Field House Points Now Updated

The latest poker standings for the Field House in Etters has been updated. Click here to view the full list:

1 Steve Wagner 210
2 Lori Bateman 180
3 Daryl Gutshall 168
4 Greg Teter 160
5 Bob Thomas 154
6 Josh Ebur 154
7 Rob Richard 132
8 Chad Rotherock 118
9 Andy Bell 118
10 Dave Mull 110

Johnny Joe's Will Have Poker on Mondays

There was some talk about JJ's not having poker on Mondays, but that rumor is officially squashed!

THERE IS POKER AT JOHNNY JOE'S TONIGHT
AND EVERY MONDAY!

The lineup is as follows:

Mon-Thurs: 8 & 10
Sat-Sun: 1 & 3:30
(No Friday Poker)

And remember, there is poker at the Field House in Etters on Monday at 8 & 10 as well, and Brandon and I run that game as well!

See you all tonight!

PA Judge Rules Poker Game of Skill

Three cheers for once to Pennsylvania! I have been rough on the state and local government, but finally, we have a judge that knows the game we all love!

Poker hero of the Year: Judge Thomas Jones

“The Court finds that Texas hold’em poker is a game where skill predominates over chance. Thus, is it not ‘unlawful gambling’ under the Pennsylvania Code.”

Article found through Poker Players Alliance via CardPlayer.com:

A Pennsylvania judge has dismissed a case against a resident who ran a small-stakes poker game out of his garage on the basis that poker is a game of skill and can’t be governed under the Commonwealth’s gambling laws.

Columbia County Judge Thomas James couldn’t be clearer in the last paragraph summing up his ruling: “The Court finds that Texas hold’em poker is a game where skill predominates over chance. Thus, is it not ‘unlawful gambling’ under the Pennsylvania Code.”

The ruling only covers the judge’s jurisdiction, which is Columbia and Montour counties, located north-East Pennsylvania.

The Commonwealth charged two people with unlawful gambling for hosting a $1-$2 no-limit game in their garage. No rake was charged, but players were encouraged to tip the dealer. State police got wind of the game and sent an undercover officer to it around 20 different times to investigate, and charges were filed.

Pennsylvania’s laws governing gambling specifically define gambling games as games that rely predominantly on chance.

Pete Campana, the attorney representing the two defendants and a life-long poker player, knows that poker is not a game of chance.

“I’ve seen poker players of all calibers; there’s no question in my mind that skill controls poker more than luck of the draw,” he said.

Campana referenced a wide-range of texts, including “Caro’s Secrets of Winning Poker,” and noted that there are more than 600 books on improving poker play. The entire ruling can be found on the Poker Player Alliance’s webpage.

“The judge in this case issued a well-researched and reasoned decision which supports arguments the PPA and others have made about poker being a game of predominant skill,” said John Pappas, executive director for the PPA. “The decision does not have legal precedent outside the two rural counties in Pennsylvania, however, it is a significant victory in the overall battle to demonstrate that poker is not pure chance gambling. The PPA hopes to leverage this win in other trials in other states where we have an opportunity to argue the skill of poker.”

Campana does believe that the ruling may force legislators to either expand Pennsylvania’s unlawful gambling law to include poker or change the law to regulate the game of skill.

You can read the complete and official ruling from Judge James at Poker Players Alliance!

This ruling is also important because the fight has started in our state congress to allow gaming tables (Poker, BlackJack, Craps... etc...) to our casino's in Pennsylvania! Thanks Again Judge James!

Pot Odds

You here it all the time in the freerolls... "Well, I had pot odds so I had to call", but I do not think most people understand this...

Here is an excerpt from Mike Caro's article, Todays Word Is... Odds, found here:

Question 139: You say the importance of poker odds is overestimated. But
aren’t you the guy who’s spent a good share of his life calculating those odds?

