More Odds and Ends

Congratulations, Daniel! … Fellow Card Player columnist Daniel Negreanu is writing a weekly newspaper column that's carried by more than 35 newspapers with a combined daily circulation of 4 million readers, including the Boston Globe, Detroit News, Toronto Sun, Philadelphia Inquirer, Houston Chronicle, and The Seattle Times. Negreanu's target audience is the home-game and Internet poker market. Way to go, Daniel!



What Will They Think Of Next? The competition to attract online players leads to bigger, better, and more intriguing bonuses to players. One site has come up with a unique promotion; it is giving away cows as a bonus to players who sign up. Yes, you read it correctly – cows! However, don't fear, you won't get a cow delivered to your house. A cow will be donated to a poor family in the Third World in the name of the player who signs up.



Giving the finger … So, if you think the cow giveaway is a strange online promotion, did you hear the one about the poker player who has staked his own finger? Carl Valentine was playing poker with a multimillionaire friend who bet him a million dollars that he could not send 2 million unique visitors to a specific website by April 18, 2006. Because he didn't have the money to cover the bet, Valentine pledged his right index finger. If Valentine wins the bet, he gets to play online in a heads-up match against his "friend." If he wins, he will get the million dollars, but if he loses, he will have his finger amputated. I certainly hope that this is just a publicity stunt.



Texas Outlaws Poker Runs … Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott announced that poker runs are illegal under current Texas laws. Poker runs have become a very popular means of raising money for charity. Participants pay a registration fee or buy cards at various stops along the route, and at the end of the run, a cash prize is usually given to the player who ends up with the best poker hand. Abbott declared that poker runs with cash prizes are in violation of the state's ban on gambling, because the participants pay money for a chance to win a prize. Abbott said, "Thus we conclude the nonprofit organization would become a custodian of a bet in violation of the state Penal Code."



Many police and fire departments, as well as motorcycle clubs, have used poker runs as a means of generating donations for their charitable causes. The run that prompted Abbott's decision was promoted by the Blue Knights Texas XXXI chapter as a fundraiser for Galveston Deputy Sheriff Michel Roy, who was injured in a work-related accident when his squad car was involved in a collision with a drunk driver's car.



Online Poker Rises In Popularity … Online poker is attracting more and more players every day. It is estimated that more than $60 billion was gambled on poker websites around the world in 2005.



Goodbye to Poker … Major leaguer Alex "A-Rod" Rodriguez, who had been spotted playing at some of New York's poker parlors, has decided to quit playing, at least in public places.



A-Rod said he had been to the poker clubs with friends who were visiting from Miami because he wanted to "be a human being and have a little fun." But after being awarded his second American League MVP award in three seasons, he commented, "Obviously, it wasn't the right thing to do. In retrospect, it is probably a place I shouldn't have gone."



Although it is against the law for New York's underground poker club operators to take a cut of the pot, it is not illegal to play poker. Rodriguez did not break any laws.



WPT Boot Camp … The 2006 WPT Boot Camp schedule has been finalized. I will be teaching at least four camps this year, and I invite you to attend to learn more about no-limit hold'em play. The curriculum is outstanding, and I often receive e-mail from past students who have had great poker successes since attending a WPT Boot Camp.



Now, let's play poker.

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