a nonprofit organization helping homeless youth…a great lie, if you can keep it up for more than an hour. They couldn’t—when recognized at the airport by a poker fan, they basked in his adulation…within earshot of their amazed competitors. The duo also shared another “savvy” strategy: flirting with cute brothers Sam and Dan McMillen. Both of whom are gay—and playing their cards right by flirting right back with the femmes fatales.
Click below for more highlights, lowlights, and poker-focussed observations from episode 1:
It was pretty much confirmed by everyone but Maria Ho and Tiffany Michelle, but now the CBS website lists the contestants for the upcoming broadcast of the Amazing Race, and they’re on it. The Associated Press provided a quote from Ho:
“It’s obviously different from competition at the poker table,” said Ho, who came in 11th place at this year’s World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. “It’s outdoorsy. This is physical and mental, but we will definitely be applying whatever skills we have as gamers to this competition and push ourselves in different ways that we’re not used to doing.”
Their combined bio can be found on the CBS website and describes them as well-traveled, extremely competitive, strong-minded, and savvy. (Funny – but not really – that they’re described by most poker media as simply “hot.”) Despite my usual ban on reality television, I’ll set the DVR to see how far the ladies make it. The premiere is Sunday, September 27.
It seems like Otis and Amy and Mike Paulle are right … poker on TV is changing. For better or for worse may still be up for debate, but those of us who have seen the action firsthand seem to be agreeing that what ESPN is doing is better capturing the “reality” of the WSOP … less documentary, more Puck … which only makes sense, delayed final table Survivor and all.
(Did I flat miss this video during the Scotty Nguyen HORSE episodes, or is it only standing out as more relevant in television hindsight?)
Also, btw, big kudos/thanks to ESPN for making their vids embeddable. I think you guys are on to something. Pretty slick … kinda like the other dude’s YouTube montage, only better.
Today I head to Las Vegas and begin my journey that will forever be known as The 2008 World Series of Poker. I am going to have a big WSOP, just you wait and see. My attitude has never been better, and neither has my game. I have been going deep almost every time I enter a tournament whether live or online. I can feel it about to happen, I am going to win a big one (or three) very soon. Why not make it happen at the WSOP?
I thought it might be interesting for you to be able to follow me through this process and experience the ups and downs in (almost) real time. I have set up a twitter account so I can text message updates on a regular basis so that anyone who cares to can see things unfold. I don’t know how often I will wind up posting updates, but I plan on doing it as much as i can.
If you really want to experience the heart-pounding thrill of my updates, I might be willing to sell a few small pieces of myself in each event I play. Email me at [email protected]
I like to troll Craigslist every so often for some hot, anonymous NSA poker action. Not looking for games — there’s no shortage of ’em here in LV — just wanting to take the pulse of what people are pushing related to poker. Look at the ads all together and you get some interesting tells on the state of the poker world and its semi-anonymous inhabitants:
I recall a short while back reading Tom Schneider opine at length here on Pokerati about tourney blind structures. In a memorable post, Tom suggested an innovative arrangement wherein the blinds would go up in proportion to the number of players remaining (or average chip stack — same diff.), as opposed to having timed levels. For those who missed it, here’s the post, modestly titled “The Blind Structure Solution.â€Â
Whether you think Tom is full of applesauce or not, his idea clearly demonstrates how the hosts of Beyond the Table are willing — indeed, eager — to think outside the box, to push the envelope, to destroy old paradigms . . . .
You know. Screw with us.
Which is why we get not one but two new shows almost simultaneously. Though one isn’t a “real†show. That’s right. The one on which Tom, Karridy, and Dan all appear — titled “BTS: The Cheating Beating†— should not be mistaken for a regular installment. (BTS = “Beyond the Show.â€Â) Listen to hear the trio’s sober debate on ethics and online poker. (Full summary here.)
Meanwhile, we are to understand the one featuring Dan and guest co-host Robert Goldfarb — “Booty Call†— to be a “real†episode. What makes one “real†and one not? Hard to say, although it appears we’ve got ourselves an indisputably authentic BTT show whenever Dan gets drinky and starts talking about strippers, Scotty Nguyen bobblehead dolls, yard sales, religion, Tom’s POY chances, and/or hits his mute button.
Don’t trust me, though. Go listen to both and decide for yourself. And tell ’em what you think — about blind structures, strippers, “reality,†etc. — by emailing theshow(at)beyondthetable(dot)com and/or calling the listener line — (888) 820-8091.
I watched the season premiere of The Amazing Race last night … and I gotta say, I’m already hooked on the show, but probably for all the wrong reasons. 
It was pretty much confirmed by everyone but Maria Ho and Tiffany Michelle, but now the CBS website lists the contestants for the upcoming broadcast of the Amazing Race, and they’re on it. The 
I like to troll Craigslist every so often for some hot, anonymous NSA poker action. Not looking for games — there’s no shortage of ’em here in LV — just wanting to take the pulse of what people are pushing related to poker. Look at the ads all together and you get some interesting tells on the state of the poker world and its semi-anonymous inhabitants:
