Barry Greenstein Interview with Poker News Daily
Poker News Daily: When you first started playing poker, did you have any idea you’d become this successful?
Greenstein: I started when I was 12 years-old playing for quarters. I used to golf for money and play poker for money. When I started off, I just wanted to be able to pay for golf with my poker money. I always seemed to do well at it. I played a lot of games when I was a kid and also played a lot of sports. I was always successful at poker and I knew from the time I was a teenager that if I just stuck to poker, I’d be in good shape financially. I used to play on weekends when I was in college and picked up money to pay for things.
I did so many other things in my life and education was always my priority. I liked to learn outside of school. I was a scratch golfer when I was 18 and planned to be a professional golfer more so than a professional poker player. Poker was something I did on the weekends to make spending money.
I wish that some of the younger kids today would play poker a little bit a little more in moderation and carve out a life for themselves. I’m afraid for some of the younger kids, and especially the ones who dropped out of college, who will find that they want to do something more productive than just play poker. When they’re 30, they’ll say that they don’t have anything else they’re able to do for a living besides poker.
A lot of times, I blame the parents. They teach their kids that success means having a lot of money. If you’re an intelligent young kid, poker is probably the best way to make money. I made some money to be able to do things like travel around the world. However, players shouldn’t make poker the only thing in their lives.
You don’t have to be the best at poker in order to do well. You just have to be better than the people you’re playing against. If you’re a decent player, you should be able to find games that you can beat. If you look at the big picture, that will allow you to have a better life.
PND: What job would you have if you weren’t playing poker professionally?
Greenstein: I took some time off from poker to do computer programming when I was in my 30’s, but what I really wanted to do was go back to school, become a doctor, and do medical work. That’s what I was hoping would be my life’s work, but there were financial reasons why I was never able to do what I wanted to do. I always had to come back to poker as a source of income. When I needed more money, I played more poker.
PND: What do you like the least about playing poker professionally?
Greenstein: When you’re doing poorly, there are a lot of bad things about poker. It’s depressing. I’ve certainly laid in bed at night and wondered how anyone can win at poker. It seems so absurd to be playing cards for money when you’re not doing well. Even when I’ve done well and needed the money, I have to admit to myself that there are other people I’ve taken money from. I have to question the morality of that.
For my own children who asked me how to play poker, I tell them to have a passion for something else that’s more productive, more interesting, and more intrinsically fulfilling than poker.
PND: Explain the predatory nature of poker.
Greenstein: I like playing with wealthy, bad players who have enough money where I don’t feel like I’m hurting them or changing their lifestyle. I have, at times, quit playing against people who I knew I was hurting. I don’t have that killer instinct to destroy people. In the games that I play in, everyone is a professional. The way I rationalize what I do when I play against other professionals is I look at it like it’s any other capitalistic endeavor. It was the same way when I was writing software. I thought that I wrote better software than other people and, as a result of that, I might have put other people out of business. In capitalism, some people don’t succeed. In some cases, I could even rationalize winning by saying it’s a good thing that I’m putting other people out of business and forcing them to do something that’s better for them.
The times that I’ve had issues are when I’ve played against people who really can’t afford to play poker. I’ll never lend them money and I’ll let up on them. Other professionals will say that if I don’t take their money, someone else will. I always felt that I could find other spots that were more reasonable for me to make money.
PND: What aspect of playing poker do recreational fans not understand?
Greenstein: Most people have the impression that we’re all multi-millionaires. I don’t know how many times I’ve had people tell me when I’m playing that it must be great to never have to worry about money. I tell them that if I didn’t have to worry about money, I wouldn’t be sitting here playing. PokerStars doesn’t ask me to play in cash games like they do to a lot of other people. I play cash games anyway and I’m really trying to make money. I am paying the bills with my poker money.
I don’t have as much money as people might think. I’ve given money away. I’ve lost money in the World Series of Chinese Poker. People will often look at career winnings, but they forget that money goes to taxes and money goes to expenses. My expenses right now are about $100,000 per month, so if I sit and do nothing, I’m losing over a million dollars per year. I have to make a lot of money.
A lot of people asked me why I signed with PokerStars. With all of the tournaments going on, I couldn’t play in as many cash games. I wasn’t making the money I had been making. I get a monthly check from PokerStars and it helps allay the cost of living for me. I’ve got three kids in college. I’ve got a lot of expenses.
PND: What qualities are often overlooked when considering what it takes to be successful?