I’m that guy. In the 1970s, I calculated lots of poker odds, and I’ve been doing
so ever since. When Doyle Brunson’s Super/System—A Course in Power Poker was
published in 1978, I contributed 50 statistical table covering various forms of
poker. Up until then, no truly comprehensive set of poker odds was available—at
least none that I’ve ever seen. Poker books in those days were basically
homespun wisdom, and the math included was frequently wrong and not very
encompassing.

Hopefully, I corrected that shortcoming. But I did something more than
that—something worse. I became obsessed with poker odds and with calculating new
ones. You don’t need to share this obsession to play excellent poker. In fact,
you don’t need to calculate odds at all, because mine and other sets of
excellent statistics are easy to come by. You can even memorize them, if you
want. But you don’t need to. You’d be surprised how small your extra edge is
after you’ve memorized the exact odds.

What mostly sets great poker players apart from ordinary ones is an
understanding of opponents and a good feel for what decisions to make at the
moment. Sure, you need to know approximately what your chances are—and the
closer you come to the exact number, the better you’ll fare. But the difference
between knowing approximately and knowing exactly is small in terms of profit.

Question 140: Are there any poker odds that are important enough to memorize?

Yes. Those are usually ones that come up repeatedly in your game. In hold ’em,
you’ll average a starting pair once in 17 hands. If you begin with a pair, on
average you’ll flop at least one more of that rank twice in 17 hands. A pair of
aces shows up once in 221 deals, on average. That gives you good perspective and
teaches you patience.

Those are the kind of statistics that it’s good to know. But even if you don’t,
you’ll still probably make money, as long as you have a good understanding of
situational and psychological poker, seek out weaker opponents, and play a
disciplined game.

Question 141: How do you use pot odds?

You count the chips in the pot and measure them against what it will cost you to
call or bet. Then you equate that to the chances of your hand winning. For
instance, if there’s one card to come in hold’em and you’re trying for an
unbeatable flush, you’ll figure that there are six cards you know about (two in
your hand and four on the board). Of these, four cards of your suit are
accounted for. Among the 46 unknown cards are nine remaining members of your
suit. Divide 46 by 9 and you see that you’ll connect once in 5.1 times, so the
odds are a bit more than 4-to-1 against you. If the pot is more than four times
as large as your bet, you’re getting an overlay. If it’s less, you aren’t.
Unfortunately, it isn’t quite that simple.

Question 142: Are pot odds always a good measurement when deciding what to
do?

No. I just said it wasn’t quite that simple. You need to factor in the amount of
additional money you might win or lose from that point on. Many experts call
this “implied odds”—and I think David Sklansky was the first to coin that term.
If not, I’m giving him credit anyway, because he’s contributed vastly to poker
theory and understanding.

Do Poker Dealers Make Good Poker Players?

With all the new young guys playing regularly at Johnny Joe's and two of them being dealers at the Borgata, i had to chuckle at this article from OnlinePoker.com:

"Do Poker Dealers Make Good Poker Players?

I have always wondered why most poker dealers are poor poker players. Nothing seems to make a game better than a dealer who just finished working and then hops into the game. I don’t know if it is because they are tired from work but they always seem to play poorly and immediately start to gamble it up. You would think that a dealer would become a better player simply by watching all that poker while working. They certainly should become better at reading hands from seeing a couple hundred hands a day. Dealers could also imitate things that the winning players do and incorporate it into there own games.

So why do most dealers play poorly? Maybe they see 2 3 off-suit crack aces for a big pot and they figure they can do it too. If approximately 90 percent of poker players are losing players, then your average poker dealer is watching primarily poor play and then do it themselves. It seems that most dealers know how to play good poker but choose not too most of the time. They seem to want to blow off steam and “gamble with the boys” instead of playing good, fundamentally sound poker. Maybe that’s the reason they are dealing in the first place; because they couldn’t make it playing and are now trying to rebuild their bankroll by dealing.

