Twitter Twerps Respond With More B.S. And Number-Gaming

I'm not going to pretend I understand everything Chris Rauschnot wrote in his belated, blathering reaction to the firestorm set off by my Las Vegas Weekly column and Chuckmonster's VegasTripping expose examining the nefarious and greedy tactics of the Twitter brothers who scammed Vegas.

I do know what's NOT in here:

* Any explanation or apology for their ham-handed and bullying practices of demanding freebies and threatening casinos and others when they're not sated.

* Any explanation as to how it is that their numbers have so stunningly plateaued in the past year if they didn't build them fraudulently rather than organically. Is there any reason why popular Tweeters with 40,000 or 50,000 robust and engaged followers would suddenly just stop gaining more people? This stuff feeds upon itself; the more people who see your stuff, the more they pass it along, the more new followers you get. It doesn't stop, it grows exponentially as you gather steam. How does it make any sense that Tweeters as popular as they claim to be and as prolific as they are would not continue to grow -- especially after that puff piece I mistakenly provided them six months ago.

* Any accounting, in the blah-blah about impressions and numbers, for the notion that just because you say something on Twitter doesn't mean anyone notices it. That is, I have about 3,450 followers right now. If I Tweet something, I don't get to pretend that all 3,450 -- if they're all real people anyway -- read it. This is where data from Twitter is dicey, because it's a whitewater river flowing by. Engagement is far more important than "impressions," especially since it seems clear that the vast number of followers of @24k and @VegasBill are not real people anyway. There are a lot of Twitter engagement assessment tools out there that folks like The Twerps take as gospel but which have never been independently evaluated by statisticians or other credible figures. But they fail the common-sense test, just as Chris' claim that he was only fishing for birthday Tweets for his dear brother is an idiotic suggestion that no thinking person would accept.

As I -- and Chuck! -- have said, my greatest talents don't lie in the technological realm. I am, however, an expert on the English language and just want to note that this passage...

To say that Tweets from 24k or VegasBiLL spur little to no action, do not know the analytics behind what they can do, especially when dealing with positive or highly relevant information to the followers and network. According to TweetReach, a service that analyzes reach and impressions on Twitter, is as Brian Solis says, ". an essential part of any digital influence program.

...is the mark of an illiterate man.

Chris goes on about YouTube and how a couple of his videos enjoyed very large viewerships. Terrific. No way of knowing if maybe some major celebrity site picked it up, which would be a lark and not a trend. What I do know is that he has 765 videos in his YouTube channel, Gershwin9, and a whopping 14 comments.


Chris can talk and talk and talk about the long tail and boast using non-credible metrics for engagement, but the fact is that he's got 50,000 or so followers and only ... FOUR of them have gone to watch this video posted three days ago?!?


Come on, dude. Give it up. You're a phony. Case closed.

P.S. It is endlessly funny that Cody has altered his Twitter name from VegasBill to VegasBiLL and that he and Rauschnot have started using that in casual writing as well as on Twitter. They did that, of course, to differentiate from @VegasBilll, the hilarious parody account that in just nine tweets cut to the quick of what's wrong with these poseurs. I also love that, following on @EricWhitaker's suggestion, the parody account is now @VegasBilLL.

Monday Nugs: WSOP Identity Crisis, Too Many Tourneys, $250,000 High, Thoughts on the New Poker League, and Explaining the Bank Bailouts to Sheeple

By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA


It's the worst time of the week, right? Monday mornings suck. Just when you get used to doing your own thing, you gotta suck it up and take guff for the next five days. I feel your pain. That's why I whipped up this batch of poker-related goodness to help dull the pain of Monday Morning. So kick back with a cup of java or something stronger if you're fortunate enough to get shit-faced at work by sneaking a few swigs of Irish coffee...or even harder if you decided to eat pain killers at work today, which if the case, kudos to you! Enjoy your faded Monday.

Will Jeffrey Pollack's Federated Poker League Work? Los hombres formulated their opinion on the latest venture from former WSOP Commish Jeffrey Pollack. They interviewed a few industry insiders who shared their initial reactions on the long-term future of Pollack's new league. (Wicked Chops Poker)

Are there too many poker tournament series these days? John Katkin tackles the subject in an Op/Ed Too Many Tourneys. I'm kinda siding with Katkin on this one. A consolidation in the international and domestic schedule would be welcomed from many facets of the industry to create an off-season. All other pro sports have a season (with a pre-season and post-season) with a lengthy off-season. Poker used to have a few lulls in the schedule, but not anymore. (Pokerati)

Last summer, one of the best things written about the 2010 WSOP was done by a guest poster. Yep, Change100 contributed an editorial for the Tao All-Stars about the WSOP's identity crisis: Everything All the Time. When the 2011 WSOP schedule was announced last week, she penned a follow up piece critique: Everything All the Time Reprise. Pot Committed)

Erik Seidel won the $250,000 (Aussie Bucks) Highest High Roller event at the Aussie Million. He's been running good in high roller events. Maybe he shouldn't play anything under a 25K buy-in anymore? Anyway, read Shamus' "Hard to Relate" take on the 250K. (Hard-Boiled Poker)

The newly added PokerStars Home Games are going to be a gold mine according to one European gaming insider. (Infinite Edge)

I had fun writing this post How to Take Over a Politically Unstable Country in Six Easy Steps. Little did I know that Egypt would fall within 48 hours. I hope that doesn't get me on any watch lists. (Tao of Pauly)

If you work in the financial sector, then here's a funny video riddled with inside jokes about the bank bailouts. If you don't know much about the bailouts, then check this video that a friend of mine on Wall Street dubbed "a fucking cartoon to explain to the sheeple that they got fucked by the bailouts." (Tao of Fear)

Funk Mix is a collection of music for those of you with proclivities to ass-shaking funk. This is the perfect mix for working out, playing poker, or even writing half-baked link dumps like this one. Warning: the mix might cause you to stop what your doing and want to freaky... (Coventry)

Happy Monday. You know the drill...NGTFOOMO.

Photo credit: Me

Twitter Twerps Drama: The VegasTripping Whine

I know I should let this go. I know it. And maybe I'll wise up and not post this once I write it. But I can't help it.

Chuck from VegasTripping is a terrific guy, a wonderfully talented writer and an important figure on the Vegas web world. But this week he also showed himself to be quite petulant and blinded by frustration.

You see, Chuck rightfully notes that he began picking on Twitter Twerps Bill Cody and Chris Rauschnot ages ago. Now that it required my Las Vegas Weekly column to really take the big tug on the string that is unraveling the Twitter Twerps' outrageous scam, Chuck is so pissed off that he can't help but to lash out at me and accuse me of all sorts of inane, ridiculous and nefarious motives. And, in the process, he's dredged up conspiracy theories about the press that I thought were beneath his sophistication.

First, here's an excerpt about me that Chuck wrote in his commentary this week on the Twerps:

And finally, there is the 'slightly less direct than before' approach:

24k: It's @VegasBill's birthday next week. Any #Vegas hotels/venues want to help us celebrate?

Upon seeing the above tweet, local journalist Steve Friess, who played a huge part in legitimizing the Twitter Twins via a supremely nauseating puff piece profile penned for the Las Vegas Weekly last year - suddenly joined the chorus of naysayers and started taking @24k and @VegasBill to task for their antics. So moved was Friess, that he unleashed his Kracken all over @24k's ballsy birthday request right onto THEfacebook where embers of discussion steamed, followed by selective deletions by Rauschnot. This proved to be the last straw for previously supportive Friess, who fired a cannonball across the bow of the S.S.#hashtag wrapped in a mea culpa for his endorsement of The Twitter Twins (née Twerps.)