Greenstein: Some people don’t have what it takes. There are some people who are just competitive. The most important quality for a successful poker player is psychological toughness. You will go through some downtimes. Bad things are going to happen to you when you play poker. Some people are going to learn from them, whether it was because of their own doing or just bad luck. Some people can’t handle things going against them. I have always felt that I’m the toughest person I know psychologically.
PND: What mistakes are common as people move up in poker?
Greenstein: Most people, when they jump up, jump into much bigger games. You see people who win 20 times in a row and then go broke when they lose once. A lot of people leave at the wrong time and don’t realize that the game is good. The times that you should take a shot at a bigger game are when you’ve been doing well and that game looks juicy. Knowing when to take your shots at the bigger games is really important and I think a lot of people get it wrong. I also see people who are just lazy. When you’re making money, you should try to make as much money as you can.
PND: What are some strengths and weaknesses of online poker players?
Greenstein: The general weakness is that they play their value too much. A lot of that is the internet. You don’t get as many reads on your opponents. You get a lot of tells live and a lot of online players underrate that because they’re not good at it.
PND: Which online players have you been impressed with?
Greenstein: There are a lot of good online players and they’re only going to get better, especially in the live environment. I hate to single anybody out because we’ll see that some of the players who are skilled will destroy themselves in other ways like relationships, alcohol, or drugs. There are so many pitfalls when you play poker. Playing the cards is a small percentage of what it takes to be a successful poker player. We’re going to see some of these players who we think might become the greatest player in the world and, five years later, not hear anything about them. Among younger players, I look for the ones who handle themselves well.
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Beat the Brunsons on Mondays at Doyle’s Room
One of the things that draws players to Doyle’s Room is the number of top professionals who show up to play in tournaments on the site. From ten-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and site namesake Doyle Brunson to top pros Hoyt Corkins and Cyndy Violette, the Thursday night Bounty Tournament consistently draws some of the biggest names in the poker industry. Now, Doyle’s Room is going one step further with a bounty tournament that brings the entire Brunson clan to the battle.
Starting tonight at 9:30pm Eastern Time, for a $10 buy-in (plus juice), players on Doyle’s Room will have the opportunity to “Beat The Brunsons” with large cash prizes on the line. Leading the Brunson family is, of course, Doyle, who also has the largest bounty on his head, $1,000. Son Todd and daughter Pamela – who have both captured major championships in the poker world – will each be at the tables with $500 targets on their backs. Other members of Team Brunson will be playing with a $250 bounty. Besides these big prizes, there are plenty of other ways for players to capture different prizes in the “Beat The Brunsons” Bounty Tournament.
Every player in the tournament has a $5 bounty on their head, which can add up to a sizable chunk of change for a player who drives deep in the tournament. Its winner will earn a $500 chip for play at Doyle’s Casino, the casino arm of the Doyle’s Room operation, and there are also prizes for battling the Brunsons themselves. If you can knock out Doyle with his signature 10-2 hand, you will earn a $5,000 prize and, if Brunson family members go to war with each other in a “Brunson Family Feud” and one is eliminated, the players at that table will earn their buy-in back. Finally, if one player can eliminate each Brunson family member, that player will earn the grand prize of $100,000.
If you don’t want to pay the $10 entry fee, there are a multitude of ways to earn your way into the tournament. Speed and turbo sit and gos run 24 hours a day for $1.10 and heads-up satellites also are available for a $5.50 buy-in. Each day, there is also a multi-table satellite tournament that starts at $1.10.
Since joining the Cake Poker Network back in January, Doyle’s Room has become the jewel of the group. According to PokerScout.com, which ranks site traffic, the Cake Poker Network is in the Top Ten worldwide with a peak average of over 3,000 cash players daily, doubling the its numbers over the past six months. The Thursday Bounty Tournament is one of the most attractive, but the opportunity to “Beat The Brunsons” should draw even more players to the site.
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Bodog Unveils 2009 WSOP Prop Bets
If you’ve ever wanted to rail your favorite poker stars without having to be at the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, head to Bodog. The online poker site and sports book recently opened up betting on the WSOP. The festivities at the Rio begin on May 27th.
Among the wagers available on Bodog is what poker pro will win the most money during the 2009 WSOP. The leader in the clubhouse is 11-time bracelet holder Phil Hellmuth, who is currently going off at 5:2. Other players that are available to bet on include Doyle Brunson (7:2), David Sklansky (12:1), Barry Greenstein (5:1), Mike Caro (12:1), Phil Gordon (10:1), T.J. Cloutier (6:1), and Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu, who is fetching 3:1 odds.
