This morning, April 26, 2007, Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) proposed legislation that could drastically alter the outlook for the future of online poker. His proposed H.R. 2046 “The Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007” (’IGREA’) is the latest in what will be an ongoing series of fights that will redefine online poker. The details of what he has proposed and the shifting lineup of supporters and opponents underscores for the importance of paying attention and keeping current.

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The charity poker tournament itself started at 12:35 PM. We had 1,000 in chips and 20 minute levels. The tournament was designed to move fast because of the rebuy structure and the – oh, hell, it was for charity and we were playing for next to nothing. I was initially assigned to one of the cheap seats (a/k/a the main poker room) but got moved to table 60, seat 2 in the tournament room before the first hand.

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There was a HUGE turnout for Jennifer’s tournament. It looked like over 200 entries, and probably a quarter of them have World Series bracelets.

This was a gigantic money maker for a very worthy cause. Jennifer Harman is a real lover of animals. I’m not a vegetarian and I believe medical testing on animals is important to researching certain diseases. But the humane treatment of animals is one of those great causes with which no one can quarrel.

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While we were waiting for Jennifer Harman’s tournament to start at Caesars, there was plenty of time for milling around. Katie Lindsay gave her camera to someone, who took a picture of me, Katie, and Shannon Elizabeth.

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“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” Groucho Marx

On Friday, I participated in the Jennifer Harman charity poker tournament to benefit the Nevada SPCA. These were my notes, prettied up a bit and better organized.

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I will write up my adventures with Ted Forrest and at Jennifer Harman’s charity poker tournament ASAP. I’m in my room at the Bellagio – thanks to the help of Doug Dalton and his assistant Karen in getting me a great rate (the poker rate) on a busy, busy weekend – after watching the beginning of the WPT Championship. I’m also waiting to play an Iron Man heads-up match against rockyruu. He gets $5,000 if he wins, and a chance for more against Perry Friedman and Andy Bloch.

$5,000? I think if Jo Anne divorced me, she’d have trouble getting that much. The pressure in on me here, really.

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I just completed my heads-up match with rockyruu. Here is something I can tell you about heads-up play: when you get great cards, you can beat people in a hurry. So when I swagger around telling everyone what a heads-up terminator I am, add your imaginary parenthetical “(when you get hit in the head by the deck)”.

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[I will shortly give you the last installment of Prisoner of the Bellagio but I want to keep you updated on new business.]

I am back at the Bellagio, shopping for cars with Ted Forrest, playing in Jennifer Harman’s charity poker tournament, and following the first day of the WPT Championship. Also, please note, that I am one of the pros playing in the Iron Man Heads-Up on Saturday afternoon. I’m leading off against Iron Man winner rockyruu. Perry Friedman will play him after me, and Andy Bloch will finish up. I will watch the first hour of the WPT Championship, run upstairs, and do battle. I hope you’ll watch to see how it turns out, and I’ll write about the experience if you miss it.

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Sorry for not completing my Prisoner of the Bellagio series and, for those of persevered, for finding the blog amid some troubles that Full Tilt is trying to work out. I’ve gotten derailed by a couple other writing commitments, taxes, and online poker. But I’m about to kick it into gear.

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[This was written based on notes I took before falling asleep at 4 AM on Saturday, April 7.]

I got over to Roxana’s at a little after 11 PM, just before Ted. Roxana was cooking dinner. She is an excellent cook and, in the old world tradition, instinctively sensitive about you not eating her cooking. She made a chicken dish, a rice dish, a soup, a salad, and brewed tea.

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