Yes, Begged!

The thieves in DC have pulled off a great con! All along, they (Republicans) want to tax the (disappearing) middle class to extinction. There is a very large number of us who have fallen to the depths of begging to be taxed… for the “privilege” of playing Poker online!

Forget about the fact the MILLIONS play online around the world without the albatross hanging around their necks. They don’t have our elected thieves! Forget about the fact that what we do with OUR time and OUR money should be OUR choices. Here! PLEASE Tax us! Please take a chunk of our money! The Gov’t hook is in our mouths… it’s set, and we’re being reeled in!

I don’t know about you, but I’m so tired of the same old song coming out of Washington… Do anything to defeat Obama! Do anything to divide the classes! Do anything to protect the wealthy! Do anything to oppress the poor!

I received an email this week from the “Poker Player’s Alliance” that participated in a conference hosted by the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) to discuss the outlook for licensed Internet poker with state lawmakers, lottery officials, and tribal leaders.

In the report, the PPA states:

“Unfortunately, it is abundantly clear that the states’ sole interest in perusing licensing is to raise revenue, and that should be a concern for players. Public policy centered on maximizing government revenues will never produce positive outcomes for consumers. While revenue is a natural byproduct of regulation, it should first be about protecting players and giving adults the freedom to engage in a game of skill over the Internet, rather than about maximizing the rake by limiting competition.”

We don’t have enough pockets for everyone!

The report goes on: the PPA is a strong supporter of Rep. Barton’s H.R. 2366, the Online Poker Act. H.R. 2366 puts consumers first, while giving states the option of participating in licensed Internet poker.

It is important that we continue making our voices heard in our state capitals. We need to continue paving the way so that each governor makes the right decision here. Let’s all tell our governors and state elected representatives that we want the right to play poker in our own homes on our own computers and that we want them to support federal legislation to enable this freedom.

To make this easy for you, they’ve created an editable letter to send to your state officials. You can get it here:

http://www.capwiz.com/pokerplayersalliance/issues/alert/?alertid=50908541&type=ML

Finally, if you want to get involved, or simply read what others are doing, you can subscribe to the PPA Newsletter here:

http://theppa.org/subscribe/

Disclaimer: It’s only one game into the new Basketball season.

Fact: Portland Trailblazers beat up on Philadelphia.

Conclusion: Maybe I was a bit hasty in my assessment of the Blazers (not of Paul Allen).

Last night, I attended the opening night of this 2011-2012 NBA Basketball season for the Portland Trailblazers at the Rose Garden.

Believe me: the final score is NOT indicative of how lopsided the game was. The TBs  fell behind in the first quarter (2 – 0) but gained the lead and never looked back. They out performed the Sixers in every aspect of the game.

Now what makes this important to me? Well, I had written them off (as my previous posts indicated) as forever-inept… AND having lost their star players: Brandon Roy, Greg Oden (again), and LaMarcus Aldridge (albeit temporarily) – I felt (knew) that front office decisions in the last minutes since the lockout and before the opening game once again meant doom for the team.

I haven’t seen any good decisions there in years (ever?)…

But, I have a friend (Jeff) who’s a BIG TB fan… and yesterday he told me that this is the BEST team that’s ever worn the TB colors! Huge! I know!… so, I decided to attend the opening night game to see for myself (thanks for the Cap and for the Chalupa).

My good friend Matt from Las Vegas is here visiting, he’s always up for a challenge, (He’s NEVER seen the TBs win in person – now THAT’S a challenge) so off we went…

I was surprised. Jeff might have been right! Again, it’s way too early to be singing their praises, but what I saw from the last minute additions to the team is impressive!

UPDATE:

Tonight, the Sacramento Kings came into the Rose Garden and were slaughtered as if lambs amongst lions. I’m impressed again.. and especially with the star of this game (and IMO last night’s game too): Gerald Wallace!

Not there’s a real ironic twist: A man with the initials “GW” that I can like!

Dear Paul,

You fell into a great deal when you befriended Bill Gates, but it seems that’s the last good decision you’ve made. Your businesses have been far less than stellar and very weird (UFOs, Old Rock ‘n Roll, Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame etc). I won’t discuss high tech disasters like Layered Inc, Skypix, Charter, Egghead, and Interval Research (you can’t even successfully sue over patents – even Harry Potter beat you). Even Microsoft is better off since (because of) your departure.  But I want to concentrate on something closer and dearer to the hearts of my readers… your other love; Sports.

As the owner of the Seattle Seahawks, some unknown team in an unknown sport (soccer) and of course, the Portland Trailblazers you have reached the pinnacle of mediocrity. Even the Trailblazers franchise has a very checkered past under your leadership. You bought it lock, stock and barrel from a good owner and management team at a time when it was hitting on all cylinders. But what has it done lately????

