PA and Poker - Uptight and Antiquated

Fire company getting burned on poker tourneys
Article: The Tribune Democrat Johnstown, PA

Another article here at Poker News

Seward Volunteer Fire Company in Westmoreland County, PA is getting sued for fund raising events held in 2007, three to be exact, all poker tournaments for $40k plus. The police also raided an August of 07 tourney held at the firehouse.

Wonder when Enola and Penbrook will be on Pennsylvania's nazi-esque state government hit list:

Texas hold ’em card games may be popular among poker players, but they aren’t a legal form of gambling in Pennsylvania – as one area fire company is finding out the hard way.

Seward Volunteer Fire Company held at least three money-raising poker tournaments in 2007.

Now, the state Attorney General’s Office is seeking $40,814 from the illegal games.

Of that, $9,728 was seized by state troopers during a tournament Aug. 3. An additional $31,086 was deposited by the fire company into its account at AmeriServ Financial of Johnstown. Those deposits were identified by fire company Treasurer James Darby as proceeds from a Texas hold ’em tourney, said Robert Stewart, a senior deputy attorney general.

“Pennsylvania case law sets forth that poker is unlawful gambling ... and that it is unlawful to profit from unlawful gambling,” Stewart said.

Because the bank is in Cambria County, Stewart filed the forfeiture in Cambria rather than Westmoreland County, home of the Seward fire company.

Cambria County District Attorney Patrick Kiniry said he wasn’t aware of similar raids in Cambria.

In the past two years, Kiniry said he has fielded inquiries about holding the games to raise money for nonprofit activities.

His advice: The tournaments aren’t legal small games of chance, so don’t hold them.

“The state police confirmed they consider it illegal and would be systemically raiding them throughout the state,” Kiniry said,

Greensburg attorney Jeffrey Monzo, who represents the fire company, could not be reached for comment.

Funny that it was OK to put in casino's all around our state for real BIG profit for the state, but a volunteer fire company gets nailed and raided for raising money for equipment!

To the men and women that volunteer and put your lives on the line, it must be nice to know your state thinks you may be hero's, but to them you are also criminals because there is no bigger evil than poker! Bad hero's! Bad!

Do as I say not as I do, eh? Hypocrisy knows no bounds!

As mentioned in an earlier post, I must urge each and every poker player reading this to click over to the Poker Players Alliance and sign up and help fight the good fight!

Montana Banana

Thanks to Rodney "Hot Rod" Morton, the phrase Montana Banana has been going around Johnny Joe's the last month or so... Most people are unfamiliar with this poker hand nickname, so here is the skinny....

Montana Banana

The pocket cards 9-2, either suited or offsuit.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: It is a widely asserted myth that this nickname originates from the legalization of poker in Montana by Proposition 92. However, poker was legalized in Montana by the Card Games Act, 23-5-311.

Some people also have argued the term comes from a joke that bananas will grow in Montana before that hand makes any money.

The actual origin of the term is unknown.

EXAMPLE: "I had Montana Banana and quickly folded."

A spin on Montana Banana is Joe Montana Banana which is the hand 9-4 suited or offsuit, because Joe Montana was a San Fransisco 49er.

And now you know!

Danger: Online Poker and You

Fleet Street Games has a comedic look at how our government is handling online poker, although the clip is a joke, at least Doyle Brunson and Andy Bloch thinks this might be more real than humorous and publicly supports Barrack Obama:

Stetson-wearing Las Vegas pros who like his belief in the freedom to gamble are putting their chips on Mr Obama, who is himself a skilled player of Texas Hold'Em and Seven Card Stud.

Doyle Brunson, America's greatest living player and formerly a life-long Republican, has come out for Obama.

Another leading poker player and Obama backer, Andy Bloch, told The Sunday Telegraph that most players in Las Vegas for the main event of the World Series of Poker, which began on Thursday, are backing the Democrat. Meanwhile a group called Poker Players for Obama writes a blog on his campaign website.

...Announcing his support for Mr Obama, Mr Brunson, twice a winner of the world championship, said he could not back Mr McCain because the Republicans support the current US ban on internet gaming. Mr Obama has said he would like to regulate online poker and gambling, rather than criminalise it.

"Poker players have to support Obama," he said. "God help the internet gambling business if McCain does happen to win."

More on the politics of poker and the upcoming election soon. However, although not online, I bet those involved in the poker raid in Lemoyne in January has this video hitting home a little too hard...

