CNN Article putting Poker in a more positive light, highlighting skill

[DeadMoneyDad]

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Engineer et al.,

Glad you're having fun with Foes of Fun. However I would like to say, as I have in the past, that it's a lot more productive to our cause to attack the baseless arguments of our FOF foes, than to attack directly their organizations or motivations. We don't want them to thus be able to energize their own base by claiming we are attacking moral values. Rather, by demonstrating the flaws in their arguments, we will de-energize their base.

attacking stupid arguments > attacking the stupid arguer

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No the hearing didn't rally congress to run off an vote on poker yesterday. Yes there is a ton of work to be done.

But having a little fun at your opponets mistakes is part of politics.

We are not directly attacking their morals, just pointing out as the Congressman did that their moral crusade can easily be painted as the total elimination of fun.

That added to Annie's testimony that the average US player spends about $10 a week to me makes us more mainstream. We play poker, some of us, because it is entertaining and a very enjoyable way to spend $10 and a few hours time.

IMO that is the blind spot of current efforts. We have the pros and a number of the semi-pros, who suport or are netrual in part because some portion of their income is derived from poker. "We" haven't attempted to motivate your casual entertainment player.

IMO these are the players the grinders miss the most and the ones who left on-line because of the UIGEA myths, Site scandals, and some the ever present "on-line is rigged" sci-fi fears.

US grade A approval stamp and ease of deposit just might drag most of them back into the pre-UIGEA waters for all of you sharks to devour. Right now they are finding other outlets to enjoy the game of poker in bar leagues, home games, and fueling the expansion of B&M poker rooms.

IMO it is a bell curve, we have portions of either ends of the distribution in our numbers of 800k, the profit protecting motivated and the low hanging fruit of the freerollers. I've gone out an spoken to a couple of hundred fo the previous PP fan type former on-line players. They are still playing poker, but no matter how good our on-line reach is, we'll not gain enough. Someone perhaps all of us will have to go out and beat the bushes and round them up.

Just an opinion,


D$D

[TheEngineer]

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JPF,

I do actually agree with that label, as ridicule is a great rhetorical method *if properly used* (not overused). I just mean that beyond that, it is more productive to attack their side arguments which are flawed, and which after such rebuttals, make it clear that they are really only seeking to have their moral standards/views on gambling imposed on others by force of law. And the argument that we should be able to spend our money as we wish, just as do shopaholics, is also a better tactic than attacking the motivations of FoF.

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True. Some people won't read the multi-page explanation of what's wrong with FoF, but they'll get the three-word version. The best thing is that it's not mean-spirited, so no one will get fired up over it.

It's like many elections in the past, where candidates debate the fine points of their positions for a year, but the election moves on who couldn't spell "potato" or who looked like a dork riding a tank. Too bad the writers' strike is this week...we'd have had a shot of getting that clip on the Daily Show.

[Lottery Larry]

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despite all this work, poker's best hope is still having its water carried by sports-betting.

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grab a bucket and start carrying. Start with a highly publisized rally on Capitol Hill..

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Tuff

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I don't know about this. Taking on the Wire Act (which, by aligning online poker with sports betting, it may appear to certain parties) seems like an extra burden to deal with, unnecessarily.

[TheEngineer]

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Still waitng...

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Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR], Crowley, Joseph [D-NY], King, Peter [R-NY], McCarthy, Carolyn [D-NY], Melancon, Charlie [D-LA], Moran, Jim [D-VA], Thompson, Bennie [D-MS], and Wynn, Albert [D-MD] all voted for HR 4411, the bill that became UIGEA and are now cosponsoring IGREA.

The biggest change is Rep. Moran. He voted for HR 4411 and cosponsored HR 4777 (the Goodlatte bill). He's how cosponsoring both the Wexler bill and IGREA. Another big swing is Rep. King, who allowed UIGEA to be attached to the Safe Ports Act, and who voted for HR 4411. He is cosponsoring IGREA. He also publicly acknowledged his error with regard to poker.