On the other hand, there is a long list of successful professional poker players that started out dealing poker. Mike Matusow, Johnny Chan, Scott Fischman, Ted Forrest, and Scotty Nguyen top the list of dealers that have had success on the other side of the table. Most of them attribute their good card reading sense to the countless hours they spent in the box dealing cards. I think anyone who spends 40 hours a week watching poker should quickly become an expert at reading hands. A dealer should certainly be aware of the pitfalls of playing professional poker such as playing out of your bankroll, gambling in the pit, and going on tilt. They see it ruin poker players every day!

I think that any poker dealer who wants to become a good poker player certainly has the opportunity to become one. It comes down to deciding to play your best game all the time and having the discipline to play good solid poker. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more dealers make it “big” and reach professional status as a result of the poker boom. There are certainly more people dealing poker at casinos around the country than ever before and just on strictly a numbers basis, some of them will climb to the top of the poker ladder."

Poker After Dark New Season Monday

Article from Bluff Magazine: Proving that poker on television is anything but dead, NBC’s Poker After Dark returns for a fifth season beginning Monday night with “Close But No Cigar” week. Each of the six players in this week’s episode has made the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event but come up short in their pursuit of the game’s most storied title.

Andy Black, Lee Watkinson, Dewey Tomko, David Williams, Allen Cunningham, and Mike Matusow all put up $20,000 to chase the winner take all prize of $120,000. Three of the players, Black, Watkinson and Tomko are all making their PAD debut while the other three players have a mixed record.

Williams has one win in three appearances, Cunningham has a single win in two appearances and Matusow will be looking for his first win after going away empty-handed in his first 10 times on the show.

The match will begin airing on NBC Monday at 2:05 AM and will continue for five consecutive nights in the same time slot. A special program called the “Director’s Cut” will air late night Saturday at 1 AM, right after Saturday Night Live.

Poker on Xmas

With no games at Johnny Joe's tonight (12/25) I am getting asked where there is a game tonight, rumor has it that Flop the Nutz is still hosting at Your Place on Progress Avenue at 8 p.m., however, I couldn't find anywhere on the internet to confirm that...

Banning Internet Gambling on Republican Party Platform

With the election just a day away, I want to stress one more time to my fellow poker players just what may be at stake if Republicans win tomorrow....

from PokerWorks

The Republican Party platforms of 2000 and 2004 included the following statement:

“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.”

When the 2008 platform was released last week, the above passage was originally omitted, and the media was made aware of it. As word began to spread throughout the poker media in particular and it was taken as a positive sign that the Republicans had possibly returned to their roots of protecting individuals’ privacy, things changed. Suddenly, a new look at the platform indicated that it had been added at a later time. Whether it was an attempt at deception or a mere oversight on the first released draft of the platform, the Republican Party has again made its intentions clear.

The inclusion of such language caught the eye of more than just the poker media; many mainstream political outlets picked up on the story and expressed frustration with such a moralistic-based political stance. CQ Politics was one of those outlets, and in an article by CQ staff writer Bart Jansen, poker pro and 2004 WSOP champion Greg Raymer was quoted as saying, “My point is simple. Is the Republican Party no longer the party of personal freedom and individual responsibility? Why has this party, that used to protect my rights, now become the party that wants to create a nanny-state?”

The Republican Party platform that includes the goal of prohibiting internet gambling – and that does include poker, as it has not been designated a game of skill – is the platform that Senator John McCain has adopted as the Republican candidate for the office of U.S. President.

It is becoming clearer that the work of the Poker Players Alliance is not only important but urgent. The lobbying organization with over a million members has been making progress over the past year but must have the active support of those members to truly make a difference. Not only is it vital that poker players and fans of the game let their Congressional representatives know their views, but Senator McCain should be made aware of our powerful constituency as well.

Palin and Gambling

Just read on Eagle Forum Alaska the following questionnaire, it was sent to all gubernatorial candidates for the 2006 election for Governor of Alaska with their responses.