The question of “Will Phil Hellmuth win his 12th bracelet at the 2009 WSOP occurring in Las Vegas beginning May 27th?” is paying +300 for Yes and -500 for No. Hellmuth made three final tables last year, taking third in the $1,500 buy-in HORSE event for $93,000. You can also bet on whether Brunson or Johnny Chan will score their 11th bracelets. The +300 figure means that a player must bet $100 to get back a total of $400. The -500 figure means that a player must bet $500 to get back a total of $600.
A special last longer wager is also available on the prestigious $50,000 buy-in HORSE Championship, which was infamously won last year by Scotty Nguyen. He has 5:1 odds in the bet, the favorite among the pros available. Others include Brunson (6:1), Hellmuth (7:1), Chan (7:1), Freddy Deeb (11:2), Phil Ivey (6:1), David Williams (11:2), Justin “ZeeJustin” Bonomo (11:2), and Negreanu (6:1). Deeb won the event in 2007 and the late Chip Reese took down the inaugural HORSE Championship in 2006. The trophy given to the winner of the event is named in his honor.
Another unique bet asks wagerers to select what pair will rack up the most winnings in the 2009 WSOP. Patrik Antonius and Kathy Liebert are the current favorites, going off at 4:1. Other pairings available include Doyle and Todd Brunson (6:1), the husband and wife team of Marco Traniello and Jennifer Harman (6:1), father and son Barry Greenstein and Joe Sebok (9:2), brother and sister Annie Duke and Howard Lederer (15:2), Bodog pros Evelyn Ng and Justin Bonomo (15:2), Phil Laak and Jennifer Tilly (6:1), mother and son David and Shirley Williams (6:1), engaged couple Chad Brown and Vanessa Rousso (10:1), and Tom “durrrr” Dwan and Tiffany Michelle (9:2).
Players can even bet on what game will be played when the final hand is dealt during the HORSE Championship. Hold’em, Razz, and Seven Card Stud are all paying 5:2, while Omaha High-Low and Seven Card Stud High-Low are both going off at 15:4.
Bettors will also be keeping their eyes on the female contingent in the Main Event, as a special women’s-only last longer bet is available on Bodog. Jennifer Harman and Kathy Liebert are the current favorites; both are 5:1 to remain in contention in the Main Event the longest. Others include Duke (7:1), Tilly (10:1), Cyndy Violette (7:1), Isabelle Mercier (7:1), Clonie Gowen (7:1), Ng (7:1), Liz Lieu (7:1), Mimi Tran (7:1), Katja Thater (7:1), Rousso (7:1), and the last woman standing in the 2007 WSOP Main Event, Maria Ho (10:1).
One prop bet on Bodog centers wholly on Bodog pro Jean-Robert Bellande’s finish in the Main Event. Bellande was a contestant on CBS’ “Survivor: China,” one of the 18 seasons of the show that have aired. “No Money” is paying 1:20; finishing in the money, but no better than 10th place is paying 8:1; making the final table is paying 150:1; and winning the 2009 WSOP Main Event is fetching 1,000:1 odds. Bellande took 442nd in the Main Event last year.
The first wager listed in Bodog’s poker section is, “Will Scotty Nguyen reach his stated promise that he will earn $4,000,000 or more in combined winnings at this year’s WSOP?” Yes is paying out +2,400. The bet stems from an interview Nguyen had with PokerListings that he would retire from poker if he does not amass $4 million in winnings at the 2009 WSOP. Whether he will follow through on his promise is anyone’s guess.
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Daniel Negreanu Rebuys Again on High Stakes Poker
Two weeks removed from going broke when his pocket jacks ran into David Benyamine’s quad fours, Daniel Negreanu was forced to rebuy once again this week on GSN’s “High Stakes Poker.” This time, his gamble against Eli Elezra did not pay off, and the Team PokerStars Pro member saw his luck in the ring game continue to slide.
This was the fifth episode of the new season of High Stakes Poker, which airs on GSN at 9:00pm ET on Sundays. Last week’s show featured Tom “durrrr” Dwan’s aces cracked by Barry Greenstein’s J-9 when Greenstein turned two pair. The hand sparked the catch phrase, “Math is idiotic,” which is now a staple of the show. Greenstein opened this week’s episode with wins in two smaller pots, one against 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate and one against both Negreanu and Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies.
Several massive pots occurred in this week’s episode. In the first, Negreanu raised to $3,000 with 9-10 of clubs and was called by Dwan, who had 8-7. Elezra made it $11,000 holding pocket aces and both of his opponents called. The flop came Q-2-4 with two clubs and Elezra bet out $17,000. High Stakes Poker Host Gabe Kaplan noted, “A small bet. He’s hoping someone has a big queen and would raise him.”