WSOP: TV Schedule

Two people last night asked me if I knew when ESPN was going to begin showing this years WSOP events... Well, here is the full lineup, every Tuesday beginning on July 22 from 8-10 p.m.

July 22 -- 8-10 p.m. $10,000 pot-limit hold 'em
July 29 -- 8-10 p.m. $1,500 no-limit hold 'em
Aug. 5 -- 8-10 p.m. $5,000 mixed hold 'em
Aug. 12 -- 8-10 p.m. $1,000 no-limit hold 'em with rebuys
Aug. 19 -- 8-10 p.m. $50,000 HORSE
Aug. 26 -- 8-10 p.m. $10,000 pot-limit Omaha
Sept. 2 -- 8-10 p.m. $10,000 no-limit hold 'em main event
Sept. 9 to Oct. 28 -- 9-11 p.m. $10,000 no-limit hold 'em main event
Nov. 4 -- 8-10 p.m. WSOP main event final table preview show
Nov. 11 -- 9-11 p.m. WSOP main event final table

Not Poker, but Unbeleivable Baseball Video

WSOP Main Event Down to Final Table

And with day 7 in the books yesterday, the final table is set and now have to wait until November to play it out....

The 2008 WSOP $10,000 NLHE World Championship Final Table:

Dennis Phillips 53, St. Louis, Missouri, 26,295,000
Ivan Demidov, 27, Moscow, Russia, 24,400,000
Scott Montgomery, 26, Perth, Ontario, Canada, 19,690,000
Peter Eastgate, 22, Odense, Denmark, 18,375,000
Ylon Schwartz, 38, Brooklyn, New York, 12,525,000
Darus Suharto, 39, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 12,520,000
David Rheem, 28, Los Angeles, California, 10,230,000
Craig Marquis, 23, Arlington, Texas, 10,210,000
Kelly Kim, 31, Whittier, California, 2,620,000

The Johnny Joe's Tourney

Congrats to Brad who took the Tournament down... nicely done sir!

Michael Coulson came in second, not bad for his first Johnny Joe's Experience!

Not sure about third through sixth, Rod and I busted out in 8th and 7th respectively on the same hand, by Brad of course...

When I busted out, Dan "Pops" was big stack with Scott and Brad in second in chips, Sam and Michael right behind them with Karate Frank, and DHL Lisa also still in the game...

Brandon, good tourney, it was fun... and again big props to Brad...!

Starting tonight, we are all tied again with zero points... :)

New Pictures from Johnny Joe's

Checking it Down.. Followup

Reference this post on players verbally checking it down while another player is all in...

The Poker Prof took the time out of his busy WSOP schedule to get back to me, I asked him about the legality of two or more players saying "I will check it down..."

Here is his response...

The short answer is, yes, verbal agreement is a form of collusion.

The longer answer is, it depends on the house rules. If you don't have a set of clear house rules it will come back to bite the group in the end.

Thanks Poker Prof ;)

World Series of Poker Main Event

This update is courtesy of Prof's Las Vegas Poker Blog... The Prof is a professional poker blogger from Vegas... Check out his blog, very up to date WSOP news...

Today at noon (vegas time) begins Day 2A... (Tomorrow will be Day 2b, then the third day)

Recap of the first full day of the tourny...

Day 1 is actually broken into four days, named Day 1A, 1B etc... The overall chip leader heading into today's action is Mark Garner from Day 1A with 194,900. Second in chips is Day 1B chip leader Ben Samoff with 177,500.

Notable bust outs in first day action are:

Phil Ivey, Jesus Ferguson, Jen Tilly, Andy Bloch, Jose Canseco, Scott Lazar, David Williams, Chuck Liddell, Annie Duke, Layne Flack, Tony G, TJ Cloutier, Kirk Morrison, JC Tran, Jeffrey Lisandro, Mike Sexton, Daniel Alaei, Greg 'Fossilman' Raymer, Daniel Negreanu, Andy Black, Ted Forrest, Jamie Gold, Orel Hershiser, Kenny Tran, Gavin Smith, Dan Harrington, Jason Alexander, Freddy Deeb, Devilfish, David Benyamine, Phil 'OMGClayAiken' Galfond, Joe Sebok

Johhny Joe's Points List

The latest Johnny Joe's Points list is updated, click here.

Negreanu Gets Pissed

This may be a setup, hard to tell, but it seems real enough! Either way the interviewer is a total prick and I love what Daniel does at the end!!!!! Just another reason why it is hard not to like Negreanu... Don't fuck with us hockey players!