One question of significance to poker players is the following:

6a. Do you support the expansion of gambling in Alaska?

Sarah Palin: No, in so many cases, gambling has shown ill effects on families and as Governor I would not propose expansion legislation.

This woman is one heart attack away from being President if McCain is elected!!!!

If you care about poker, especially online poker, this is a HUGE reason to vote Democratic on Tuesday....

GSN: Poker Sundays Begins Tonight

GSN (Game Show Network) has a new lineup for Sunday nights that will be a poker fan pleaser. The network will pair High Stakes Poker and episodes of the World Poker Tour for back-to-back poker action starting Sunday, Sept. 28.

The evening begins with High Stakes Poker at 7 p.m. ET, followed by the World Poker Tour at 9 p.m.

"We think poker on Sunday night is a great way for viewers to end their weekend and begin their week," said Kevin Belinkoff, vice president of original programming and development at GSN. "With High Stakes Poker and World Poker Tour, we're proud to have the best poker in the world and we're looking forward to establishing Sunday night on GSN as the home of poker on television."

08 WSOP Main Event on Tonight

Article courtesy of Poker Prof's Poker Blog....

Its the event we've all been waiting for. The first two hours of the scheduled twenty-two hours of coverage of the 2008 WSOP Main Event. Beginning tonight at 8 pm EST on ESPN (check schedules in your area for exact times) will be the granddaddy of all poker tournaments, the $10,000 WSOP No-Limit Hold'em World Championship. Every Tuesday we'll get two hours of the 2008 Main Event until November 11 when the final table is finally played and a 2008 Champion is crowned.

Dr. Pauly's daily recap for Day 1A and Day 1B is a must read for tonight's TV poker show. A selection of Flipchip photos from the 2008 WSOP main event Day 1A and 1B can be viewed here.

Mohegan Sun: Casino of the Wind Poker Room Opens

Mohegan Sun Opened their 42-Table Poker Room, $925Million Expansion on August 29th.
by PokerPages.com

Connecticut-based Mohegan Sun, already one of the largest gaming facilities in the world, will grow bigger when they unveil the first phase of their $925 million Casino of the Wind expansion. Mohegan's new 64,000-square-foot Casino of the Wind will feature a 42-table poker room, more than 650 slot machines, and 28 table games.



Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville is set to open Sept. 29.

Mohegan's expansion continues to up the ante to secure new gamblers with nearby rival Foxwoods, as Foxwoods earlier this spring opened up a new MGM Grand addition.

"We are very excited to reveal Casino of the Wind to the world," said Mitchell Etess, President and CEO of Mohegan Sun. "The Rockwell Group, who have been our architects since the beginning in 1996, have outdone themselves. This may be their best work yet."

The new facility, which broke ground in June 2007, makes its much-anticipated debut on Friday, August 29th at 10:00am immediately following a Tribal blessing and ribbon cutting ceremony.

SPECIAL EVENTS TO CELEBRATE THE OPENING- ALL MONTH LONG

To celebrate the latest milestone in Mohegan Sun history, the property has planned a month-long celebration beginning October 1st. The festivities include a poker tournament with one of the largest guaranteed prize pools on the East Coast, daily car giveaways, signature drinks, stellar entertainment, celebrities and so much more.

$750,000 Guaranteed Tournament

It's 'Aces Up' in the new 42-table poker room with Mohegan Sun's first major poker tournament, featuring one of the largest guaranteed prize pools on the East Coast. Mohegan Sun's Super Stack Tournament, with a guaranteed prize pool of $750,000, will kick off with preliminary qualifying tournaments on October 1st, with finals being held October 22nd through 26th. For specifics on Mohegan Sun's Super Stack Tournament, visit mohegansun.com/wind.