Holding a flush draw, Negreanu raised to $44,100, Dwan got out of the way, Elezra made it $119,100, and Negreanu shoved for $226,300. Elezra called, saying, “I hope you’re on a draw.” Sure enough, Negreanu was. The combatants agreed to run the board twice, meaning in order to scoop the entire pot, a player must win both boards. The first came the five of diamonds and six of spades, a win for Elezra. The second board ran out the three of spades and jack of spades, giving Elezra the massive $487,100 pot. Negreanu promptly reloaded.
Elezra turned up the aggression with his newfound chips. In one hand, he raised to $4,500 with A-9 of diamonds. Eastgate raised to $20,000 with pocket queens, and Doyle Brunson quickly folded pocket tens. On the latter move, Kaplan commented, “I don’t understand that.” Sahamies called the raise with pocket fours and Elezra also called. The flop came K-2-7 with two diamonds and Elezra bet $55,000. Kaplan noted, “That’s a pretty big bet. I think Peter is savvy enough to realize that when Eli had aces, he bet half the size of the pot.” Eastgate called and the turn came a non-diamond three. The action went check-check and the river was a non-diamond jack. Both Elezra and Eastgate checked and the reigning WSOP Main Event Champion took down the $174,100 pot.
Greenstein and Elezra locked horns in a hand that saw four-way action to a flop of J-K-A with two diamonds. Greenstein, who was the hand’s initial pre-flop raiser, led out for $7,000 with 6-5 of diamonds, Elezra made it $19,000 with A-2, and the action folded back to Greenstein, who called. The turn came a non-diamond eight. Greenstein checked and Elezra bet $45,000. Kaplan remarked, “I don’t know what Eli is putting Barry on, but I know one thing: Eli wants Barry to fold his hand right here.” Instead of laying down his draw, Greenstein fired back and raised to $200,000, prompting a quick fold from Elezra.
Dwan continued being active at the table. In a hand that occurred early on in the show, Negreanu raised to $5,600 with K-Q, Dwan called with A-J, and Elezra called holding 3-2 suited. The flop came 8-2-J, giving Dwan top pair, top kicker. He led out for $13,200, Elezra folded, and Negreanu made the smooth call with king high. The turn came a four, Dwan bet $34,200, and Negreanu waved the white flag and folded. On the $74,400 hand, Kaplan commented, “Dwan confuses everybody. He gets them to play hands that they wouldn’t otherwise play.”
Next week’s episode promises to have the poker world buzzing. The preview reveals, “Barry Greenstein and Tom Dwan have battled all season long. Next week, they will lock up in what will be one of the most talked about hands in High Stakes Poker history.” Check out High Stakes Poker on Sundays at 9:00pm ET on GSN.
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Annie Duke Cleans Floors, Witnesses Rodman Alcohol Intervention on Celebrity Apprentice
I’ve been watching NBC’s “The Apprentice” ever since its first season premiered back in 2004. Sunday’s show was one of the most bizarre I’ve ever seen and ended with poker pro Annie Duke, a contestant on the show, witnessing the exposure of five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman’s drinking problem. The board room became a real-life intervention.
Last week, the contestants were tasked with creating a promotional campaign for the launch of a video phone designed by ACN. From the onset, Rodman’s erratic behavior was brought into the spotlight, as the basketball veteran clashed with teammate and country music star Clint Black, ending with Rodman throwing down his microphone and leaving the set. In the end, however, the men’s team pulled out its first win of the season on the strength of a concert by R&B singer Brian McKnight, sending the women to the board room, where “Deal or No Deal” model Claudia Jordan was fired.
This week’s task was to manage five hotel rooms at the Loews Regency Hotel in New York City. The teams would be graded on customer service and other factors such as room cleanliness. The winning Project Manager received $20,000 for the charity of their choice. Duke is playing for Refugees International, which she’s worked closely with as part of Ante Up for Africa, the charity she founded along with actor Don Cheadle.
The women’s team, Athena, selected TLC’s Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins as its Project Manager, while the men’s squad (Kotu) picked Rodman. Duke commented on Rodman taking on a leadership role: “That forces him to interact with the customers, which you know can only end in disaster.” Duke’s comments would foreshadow one of the most unique endings in the history of The Apprentice, which is in its eighth season on NBC.