Nothing! I can’t say it any clearer nor eloquently. The team has done nothing! You might have taken a page from the past and not made the horrendous mistake of passing up Kevin Durant for some guy …. what’s his name? Oh Yeah – Greg Oden! But no! You repeated the monumental screwup of passing on Michael Jordan for … what’s his name? Oh Yeah – Sam Bowie.

Now we learn that Greg got a new contract (1 year for over 8 Million Bucks) and then “suffered a setback” which will keep him of the court this season too!  hmmmm – 60-some games in 4 years… He’s been paid about a $1Million a game I guess! So, you sign him to a one-year contract for over $8Million and he goes down! If you like giving away your money like that, why don’t you give it to eight of us and see what we can do with the $1Million each?

But wait – there’s more: Brandon Roy the TB All-Star had to retire after 5 years???? 5 years! What do you do? … walk under ladders? …break mirrors on purpose? …live with hundreds of black cats?

The team has lost LA too? He was carrying the team on his talented back to the point where his heart couldn’t take anymore???

So what do you do? You sign Kurt Thomas! Wasn’t Larry King available? KT is the oldest NBA player short of the rest home… and you want him!

Don’t make the Portland Trailblazers another of your long line of failures…. get out! Sell the team, you’ll make about $300 Million profit…. isn’t that enough for you? Betcha can’t find 4 people in Portland that like your handling of “their ” team!

To be continued (sadly)

It seems to me that we’ve been handed the best tool available for getting Online Gambling legalized in the US.

Poker is a great pastime, and we’ve proven that by skirting the law, avoiding the funding restrictions, and ignoring the UIGEA.

… and what did we get? Screwed! Screwed out of our money by unscrupulous, greedy operators of such sites as: Full Tilt Poker, Ultimate Bet, and Absolute Poker. Doesn’t that alone SCREAM for US Regulation? It’s the US Department of Justice that brought those cheating executives down for the good of the whole World… and the good of Poker, Online Gambling, and players everywhere.

I have to say “I told you so”. I’m still against the UIGEA… more so than ever! Can anyone now say that US intervention is wrong? Can anyone now say to the US Gov’t – “Hands Off Internet Gambling”?

Here’s today’s news:
“Last week, the U.S. Justice Department in a civil suit accused several directors of the company behind the Full Tilt Poker website of defrauding thousands of online poker players out of more than $300 million that is still owed to them.

The Justice Department’s civil suit against Full Tilt alleges that in 2010, Full Tilt began having trouble accepting new bets from players, thanks to U.S. efforts to crack down on payment-processing services for online gambling. But the U.S. says that Full Tilt’s owners kept paying themselves millions of dollars anyway, fraudulently depleting the player funds on deposit with the company.”

Re-read that my friends “Full Tilt began having trouble accepting new bets from players, thanks to U.S. efforts to crack down on payment-processing services for online gambling”

“Thanks to U.S. efforts”… so what did the directors do? They went on paying themselves $Millions! Can you say “Madoff”? They all belong in the same prison!

This would not have happened if Bush hadn’t snuck the damn UIGEA into the Ports Protection bill late on a Friday night… (See the whole story elsewhere in this blog). No, instead, we’d have US regulations, US taxes, and US protection – not from ourselves (as the addiction chicken-littles profess) but from thieves operating under the guise of Officers of the Corporations.

So, again I ask you all to get behind the efforts to eliminate the UIGEA for the good of us all (yes – ALL … think what the tax revenues will do FOR us). Contact our hero, our front-man, our point… Rep. Barney Frank D-Mass, and let him know that he’s on the right course, and that you support his efforts to right this wrong!

DOJ says Full Tilt was a global Ponzi scheme
20 September 2011

By Dan Igo

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Tuesday that Full Tilt Poker operated as a “global Ponzi scheme” and that its primary owners, including poker professionals Howard Lederer and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, defrauded the site’s players out of hundreds of millions of dollars.

The DOJ filed a motion to amend an earlier civil complaint against Full Tilt Poker to include “additional allegations, claims, and defendants concerning a fraudulent scheme by Full Tilt Poker and its Board of Directors concerning the misuse of players’ funds,” according to a memorandum sent out by Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney from the Southern District of New York.

“Full Tilt was not a legitimate poker company, but a global Ponzi scheme,” Bharara said in a statement. “Full Tilt insiders lined their own pockets with funds picked from the pockets of their most loyal customers while blithely lying to both players and the public alike about the safety and security of the money deposited.”

Lederer, Ferguson, former CEO Ray Bitar and Rafael “Rafe” Furst, all owners of Full Tilt Poker, are accused of distributing approximately $443 million to themselves and other owners of the company. The amended complaint alleges that Full Tilt mixed player funds with operating funds, despite public claims to the contrary by the site.