But before we let Mr. Friess swim away from the T(w)itanic unscathed, pointing fingers at outlines slowly sinking on the poop deck, he needs to bear the weight of his baggage. Steve's talents lie in areas beyond technology, he fastidiously panned Twitter as waste of time until he saw how it affected change during the Iranian protests of June 2009, roughly at about the same time VT called bullshit on the Twitter Twins and their Tweets for Eats scam. I felt then and I still do now that his initial Las Vegas Weekly puff piece was the journalistic equivalent of a comped dinner, show tickets or event access. He opted to not do his homework on their profile piece and instead give them shred of legitimate press credibility which the Twitter Twins pedaled as a USDA stamp of approval. This resulted in a Las Vegas Weekly getting decent amount of traffic to the article (a metric a publisher uses to decides if the author is worth keeping on staff) as well Tweet pimping the authors Twitter handle and his blog. Did Steve pull this punch on purpose? Only he knows.

OK. So. I've no problem whatsoever taking guff for my mistakes, and publicly at that. What drives folks like Chuck nuts, though, is that I -- unlike almost any media figure in Vegas -- often take myself to task before others get to go at it. It defuses the power of their attacks and leaves them sputtering -- see above excerpt -- but that's not why I do it. I do it because I expect the same accountability from myself that I demand from other media folks. If I cannot openly state when I've failed, how can I ever hope that Sherm Frederick, Steve Sebelius, Jon Ralston or any number of other self-righteous and thin-skinned buffoons will do the same? (They never do, of course, but oh well.)

It so happens that Chuck was on the Vegas Gang podcast earlier this month telegraphing to the world that he had an expose planned for the Twitter Twerps. I don't deny this played a role in the timing of my column after I heard the show last week. I had been thinking quite a lot about this problem, that I had laid a rancid doody out there a few months ago and I needed to clean up after myself sooner or later. But I hadn't really been paying attention to Cody or Rauschnot since August because I was a little busy covering a major national election and a resort opening.

I don't keep as careful tabs on what everyone is saying on the Vegas Twitterverse as I should. I acknowledge that, but there's just so much going on there and elsewhere and it's easy to overlook things that flow by. So it was fortunate when I did spot early in January a @VegasBill tweet that crassly bullied @StationCasinos over unfollowing them, and my sniffer went up again. That, by the by, was long before I had any idea that Chuck was building his case against the Twerps. It just raised a flag to me.

Then, last week, Chris tweeted his solicitation for birthday goodies for Bill and, combined with hearing later that day about Chuck's forthcoming treatise, it seemed I needed to own up to my mistake sooner than later.

What was my mistake? In short, the original column was a lazy job. Period. I've often argued that the most likely reason for media incompetence is not ideology, greed or malice but laziness. And in this case, I'm guilty. Sometimes we journalists fall in love with a narrative, and as a columnist I get to pick and choose my narratives whimsically. The Twerps' back story was fascinating to me, I liked the idea of New Media figures popping up out of nowhere and gaining credibility and I was aware neither that Twitter numbers can, literally, be bought, nor that there were gauges for Twitter engagement that could disprove their claims of influence.

So I was uninformed and working too fast and went at it from a less skeptical perspective than I should have. And I heard about it from folks who were baffled by my atypical lack of cynicism, but I was obstinate and decided they were just jealous of the Twerps' success.

I doubled down on a bad bet for a while. Then the Station unfollow tweet reasserted the matter in my mind, and Chris lying to me that he wasn't fishing for comps with the birthday tweet really, personally offended me. Did this asshole truly believe I'm that stupid? Yikes. I'd been had. Chuck calls all this "sudden." That's kind of how I roll; I speak up as quickly as I can. I don't hang out for months nursing my grievance and then cry about it when someone cuts me in line.

That's how we came to this week, when the whole thing erupted in spectacular fashion after my column posted.

Chuck's response genuinely confuses me because he, of all people, has commented repeatedly and admiringly over the years about my willingness to take on powerful, influential people and companies. Quite a lot of the stupidity that has fallen from the mouths of Vegas moguls and celebrities that becomes fodder for Chuck's blog emerges from my reporting. In fact, interestingly, Chuck's own commenters seemed willing to give me the benefit of the doubt that Chuck denied me even as they regaled him for the rest of his excellent post.

I thought I'd earned a little more credibility with him than to have it suggested that I wrote the initial column to, uh, spike web traffic and hang onto my column gig. Seriously, that's what he's alleging. Read this part again:

This resulted in a Las Vegas Weekly [sic] getting decent amount of traffic to the article (a metric a publisher uses to decides if the author is worth keeping on staff) as well Tweet pimping the authors Twitter handle and his blog.

It is true, the initial column could have been better researched, better considered. I've admitted that. But to run directly for the Palinesque conclusion that I sold out for some nebulous notion of getting Twitter followers or blog readers or media attention of whatever sort shows that as much as Chuck has developed as a writer and, yes, a journalist, he remains quite a bit out of touch with how actual media operates. Also, it ignores the fact that all it takes for @24k or @VegasBill to pimp your Twitter handle is to re-tweet something they say. Duh.

This part is shockingly ignorant: My August column on Bill and Chris was a gambit to persuade my editor to keep me on? When the hell was I at risk of losing my gig? Doesn't he know that happy puff pieces don't accomplish that anyway, that controversy and drama are what the public finds compelling and gets people talking/reading/commenting? Does he know that in all the years I've been a journalist, no editor has ever even told me what my web traffic was on any single article? I don't have a clue. Fuck, I hardly ever even look at my own blog stats or download data for the podcasts! If I had to guess, the Weekly likes my column because it (usually) gives the publication some gravitas, not because it drives traffic. Weeks like this are just a bonus!

No, Chuck is peeved because he wanted to be the dragon slayer here -- and still fancies he is -- but I snuck in before his long-planned assault could be launched. Didn't anyone wonder how it was possible he could have such a well-considered rant, complete with screen shots and excerpts, up so quickly? He got scooped on his own story which, incidentally, I have been as well on the Vegas Gang, the Stiffs & Georges blog and elsewhere. It's no fun. But if I'm dumb enough to tell the world and/or competitors what big thing I've got coming up, then I guess I'll have to accept the only logical outcome for my stupidity. Them's the breaks.

Here's another thing, big guy. You don't get credit for feeling something. We've seen each other a few times since August and God knows how many blog posts you've written, although not a one about the lameness of my Aug. 18 column. You could've asked me privately -- and I would've told you of my regret if I was up to that point in my process -- or blasted me in public. You didn't. Tough.

Oh, and how do you know what sort of traffic the Las Vegas Weekly got? You chastise me for not doing my digital homework, but did you even look? I'm pretty sure that Aug. 18 piece never cracked the Top 10 for the site and to date has garnered just 5 "recommends" on Facebook and one or two comments. Yet here you state this as fact, as part of the premise for your simplistic media conspiracy argument, and you've got no proof.

