Breaking the Big Story – the PPA, US Attorney’s Office, and our Liberty

Posted by icemonkey9 on Jun 10, 2009 in poker | 3 comments

If you remember my blog entry regarding the ridiculous deposit caper, you'll now realize I was actually hinting at a story that I was in the process of breaking for the last week and a half. It wasn't hard to do the math, with Instant eChecks suddenly being taken off the site (brutal for the games) and then paper checks cut by the major poker rooms bouncing left and right. The kicker in this case was the absolute deathly silence by the PPA and both poker rooms regarding the matter and once I started investigating, it became plainly obvious that something major had gone down. Although when I alerted my editors at pokernewsdaily.com about what I believed to be happening I was somewhat put on the backburner, in a days time my story suddenly got #1 priority. I have site editor/manager Dan Cypra to thank for his support and lending his resources to me for my research.

Although I can't reveal all my sources that assisted my efforts, I am honored to be the individual that broke the story for the poker industry about the US Government seizing bank accounts belonging to payment processors. They did so, according to the PPA, without as much as a seizure warrant - which would be a blatant disregard for constitutional rights. The US Attorney's Office out of New York is citing the Wire Act (circa 1964) as their means for acting but at the end of the day, with all the legal gray area in regards to "Gambling vs. Poker" and the UIGEA, there's no way to know where either party really stands.

The PPA has finally come forward now that they have a prepared statement and gathered their resources to start fighting the acts of the US Government in court. It looks like the ammunition is in favor of the PPA with a slew of legal victories in multiple states where poker playing was attacked - such as the recent bid by the state of Minnesota to block internet poker (among other possible internet activities), which was recently dropped.

For years since the UIGEA was drafted, we've all been waiting for the legal showdown to determine poker's legality in the United States to finally get out of the gray area and into the light of day. The issue is one mostly met by absolute indifference by most of the American public, with this story not even cracking the CNN.com top-15 stories (some of which included a puppy rescue, a 100 year old woman eating at McDonalds and a story about birds diving and attacking people walking to work). The point is most of the American public could care less if people are playing online poker, and if you suggest to them that it can be regulated (prevents industry fraud) and taxed (raising sorely needed revenue for states) they are all for it. The only people against it are the hardened right-wing side of the government who are dogmatically rooted in the "moral fight" to keep "gambling" away from children. Their arguments rest around "fighting money laundering to keep funds away from terrorists" and "keeping our children safe from the evils of gambling addiction" which are both over-sensationalized attempts at propaganda to swing the average person (who again, cares more about old ladies eating at McDonalds) to think that legalizing and regulating online gaming is something we should avoid at all costs.

I salute the PPA and am very happy I became a paid member of the organization some months ago. I know that the very small contribution I made is now working towards a voice in Washington that would otherwise be unheard in our democracy. The big fight for our online freedom has finally come and history is about to be made. I'm glad that I had a very tiny role in bringing the truth to light and (ideally) help jump-start people to become activists for their cause.

Way Too Tilted

Posted by icemonkey9 on Jun 9, 2009 in 6max | 1 comment

Unfortunately this is another sucky post in terms of "how I am doing at the NLHE tables" for recent play. The results at the tables have been horrendous and I think I'm more upset about realizing how tightly wound up I am and how tilted I am playing at the NLHE tables these days. Hit a string of coolers + cold cards = weak passive play tilt-a-thon. I'm spewing now, so I know it's time to quit playing Hold'em for a while. The thought of looking at HEM right now makes me sick. The good news is that before things got really ugly, I got myself away and did a nice good honest reflection of how things were going. These periods of tilt/bad-play come up for all players and the best possible way to approach it is to calm down, assess what's going on and then take appropriate patient action.

I wish I could say it's a string of horrible beats but the last few days has been plainly bad play. A good friend and math genius, C9, was really cool enough to do a video, where the tough love came out and really exposed my "confidence-tilt" for what it is right now. I'm doing just the most random stuff like turn and river betting ridiculously small, and slow playing marginal hands at the flop. It's like I decided to abandon the game I was playing last month and play terrible poker this month.

So, I'm down, it sucks more because it's not bad beats but bad play this time - it just hurts so much more when you lose because you're BAD at poker lol. Doesn't feel good to admit it either. In the meantime I'm finishing up an investigation into a story to see if some of the major poker rooms have actually lost their means to have funds available for players. I'm actually pretty concerned about two sites in particular but I don't want to post anything because nothing is concrete. However the fact that none of the major rooms will go on record or make any announcements is *very* troubling in my mind. Can't reveal too much but the truth is coming...

Sunday Coolerville

Posted by icemonkey9 on Jun 7, 2009 in coolers | 0 comments

You guessed by the title of this entry that today ain't going to well for me. It started great, then the damn floor dropped out from under me. Here's the worst hand of the day... villain is a 21/14/3 who folds to 3bets 55%.