Watkins was quick to delegate tasks as the teams received crash courses on making beds, scrubbing toilets, delivering room service, and even taking care of guests’ pets. Talk show host and New York native Joan Rivers was put in charge of Athena’s concierge services, taking advantage of her local connections and top-notch interpersonal skills. By the time the men had decided to purchase treats for their guests at the popular Carnegie Deli, Rodman had already began ordering vodka cranberries from Loews’ kitchen.
Rodman suggested parking a Ferrari outside of the hotel for guests to use, claiming “People look at cars! People look at people! They look at my ass all the time!” Meanwhile, Duke was among those furiously cleaning rooms in the minutes before guests checked in. She recalled, “We’re just frantically trying to get it done and these stains won’t come out. It was a lot of freaking work.” She joked that she would leave a $100 tip at hotels in the future.
Rodman continued to drink throughout the two hour-long episode and provided little direction for his team after the first few hours of the task. Guests of Kotu were waiting to be checked in, while the women were organized on the strength of Watkins’ leadership skills. Duke served as the bellhop at the beginning of the task for her team and was extremely professional. She told NBC cameras, “I behaved like an employee the whole time. I was weird about it.”
Guests who checked in came armed with a bevy of requests, including on-stage tickets for Equus and dinner at the popular Waverly Inn. Each team welcomed a guest from the first season of Celebrity Apprentice. For the men, it was “Sopranos” star Vincent Pastore, who quit during the previous season. For the women, it was actor Stephen Baldwin, who was fired in Week 11. Rivers commented on the importance of fulfilling the needs of celebrities: “You really have to treat them like a celebrity. They expect a little more.” Pastore’s special requests included cannoli and CDs.
With a lack of leadership, the men’s team struggled to fulfill guests’ orders. A bottle of chardonnay arrived more than an hour late and several room service orders were bumbled. Rodman, who swore profusely throughout the show, went to dinner at Tao with several of his guests and the team’s driver. The women, meanwhile, struggled to keep pace with a needy room of men who requested Duke to bring them cart after cart of food. On her new fans, the Ultimate Bet pro commented, “I was really proud that I was being requested. I knew I was going to be judged on the quality of service.” The room in question was disappointed at the service received from pro golfer Natalie Gulbis.
After returning from dinner, Rodman grew tired of his team and once again walked off. This time, he proclaimed, “I’m out of here. They’re too fucking cool.” He removed his shirt in the hallway of the hotel and exited the scene. Former “Monster Garage” host Jesse James told his teammates, “I think Dennis may have an alcohol abuse problem for real.”
The next morning, Athena offered complimentary breakfast to its guests, which resulted in numerous errors being made. Breakfast arrived to one room 40 minutes early and patrons in another room saw their massage bill double without being told. Reality star Khloe Kardashian took the fall for the first error and Rivers was to blame on the second. Duke explained, “Khloe had no friggin’ clue and she’s, for me, a little bit frustratingly laid back. We’ve got a lot of crap to do today and people need to be on task.”
In the board room, show host Donald Trump, who has gone to Duke early and often for objective advice, asked the World Series of Poker bracelet winner whether she thought her team won. Duke responded, “There’s so much subjectivity from the guests, but I think that, as a hotel staff, we did fantastic particularly given the steepness of the learning curve we had to climb up.”
Instead of breaking down the task, the board room featured Rodman’s drinking problem coming to life. One of the NBA’s top rebounders lashed out at James, commenting on his former alcohol abuse (James has been sober for nine years). James, who was seated in between Rodman and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker, pointed at both and said, “You have two of the greatest athletes in the history of American sports right here. Look at the contrast.”
In the end, the men’s team scored 86 points out of a possible 100, well short of the women’s total of 91. Dennis was fired on the spot in a rather unconventional board room. The show’s credits included the text, “For problems with alcohol abuse, contact Alcoholics Anonymous.”
Celebrity Apprentice airs at 9:00pm ET on Sunday nights on NBC and runs for two hours. Duke remains in the running after five weeks.
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Mike Sexton on Skill Versus Chance in Poker
Recently, I went to Charleston, South Carolina to testify as an “expert witness” in a poker trial. The case was the Town of Mount Pleasant versus five poker players who pled not guilty when they were busted for playing in a $20 tournament in someone’s house a couple of years ago. South Carolina law is similar to about 20 other states’ laws which say that it’s illegal to bet on any games of chance (in South Carolina, any game of dice or cards is considered to be a game of chance). Our mission was to prove that No Limit Hold’em poker was predominantly (more than 51%) a game of skill rather than chance. Fortunately for everyone in the poker world, Judge Larry Duffy agreed to hear testimony on this.