Fact is, it required someone who dwells comfortably in both the online and mainstream media worlds to expose the Twerps in full. Chuck may not know this, but I've been called or emailed by publicists for years asking who is real and who isn't in the confusing Web world. That -- and Chuck seems to acknowledge this -- is why my initial column was so harmful, because I put my own considerable credibility behind the Twerps. It's also why this round is so damaging, because I'm pulling the plug and watching these cretins flail as the drain sucks them in.

I admire Chuck immensely. I think it's silly that he modestly suggests he's not much of a journalist or writer. He's outstanding at both, usually. That's why this whine is beneath him. He knows me better than this and he ought to know how journalism works better than this, too. Perhaps he went on this rant specifically knowing I'd react and drive traffic to or awareness of his site? I don't believe that, but it's the logical extension of Chuck's accusations towards me.

Hmmm. So should I post this? Let's see...Oops!

Dan Shak's Hedge Fund Nearly Blows Up the Gold Market

By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA

Dan Shak almost caused a tsunami in the gold futures market.

This sounds like a story for Tao of Fear. But, it's real life and my Wall Street world has just collided with the poker world. Enter... Dan Shak.

For someone who is an investor and Hedge Fund Manager like Dan Shak, $10,000 poker tournament buy-ins are peanuts to the millions that hes been gambling on in gold futures.


"Must use poker winnings to buy more gold!"
There's an inside joke among poker media that sometimes Shak randomly set up his laptop in the pressbox during tournaments. On his breaks, he sprinted to the laptop, checked his spreads, and randomly barked orders into his cell phone, "DEEEZ! DEEEZ!"

Because I was one of the rare members of the poker press who used to work on Wall Street, I knew that Shak wasn't crazy...he was simply attempting to buy December futures contracts (the abbreviation is "Z" but it's also known as "Dec" or pronounced "deese" instead of "deck"). Alas, my snarky colleagues exaggerated his trade lingo so much so that Shak's nickname was often "Deez." Oh, and you don't want to know the not-so-charming nickname that we have to his ex-wife Beth. I'm afraid if I reveal that, she'll try to sue me for slander with a mergers and acquisitions attorney and shut down Tao of Poker .

During one recent tournament, I glanced at Shak's laptop and noticed his was trading gold futures, I asked him, "How you doing today?"

Shak told me his chipcount in the tournament. I guess Shak had no clue that I used to be in the business, or rather, he didn't want anyone to know what he really did for a living.

Before he started his hedge fund, Shak was a trader on the floor of COMEX located on the 8th floor of the former World Trade Center. That's exactly where I got my start as a runner and later as a clerk as an internship in high school, and later as a summer job just before I started college. I never went back to the trading floor in subsequent stops on Wall Street (post-college, I trained as a bond trader, and then returned post 9/11 as a stockbroker).

Shak's hedge fund, SHK Asset Management, at one point controlled almost 10% of the total U.S. futures market and worth almost $850 million. It's important to point out that futures contracts cost a small percentage of the actual price of the future. All of these contracts were bought on margin. When the price of gold tanked at the start of 2011, Shak was going to be on the hook for a massive loss. Like a smart poker player, he got in over his head (look at in as a hold'em hand and by the turn with most of his stack in the pot, he knew he was drawing to a one-outer or possibly drawing dead), so he folded his hand. Closing his trade cost somewhere around $7 million. Rumor suggested that the board at COMEX forced him to cut his losses, but in an interview, Shak was stern when he said that he got out on his own when he was down 70%.

It's also important to note that Shak made a spread trade -- essentially betting on both sides (long and short positions) of the gold market.

The Wall Street Journal can explain it better:

It isn't an outright bet on gold prices, but rather on the degree of movement among different contracts. The fact that the sale came from a spread trader, rather than a gold holder, could put some investors' minds at ease.

Spread trading often flies under the radar of regulators and exchanges, as it is regarded as involving little risk. Therefore, traders are able to use high leverage to command a big number of contracts with only little capital.

For example, with as little as $135, a trader can control a spread trade, which is nominally valued at more than $260,000 at today's price.

In comparison, traders need to put up $6,751 to invest in one futures contract. Mr. Shak's positions were extended as far as December 2015, according to exchange data.

I got tipped off on this story by my friend Marissa. You can read more about the saga from the Wall Street Journal's article Small Gold Trader Makes Big Splash: Daniel Shak's Aggressive Bet Grabbed Sizable Chunk of Contracts, But Prices Fell and Wager Went Bad.

The gang at Zero Hedge even took notice and wrote a post: Meet The Man Behind The Liquidating Hedge Fund That Blew Up The Gold Market.

One of my favorite Wall Street blogs, Clusterstock, also weighed in on the situation This Poker-Playing Hedge Fund Manager Sent Shocks Through The Gold Market Last Week.

The best line in all of this, which I hear from degenerate gamblers (poker, craps, sports betting, whatever) all the time, is what Shak told the Wall Street Journal: "This is not career ending. I'm not stopping trading."

Talk about a trader who has a set of titanium balls! That's what I love about Dan Shak -- he made a ballsy trade, it went south, he cut his losses, shrugged it off, and wants to get back in the game.

Instead of dicking around trying to get his chip count, maybe I should ask Shak if I can have a job at his hedge fund?

This week's OTHER LVW Piece

Proving to Miles that I can even come up with stories sitting on the couch watching TV reruns, I've also got a fun feature in the Las Vegas Weekly right now about Shae Wilhite, a stand-up comic and bakery owner whose appearance on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" in 2001 was reaired on GSN last month. Shae now makes delicious goodies via Glitter City Sweets and recently starred in this cute indy flick "You People."

See Shae win $64,000 and chat up Vegas in this clip:

The #London Meet-Up Is On!

If you're in London and want to partake in a listener/reader/Twitter-follower meet-up, please come to the lobby bar at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. We look forward to visiting there! We'll assume you know what we look like, but add about 15% body weight to what ever photos you have seen.

Banned!!! By The Twitter Twerps!

Some developments in the drama behind my LVW column on the Twitter Twerps, brothers Chris Rauschnot and Bill Cody. First of all, I've been banned by them!


Awesome! I had gone to see if they'd remarked on the column and found I was no longer following them. So I tried -- knowing full well what would happen -- to follow them again and voila! Blocked!

I guess they don't care for or appreciate all that I do for the city, venues, etc. (Inside joke, read the column to understand.)

Meanwhile, there's more proof that they are utterly ineffective as social media influencers. I went back to see something about my original Aug. 18 column on them only to see that just five Facebook people recommended that piece. Bill and Chris had flogged the hell out of that piece, so you would think that maybe more than a measly five of their apparent 50,000 followers on Twitter would have done so, no? (Let's just assume for argument's sake that they don't account for 2 of the 5, or 40%).

Meanwhile, the current column has only been up for a day and already there's 59 Facebook "recommends." They clearly DO get a social media response, but it's not the sort anyone would actually want, is it?

More to come, folks. I've just found a new, meaty bone to gnaw at and I'm getting information from all over the place about these guys.

P.S. Look who else I'm honored to be blocked from following:

This week's LVW Col: Defrocking The Twitter Twerps

I erred several months ago in bestowing praise upon a pair of brothers who wield their alleged Twitter influence as a sledgehammer cracking open the Vegas safe for goodies. Recent events have altered my original admiration, so I followed up. Now, not surprisingly, the Twitterverse is buzzing like mad and even old enemies have paused in their enmity to praise me. Fun. Read on. -sf

Setting the record straight about Vegas’ Twitter twerps
By STEVE FRIESS

I’m known for taking on sacred cows, and that has earned me many foes. But I also have support from a sizable population that relies on me to be real in a city famed for artifice.

