Generation Interim

In 2008, the Commonwealth of Kentucky filed a legal action against the owners of 141 internet domain names that are tied in with poker online. Well, it seems the Bluegrass State is at it again, naming more defendants in the case, but to date their names have not been released.

In October of 2009 the Supreme Court of Kentucky heard the case of The State of Kentucky v. IMEGA et al. The court is expected to hand down a ruling very, very soon, and the addition of defendants by the State is a mysterious legal move. Some speculate whether or not it will even have an impact on the final ruling.

IMEGA’s lawyers attempted to obtain the additional names, but the State’s counsel declined to offer the names. In the court of appeals, the State recognized the standing of IMEGA and others, but Joe Brennan, IMEGA’s chairman, said, “They’ve basically said that they don’t recognize our standing.” Again, another odd legal maneuver in the face of an appeal ruling in favor of the standing of IMEGA.

If the Commonwealth is successful in its actions, the 141 domain names would be under state control and would not only be inaccessible in the state, but would be inaccessible worldwide. This is quite a conundrum for the online poker scene.

But fear not, there are still some legal sleight of hand that can be played in the case that the Supreme Court of Kentucky rules in the State’s favor. In that event, an appeal can be brought in Federal court, which, in my opinion, is the court of competent jurisdiction anyway, and IMEGA and the other defendants can motion to stay the seizure pending the appeal. Don’t be surprised if this case makes it before SCOTUS, the Supreme Court of the United States.

In this legal battle of online poker, you can count on the poker community to raise the stakes, if a ruling is issued that isn’t in its favor.

The fight to legalize online poker in the U.S., and hopefully all over the world where it’s not, is gaining steam.

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), the leading poker grassroots advocacy group with more than one million members nationwide and more than 25,000 in Massachusetts, testifies today before the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies calling for licensing and regulation of online poker.

The hearing is being held to look into the impact of proposals to expand casino gaming throughout the Commonwealth.

“Sadly, while the game of poker has evolved, the way politicians think about it has not,” said Randy Castonguay, Massachusetts state director of the PPA, in a written press release. “As this Committee discusses the pros and cons of regulating expanded gaming in our Commonwealth, it would also be appropriate to consider the existing Internet poker play that is occurring today without any state oversight or control. Regulation of Internet poker is not expansion of gambling, it is simply the responsible government response to an industry that exists today.” Licensing and regulation of online poker would result in several benefits to Massachusetts residents, the first and most important of which is implementing state-based consumer protections which do not exist today. A regulated marketplace will also help the state combat underage access to online poker as well as identify and provide services to problem gamblers. Finally, licensing and regulation would provide significant state tax revenue – conservative estimates show $40 million annually for Massachusetts.

Not everyone can be Chris Moneymaker or Phil Ivey. Some of us are destined for smaller jackpots and limited bankrolls. Being a small stakes poker player in the online world, however, can bring along some unexpected red tape. One of the biggest problems facing the average small stakes poker players is the issue of cashing out. Because casinos get more from their high rollers, they make cashing out progressively easier based on the total funds in your account. The more you make, the easier it is to withdrawal your hard earned cash. Need examples? Just remember that most poker sites have a minimum withdrawal limit while very few have an upper limit. It would be unthinkable to limit how much money people could play with, but is somehow totally reasonable to cut the small fish out of the stake. On the opposite side of the coin, there are often minimum deposit levels that dictate how much you are required to put in the casino in the first place. Small stakes players also face difficulty requesting physical checks and face longer processing times. If you are a dedicated low stakes player, I urge you to patronize a specialized microstakes website. This will make sure that you are among your financial peers, with less of the logistical snares that come with being a small stakes player.

Sometimes you start with good poker cards, end up having to bluff on the flop, and then catch up on the turn or river. The problem with this is figuring out if top pair is good by the river.

Here’s a common scenario. You raise it up preflop and get called by one of the blinds. Let’s go ahead and give you AK.

