Just trying to move the convo here to keep it fresh.

Click here to watch the hearing live.

* Ooh, he read an email to former special counsel Royce Poinsett right off the bat — letting him know that Texas already sees poker as a game of skill, and therefore doesn’t need a Constitutional Amendment — hey, we went to high school together! Fun!

* Wow — Michigan charity revenue up from 7 million to 72 million … and their population is way less than ours!

* Hey, they mentioned the emails! Woot!

* Ooh, now they’re talking about actual card rooms! OK, they want Menendez to clarify the licensing issues. Fair enough.

“The definition in the bill is too broad.” … hmm, actually I agree.

* Lavigne in Austin is up! Representing the PPA!

* Lavigne is making some points we’ve brought up right here! About pizza and beer.

* Rob Kohler from Christian Life Commission is speaking against. Boo! Boo!

He’s got three issues:

1. not a game of skill
2. electronic tables need a class 3 gaming license
3. ???

More…

Joe Wahlen, from Austin, is technically and officially the best poker player in all of Texas right now.

What do you mean you haven’t heard of Joe “All In” Wahlen? He’s the reigning Texas state champion of poker!

Wahlen won the Texas State Poker Championship on Friday — an event put on in Austin by our good friends at the Texas Card Players Association and held at Radiator King.

It was a $200 buy-in (no rake) … 50 players total … making for a $10,000 prize pool. When they got down to the final table, the remaining players all decided to chop and finish up the tourney for the title and the trophy.

Not to take away from Joe’s accomplishment — his past successes at the table include taking second place in a freeroll at the Shoal Creek Saloon — but maybe the fact that a non-championship event in Oklahoma has a $1 million prize pool, and the Arizona State Championship paid out $250k for first place, will help persuade the people of Texas not to be pussies so small when it comes to state pride and poker. After all, that’s what the TCPA is working for.

Until then, big congrats to Joe, who as the world champion of Texas, is sure to be feared throughout the poker world.