The first line of the movie Rounders, which helped spark the poker boom in the late 90s, is “If you can’t spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker.” I played poker with a guy recently who made it incredibly easy to spot him as the sucker …
Category Archive: Poker
Feb 01 2013
Antigua Can Violate American IP Rights Legally
Someone sent me a link to this article about how the nation of Antigua is now allowed, under GATT, to violate American intellectual property laws as part of a WTO settlement of a dispute over the U.S. government preventing online gambling sites from operating in this country.
Jan 28 2013
Reid Screwed Up Online Poker Legalization
Politico reports that Sen. Harry Reid screwed up a chance to legalize online poker, though I’m not really crazy about the way it was going to be done. He did manage to get some Republicans on board but then apparently bungled the opportunity to get the package through the Senate (whether it would have passed …
Nov 04 2012
Explaining Poker Lingo
Whenever I write about poker, there will inevitably be a comment or two by someone to the effect of “Wha? I didn’t understand a word of that.” This is because poker, like most activities, has developed a lingo all its own that is foreign to someone who hasn’t played the game, or who has played …
Nov 02 2012
Probability and Political Predictions
Watching the right wing rage at Nate Silver is kind of amusing to watch. Andrew Sullivan points out that Silver’s predictions on the results of the election are quite in line with all the other major poll analysts and betting markets, while Jonathan Last tries to explain how probability works:
Oct 31 2012
World Series of Poker 2012
I stayed up pretty much all night on Tuesday night to watch the final three play for the title in the World Series of Poker main event and it was worth it. Three young guys, all in their 20s, had an amazing match. As I write this — I’ll update it later — they’ve played …
Oct 30 2012
Florida Keeps World Safe From Poker Players
Here’s yet another story about a police raid on a poker game, but it’s even worse than most such stories. This game didn’t even have a buy-in. It was a free tournament at a restaurant, where the winners get prizes and the restaurant gets the extra business. Clearly a threat to public safety, so they …
Aug 25 2012
Fed. Court Rules Poker a Game of Skill
A federal judge has ruled that poker is predominately a game of skill and not a form of gambling and therefore is not illegal under a federal law designed to prevent organized crime from running gambling operations.
Jul 19 2012
Romney: Transparency for Thee, Not for Me
Mitt Romney, in 1994: “It’s time the biggest-taxing senator in Washington shows the people of Massachusetts how much he pays in taxes.” Mitt Romney, also in 1994: “The blind trust is an age-old ruse.” Well isn’t that convenient?
Jul 14 2012
Why Online Gambling Should Be Legalized
Reason has a video that makes the case for legalizing online gambling, noting that much of the opposition to a California bill to do so came from the Indian casinos, who didn’t want the competition. But the rest of the gaming industry is now in favor of it because they want to start their own …
Apr 21 2012
Dogs Playing Poker!
Radley Balko has long posted pictures of his dogs on Sunday evenings, but lately he’s opened it up to readers to send in pictures of their dogs. And this week’s picture has dogs playing poker. But the dog owner wants to make a couple of things very clear:
Jan 28 2012
Casinos Sue To Stop Casinos
Here’s yet another example of the glaring hypocrisy of casino interests. In Lansing, Michigan a Native American tribe wants to open a casino and the mayor is all for the idea. But all the other casinos in the state, including other tribes, are filing suits to prevent it from happening.
Dec 29 2011
DOJ Approves Some Online Gambling
In a new development being hailed as great news by online gambling advocates, the Department of Justice has concluded that the Wire Act does not prohibit certain types of wagers over the internet. The decision is limited to state lotteries, but the logic behind it could help pave the way for online poker and other …
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