The flop comes out something like 3,8,10 rainbow. Your online poker opponent checks in first position and you decide to continuation bet the flop. Uh oh, he calls! You’re trying to decide if it’s worth it to fire a second bet at the turn and continue this bluff when to your delight the Ace comes on the turn.

Your opponent checks again and you bet again. This time, however, he raises you. With top-top you now feel super confident and shove on the guy. He calls and shows A 8. You lose.

The reason I bring this example up is the propensity that a check-call on the flop followed by a check-raise on the turn signals a bluff is very low.

Firstly, this means your casino opponent is playing out of position. If he hits a pair on the flop, even top pair, he might not bet it because he doesn’t want to get re-raised by the aggressor. A check call with one pair is very reasonable.

It’s also hard to float a player out of position. His check-call is not likely to slow you down. You still have to act before him on the turn. If you lead out and he has nothing, he’s going fold, and if you check, he’s almost always going to keep betting, as long as a draw doesn’t seem to have filled.

But the check-raise on the turn is almost always a signal of a very strong hand, at least 2-pair. He probably would not have check called an airball on the flop with just ace high, so when that ace comes and he check-raises you, he likely does not just have a weak top pair. More often he was unsure about his flopped pair but became strong enough to slow play on the turn.

So, when you bluff the flop and make a strong one pair hand and get check raised, beware.

As much as poker on its face can seem a game of aggression and pressure, in the background it is equally a game of balance, method, and care. A player with a careful knack for managing his bankroll, choosing the right level of game play, and good time management will find himself that much more set up to make the moves necessary to be a successful, winning online poker player.

Among the elements important to this kind of balance, perhaps the most important is recognizing and defining your limits, and learning to stay on top of them. This is meant less as an in-hand kind of advice (as in, it is always good to test the limits of your ability within the game on a hand selection kind of level, to some extent), and more as a fiscal, bankroll, and time oriented concern. Knowing how much you can comfortably afford to risk at one time, and then not allowing yourself to overextend that amount, gives you will the amount of leeway and rope that you need to bring your best game to the online poker table.

Jumping to limits that exceed your bankroll can seem fun and a good idea in the short term, but the best idea is giving yourself room to breathe, and avoiding long term slumps by being prepared to handle the short term ones.

My least favorite of all the various types of players that might populate a poker table is the one known as the Clown. Essentially a bored attention seeker, trying to blow off some steam, the Clown is just as, if not more so, interested in the theatrics surrounding the game than the game itself. He loves to makes a scene. Any hand he plays has got to come with a running commentary on it, and a concurrent celebration or explosion based on how the hand plays out in relation to him.

These kind of players talk way too much even in online poker, often get up and down in their seat, slow down the action by paying more attention to what they’re saying than what’s going on, and etc. They’re easy to spot, to the point that you’ll probably know whom the clowns are at neighboring tables in addition to your own. They just love to hear themselves talk.

Playing against a clown varies, but usually they are going to be looser than your average player at the casino. They just enjoy too much the thrill of getting in a pot and shaking things up. Be wary of their moves, but in general go with your gut.

Chinese lantern appears to be the most probable culprit behind last week’s UFO video secret.Harborough singer Robin Maughan captured footage of a mysterious object in the sky above Western Avenue park in Harborough on Monday last week.The tale appeared in last week’s Harborough Mail, motivating by subscribers who had as well found the unidentified flying object.but very much like viewings previously reported, A chinese lantern is the likely and more believable reasonMichael Williams said he seen two individuals on Farndon Road near his home releasing a lantern briefly before Mr Maughan shot his video at about 10pm.Barry Loakes, of Barnard Gardens, contacted the Mail to say he got a look at the object through binoculars and thought it looked like a Chinese lantern.The lanterns measure about 3 foot high and A UFO stir was also induced back in 2007 by half a dozen balloons aflame during a birthday celebration This year earlier on it also occured after one was set off from a house in Kettering Road.However, Trevor Jones saw the latest UFO while he was dog-walking in the green and does not agree with the lantern theory.Mr Jones, of Morris Road, related the object to a jellyfish and remembers seeing a similar object one month prior.An alternative theory was explained by Maddy Ward, who saw the video and thought it looked like the International Space Station covering the sky.