The latter, however, were disappointed and baffled by my August 18 column heralding brothers Bill Cody (@VegasBill) and Chris Rauschnot (@24k) as new media pioneers. The duo have parlayed an apparently huge Twitter following into coveted spaces on red carpets and seats at press conferences, and that pleased me because I’ve long advocated for respect for podcasters, bloggers and the like. Yet I was too eager to bestow such credit on these guys. At first I thought critics of that column were just jealous of the brothers, but now the scales have fallen from my eyes.

Cody and Rauschnot, you see, aren’t tilling new soil.

Read the rest at LasVegasWeekly.Com

Eight Voices and the Sea of Troubles

By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA

Something supernatural occurred the moment that my plane landed in the Bahamas. My buddy Storms failed to convince me that his cooler abilities were responsible for hexing me, even though he was coincidentally present when something amiss affected games that I wagered, whether it was the Knicks, Ravens, or Butler.

Fucking Butler.

My blood continues to boil thinking about the poignant bad beat on Butler. Storms and I were the only ones on the island who bet on that "added game" at the Atlantis sports book, and we even moved the line a half a point. Instead of blowing our winnings at the Coral Lobby Bar, we looked like chump stains and tore up our losing tickets. Butler failed to cover, shit, they didn't even win the game. We got our testicles stomped by a mid-major squad that barely had a winning record.

Why the hell was I betting on Butler in the first place?

The answer is complex, disturbing, yet predictable.


If I saw more than three episodes of LOST, then I could come up with a witty allegory linking sports betting and Hurley's numbers that would explain the downswing in Bahamas. However, something unearthly happened on the island, and I'm unable to pinpoint the whats and whys. Until I can find some answers, I'm wandering the vast wasteland trying to pick up the pieces of my shattered betting life.

I ended 2010 riding an emotional high with a heater. Everything I bet was golden. Silver futures. NFL. NBA. College Hoops. European Team Handball. I even bought the fucking dip! It was one of those streaks that bettors dream about. During the streak, I heeded sound advice from Buffalo66 on college hoops, and an acquaintance who works in a major off-shore sports book down in warmer climates clued me on any major lines moves in the NFL. I devised a half-baked system for NBA games (always betting against Washington on the road, and betting on the Knicks on the road especially when they are dogs). I also reduced the amount of bets on NFL games to only two every weekend: one big bet and a small bet. In poker terms, I played fewer hands, but aggressively played the ones I selected.

With positive aspirations for the new year rattling around my head, 2011 started off just how it ended -- en fuego. I planned on doubling my bankroll at the sports book in the Bahamas. Instead, the streak was halted, when I slid into a sinister black hole of suck.

If I could have one special power it would be the ability to peek into the future. I can't tell you how much I'd abuse that special ability for evil purposes by gambling on the financial markets and on sporting events. Although I hated all of the sequels to Back to the Future, my only favorite scene/storyline is Biff getting his hands on a sports almanac from the future, which he uses to become one of the most successful sports bettors in their alternative universe.

Man oh man, if I could only have the ability to see the future for one week -- I'd quickly amass a fortune until all of the bookies and sports books cut me off, then I'd have to pull a Billy Walters and hire hundreds of runners to make bets for me in Vegas.

Accessing the future for my own financial gain is an unattainable pipe dream. I meet people all the time in Vegas and in poker circles who claim that have foolproof systems for blackjack, roulette, the horses, stock options, etc. I've met lots of shit-talkers, but I've never crossed paths with a legitimate psychic who can accurately predict the future. Believe me, I scoured the world for a seer and found lots of charlatans, but came up empty.

I experienced a clairvoyant encounter one late night after I ate too much Adderall and had a lengthy conversation with Oma, aka the ghost of Change100's dead German grandmother. My favorite place to write in our apartment is the dining room table that belonged to Oma. If you put your palms on the table, you can feel it vibrating with energy, which is the primary reason why I love writing at it. Oma's spirit is heavily attached to the table because it was the center of many of her happiest memories. Almost one hundred years old, the heavy table is made out of solid oak and it's a bitch to move. They definitely don't make furniture like that anymore, and these days you're stuck with Ikea's disposable crap made for pennies in a Chinese sweatshop out of balsa wood.

When I'm sleep deprived or jacked up, I can feel the presence of my girlfriend's dead grandmother. Oma always started conversations in English, but then trailed off into German. I didn't understand what she said and politely asked her to return to English. I'm not going to lie to you -- I've tried to angle shoot a ghost. I pestered, prodded, and grilled Oma about the future. Unfortunately, she was unable to tell me the outcomes of the next day's basketball games. I sensed that she was uncomfortable with my devious questions. I didn't want to upset her because the last thing I needed was a German spirit haunting me the rest of my life. I dropped any gambling talk during our other encounters. We mostly talked about her childhood in Munich and how she didn't like it when I made Nazi jokes (although she loved the Gestapo Knock-Knock joke, wich is only effective if you can do a perfect German accent).

Knock. Knock.
"Who's there?"
"Zee Gestapo"
"The Gestapo who?"
"Vee vill be zee onez asking zee questions!"

Unable to get ghosts to spill the beans about the future, I found myself back to square one and just another lowly piker. I take out my gambling frustrations in literature where I dream up alternative dimensions where time travel is possible and I earn millions betting on games that I already know the final score. Maybe I'll eat a shitload of speed one weekend and write a Philip K. Dick-inspired pulpy-sci-fi screenplay that is a hybrid of Time Cop meets Bringing Down the House -- the Gambling Police from the MGM/Mirage Junta are leaping through worm holes to track down an eclectic group of rogue time traveling gamblers (including ringleader Seth Rogen, a random hip-hop artist to play the wise-cracking sidekick and be the token black guy, and a well-known British actress in the role of the bald-headed savant pre-cog).

The Bahama Incident has been bothering me ever since I returned to California. Maybe it's because I was on the fringe of the Bermuda Triangle that my betting mojo is all out of whack? Maybe I lost all of my run good and it got transferred to my girlfriend? I'm thrilled that she shipped the PCA Ladies Event for a well-needed score, but while she was experiencing the winner's high, I was slumming the the loser's doldrums. I blew through two dimes as my bankroll got decimated and I got beat down like a Russian dissident. Every single wager was a heart breaker and the brutality did not let up. I hoped that the losing juju remained on the island, but somehow, it lingered and the losing streak carried over into the following week. I couldn't hit a bet last week and my mood grew from grouchy to sullen. When I finally nailed a much-needed slump buster, it was a total suck out with a fortuitous break (two missed free throws from an excellent shooter). In the ensuing days, I struggled with a string of .500 days. Breaking even on paper (6-6 in the NBA) is nothing to be proud about because all of the juice adds up in the long run. Sure, I finally stopped the heavy bleeding, but I'm still dragging ass while ensconced in a break-even malaise.

The blood trickles ever so lightly.

Just like in poker, whenever I'm mired in a sports betting losing streak, I reverted back to basics (A-B-Cs of gambling), and carefully scrutinized m betting history to identify and plug any leaks. I accounted 25% of my losses to overzealousness, greed, and junkie tendencies when I bet on games that I had no business betting. But it's harder to say no than you think, when I'm in a distorted reality. It's difficult to refrain from action during a losing streak because when I finally win bet, I instantly try to kick-start a new streak and attempt to get some rhythm going with an additional bet. At the same time, never underestimate the gripping effects of walking away when you're chasing a loss. That's a sign of a problem gambler, and that's what separates the Big Dogs from the annoying yapping poodles -- knowing when to push your edge and knowing when to walk away.