The DOJ said that by the end of March, Full Tilt Poker owed approximately $390 million to players worldwide, including $150 million to American players, but had less than $60 million in its bank accounts.

“Full Tilt Poker allowed players to gamble with — and lose to other players — this phantom money that Full Tilt Poker never actually collected or possessed,” the DOJ said in a memo.

Lederer, Ferguson and Furst were not included in the original April 15 indictment against the founders of Full Tilt Poker, PokerStars and Absolute Poker. Those three sites were accused of bank fraud, money laundering, illegal gambling offenses and violating the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. All three stopped taking American players shortly after the indictment.

Repaying players has been a totally different matter. PokerStars has paid more than $120 million to American players, and has had no significant delays in paying its international customer base. Full Tilt and Absolute Poker, meanwhile, still owe their players millions of dollars..

The amended complaint claims that Lederer personally received $42 million in company funds, while Ferguson was allocated over $85 million in distributions, but only received about $25 million of this sum.

An unnamed Full Tilt Poker pro received at least $40 million in distributions, while also receiving millions of dollars characterized as loans by Full Tilt. Over $4 million of these loans have not been repaid.

The amendment also states that up until April 2011, Full Tilt Poker continued making payments of up to $10 million per month to its owners, despite the company’s liquidity issues.

Full Tilt Poker’s website stated as of yesterday that players’ funds were “safe and secure.”

The DOJ is seeking $40 million from Bitar, $41.8 million from Lederer, $25 million from Ferguson and $11.7 million from Furst.

(Reprinted from Casino City Times)

I haven’t been able to log in to FTP today, and I heard that Alderney Gambling Control Commission has suspended Full Tilt Poker’s license.

What’s the meaning of that?

Is it Temporary? Forever?

This is all I could find so far: 
http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/29/2983486/full-tilts-offshore-gambling-license.html

And this:

“Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) has today issued Hearing Notices under Regulation 46 of its Regulations to Vantage Ltd, Oxalic Ltd, Filco Ltd and Orinic Ltd, collectively trading as FULL TILT POKER.

In addition, AGCC has issued Suspension Notices under Regulation 47 to the above named companies requiring them to suspend all operations with immediate effect.

The decision to suspend these licenses follows a special investigation prompted by the indictments unsealed by U.S. Attorney General’s Office in the Southern District of New York on April 15, 2011, during which grounds were found to indicate that these licensees and their business associates were operating contrary to Alderney legislation. The nature of the findings necessitated the taking of immediate action in the public interest.

The venue and date for the hearing will be announced in due course.

Issued by:

André Wilsenach (Executive Director)
Alderney Gambling Control Commission
Alderney,
Channel Islands

Date issued: 29th June 2011”

Read more: http://www.pokernews.com/news/2011/06/breaking-news-full-tilt-poker-license-suspended-by-agcc-10629.htm

Oops! I did it again! (apologies to Britney)

The Preakness Stakes is over. My picks:

1) Animal Kingdom

2) Mucho Macho Man

3) Dialed In

4) Shackleford

Hmmmmm. Not so good – huh?

Shackleford and his rider teamed up for a brilliant race. He went to the front as expected. He put up an incredible first quarter time (very smart) then – slowed down for the next two calls (and that was the Brilliant part) to make it a more comfortable pace – and of course, held on for the win. I must admit that I didn’t like his chances, and then when I saw how he was acting up during the post parade I was convinced that I was right in writing him off.

My  pick to win: Animal Kingdom broke out of the gate poorly, and was farther back than he was in the Kentucky Derby and that coupled with a tough final turn and a wall of horses throwing dirt in his face, came up just short of overtaking Shackleford for the win. If it had been a sixteenth longer (or more like the Belmont Stakes coming up in 3 weeks) he would have won easily. Watch him do it at Belmont.

My pick for second place was Mucho Macho Man and admittedly that was a bet from my heart and not my head. He did well to finish 6th.

My pick for third was Dialed In, and he finished a respectful 4th. He’s always a bridesmaid, never a bride!

… now, on to the Belmont Stakes… Maybe I can do better there. And as of right now, IF he runs, my pick will be once again: Animal Kingdom.

Stay tuned…

I must admit, I missed the Kentucky Derby completely! I never even considered Animal Kingdom. Shame on me!

So, that behind me, I’ll take a look at today’s Preakness Stakes (about an hour away as I write this).

Animal Kingdom is indeed the favorite right now at 5/2 (very betable). AK has a great final kick which showed in the Kentucky Derby and is helpful in this shorter trek. The trainer: Graham Motion has a perfect record in that he’s never been even charged with violations (so he set up lots of security around AK because someone would love to inject him with performance enhancing drugs to show that he and the spokesman (Barry Irwin) for the owner  20-man group: Team Valor are dirty). Motion is unconventional (only 4 races before the KD, and never on dirt and none in 6 weeks prior to that race).  John Velasquez on board again thanks to a freak accident that sidelined his regular rider on Kentucky Derby day.

