Issue #221
weekly
Dear Reader,
You're probably wondering why this newsletter is late. Well, on Monday, someone sent me a crate of chocolates and wine, and on Tuesday I went to the gym for the first time in ages to work it off. It's Friday, and I can still barely move my arms - thus the slowness.
Painfully yours,
Bryan
In this issue:
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Stockholm was snowy and cold. And a number of us gathered together and took a train to Uppsala where the company's game development is still located. To avoid having their guests getting lost between the train station and the offices, they had strategically positioned an employee at every street corner with a large green PokerRoom.com umbrella. It was sunny, with sub-freezing temperatures, so these employees conspicuously stood out amongst the crowd.
The offices were what you would expect from one of the largest poker rooms on the net. A very sleek modern design with a bar and small kitchen that produced an never ending assortment of hors d'oeuvres. There was around 100 or so people there, and I hardly new a soul since casinos have been my main focus and the poker world is relatively new to me.
But I ran into Mark Balestra from the River City Group, and we had a nice talk in the lobby. I've known the guy for years, but we've never had a conversation lasting more than 3 minutes. We ended up discussing everything from poker, to casinos, gossipy stuff (like about you my dear ${token1}), and about the writing process and why we do what we do. Our coversation went beyond the hors d'oeuvres, but into two dinners.
Both Mark and I are writers, and the PokerRoom.com people had invited journalists, marketers, some affiliates, and a dozen of their best players to mesh together in Sweden. The players we all men by the way; mostly from the states, Canada, and the UK.
After spending an hour of mingling - we moved on to the main offices in Stockholm by bus. The bus was equipped with a television where we all had a chance to view some of the cutting edge commercials for PokerRoom.com. Some of these are absolutely hilarious, and can be viewed here: Pokerroom Commercials
After an hour of a bus ride, we arrived back in Stockholm where we partied in the newer offices. There they had a poker school set up to teach the newbies, and anyone else, the game of Texas Hold'em. It was quite a good presentation, and it was actually my first time viewing the game off-line which made the game much more accessible. Very interesting to watch.
And of course, from there we traveled downtown to the Berns Hotel and Restaurant in central Stockholm (the hotel dates back to 1863). The buffet was a mixture of Thai and other assorted dishes. Very interesting - and good. After our meal, the tournaments began. They had set up tables and sign up sheets for a long night's worth of card playing. It was a real delight.
This was for just the one day and night, but my wife and I stayed for two more days tripping around Stockholm. Saw a lame movie with Richard Gere and J.Lo (man, is J.Lo annoying). But what the hell, I had my choice of movies during my London trip, so I couldn't complain. I was impressed by the fact that Sweden chooses NOT to dub their foreign films, but keeps them in the original language and uses subtitles. In Germany, it's all dubbed, and this is one of the reasons Germans speak such poor English (in my opinion). It's a shame really since we won this country fair and square - they should at least speak our language. Just kidding, just kidding! But it's true, in the countries that I have visited that don't dub the English away, their English speaking is at a higher level than those that do.
Visited the Vasa Museum which is the only 17th warship on display in the world. This is a ship built in 1628 that sank on its maiden voyage under mysterious circumstances. It was salvaged 40 years ago, and now is on display indoors. The resurrected ship is unbelievably huge, and the museum is fascinating. This lasted a few hours, but we had to check out more of the city. We braved a snow storm, and it was a piercing frigid cold wind that kept us in the malls and mellowing out in cafes. Funny thing; my great grandparents on my mothers side immigrated to the US in the late 1890s, and after I spent a few hours on the Stockholm streets in February - I couldn't have blamed them. Strangely enough, upon my arrival back home, I received an email from my mom who contacted some the relatives who live in Sweden; they're in Uppsala where the PokerRoom's offices are.
And the last evening before heading back, I checked out the TV before going to bed. Lo and behold - Celebrity Poker (in English) was on, and I was hooked! I watched Ben Affleck get beat by Ed Asner, (my wife said "Who's he?") It's a real shame that American broadcasting doesn't reach its way into my little German village. Sure I have MTV and CNN, but that's about it.