I chalked up 25% of my recent losses to poor bet selection and impulsive decision-making, but was I really variance's bitch on the other 75%? Or was I just getting bad intel?

It doesn't matter if it's the lottery, stock market, roulette, or sports betting because everyone who is a frequent participant in a gambling event feels as though they have a rock-solid system that will make them a winner over the long term. The demoralizing aspect of losing never deters them, in fact, it makes them even stronger in their blind conviction that the gambling gods will finally even things out for them after years of futility and they'll hit a monster score. Casinos make billions of dollars every year in slot machine revenue on gambler's misguided faith.

That gambler's philosophy is why my grandmother played Lotto twice a week from the time that New York installed it to the day she died. While on her death bed in the hospital, my grandma still inquired about her numbers. Gambling is truly in my blood; Lotto was last thing on my grandma's mind before she entered the hugest lottery of them all: heaven, hell, or purgatory.

I was raised Catholic and we're supposed to believe that our time on Earth will determine our fate in the afterlife. We supposedly in control of our destiny. Our moral or immoral actions will lead us to in one of three places: heaven, hell, or purgatory.

I had many internal discussions on the afterlife, including inventing a controversial theory about purgatory and reincarnation. My theory is this: we are not actually alive, but rather, we are dead and Earth is purgatory. Our current consciousness is in a state of purgatory and we're all old souls (or to simplify things, we're ghosts) living out a temporary existence in our current forms before the powers to be determine if our collective soul is going to heaven, or going to hell, or doomed to roam purgatory for the rest of existence (albeit in a different vessel). Essentially, depending on how you view your existence, purgatory can be also be heaven on Earth or hell on Earth. But if you're caught in a dead end job and unable to escape from the grapples of your mundane existence, then you've officially been exiled to perpetual purgatory.

And no, I'm not on speed or psychedelics at the present moment, but, I will admit that during one mind-melting incident at the set break of a Grateful Dead concert, I formulated my theory of existence -- that Earth is actually purgatory and we're just lost souls in a waiting room.

Some day I hope to find out if I'm correct or if I'm totally wrong. In the meantime, I gladly bet on meaningless sporting events to cure the tedium in life's waiting room. If we're reincarnated spirits hanging out in physical vessels awaiting a transformation into a more superior form of consciousness, then why would I waste my time doing anything else except partying it up and gambling nonstop?

You just witnessed the philosopher inside my head jump behind the wheel of the bus, as he made a solid existentialist argument why I should engage in bad behavior and just be. That convincing fucker gets me into a lot of trouble, but I'd get into more if I wasn't engaged in an on-going battle against a cabal of eight voices in my head....

1. Gordon Gekko is the slick-haired snake oil salesman who may or may not be a plant from the devil and a distant cousin of Stuey Ungar. Gekko is compulsively clad in striped shirts, polka dot ties, suspenders and a belt. He constantly pressures me to bet more and take bigger financial risks like attempting to corner the cocoa market.

2. The Philosopher is a doppelganger for the Dude from The Big Lebowski. He's always convincing me to say "Fuck you!" to the Man, goof off and get stoned while pondering life's deepest mysteries. He frequently parties with aliens and encouraged me to learn Mayan so I can converse with them via my third eye.

3. The Moralist looks just like Fr. Duffy, my high school theology teacher. He's tall, lanky, wearing a black suit and white priest collar. Whenever I screw up, he waves his wrinkled finger in my direction reminding me that God will condemn me for my sins. I usually don't have to worry much about Fr. Duffy because the committee inside my head is mostly atheist, so they tie him up and toss him in a utility closet so they don't have to hear his incessant sermons.

4. The Artist is a mix between Salvidor Dali and Andy Kaufman. He sports a funny mustache, carries around a couple of pet ocelots, wears a white jumpsuit, and talks in foreign accents. The artist is constantly brooding with vicious mood swings but he's responsible for creating grandiose images in my head that I try to replicate in word form. It's not easy painting the word picture with keystrokes, yet somehow, the artist nudges me to create something out of nothing even though it's a painful process for me to extract and execute his concept. When I say I have five or six major projects inside me, it's really the artist scribbling down a "To Do" list on a blackboard inside the hallways of my mind. The artist calls me a sell out when I take a quick buck for less than what I'm actually worth as a writer. He calls me a fraud when I can't think of anything original to say, and he's the one who encourages me stray away from the herd.

5. Gaia influences my nurturing side. She looks like Meryl Streep circa the 1970s, although I have no idea why, it just is and she has perfectly shiny hair. Gaia is part siren, part muse, and part Mother Earth. Gaia-Meryl speaks to me in contrasting yet impeccable accents. She gets on my case when I treat women like shit in my scribblings or when I buy bottled water. She also reminds me to call my mother on holidays and not to use the c-bomb in the company of other women.

6. My ever-important Legal Counsel sounds like President Bartlett from The West Wing. Yep, I have Martin Sheen's voice with Aaron Sorkin's rhetoric rattling around my brain when I'm bombarded with complicated legal matters. He talks me out of the Fortune Bonus in Pai Gow and tells me not to speed more than 10 miles over the posted limit when I'm "driving dirty." My internal attorney also talks me out of foolish pursuits including get-rich-quick schemes or writing a book about the Mexican drug wars.

7. My Id is a mixture of Homer Simpson, Bluto from Animal House, and Holden Caufield. That amalgam is the reason why I'm wasted most of my waking hours and think everyone is a fucking phony. My id acts like a cocky fraternity brother who gives me guff when I want to leave a bar and go home early, and he questions my manhood when I consider declining a third hit of liquid sunshine.

8. The Cigarette Smoking Man (CSM) is controlling my super-ego because he's the guy who secretly governs everyone else. The CSM (similar to the character from The X-Files) manipulates the other voices, who in turn influence and tell me what to do, but all along, I think it's the other voices who are responsible, when in fact it's the CSM's master plan all along as he lurks in the shadows. Maybe he's God's messenger? Or a microchip implanted by the CIA? Regardless, the CSM is mastermind who drew up the plans to Take Over a Politically Unstable Country in Six Easy Steps, but used Gekko as a proxy to persuade me to take decisive action in trying to corner the cocoa market. The CSM is the one who confirmed alien existence, but tricks the Dude into telling me about the aliens. The CSM is the most dangerous voice inside my head even though I barely hear him talking. He whispers mostly. When he speaks (it's in a pronounced British accent and I suspect he was a former Shakespearean actor) all of the other voices listen attentively. I had not heard much from the CSM in the last few weeks aside from last Sunday morning when he matter-of-factly uttered, "Bet the Packers of Green Bay and buy cocoa futures."

That's an accurate run down of the eight prevailing voices inside my head, sort of inspired by the canceled FOX sitcom Herman's Head (a Freudian-inspired comedy featuring a protagonist who battles with his inner personalities). My life is doubly complex which is why I have a committee of eight trying to steer me on the proper path in life. More voices exist, like the one Spanish-speaking woman dressed up like Charo who yells out the most random things. I probably should learn more Spanish to figure out what she's saying, because who knows, maybe she's giving me tips on college hoops? I have no clue why she's there or what her purpose is, but until I can figure that out, I just drown out her voice.

