The Busts are True! Poker Needs You to Keep it Legal!

When I first read through the website of the newly formed Poker Players Alliance, I liked the site and thought the "dummy" articles they placed on the home page at http://www.pokerplayersalliance.org were quite eye-catching. But I was subsequently shocked to learn that they were not mock articles, but true news stories.



What? I had just read that Phil Hellmuth's Poker Challenge, which had been scheduled to take place in Houston, Texas, earlier this year, had been shut down by governmental agencies despite the fact that the seminar and tournament would have raised an estimated $250,000 for the Houston chapter of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. How could this be?



Another article on the site told the story of John Dellamura, who is facing charges in a New Jersey Superior Court for promoting gambling and possession of gambling equipment. The charges stemmed from Dellamura organizing a Texas hold'em tournament at the Pop Warner youth football league clubhouse as a fundraiser to benefit the organization and provide uniforms for the kids. What the heck is going on?



The article that really grabbed me was the one about a group of senior citizens from Plano, Texas, who played poker at the senior citizens center for nickels, dimes, and quarters. They recently were told by City Manager Dale Cheatham that this is no longer allowed. They still could play, but could not engage in the low-stakes betting that had been the practice for the past four or five years.



Another senior citizens center that caters to Vietnamese Americans has been evicted from one of its two buildings and faces the possibility of losing the second one after charges that members are allowed to gamble. Prosecutors accused the association of running a gambling hall where seniors played an ancient Vietnamese card game. The center's attorney plans to fight the charges, and said, "Friends wager money on golf courses and yet nobody's prosecuting them. It's sickening. They are octogenarians playing card games, not running a gambling casino."



I couldn't stop reading as one article after another told of outlandish governmental interference and regulations that were causing poker events around the country to be cancelled, players to be arrested, and home games to be raided. I subsequently met with Sam Gorewitz (PPA president) and Jason Newburg (PPA marketing coordinator), who were very eager to answer all of my questions about the association. According to Gorewitz, the PPA is a registered 501C4 nonprofit membership organization comprised of poker enthusiasts who have joined together to promote the game, ensure its integrity, and protect our rights to play poker. On behalf of its broad membership, the Alliance will promote and protect poker through advocacy work in Washington DC and throughout the nation.



After learning more about the PPA, I agreed to become an honorary board member and also serve as a board director because I like the fact that it is a nonprofit organization and believe that this is the first association that really deals with players' legal rights. Other honorary members supporting the PPA are Nolan Dalla, Kathy Kohlberg, Paul Darden, Mark Gregorich, Greg Dinkin, Jan Fisher, Allyn Jaffrey Shulman, and Kelly O'Hara, who all believe in the cause of players' rights.



"Although the arrest of poker players and raids of poker events across the United States rarely hits the major newspapers, the threats are real," said Nolan Dalla, who is the media director for the World Series of Poker.



Whether you make your living working in the poker industry, play professionally, or are a recreational player who enjoys playing in a local bar, tavern, or friend's house, I encourage you to go online to http://www.pokerplayersalliance.org/ and read more about their goals and plans. A large membership base is necessary to get the attention of Congress, so I urge you to join the PPA today. A one-year standard membership is $14.95, and it includes web access, membership card, and key chain tag. A one-year premium membership is $19.95, and it includes the benefits of the standard membership plus a really cool T-shirt.



I get newspaper clippings almost every day with articles about various charities whose fundraisers have been cancelled or fraternal organizations that are no longer allowed to have poker games in their venues due to legislative threats. In fact, I just read that the Veterans of Foreign Wars in West Seneca, New York, was fined $1,500 for running poker games. Enough, already! Our collective voice can make a difference in protecting our rights to play poker.



Now, let's play poker.

Linda is available to host poker events, corporate functions, and seminars. You can contact her through her websites at http://www.cardplayercruises.com/ or http://www.lindapoker.com/.