There are always those Texas Holdem poker players out there who think that it is fun to play a bad hand just because it has a silly sounding name. The Dolly Parton is one of those poker hands. It consists of a 9-5 in the pocket in Texas Holdem, and is named for the classic Dolly Parton song. The song may have been the hit of a generation, but the poker hand will not get you on any success lists. At its very base, it is a bad hand because it has limited potential to turn into a good casino hand. The chances of making a straight are poor, you won’t end with a high pair, and anything that you do end up with will be primarily made out of community cards. You need to remember that if you base your hand off of the community cards, than everyone else at the table will have the same opportunities. Your hand will not be unique, and you definitely won’t win with only community cards on your side. I am all for a little amusement at the poker table, but this is not the way to go. Get your poker kicks out of playing a good solid game, not by playing hands with silly names.

Chinese Lanterns are rising in fame as people decide to choose to use them instead of pyrotechnics to try and help reduce the impact on the environment. The only thing that needs to be done to release a chinese lantern is to ignite the paper fuel cell then it is just a case of holding the lantern, and eventually it will float into the sky. They are different to fireworks as the chinese lanterns let everybody get involved with letting the lanterns off into the sky. By having lots of people let them off at the same time, it creates an amazing sight as the glowing lanterns fly off into the distance.The cheapness of the lanterns is also very good compared to fireworks. Lanterns work out as a lot cheaper than pyrotechnics. Especially in these tough economic times it’s nice to save a bit of money. It’s even great if you just want to let off one or two chinese lanterns in your garden. One of the nicest thing about Chinese Lanterns is that they can be used for small or big events, whether it’s a couple in you backyard of for the most extravagant wedding, they can look brilliant any time.

Ever met a social bowler willing to treat this intricate sport competitively for the first time. When bowling is your calling, this moment is important time in your development as a serious bowler. My introduction to bowling can help get you there. The guys from a local bowling pro shop can help you tap bowling talent. Just like a lot of sports, you get back what you put in (from the ball return – hah). That’s a joke. I admit, bowling is a simple game with not-so simple details. Don’t fret, we can get you throwing your way.

No use putting it off, invest a little in the specialized necessities, especially good bowling shoes. You’ll notice a difference with your own stuff. There’s a reason its our number 1 recommendation, have your private ball fitted, and you’ll bowl more consistently. A precision fitted bowling ball can make a substantial improvement in your game. It’s also important you’re wearing well-made bowling shoes that haven’t been worn out by a million people!

After you went ahead and found good bowling ball and shoes, now it’s time for another important piece of bowling advice: how to aim. As you face the pins, don’t necessarily roll the ball at the pins. Aim for the the markings like a barrel of a gun. Ever noticed them? You’ll find it more effective to roll through a point that is nearer. To take full advantage, it should be your habit to stand in the same position on the floor on every attempt. With that consistency you can fine-tune your accuracy and angle.

Do we have any tips for massive hooks on the ball, to achieve proper speed and ball control? That makes the third-most essential bowler tip. It’s all in the ball type. Many us who were bown to bowl regularly roll two or three bowling balls to get heavy pin action, according to the type of game and lane. Just a bit of caution: intermediates might want to not try to be fancy, and avoid a ball that weighs a ton. A lot of serious bowlers invest heavily in bowling balls featuring reactive materials. Avoid the temptation, because these special-made balls regularly make even some well known talents appear a fool. With these tips you’re on the right track. I’ll be back with another 3 shortly.

-Edward Chase

I roll strikes for Team “Pindemonium” made up of a league for our marketing business near St. Louis. I chime in with tips to aspiring bowlers on the web and in my local newsletter. Finally, I must say hi to our crew in the shop. Wreck ‘Em!