I'm still in a rut and unable to break free from the shackles of a losing streak that has haunted me since I stepped foot on Paradise Island. Despite my conversations with ghosts and the voices inside my head, I have been unsuccessful devising a system to see into the future. For now, I rely on my instincts, sift through stats, listen to tips from friends, and filter out all of the chatter inside my head to figure out who I should bet in the Super Bowl.

Green Bay or Pittsburgh, that is the question, right?

Shakespeare summed it up best: "Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles."


Art Image by Banksy

How To Play Zynga Poker

Hopefully you understand the basics of how to check, call, raise or fold, and what each of these mean.

But just in case:

Check - If your current bet matches the highest bet made by all other players currently, and you do not wish to increase the bet you can choose to Check. This costs you no extra than what you've already bet, and you stay in the game.

Call - Your current bet is below the current highest bet, to continue to play you will need to match the highest current bet or raise. To Call is to match the current highest bet, without taking the betting higher of your own accord. This will cost you the different between your current bet and the highest bet.

Raise - To Raise is to increase the amount you bet on a particular round above the current highest bet. You can choose how much you wish to Raise by using the scroll bar. Some Raises must be in set increments, so be aware of this.

Fold - To Fold is to decide that you do not want to continue with the round, whether by betting (calling or raising) or checking (if no one else raises). When you Fold you no longer have a chance of winning the round, and any chips you have bet previously in the round so far are lost as part of the kitty for the eventual winner.

