Ron Paul Meets With Poker Players Alliance Washington Fly-inIt wasn't quite the turnout that the poker community was anticipating. Some 80 people showed up in Washington, DC earlier this week as part of an organized attempt to rally the poker diehards and gain political support for a fractured grass roots attempt at repealing a law that outlaws poker online. The great news is that Presidential candidate Ron Paul - perhaps the industry's most powerful ally - met with members of the PPA during Day #3.
Media attendance was acceptable, but the coverage for the most part has been bland.
TwoPlusTwo forum member, TheEngineer, had the pleasure of meeting with Dr. Paul.
"I met with Rep. Ron Paul for around 15 minutes. Needless to say, he’s still with us 100%. We were there primarily to thank him for his strong support, and to show that we’re doing our part to fight for our rights."
The PPA had attempted to meet with some of Barack Obama's people since we all know he's an ardent poker player. Unlike Ron Paul, Senator Obama has proven time and time again he's way too good to be bothered by the millions of poker players who are registered to vote. Hence, the reason Ron Paul is the single most popular topic of discussion at Gambling911.com.
Ron Paul could win the Republican nomination if every single poker player voted for him in the primaries. Something to think about as the other Republican candidates remain vulnerable.
The media converged on Washington for the fly-in and there were some big name press outlets so kudos to the PPA in that regard.
Professional poker player, Andy (The Rock) Bloch, was present in Washington and profiled by Time Magazine.
From Time Magazine:
This year alone the Alliance has anted up nearly half a million dollars in campaign contributions. Most of the players who came to town want Congress to license and regulate companies that host poker games online--a move, they note, that would actually raise money for the Treasury. John Pappas, the group's executive director, says online poker could generate from $2 billion to $3 billion in tax receipts. Not many special pleaders on Capitol Hill have that card to play. Several lawmakers, including Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank, are happy to respond with pro-gambling bills.
The Time piece wasn't exactly earth shattering. In fact, it almost appeared to be unfinished, as if the writer went home early.
The Baltimore Sun did a piece on poker pro Barry Greenstein without really discussing in detail what inroads were made during the Washington Fly-in. That paper made it a point to discuss Greenstein's poker playing days while in elementary school, hardly a way to go about getting online poker legalized.
The Philadelphia Enquirer offered a tad more substance. They make mention of the Tuesday night reception in which the PPA hosted a packed reception in Rayburn that included eight House members for food and drink and a chance to pick up bluffing tips from the pros.
According to the Enquirer, Executive Director of the PPA, John Pappas, staged a panel discussion called "Poker, Public Policy, Politics, Skill and the Future of an American Tradition," featuring such worthies as Harvard Law professor Charles Nesson, antitrust litigator Kenneth Adams, poker stud Lederer, and Harvard law student Andrew Woods, founder of the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society.
The Enquirer highlighted some of the key discussion points.
"This is an example of an abuse of law," said Nesson, who knows about such abuses, having defended Daniel Ellsberg in the Pentagon Papers case. Poker has advanced from the days when Las Vegas "was designed to attract the seals so that the sharks can chew them up," he said.
Someone in the SRO crowd asked: "Why should I have the right to go online and lose my shirt?"
Nesson, clad in a black T-shirt emblazoned with the words "Gay? Fine by me," responded that "freedom is a special thing. It has to be used responsibly. That's what we learned in the Sixties."
"I want to teach poker to kids," he continued. "I think poker has tremendous educational utility for kids. It's a great family game."
Woods, of the newborn global society, raised the ante.
"Poker . . . develops cognitive abilities," he said. "This is a game that is helping students continue to learn. They are developing the mathematical skills and psychological abilities they need to succeed.
"Poker is closer to chess than it is to other standard casino games," Woods concluded.
How is it possible to change the legislative zeitgeist for Texas hold 'em? Adams, the Washington litigator, mused that constituents must be aroused.
"Maybe they are just two-issue voters, maybe it's abortion and Internet gambling," he said. "Can we create a group of single-issue voters on gambling who will tell congressmen to support them?"
Lederer, his card-room pallor turning whiter, said: "I just don't believe that this issue is so important to those that might have abortion as their issue."
Pappas, sensing that the crowd was being dealt a mixed hand, looked for a rallying point. He said the existing law - "misguided and overly restrictive" - had "awakened the sleeping giant of poker players."
Nesson laid the cards on the table.
"Poker," he pronounced, "is at the tipping point."
The problem here is that you get the sense the press attended and simply didn't get much out of what transpired. Eight legislators in attendance is hardly something to celebrate.
It's almost as if Time Magazine and the Associate Press darted prior to the discussion forum, which the Enquirer made to look pretty interesting.
One online poker player posting on the popular TwoPlusTwo forum had this to convey:
I was a little disappointed in the reception. Spoke with Chris Ferguson and Barry Greenstein for a few minutes. Saw Annie Duke, Howard Lederer, Chris Moneymaker, Andy Block and Sen D'Amato. After 30 min, D'Amato gave a short speak and then they made an announcement about a special event and all the pros left. Not sure if they were having a dinner, but the room went dead after that. Spoke with a couple other on line players from KY, WA, and CA. My congressman won't meet with me, so there isn't much left for me to do. Came to DC on business, so it's no big deal. Just would have preferred that some of the pros stuck around and chatted with those of us that took the time to show up. Was hoping a a poker game might happened, but it didn't.
Not so fast, argued ThEngineer. While he agreed that the Day One reception fell below expectations, Day Two exceeded them.
Lobbyists attended every meeting with us, and pros attended at least half of the meetings. We had good press coverage at the reception as well. Also, having the pros roaming the halls on Congress seemed to make a very strong impression, and a nice buzz as well. Their enthusiastic support helped our efforts greatly. I don’t know if we’ll win yet, but I do know we were heard.
John Pappas does more for poker in one day than the prior leadership did for poker in one month. PPA has some work to do on the grassroots part of this (they’ve come a long way over the past few months, of course), but they do have the lobbying down very well.
Next rally: Fox News, CNN, and all the locals. The PPA had some degree of success at this event considering the short notice of approximately 30 days. It may have been a bit premature however. Pappas' heart seems to be in the right place and he appears to have good intentions for the Association but there is an inherent danger here of making a mountain out of a mole hill or, in poker player's terms, calling the media's bluff.
Gambling911.com supports the Poker Players Alliance efforts, but there needs to be more thought process put into these types of events in order to make the most explosive impact possible, otherwise, over the long haul, it's going to be a tough sell. The last thing the industry wants or needs is a dog and pony show.
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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
Originally published October 25, 2007 11:57 pm ET
