For all my poker playing brethren: a couple of upcoming events I want to let you know about.  The first is a free webinar on transitioning to live play that is happening on Friday, May 6th at 9PM Eastern.  (8 for my MN friends) It’s going to be an hour with my business partner, Chris “Fox” Wallace, on live strategy and an hour by Dr. Al Schoonmaker, author of Your Worst Poker Enemy, on the psychological aspects of switching to live poker from online.  With the current state of online poker in the US, I think this is going to be a very useful and important seminar for all of us.

The second event is for my local poker buddies.  Chris and I are doing monthly seminars out at Running Aces starting May 17th at 6PM.  These are not free, but they are limited seating, intense workshops, designed to teach you a massive amount in a single session. We’ve both been teaching poker for a long time, and I feel we’ve developed techniques that show amazing results and that no one else is doing.

Check out ProPokerSeminars.com for testimonials from the participants in our Reno seminar, and to sign up for both of these offerings.

At least I can get my money out it seems.

“the United States [has] entered into domain-name use agreements with PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, two of three online poker companies named as defendants in an April 15 civil money laundering and forfeiture Complaint (the “Civil Complaint”), alleging bank fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and illegal gambling offenses. The Complaint, a related Indictment, and a related Restraining Order issued against multiple bank accounts utilized by the companies and their payment processors do not prohibit the companies from refunding players’ money. Nevertheless, this agreement will facilitate the return of money so that players can register their refund requests directly with Pokerstars and Full Tilt Poker.

No individual player accounts were ever frozen or restrained, and each implicated poker company has at all times been free to reimburse any player’s deposited funds. In fact, this Office expects the companies to return the money that U.S. players entrusted to them, and we will work with the poker companies to facilitate the return of funds to players, as today’s agreements with PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker demonstrate.

Under the terms of the agreements with PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker, the companies agreed that they would not allow for, facilitate, or provide the ability for players located inthe United States to engage in playing online poker for “realmoney” or any other thing of value…. The agreements do not prohibit, and, in fact, expressly allow for, PokerStars and Full Tilt Poker to provide for, and facilitate, players outside of the United States to engage in playing online poker for real money.”

Today, the Feds went after the biggest online poker sites, seizing their assets and blocking their websites.  I have a prediction based on this action: the US Government will legalize online poker within the next year.

A few months before Canterbury Park opened, the local police busted out a number of local games, one of which I was a regular player at.  Lucky for me, I was not there when the cops showed up, but a number of people were charged with misdemeanors.  This feels like the same thing.  Pay the authorities to get rid of your opposition and then move into the void that’s created.  Now, it was silly at the local level. Canterbury Park provides a level of experience and number of games that no home game can expect to compete with, and all the home games were going to dry up anyway shortly after the cardroom opened.  The billion-dollar industries of Full Tilt and PokerStars would be a little more difficult to beat coming to the game so late.  The government attempted something similar when they tried to pass the law that would have closed all sites to US customers for 18 months so that US companies could catch up.  Naturally, US poker players were not particularly thrilled with this prospect, and the bill died.  Apparently, the government is still interested in getting into the market unopposed, and has decided for a more “rough wooing.”

It’ll be interesting to see how this shakes out during the coming months.  Strange that this happens on the same day that the District of Columbia takes steps to legalize online gambling, no?

I’d best not complain about bad beats ever again.  Just got it all in against top set with bottom two pair and caught runner, runner straight flush.  My Donkey Fu is strong!

After a rough start to the year (and another rough night last night), finally cut a deal for second in a PLO tourney, that has turned my attitude and my year around.