All In - To go All In means that you are betting all your remaining chips on the round, so this is a big risk. In some cases, this is a special version of a Raise, in that you are so confident in winning the round, you are going to bet all of your chips on it. Another case is if the bidding in a round goes higher than the chips you have remaining, instead of being asked to Call you will need to go All In if you wish to continue. If you win, you may have the opportunity to win quite a lot if others are also bidding high, however you could lose it all and be kicked from the table.

~~~~~

The hardest part for many people is remembering the order of the hands, basically what wins over what. So if you just want to check the hands, without going over the entire tutorial again, here they are:

1. Royal Flush - A Royal Flush is a Straight Flush with Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10.

2. Straight Flush - A Straight Flush is a sequence of five consecutive cards, like 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, but all of the same suit. This is the highest ranking hand in the game. Highest card wins in a tie.

3. Four of a Kind - Four of a Kind is four cards of the same rank, like four 6s or four Jacks. It's ranked above a Full House, but below a Straight Flush. A higher ranked quad beats lower, so four Jacks beats four 6s.

4. Full House - If you've got a three of a kind and a two of a kind, you've got a Full House. It's ranked below Four of a Kind, but above a Flush. If another player has a Full House, whomever has the highest ranking three of a kind wins.

5. Flush - A Flush is a hand of five cards of the same suit, but not in consecutive order. It's ranked above a Straight, but below a Full House. If two players have a Flush, the player with the highest card wins. If both players share the highest card the next highest wins, and so on.

6. Straight - A Straight is a hand of five consecutive cards not all of the same suit. It's ranked above Three of a Kind, but below a Flush. The winner between two Straights is determined by the highest card in the Straight.

7. Three of a Kind - Three of a Kind is three cards of the same rank, plus two unmatched cards. It's ranked above Two Pair, but below a Straight. The highest value Three of a Kind wins above another Three of a Kind. In the case of two players having the same Three of a Kind, the highest unmatched card ('kicker') will determine the winner.

8. Two Pair - Two sets of two cards of the same ranks is called a Two Pair. It ranks above a Pair, but below a Three of a Kind. The highest pair wins when two Two Pair hands are compared, and if the hands are still tied the lower pairs are compared. If both pairs are the same as the opposing pairs, the last card (or 'kicker') determines the winner.

9. Pair - A Pair is two cards of the same rank, plus three unmatched cards. It beats a hand of unmatched cards, but any other hand will beat a Pair. If another player has a Pair, the highest Pair wins. If the Pairs are equal, the unmatched cards ('kickers') are compared in descending order to determine the winner.

10. High Card - A High Card hand means that all cards in the hand are unmatched. This class of hand ranks below all others in poker. If two High Card hands are compared, the cards are compared in descending order, highest card wins.

This Picture Show The Sturcture Card :



Enjoy!!

And if you want to learn more, there's always: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_holdem

How to Play Blackjack

Blackjack, also known as twenty-one, is one of the most popular card games enjoyed by millions of casino buffs. Blackjack is easy to play and the excitement it offers is beyond words. The object of blackjack is to obtain a total card value of 21 or close to that total without exceeding the 21 points.

Traditionally blackjack is played on a semi circular table with one seat for the dealer and the remaining sears for the players. The players of the game are known as box holders. The box holders take decisions when the game is in progress. The cloth on all seats is labeled with one double circle or several single circles – the designated area where the blackjack players put their money and/or the value chips.

Before the blackjack game begins, that is the dealer deals any cards, the players place their bet in the double box. All players play blackjack against the bank – that is a croupier, who is known as the dealer. For those who are playing together with the box holders can place their value chips in the single circles marked in the cloth. Blackjack starts with the dealer giving two cards to each box holders and then to himself. One card of the dealer is dealt face up and the other is dealt face down.

The face cards - Kings, Queens, and Jacks - are all worth 10 points. The Ace can count as either an 11 or a 1 point card (the value of Ace card is your choice). All other cards from 2 to 10 take their normal values.

The box holder’s aim is to draw cards until their hand adds up to 21 or close to 21. If the first two cards dealt to you total to 21 points, then it is a natural Blackjack. You are the winner of the game or simply you have Blackjack! The box holder who wins blackjack will get one and one-half times his/her bet unless the dealer also has blackjack.

If the box holder is dealt with any two cards other than a blackjack, he has two options – “hit” (accept another card) or “stand” (refuse any further cards). A player who selects the “stands” option will not be given any additional cards. Cards are dealt till the player stands or “busts” (exceeds 21 points). When a box holder “busts”, he suddenly loses his bet despite the dealer’s hand result.

After the box holder’s final actions, the dealer reveals the down card. If the dealer’s hand is less than 16 points or 16, the dealer has to continue the “hit” option until he reaches 17 or more. The dealer need to stand on soft 17 and should not take any additional cards. The box holder wins, if he stood without busting and the dealer “busts” (exceed 21). The dealer wins if the dealer stands on 17 or more and has a higher point than the box holder. If both the dealer and the player have the same points, it’s a “push” (tie).

Play BlackJack

Welcome to our new blog about playing BlackJack on the Internet. We don't have enough space on our site www.7bj.com to go into all the details of play, so we will do so here.

We will be bringing you tips for play and general information on our weblog. Stay tunned for some good information about the game, where to play (at our casino ofcource), and how to stay one step ahead of the game.

2011 World Series of Poker Schedule Announced

By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA


Photo courtesy of Flipchp
The day of reckoning has arrived. The 2011 WSOP schedule is now available! You have 58 chances to win a bracelet, and for pros like Durrrr and Phil Ivey, they have 58 chances to win millions in prop bets.

Event #1 of the WSOP kicks off on Tuesday, May 31st with the Casino Employees event and a newly added $25,000 Heads-Up NL fiesta.

The Main Event dates are July 7th through July 19th. Once again, Day 1 will be split into four flights (July 7, 8, 9, and 10).

The $50,000 Players' Championship (Mixed 8-Game) got pushed back to just before the Main Event.

For all of you budget players, there's at least 5 Donkulus ($1,000 NL) and 7 Donkaments ($1,500 NL). That's doesn't include the three other $1,500 NL events that are either 6-Handed, Shootout, and Triple Chance formats.

A few changes for 2011 that will include overall length of play each day and later registration times. According to Seth Palansky's press release:

Player comfort is also being addressed by new rules regulating the duration of daily play. Excluding the Main Event, gold bracelet tournaments will begin at 12 noon and 5 PM Pacific Time each day, with a maximum of 10-one hour levels being played for the noon starts; the 5 PM events will be comprised of a maximum of eight one-hour levels on Day 1. Day 1 play is expected to conclude at 12:45 AM for noon starts and 2:00 AM for the 5 PM starts. For those advancing past the first day, re-starts for noon bracelet events will be at 2:30 PM, and 5 PM tournaments will restart at 3 PM, with a maximum of 10 levels being played each day until a champion is crowned. The Main Event features two-hour levels, with play beginning at 12 noon each day.

Registration for all bracelet events will remain open through four levels of play – or until all available seats have been sold. This is twice as long as previous years. The only exception to this is the Main Event, which will remain open for it’s customary two levels (or four hours of play).

For more information on discount hotel bookings, pre-registration, and blind structures then visit the WSOP website.

Click here for a complete 2011 WSOP Schedule.

Looming Municipal Debt Crisis the Key to Online Poker Legalization?

By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA


If online poker has a shot at legalization in the next 12-24 months, it's not going to be on a federal level spearheaded by Barney Frank or Harry Reid. Rather, if online poker has a legitimate shot at legality, it's going to be because your state is flat broke.

In the parlance of our poker times, almost 80% of the states in the union are broke dicks like Eskimo Clark. Here's why:

1. States are crippled with budgetary woes after spending more than their tax revenues can generate. If states cannot refinance their debt quickly or come to an agreement with their unions, they will be screwing the proverbial pooch.

2. Collectively, our states are sitting on a ticking time bomb with underfunded pensions in excess of a $3 trillion dollars. How deep of a hole is your state? This state-by-state interactive map of underfunded pension plans will show you some startling numbers.

3. Due to the budgetary crunch, states will have to cut back on providing funding to municipalities. As a result, many towns and even some of America's biggest cities (Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Miami, not to mention smaller cities like Detroit and Oakland) will default on their debt obligations, that were once considered low risk investments, but now approaching junk status, especially in California. The city of Vallejo, CA was the first city to declare bankruptcy. The bad news is that the CEO of JP Morgan said that he expects more municipalities to go bankrupt in the immediate future.

4. The domino effect of the muni debt defaults will eventually ripple into the financial sector. At this moment, munis took a pounding last quarter for their worst performance since 1994. Over on the muni bond fund side of the equation, there has been a mass exodus and sell off. If cities go busto, then banks guaranteeing muni bonds with letters of credit will incur a catastrophic hit. Individual investors of bonds will be not be paid back because they will be at the back of a line of hordes of other creditors. Mutual funds that were vested in munis will also take a nose dive.

5. Unlike the sub-prime mortgage fiasco in 2008, do not expect the Fed to bail out the states. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke clearly stated: NO BAILOUTS. The Fed only helps banks. If anything, they will most likely bail out any banks that got caught in the cross fire, but they certainly won't help the fledgling states. And don't think a Republican Congress, sprinkled with Tea Party members, are going to come to the rescue. State bailouts are not the GOP's thing either.

With all of the impending doom laid out on the table for you, there's a glimmer of hope that states might turn to online poker legalization and regulation as a solution to dig themselves out of an apocalyptic budget crisis. Don't get me wrong, the states' budgetary problems are ginormous and way too complicated to think that flipping the switch on online poker will easily fix everything. A few million dollars a year in tax revenue siphoned from online poker is just putting a band-aid onto a gaping gunshot wood.