Hollywood Comes to Connecticut

Mohegan Sun will roll out the red carpet in October, as various A-list celebrities will stop by to check out the new Casino of the Wind. From the red carpet to the poker and blackjack tables, spot your favorite celebrities throughout the month at Mohegan Sun. Check mohegansun.com/wind for all the latest updates on the grand opening celebrations.

Cool Poker Site: #2

I stumbled upon this poker site, it is a daily TV schedule listing for just poker TV shows in the US, UK and Sweden.

Poker TV Guide

Poker Stars Summer Games Freeroll Series Starts Aug. 22

More Than 80,000 Cash Prizes Will Be Awarded Along With a $100,000 Final

The Olympic Summer Games may be coming to a close in a few days, but the Summer Games at PokerStars have yet to begin. PokerStars is kicking off an eight-week-long promotion called the Summer Games that pits Canadians vs. Americans in a fight to snag some of the more than 80,000 cash prizes to be given away and seats in the $100,000 final, and it all starts this Friday, Aug. 22.

Each week features a different poker variation, and players get one free round-one entry for each week's poker variant. Each country has a separate set of tournaments, and the free entry can be used for any of the round-one Summer Games tournaments running during that week for the player's home country.

Those who finish well enough in the round-one event move on to that week's round-two final, and the weekly finals send five players from each country to the $100,000 main event. Then, the next week, players can try their hands at a different poker variation with another free round-one entry.

The round-one and round-two events aren't just qualifiers, though; plenty of cash prizes are being awarded in each tournament.

Here's the schedule of events:


Limit hold'em
Aug. 22-28
Aug. 31, 4 p.m.

Seven-card stud
Aug. 29-Sept. 4
Sept. 7, 4 p.m.

Five-card draw
Sept. 5-11
Sept. 14, 4 p.m.

Omaha
Sept. 12-18
Sept. 21, 4 p.m.

Short-handed no-limit hold'em
Sept. 19-25
Sept. 28, 4 p.m.

Pot-limit hold'em
Sept. 26-Oct. 2
Oct. 5, 4 p.m.

Omaha eight-or-better
Oct. 3-10
Oct. 12, 4 p.m.

No-limit hold'em
Oct. 11-16
Oct. 19, 4 p.m.


Those interested in taking part in this free promotion and representing either the USA or Canada can sign up for PokerStars today.

Poker Olympian?

Rumor from LaunchPoker.com....

Olympic swimming "Poseidon", Michael Phelps, apparently plays poker and is contemplating playing WSOPE (World Series of Poker Europe) event in London in September:

"Michael Phelps has the attention of the world after winning the eight golds at the Olympics, and the rumor is he may be headed for the World Series of Poker Europe to try his hand at poker. The WSOPE will take place in London this September, and it is the second year the WSOP Europe event will be held, the only such World Series of Poker event to be held outside of the United States. Phelps, who typically swims for 12 hours a day, will have the time to practice his Holdem now that he is the greatest Olympian of all time."

UPDATE: PA firehouse in Westmoreland

Updating my first post on the Seward Volunteer Fire Company in Westmoreland County having to pay back proceeds from a fund raiser Texas Hold Em tournament, here is the latest:

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!

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...

Sick Hand#3: The Suckout

Negreanu in a heads up tourny sucks out HARD against Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss.

Best part of this video is the very last thing Daniel says to Buss right before the video ends....

World Series of Poker Starts Today

Article via Cardplayer.com

Today, the 39th-Annual World Series of Poker starts its six-and-a-half-week long schedule of events with the three-day $10,000 World Championship of Pot-Limit Hold’em, and it will be interesting to see how many players show up for this big buy-in tourney, which is the most expensive one ever to kick-off of a WSOP.

Talk about starting with a bang.

From now until July 15 — and into November now that the main event’s final table won’t take place until then — the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas becomes Poker Central. Likely more than 50,000 entries will be collected through the 55 events, and thousands of other poker fans will flood the Amazon Room for a peek at the players they have followed through Card Player and television. It will be a poker madhouse.