Poker News (March 13-20): UIGEA, Kentucky, WSOP TOC, Nosebleed Calm, Tony G’s letter to Phil Hellmuth

Posted by Dave McCarthy | Filed under Bloggers Corner

5. The high stakes scene at Full Tilt was relatively quiet, but Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond has two new videos out for those suffering Isildur1 withdrawal…

4. Tony G wrote an obnoxious open letter to Phil Hellmuth…

3. The World Series of Poker opened voting for 20 of 27 spots at its 2010 Tournament of Champions …

2. The Kentucky Supreme Court dealt a blank on the turn, but the online gambling industry picked up a ton of outs…

1. Senator Jon Kly’s (Rat-AZ) antics apparently worked, and the UIGEA will not be delayed again…

5. All Quiet on the Nosebleed Front

The high stakes scene at Full Tilt has been relatively quiet since Isildur1 dropped over a million dollars on March 15, mostly to rival Brian Hastings. Since then, Izzy’s only played a handful of sessions and is down a mere $96k.

In the absence of live nosebleed action to rail, check out Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond’s videos in which he discusses hands he played against Izzy.

4. Comments from the Rail on Tony G

If you remember from last week, Phil Hellmuth had a bit of a meltdown, curling into a ball on the floor when his pocket queens got cracked all-in pre-flop at the WPT Bay101 final table. In response, Tony G wrote an open letter to Phil saying that he was “worried about his mental health” and offering him some advice.

I received an email from a reader. I asked its author, Jill F., if I could publish it.

Dave,

Did you see the open letter from Tony G to Phil Hellmuth? Do you know anything about Tony G? I think one of these must be true:

Tony G has a really good sense of humor. His open letter to Phil Hellmuth simultaneously insulted Hellmuth and made Tony G look like a disingenuous, narcissistic clown. Self-deprecating humor is great, and it was funny seeing Tony G make himself look like an idiot.

Tony G actually is a disingenuous, narcissistic clown. He wrote an open letter to highlight the shortcomings of another person and kick him while he’s down. Then he closed the letter with “I have a big heart, you know that.”

I’m curious. Let me know.

Jill

I think it’s probably the latter.

3. WSOP Tournament of Champions Voting Begins

The World Series of Poker extended voting rights to the poker world. Of the 27 spots in the WSOP Tournament of Champions, 20 will be determined by fan voting. Of the other seven:

- three go to the three previous WSOP TOC winners: Annie Duke, Mike Matusow, and Mike Sexton

- two go to the reigning WSOP and WSOP-Europe Main Event champions: Joe Cada and Barry Shulman

- two are left for the WSOP to decide: hopefully Dave McCarthy and his +1: Isildur1

40,000 votes were cast in the first day alone, and voting remains open until June 15. My colleague AlCantHang has more info about the WSOP Tournament of Champions and an explanation of his votes.

2. The Kentucky Domain Name Seizure Case

The Kentucky Supreme Court finally issued a ruling in the domain name seizure case. Sort of.

Back in 2008, the Commonwealth of Kentucky seized 141 domain names (including Full Tilt’s) that it argued constituted “illegal gambling devices.” In Kentucky law, “illegal gambling devices” usually refer to physical devices like roulette wheels.

The Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (IMEGA) and Interactive Gaming Council (IGC) are representing the owners of those 141 domain names, but the Court ruled that they did not have the right to do so. Justice Mary C. Noble’s majority opinion stated, “Although [the gaming industry’s] arguments may have merit, none can even be considered unless presented by a party with standing. No such party has appeared at the original proceedings in Franklin Circuit Court, the writ petition at the Court of Appeals, or on the appeal here to this Court.”

Representatives of the online gaming industry seemed confident that as soon as their case is re-filed with proper standing, the State’s attempt to seize the 141 domain names will be ruled illegal.

1. The UIGEA Will Not Be Delayed Again

Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) informed the poker world that the UIGEA will not be delayed again. Though it was signed into law October 13, 2006, the law that would prohibit financial institutions from transferring money to “online gambling sites” has yet to take effect. The law is vague (does poker count as gambling?) and will be difficult, if not impossible, to enforce (how can you track every check written in the world?). These inherent flaws in the UIGEA help explain why the US Treasury Department, Federal Reserve, and banks/credit card companies have all opposed its enactment.

The Treasury Department, in conjunction with the Federal Reserve, had pushed back the UIGEA compliance deadline from December 1, 2009, to June 1, 2010. But Senator Jon Kyl blocked important Treasury officials such as the Undersecretary of Domestic Finance from taking office out of spite for the Treasury’s role in delaying UIGEA implementation. (The US Senate must confirm top presidential appointments.) Secretary Geithner finally buckled, promising not to push the deadline back any further in exchange for confirmation of his workers.

Tags: hellmuth, Isildur1, Kentucky, UIGEA