However, if some states are simply unaware of the severity of the situation, or if they have gotten so desperate that they don't know what to do, then maybe...just maybe...online poker would look like a plausible and immediate solution to bridge a budget gap. Just last year, the state of Colorado helped balanced their budget using $9 million in revenues derived from medicinal marijuana. It makes sense that broke states will possibly explore the marijuana route and some form of legalized online gambling. In fact, the two states that have taken the first steps to legalize poker on a state basis are New Jersey and California. It's not a coincidence because those states are about to be swallowed up by their own debts.

California supposedly has over $500 billion in underfunded pensions and they are staring down the barrel of a $19 billion budget deficit. When Prop 19 failed to pass last November, any chances of marijuana legalization went up in smoke. California is currently a medicinal marijuana state (a law that has been on the books since 1994), but even the marijuana-related sales tax revenue generated was not enough to make a difference.

Even the city of Los Angeles is on the verge of economic collapse. The police have gone from a law-enforcing organization to a revenue generator. Cops were told to write more tickets instead of allocating their time to fighting real crime. How bad is it in Hollyweird? If you're caught jaywalking, you will get slapped with a $191 ticket.

California desperately needs legalization of both marijuana and online poker in order to make a dent in their deficit. In the months after marijuana legalization was defeated, California politicians considered the possibility of legal online poker. That's the good news. The poker industry's biggest hurdle in California is the tribal gaming conglomerate, who is obviously opposed to opening up the state to online poker operators (especially European-based gaming companies).

New Jersey is in a horrendous financial situation (crushed by the real estate bubble, loss of thousands of jobs, ballooning budget, lower tax revenues), that's why they ushered in medicinal marijuana and the state legislature approved of an internet gaming bill. NJ really doesn't have a choice but to consider those two possibilities: weed and online poker.

And how bad off is the city of Chicago? In 2008, in order to generate income to plug a budget hole, the city sold off their parking meters to a group of investors from Abu Dhabi. Yes, for a mere $1.1 billion lump sum, the oil-rich Arabs now control the parking meters in Chicago for 75 years. What was the first thing that happened? A widespread increase in parking fees across the city.

Illinois is one of the most troubled states in the country. They recently hiked taxes in order to improve their state's muni bond credit rating in a desperate attempt to make their bonds more attractive to investors. But as the saying goes, "You can put as much lipstick you want on a pig...it's still going to be a pig."

Although Business Week says that the muni debt fears are "overblown", the reality probably lies somewhere in between nirvana and Hades. It seems improbable that every state will default on their debt, but then again the CEO of JP Morgan warned the public that municipal bankruptcies are imminent.

With other states scrambling to refinance their debt, a few of them might have no other alternative but to legalize online poker. Otherwise, if local and state services get shut down, and retirees all of a sudden see their checks bouncing, expect mass uprisings and anarchy.


There's an interesting twist to this saga. Right now, a bill is quietly being introduced into Congress that will allow states to declare bankruptcy. Only cities and towns can seek protection under bankruptcy laws, but that might change within a few weeks. Cash-scrapped Congress is secretly in favor of the new bill permitting states to declare bankruptcy, because then Congress won't have to buckle under pressure from their angry constituents to bail out the states.

I'm not the only one who thinks that state bankruptcy is a bad idea. As Kid Dynamite explained in a recent post titled Fix the Underlying Problem, any solutions that the states are exploring only fix past problems and fail to address future woes along with the cause of the problem in the bigger picture.

I don't see anything good that could come out of busto states getting bankruptcy protection. For one, you can kiss any hopes of legal online poker goodbye because states won't have to worry about raising cash overnight. At the same time, state bankruptcies will disrupt the daily lives of hard working Americans. If you or a family member is a teacher or fireman who has a state pension or if you own muni bonds for a state and that state declares bankruptcy, then you'll have to stand in the back of the never ending line with the rest of unsecured creditors. In short, it's like being one of Eskimo Clark's backers -- I doubt they'll get paid.

The future is grim no matter how you look at it. That's why there's very little chatter in the media about the looming municipal debt crisis. It's sort of like an asteroid ready to crash into Earth -- it's much easier to be the ostrich with its head buried in the ground, and let everyone go about their daily lives, rather than clue them in on the reality of the situation and that the end of the world could be right around the corner. The major players involved (governors, state comptrollers, and treasurers) are scrambling around like speedfreaks trying to figure out how to dig themselves out of a black hole. They started slashing their budgets left and right, but then what? If they can't come up with a quick (and long term) solution, then it's inevitable that the masses will finally revolt.

No body wants blood spilled on the streets. Depending on where you live and how desperate your politicians are, online poker might become a savior to your state. If one courageous state pulls the trigger, expect more insolvent states to jump on the online poker bandwagon. That's why you should be paying close attention to the state bankruptcy bill that's being introduced to Congress in the upcoming weeks. Also, keep tabs on the muni debt crises in three of the largest states in the union: California, Illinois, and New Jersey. These are the battle ground states for the future of the poker industry. If legal online poker can sneak into the mix via these atrociously broke states, then you can expect a few other cash-strapped states to follow suit.

Who would have thunk that poker might gain a step up on the legalization front because your state's comptroller failed to balance the budget and re-fund underfunded pensions? If that one-outer hits, well, you heard it here first.

Photo Credits: "Eat the Art" courtesy of Banksy; Anarchy courtesy of MatrixPhotos

UK Meet-Up?

Miles and I are London-bound this week and several folks have already asked if we'd like to have a drink. Our time will be short, of course, so we're going to try to organize a time and place for a meet-up. If you're near and interested, e-mail me at TheStripPodcast (at) aol.com and we'll keep you in the loop.

Cheers!

The Micros - Episode 2

By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA

Very excited about the latest episode of The Micros, which is a joint production from John Wray and Jay Rosenkrantz. Looks like Full Tilt is picking up the bill for production costs. Good to see some bit of cash flow into the comedy side of poker entertainment.

The Show is UP (Really!): Top 10 Moments of 2010

OK, folks. We did it. The LVRocks studio is history, sadly, and we had to learn to podcast the old-fashioned way, at home with cheap equipment. So, seriously, we'd like some feedback on how this sounds. But, any which way, we got it 'er done and we're back in action. Enjoy! Also, there's a new poll and trivia question, too, and the clips from all of 10 top picks (as voted on by you) are available as stand-alone MP3s on TheStripPodcast.Com. As always, you can subscribe to The Strip (it's free!) in iTunes or Zune to get the latest show and various specials. -sf

Jan. 22: The Top 10 Moments of 2010

We know we’ve been gone too long and we’re sorry. But we’re back to count down the 10 best moments of 2010 as voted on by you. And here’s a hint: there’s a dash of Oscar, a dollop of the Wynns and a whole bowl of me beating up on Steve for being an ill-spoken weirdo.
In Banter: Our staycation with PETS at Cosmo, Alex's closure, our newest dog, Aces, our recording troubles, Aria's wrap woes, losing the Trippies, MGM Resorts' M Life and more.

Links to stuff discussed:

The blog post about our show woes
VegasHappensHere.Com on adopting Aces
The show with Sierra Boggess and Sierra’s bio
Our staycation at Cosmo – and what it was like to bring the pets
Yelp on Scarpetta, Holstein’s, and Jaleo
Eric Gladstone and John Curtas think Wynn is downgrading the culinary scene there
Sinatra Dance With Me extended into April
The R-J on the possible 40,000-seat arena from the Silverton owner and UNLV
The Sun on the $20 million Stratosphere renovation and our Jan.3 Tweet on that
Stories about M Life from MGM Resorts from VegasTripping.Com and the Las Vegas Sun
Possible mayoral candidates in Vegas get ready

Sunday Nugs: Flipchip's AVN AEE Pics, Trust, Mafia Busts, Isildur1 Owes 1 Billion in Back Taxes, and the American Dream

By Pauly
Los Angeles, CA


Big day for me today because it's the NFL's version of the Final Four. After today's games, the Super Bowl teams will be set. My Jets are just one victory away from advancing to the Big One. But if you're not into the games today and need something to keep you occupied while grinding Sunday Majors, then check out these links...

Flipchip went to the the porn convention. What could be better than pics of your favorite porn stars in action? Check out his galleries: Day 1 Gallery - Day 2 Gallery - Day 3 Gallery - Day 4 Gallery (LasVegasVegas)

One of my favorite original poker bloggers is back! Check out HDouble's letter to America titled Chasing the Dream. Maybe he'll be able to return to Southern California some day and re-instate the infamous Murders' Row home game? (The Cards Speak)

Speaking of Murders' Row alums, take a peak at Bill Rini's take on PokerStars Home Games. (Bill's Blog)

Deuces Cracked coach NoahSD wrote an intriguing and fascinating post about trust issues in poker. Must read. (NoahSD)

If you don't know, many key figures in the mafia were picked up by the feds in a massive sweep. Among the charges were running illegal poker games. (Wall Street Journal)

It's tough being a professional poker player if your from Sweden with all of their weird tax laws. Viktor "Ilsudr1" Blom's main reason for maintain a secret identity is that he's a vigilante and dons a cape to fight crime. The other reason is because the Swedish government wants a huge chunk of his poker winnings. Supposedly, Isiludr1 owes over 1 billion (Swedish Kronors) or roughly $150 million in back taxes. Yep, the the Scandi phenom is having tax woes. Maybe he'll become a member of the Swedish Tea Party? I hope he's putting some of his recent winnings toward a good tax attorney. He should check out H&R Block because they will look at your tax return for free. (Anti Luck, The Local)

Debunking the America Dream. I love this subversive cartoon trying to "cushion the heaviness of the subject matter, aptly explains what's really going on with the banking junta, the housing bubble, and the so-called American Dream." (Tao of Fear)

That's it. NGTFOOMO.

Zynga.com Vs ZyngaPokerCommunity.blogspot.com

Zynga.com Vs ZyngaPokerCommunity.blogspot.com

Today we get a request from Zynga http://zynga.com to shut down our website because we have harmed Zynga website because we have a lot to find new bugs that can be used by players to cheat, especially Zynga Zynga Game Poker.

To this day continue to make efforts for Zynga our website is closed. Will not surrender and fear of adverse Zynga has many consumers with a ban consumers to continue and continue to buy chips from Zynga Poker.

Too many lies that have been carried out in a silent conspiracy Zynga mainly silent ban the players who already have a chip that is much above 100 m. In order for the players continue to buy chips. Zynga one lie that appears now is giving the bonus 3 times that buy chips for poker chips today. And when you buy your chips and more and more and continue to grow then Zynga will ban your account. :) very very good is not.

One words for you Zynga FUCKKKK YOUUUU !!!!!! Hahahahahaha .....