Re: *Official* PPA Fly-In Thread
 

Was not able to make it to the reception tonight, but I did make it to the morning legislative briefing and a meeting with my Representative, Rep. Moran from Virginia. Annie Duke and Chris Ferguson also came to the meeting, and I must say that Annie Duke was very articulate and (to my biased ears) persuasive on the subject. Many thanks to her.

The result was good. Rep. Moran agreed to cosponsor both HR 2046 and 2610, so count one more on the list. I have a meeting in Sen. Webb's office tomorrow, although I am not under the impression that he'll be there. Hopefully it will be another productive one, though.

Re: *Official* PPA Fly-In Thread
 

Good article on the trip (except for the usual inaccurate UIGEA info):

www.usatoday.com/sports/poker/2007-10-22-lobby_N.htm

WASHINGTON — Poker might not be a sport, but it is a game of skill. That's according to the Poker Players Alliance, which is mobilizing support this week to end federal restrictions against playing for money online.
Nearly 100 of the PPA's 809,000 members, from professionals Annie Duke and Chris Moneymaker to former U.S. Sen. Al D'Amato (R-N.Y.), will lobby legislators Tuesday and Wednesday for changes to Internet gaming bills....


Let's comment.

Re: *Official* PPA Fly-In Thread
 

Comment posted as follows:

I play online, small games, for fun and a little profit.

Is there so called skill in poker, yes.

The same ‘skill’ used by those playing LEGAL wagering games at AOL, MSN, YAHOO! and other sites. Games such as Solitaire, Hearts, Spades, Free Cell, Rummy and the list of ‘SKILL’ card games goes on and on.

So, yes, there is skill, I have to quickly calculate my odds of making the best hand or better yet, quickly calculate the odds my opponents has NOT made a hand or he has and I cannot win.

The real question is, is (sorry for the Bill Clinton there) are the other legal skill wagering games any more skilled than poker? If the answer is no (and I challenge you to prove solitaire takes ANY skill) then yes, poker is a game of skill and thus LEGAL in almost ALL states.

BTW, keep up the good work TE. If you drove to D.C., PM before you leave, perhaps we can have lunch on your way back to Kentucky if you are traveling I-79.

obg

Re: *Official* PPA Fly-In Thread
 

Nice comment.

[ QUOTE ]
BTW, keep up the good work TE. If you drove to D.C., PM before you leave, perhaps we can have lunch on your way back to Kentucky if you are traveling I-79.

[/ QUOTE ]


Thanks for the compliment and the offer. Sorry, but I flew here. Otherwise I'd definitely stop by.

Re: *Official* PPA Fly-In Thread
 

Duplicate bridge and chess might arguably involve more skill than poker. However, the skills required are completely different. I just wonder if we can ever win this skill argument.
I like the personal freedom argument better than the skill argument. However, it would not surprise me that the political experts feel that we are even less likely to win the freedom argument than the skill argument.

Re: *Official* PPA Fly-In Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
Duplicate bridge and chess might arguably involve more skill than poker. However, the skills required are completely different. I just wonder if we can ever win this skill argument.
I like the personal freedom argument better than the skill argument. However, it would not surprise me that the political experts feel that we are even less likely to win the freedom argument than the skill argument.

[/ QUOTE ]

I personally prefer the freedom argument, but I think it's good to be multifaceted. The more we can say in our favor, the better. That's been apparent on this visit, which has exceeded expectations (I'll write more on that later).

Re: *Official* PPA Fly-In Thread
 

Let me handle the skill argument, I think I have got it down [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]. All of our efforts are important, as are all of our arguments - what persuades one congressperson may not work with the next. An advance on all fronts is preferable to an advance on a single front - I think Sun Tzu first said that [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

Keep up the good work guys, hope I can join you at the next one.

Skallagrim

Re: *Official* PPA Fly-In Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
I personally prefer the freedom argument, but I think it's good to be multifaceted. The more we can say in our favor, the better. That's been apparent on this visit, which has exceeded expectations (I'll write more on that later).

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds promising. Look forward to the report.

Re: *Official* PPA Fly-In Thread
 

[ QUOTE ]
Let me handle the skill argument, I think I have got it down [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]. All of our efforts are important, as are all of our arguments - what persuades one congressperson may not work with the next. An advance on all fronts is preferable to an advance on a single front - I think Sun Tzu first said that [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

Keep up the good work guys, hope I can join you at the next one.

Skallagrim

[/ QUOTE ]

You do have the skill argument down, for sure.

I prefer the freedom argument (if I had to choose one or the other) in the context of Legislurker's post, but the skill argument is more important for our legal fight, as well as with some congressmen. I did find one needs to show up to a congressman's office with many arguments, and I've used the skill argument successfully somewhere in the discussion in all of them.

I did catch up with Howard Lederer yesterday. He spoke highly of your work on this issue.

Sorry you couldn't make it to the event this year. We hope to see you next year, if it's necessary. The event is going very well so far. We had a good turnout and have changed some minds. We've also gotten some good press. Hopefully we'll make a difference.

Re: *Official* PPA Fly-In Thread
 

The event is going well so far. Day #2 started with breakfast at the hotel, where we received a briefing on how to best lobby Congress. We were then each scheduled to meet with a few congressmen/congressional staff, and were provided with info sheets on their positions. Howard Lederer, Annie Duke, Andy Bloch, Vanessa Rousso, Barry Greenstein, Jesus Ferguson and other pro poker players joined us for the entire day (Chris Moneymaker had to leave due to a family emergency, but it was cool of him to still come out to greet us despite the issue).

We all met with between one and four congressmen/senators or staffs. Generally, we were each accompanied by a lobbyist and a pro poker player, which made for a good impact and effect. I met with one of Sen. McConnell's senior staffers, one of Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay's senior staffers, and one of Rep. Artur Davis' senior staffers. Others were able to meet with the politicians themselves. It's not an important distinction, as the staffs guide a lot of the decisions. We were able to meet with a substantial number of congressmen and senators or staffs.

Reps. Robert Wexler, Bobby Scott and John Conyers stopped by to kick off our evening reception. Rep. Shelley Berkley came by later to speak as well. We had about ten pros stay for the entire reception. The A/C was weak, but it was in a Congressional meeting room, so they couldn't blame the poker lobby for the heat, at least. I was going to tell them that I paid enough in taxes last year to cover the costs of cooling the room. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

I'll try to post more on this later....it's time for breakfast. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]