To poker players, whether poker is a game of skill or chance is a “no-brainer.” In my research for this case, I learned that several previous cases failed to prove this in court (even though two recent rulings in Pennsylvania and Colorado ruled that skill was the predominant factor in Hold’em). Proving that skill predominates over chance in a court of law is quite different than discussing it among poker players. Even if someone was a big favorite to win a pot, people who really don’t play poker see that any card can come up in the end and, therefore, many would think that Hold’em poker is primarily a game of chance.
Twenty states have laws similar to South Carolina’s, which says that it’s illegal to bet on any games of dice or cards. They claim it’s illegal to gamble on games of chance. If we were able to prove to the judge that poker was predominantly (51% or more) a game of skill, then perhaps the law could be changed to allow poker players to play in their homes without fear of criminalization. Obviously, the more court rulings that agree with this, the better the chance we have to change the laws nationwide.
Prior to going to South Carolina, I was forwarded a paper written by Howard Lederer on the predominant factor of skill versus chance in poker (specifically in No Limit Hold’em, as this was the game these guys were playing when they were busted). I thought Howard’s paper was brilliant. It was well thought out and very well written. Howard understood why previous cases had failed to prove that skill predominated over chance in poker. For the most part, they basically rested their testimony on the fact that that better players have an edge and the same people win year after year. He felt this thought process was doomed to fail in court.
The crux of Howard’s paper focused on the “predominant factor” and the skill elements of the game – things that are in total control of the player such as betting, calling, and folding. Everyone agrees on what the chance elements are in poker – the randomness of the cards and how they are dealt. The skill elements are what need to be defined. If there was no betting or folding in poker, it would be showdown poker and the luckiest player would win. It would simply be a game of chance. But that’s not how poker is played. One key point (verified by over 100 million hands played) is that over 70% of the hands dealt in No Limit Hold’em do not go to showdown (regardless of who may or may not have had the best hand). These pots are won by the skill applied by the player betting and getting everyone out of the pot.
In my testimony, I listed ten points that I felt were vital to becoming a successful poker player and stressed that there is so much more to playing poker than just the cards you get. I brought footage of actual hands that were played on the World Poker Tour to use for demonstration. They showed bluffing (where the guy won the pot, not because of his cards, but because of his skill), amateurs making mistakes, tells that were read properly by an opponent, someone making a tough call, and someone making a good laydown. These visual aids were very impressive in demonstrating that skill predominates over chance in No Limit Hold’em.
After hearing the testimony of myself and Dr. Bob Hannum (an expert in gaming mathematics who also testified as an expert witness), it seemed pretty obvious to all, especially the judge, that skill was the predominant factor in poker. Although the prosecutor asked us a few questions, he didn’t really make an effort to produce any contradictory evidence to the facts we testified on. He said his case didn’t matter whether poker was a game of skill or chance, but simply that these players were playing in a “house of gaming” and were guilty as charged.
The decision by the Judge Duffy resoundingly held poker to be a game of skill. However, he ruled against the five defendants. Judge Duffy is leaving it up to the appellate courts in South Carolina to decide if that fact is determinative of whether playing in a home game with a rake is legal under South Carolina law. He noted the absence of authority from the South Carolina Supreme Court as to whether the predominance test is the law in the state.
To quote Judge Duffy in his decision, “This Court, based on the above stated facts, finds that Texas Hold’em is a game of skill. The evidence and studies are overwhelming that this is so.”
This was my first testimonial as an expert witness and it was a unique experience for me. It was also a positive result for poker. The case will be appealed to a higher court and we hope that it goes by the “predominance” part of the state statute. If so, look for the law to change where people can play poker in the privacy of their homes (whether online or live) without fear of criminal prosecution.
A special thanks to the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) for their support in this case. They helped fund the attorneys and expert witnesses in an effort to stand up for the rights of poker players. I also want to thank Bob Ciaffone (advocate for poker players’ rights) and Chuck Humphrey (expert on gaming law) for their efforts in coordinating the lawyers and expert witnesses for the case. The brief of amicus curiae put together by Tom Goldstein was fantastic. Everyone who enjoys poker owes them a tip of the hat, as they are all fighting for your right to play poker.
It was a fun four days in Charleston for me. Someone said, “Sexton’s a rock star!” I wouldn’t go that far, but I was appreciated by the defendants and the supporters of the case for being there. I was in the local papers and on television every day. One blogger from the courtroom wrote, “Everyone in that courtroom should have paid to hear Sexton’s testimony!” I must say, that was pretty cool. To that blogger and to Howard Lederer (for writing that paper), let me say, “Thank you!”