You've got to be kidding me right? He calls a 3bet to $13 with 44 oop? AND HITS a set while I hit TPTK. Unreal. Anyways ya, have to admit that tilted me.

Here's a hand against a 38/0/2 over a good amount of hands. That turn bet is just ridiculous ... I mean really, he has 67 or 44 there.

Anyways when the game starts to speed up and I start to not think through plays I recognize I'm tilted and fortunately I just quit while only down about $112 which absolutely sucks but that's life. June has been real rough at the tables and I'm hoping it turns around soon.

100nl 6max at the New Site

Posted by icemonkey9 on Jun 7, 2009 in 100nl | 1 comment

So I'm now in full swing at the new site with a 20 buy-in bankroll after being able to deposit (yet again) via credit card. Assuming my check from Stars doesn't bounce (fun to be in the middle of THAT whole international controversy!) I'll be sending my CC the necessary funds to cover the deposit which I got a 100% bonus on. I am now up to $1,800 in bonus money to unlock which unfortunately goes slowly but between the bonus money, points for cash and the rakeback at the site, I'm doing a lot better rewards-wise than I was at Stars. Does Stars care that they lost a customer that normally pays them about $900 a month (in rake)? No. They should though, I think I'm not going to be the last one that does this, especially if legislation gets passed to open up poker in the USA (for the love of SANITY I hope it does).

Anyways, to say the new site is full of bad regs and fish is an understatement. Saturday tables are naturally fishier than normal but today was just beyond the realm of comprehension. It's like the "good" regs don't like money. For example, this was against the "best" villain at the table (stats wise at least lol):

Beyond Reason and Sanity

Okay, so let me explain my play here. KQ suited from UTG+1 is really not normally something I play from there unless the table is weak/passive postflop which this one was. I get a two callers and my position sucks but I flop well with two overs and the King high flush draw. I was seriously thinking of the best way to get BOTH their stacks in. I figured if I led out that would be the best move, but I wanted to try to get one of these guys to bet at the flop and either flat to get all of us to the turn for action or just pop it up big time. Anyways I elected to flat which I really regret now but hey the hand would have turned out the same way. The turn I stick to the plan to try to get the pot to about $100 to the river which could conceivably be enough for all of us to get it in. The button bets $20 which I am really happy about, I flat and gleefully the other guy calls too and I get my wish of a big pot three way and we're all still deep. I figured if I raise there on the turn it just *screams* made flush. The turn is a beauty in the 7 which fills the straight draws!! I lead out with a half pot bet thinking it's a no brainer that someone comes over-the-top and we get stacks in (ideally all 3!). Instead Player 1 folds (WTF did he fold here!??! Why did he want to see the river if the 7 didn't help him!?!??!) and Player 2 on the button FLATS ... with ... THE FUCKING NUTS!??! Are you kidding me?! LOL - again I'm in the weird spot of being shocked at my opponent's cards and at the same time a little grateful he didn't get the last ~$46 of my stack. Unreal! He typed in the chat, "honestly put you on the straight flush" which is just stunning. Anyways, weird hand, probably biffed the flop play but man what a weird result.

LOL at the villain's hand

If you can explain the villain's thinking and play here I'll send you $0.25 on PokerStars. Seriously, something rational that I can believe please.

Finally Got a Deposit + 100nl on New Site

Posted by icemonkey9 on Jun 6, 2009 in 100nl, 5400fpp, winner | 1 comment

Well I finally got the deposit working (first try no less) on the new site but for whatever reason they put in the wrong amount, so after a chat with the customer service department to the tune of "hey why did you get the deposit amount wrong by $30?!" I was finally rocking and rolling.  Unfortauntely I am still woefully short on my bankroll at the new site to be playing 100nl 6max, but I figured, what the hell, I know I'm good for the money overall so I decided to give it a swing.

The regs there are not good. I wouldn't say bad but the good profitable regs there are a far cry from what I am used to.  There's a few "regs" there that are just beyond the realm of understandable.  I think the contributed rake method seriously lets some players play a 50/1/2 game where they either flop the nuts or fold but get their rakeback either way.  Too bizarre.  Anyways these regs that show profit are 25/19 types that cbet like 50% of the time and tend to float too much, so it's nothing I can't handle.

Anyways, naturally during the first 100nl 6max session and underrolled at this site, I play one of the weirdest hands ever. Take a look!  The villain is a 70/1/2 over a good chunk of hands (guess I'd seen him at 50nl):

Bet ya didn't see THAT coming. I had such a wild mix of emotions.  First - absolute SHOCK that I lost it. Second - mild amusement that he just flatted my min-raise at the river (lol at the value bet there, I figured he'd auto-shove if I did that while there was a chance he'd fold if I shoved). Third - Quick rush if I hit the bad beat jackpot but lol oh yeah that's quad 8s or better. For fun I put the hand into pokerazor:

Now that is funny