But what I do have, is over three hours of poker instruction by the Hendon Hitmob: "The Secrets of Winning Poker
But I digress - this trip was a well deserved break. Thanks PokerRoom.com
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Two couples were playing poker one evening. John accidentally dropped some cards on the floor. When he bent down under the table to pick them up, he noticed Bill's wife Sue wasn't wearing any underwear under her dress!
Shocked by this, John upon trying to sit back up again, hit his head on the table and emerged red-faced. Later, John went to the kitchen to get some refreshments.
Bill's wife followed and asked, "Did you see anything that you liked under there?" Surprised by her boldness, John courageously admitted that, well indeed he did.
She said, " Well, you can have it but it will cost you $500."
After taking a minute or two to assess the financial and moral costs of this offer, John confirms that he is interested. She tells him that since her husband Bill works Friday afternoons and John doesn't, John should be at her house around 2 p.m. Friday afternoon.
When Friday rolled around, John showed up at Bill's house at 2 p.m. sharp and after paying Sue the agreed sum of $500 they went to the bedroom and closed their transaction, as agreed. John quickly dressed and left.
As usual, Bill came home from work at 6 p.m. and upon entering the house, asked his wife abruptly. "Did John come by the house this afternoon?"
With a lump in her throat Sue answered "Why yes, he did stop by for a few minutes this afternoon."
Her heart nearly skipped a beat when her husband curtly asked, "And did he give you $500?"
In terror she assumed that somehow he had found out and after mustering her best poker face, replied, "Well, yes, in fact he did give me $500." Bill, with a satisfied look on his face, surprised his wife by saying, "Good, I was hoping he did. John came by the office this morning and borrowed $500 from me. He promised me he'd stop by our house this afternoon on his way home and pay me back."
Ha ha ha ha
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The North Dakota Poker Bill needs your support
Last month InfoPowa reported on the progress of an important Bill in the state legislature of North Dakota that seeks to legalise online poker, and we're happy to inform readers that the proposal is making good progress.
The Bill was sponsored by Representative Jim Kasper and passed the state House on February 16. It now moves to a hearing in the state Senate in the regional capital Bismark on March 8. If it passes, it will position North Dakota as a leader among American state jurisdictions, regulating the industry to protect players and generating important taxes. It could set a precedent and open the door for the first time to online poker operations based on U.S. soil, with positive effects for local economies. Given the huge popularity of poker in the United States particularly, where a reported 50 million citizens enjoy this skilled game the potential is significant.
Gambling regulation has traditionally been the prerogative of individual states in North America, a right that has been jealously guarded despite occasional interference from the federal government. The governor of this progressive state is reported to support the Bill, but various legislative and constitutional hurdles lie ahead before the Bill can become effective, and Representative Kasper has asked for industry support for licensed, regulated and taxed online poker at the hearing on March 8 in Bismark.
The legislators were probably influenced by the comments of industry luminaries such as Frank Catania, In January he testified before a meeting of the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States. The former director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and a current independent director of self regulator eCOGRA, observed that 82 jurisdictions worldwide provide some form of regulation for various types of Internet gaming.
He said, “The ability to do real time auditing makes regulation easier and more efficient than the systems currently used by the terrestrial casino regulators. State-of-the-art technology, combined with proper operating procedures, has proven effective in preventing minors from gambling online and in combating money laundering. “This form of gambling cannot be stopped, but it can be effectively regulated and taxed. State legislators in Illinois and Georgia recently introduced bills to permit the online sale of lottery tickets.
"At the local level, many government officials can see that attempts to thwart the rapidly growing Internet gaming industry are not doing anyone any good. Consumers are not receiving the regulatory protection they need, state and local governments are losing a source of tax revenue, and American companies are being deprived of opportunities in a global market, whose revenue for 2004 was estimated by Christiansen Capital Advisors at $7.5 billion.”
The Interactive Gaming Council has come out strongly in support of the North Dakota initiative, urging its members and the gambling public alike to voice their approval for legalised and regulated online poker
News courtesy of Infopowa news service.
More news here.
Complaints? Kudos? Please let me know.
Peace
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Bryan Bailey Webmeister Casinomeister |  |