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PokerWorld Moves to Cake Poker Network
On Sunday, April 5th at 4:00pm ET, PokerWorld will host a $1,000 freeroll celebrating its move from the Gold Chip Network to the Cake Poker Network. Players on PokerWorld will also be able to take advantage of Gold Chip and Gold Card promotions, which are staples of the Cake Poker family of sites.
The $1,000 freeroll is open to any PokerWorld member and registration will be available the day before the tournament. Aside from the freeroll, PokerWorld members will now be able to take advantage of the monthly $250,000 Guaranteed, which boasts a buy-in of $268. Weekly, the Cake Poker Network hosts a $162 buy-in $100,000 guaranteed event. Both tournaments, which are held on Sundays, kick off at 5:00pm ET during the peak hours in North America, which where many players on the USA-friendly Cake Poker Network are located. A $50,000 guaranteed event with a $109 price tag serves as the warm-up for both of the six-figure prize pool tournaments. It kicks off at 3:00pm ET.
Gold Chips can be exchanged for tournament buy-ins or items from the PokerWorld Mall. In the latter, you’ll find gifts like the 8 GB iPod Touch, an Xbox 360, a Canon PowerShot camera, and a Samsung 46 inch LCD television. There’s even a genuine American Alligator billfold that will set players back 2,580 gold chips. Players can earn Gold Cards by playing at real money ring game tables. They are awarded randomly and can be exchanged for cash and prizes. Gold Cards will be used in conjunction with a promotion to send PokerWorld members to the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) to play in Event #54, a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em contest.
On Sundays at 4:30pm ET, a time when many high-stakes players are on the site to battle it out in the $100,000 Guaranteed or $250,000 Guaranteed, PokerWorld offers a $455 satellite into the 2009 WSOP Main Event. One prize package (which includes the $10,000 Main Event buy-in plus $3,000 in cash) will be awarded for every $13,000 in the prize pool. Cash satellites beginning at $5.50 are available and run daily. Three step sit and go tournaments as well as Gold Chip qualifiers are also available.
The move of PokerWorld to the Cake Poker Network may spell the end of the Gold Chip Network. Other sites that made their home on it included RaiseAndFold, which recently sent its players to Intertops. The U.S. version of SportsInteraction has followed PokerWorld’s lead and jumped from the Gold Chip Network to Cake Poker. Landmark Poker also redirects players to download a skin of the Cake Poker Network. Three sites that previously existed on the Gold Chip Network – 2bet, Miami Poker, and The Greek – no longer exist. Finally, Full Bet now redirects to Everest Poker, which is the official sponsor of the WSOP and does not accept players from the United States.
The Cake Poker Network recently welcomed Doyle’s Room and PokerHost to its ranks. Besides its flagship site, the Network also includes PlayersOnly, City Poker, RedStarPoker, and Sportsbook.com, among others. According to traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, the Cake Poker Network is the 10th largest worldwide with a seven day running average of 1,740 cash game players. Its 24 hour peak is 2,442.
The Gold Chip Network uses Dobrosoft as its software provider and is based in San Jose, Costa Rica. At the time of writing, one of the only Gold Chip sites to open up to the Network’s software is Century Poker. PokerScout, which has not yet updated its site list for the Gold Chip Network, reveals that it has a seven day running average of just 36 ring game players with a 24 hour peak of 50. The Gold Chip Network also accepts players from the United States.
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Women in Poker Hall of Fame Welcomes Field, Fisher, and Violette
On Friday, June 5th, the Women in Poker Hall of Fame will grow a little bigger. June Field, Jan Fisher, and Cyndy Violette will join an esteemed class of poker pros that already includes Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson, Marsha Waggoner, Susie Isaacs, and Barbara Enright.
On the three newest inductees, Johnson told Poker News Daily, “The 2009 inductees into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame are each very worthy of this honor. June Field inspired me as a publisher, Cyndy Violette inspired me as a player, and Jan Fisher inspired me as an industry leader.” The trio will be honored at a special dinner and dancing celebration at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas that will benefit the charity Poker Gives.
June Field is the founder of CardPlayer magazine, which today has grown into one of the largest poker publications in the world. She is also the founder of CardPlayer Cruises and Classic Poker Cruises. Later in her career, she launched Poker Digest, which merged with Casino Player magazine. On starting up CardPlayer, Field commented in a press release distributed by the Women in Poker Hall of Fame, “I wanted a media vehicle that would be a reliable source for advertisers and readers alike. One they could turn to and find out what’s happening, where it’s happening, and who is making it happen.” On the poker felts, Field won a World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet in 1982 in a $500 buy-in Limit Seven Card Stud tournament for $16,000. Johnson was also at the final table of that tournament and took fourth.