Second in the betting (7/2): Dialed In has more to lose ($6.1M) and has a better final time than AK (second only to Secretariat).

Third in the current betting is well deserved: Mucho Macho Man is third in the betting at 9/2. He’s the biggest horse (17hands) in the race today. He’s 8/9 top 3 finishers. Kathy Ritvo is the hottie that wants to be the first woman to win a triple crown race? And oh yeah – she’s a heart transplant patient. So I’m really hoping she pulls this off today!

Shackleford wants a slow trip, but must go farther and doesn’t seem to be able to do it.

Midnight Interlude has some chance with his new jockey (Garcia), and will run closer to the pace today since running back hurt him in the Kentucky Derby.

Of course, there are 14 horses running, and in a crowd, anything can happen. But on paper, I have to go with the favorite today… Kentucky Derby winner: Animal Kingdom… MMM is my “longshot” winner. And my Exacta selection. Put AK on top of MMM to everyone for the Trifecta… and for kicks, MMM/AK/Everyone.

Ok, it’s almost post time…. Here’s hoping!

UPDATE: AK = 3/1 (still ok to bet)

DI = 4/1

MMM = 9/2

My Squidoo lenses were “locked” today. That means taken down, unpublished, hidden away, destroyed, obliterated, bombed, and killed. Know why? Because they were about the Horse races; Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and one about Las Vegas (and how to save money on your next visit).

Those lenses were labeled by the Squidoo Brainiacs as Gambling.

These were simple lenses of information – that’s all – information. But the Squidoo Fools called the lenses: “Gambling”

Gambling!

How often must I say this? How often must I cry in the dark? What does it take to get through to some people? What must my message be to convince the powers-at-be that:

EVERYTHING WE DO IS A GAMBLE. You’ve seen my writings in the past about Stocks, and Bonds, and Insurance, and what we buy at the Grocery store, and which Mate we choose…. on and on and on and on and on and…

Until ALL lenses are removed (show me one that isn’t about Gambling) then the removal of mine is highly, HIGHLY discriminatory!!!! Perhaps, even illegal.

I look forward to the day when this “Gambling phobia” is challenged in court and made illegal!!!!

I read last week that one elementary school has decided that their student can’t have Easter Eggs… they must only have: “Spring Spheres”. oh brother!

So, if that kind of nonsense gets it’s day in court, then mine must too!

I maintain that one can’t decide on any thing over any other thing without that act being a “gamble”.

What say you?…

Oh, and one more thing: Squidoo? Grow up!

Yes, Surprise was the word of the day yesterday as the Titanic of horse racing, the 1-9 favorite Uncle Mo lost to two (not just one, but two – Toby’s Corner and Arthur’s Tale)  rivals in the Wood Memorial.

BTW: As you know, I had picked Uncle Mo to win that race (as did everyone else it seems – after all, he went off at 1-9) so that was a loss. What I didn’t have time to tell most of you was this. When Uncle Mo showed those odds (1-9) I jumped off him! At those odds, no horse is bettable because you risk your money for a very small return… it’s just not smart! So, the play in this case was to bet EVERY OTHER HORSE to win… and hope for an upset. Because, the closest odds to the favorite was an amazing 17-1 (late betting pushed him down to 8-1 – may have been his connections who always bet at the very last moment)… the other horses were well into the high 20′s, the 30′s, and beyond. So, place one unit on each of the other horses to win, and 2 units on the favorite-of-the-rest (8-1).

Playing $10 units, your bet would have been $90, and your return was nearly $200.

At the start of that race, Uncle Mo was also the favorite to win the Kentucky Derby. Less than two minutes later… dog meat! Well, that’s a little harsh, he’s still a good horse in a so-so crop of 3 year olds. That’s horse racing! As we know, anything can and does happen. Unless it’s discovered that Uncle Mo was injured (and Bob Baffert said he tore a quarter at the gate) Uncle Mo had no excuses as the times were very, very slow.

Here, see for yourself:

So, where does that leave us in the hunt for a winner on May 7th at Churchill Downs? It doesn’t appear at this moment that we’re going to have a Triple Crown Winner… again! (1978 was the last)

Ok, Uncle Mo’s an also ran, Dialed In barely beat a 68-1 long shot, Premier Pegasus is out with an injury, Jaycito too… Where’s Beetlebomb when you need him?

All of this makes next week’s race at my favorite race track in all of North America very much in the spotlight.

If The Factor wins the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn next week, he will undoubtedly be the favorite in the Kentucky Derby as well.