Jan Fisher co-founded the Tournament Directors’ Association (TDA) with Johnson, Matt Savage, and David Lamb. She is currently a partner in CardPlayer Cruises and authors the column “Fishing Around” for Poker Player Magazine. Fisher is extremely active in the poker community and sits on the Board of Directors of the Poker Players Alliance (the poker industry’s main lobbying arm), Ladies Poker Association, and Ladies International Poker Series (LIPS). She gained notoriety by serving as the in-house statistician during the first six seasons of the World Poker Tour.
Cyndy Violette is a Full Tilt Poker sponsored pro and took down her first (and so far only) WSOP bracelet by winning a $2,000 buy-in Seven Card Stud High-Low Eight or Better tournament in 2004. Two years later, she took third in a $5,000 buy-in Seven Card Stud event for $102,000, outlasting all but Shawn Sheikhan and Benjamin Lin. In 2005, she made three final tables at the WSOP, earning her even more exposure.
On June 4th, a $230 buy-in tournament with $50 rebuys will take place at the Golden Nugget benefiting Poker Gives, a charity founded by Johnson, Fisher, Mike Sexton, and Lisa Tenner. The tournament will kick off promptly at 7:00pm local time. The next day at 6:00pm, Sexton, the Host of the World Poker Tour and a Guest Columnist right here on Poker News Daily, will emcee the induction ceremonies. Tickets for the event can be purchased online at the official website of the Women in Poker Hall of Fame and include nominating rights for the 2010 class.
On Saturday, June 6th, LIPS will hold $175 satellites with winners getting their choice of entry into the Golden Nugget Grand Series event or the LIPS Championship in August. On Sunday, the $1,000 buy-in WSOP Ladies Only event kicks off at the Rio, one of 57 tournaments to be held as part of the 2009 WSOP. LIPS Championship entries will also be given out on Monday at an event at the Golden Nugget.
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New NFL Lobbyist Seeks to Protect UIGEA
Recently, the National Football League (NFL) enlisted the services of Jeff Miller, who will serve as its chief lobbyist on Capitol Hill. According to an article authored by the Associated Press, Miller seeks to preserve the ban on internet gambling in the United States.
In 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) was ushered through Congress at the last minute by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN). Although the UIGEA did not define what was legal and illegal under its jurisdiction, its effect was driving some of the world’s largest online poker sites out of the U.S. market. Now, only a handful of rooms, such as PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, Ultimate Bet, and Carbon Poker, accept U.S. residents. In addition, the UIGEA also eradicated payment processors such as Neteller and Citadel Commerce from the market.
On January 19th, the regulations of the UIGEA finally came to fruition as “midnight rules” passed by the outgoing Bush Administration. Many in the internet gambling industry questioned the role of Special Assistant to George W. Bush William Wichterman, who had also served as an NFL lobbyist. Whether the urging of Wichterman resulted in the UIGEA’s regulations being pushed through remains unknown. However, his involvement prompted a letter by Congressman Steve Cohen (D-TN).
The NFL’s newest hire, Miller told the Associated Press, “I’m a lifelong NFL fan, grew up in Wisconsin, [and] rooted for the Packers at my father’s knee every Sunday. I had had opportunities in the past to leave the Hill and do other things, such as work at a law firm and lobby firm. But when the NFL calls, you can’t turn that down.” When asked about the upholding the existing internet gambling legislation, which consists of both the UIGEA and Wire Act of 1961, Miller responded, “We want to maintain the integrity of the game, and gambling threatens that.”
The Associated Press article added that Miller will be at the forefront of sports leagues’ efforts to preserve the status quo with regards to internet gambling. Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) has led the effort to overturn the UIGEA, or at least clarify it for the benefit of the financial services industry. HR 6870, the second version of the Payments System Protection Act, was passed out of the House Financial Services Committee, of which Frank is the Chair, by a 30-19 vote last September. However, due to the then-emerging economic crisis in the United States, it did not see time on the House floor.
According to the Associated Press, the NFL previously sought outside counsel. Miller’s hiring bucks that trend. He explained, “The emphasis is to have a full-time person spending every waking moment thinking about how what Congress or the administration is doing is going to affect the NFL’s business model.” The NFL held its annual owners’ meetings last week in California, instituting a number of rule changes as well as adjusting the draft order based on a team’s finish in the playoffs. Fantasy sports received a specific exemption from the UIGEA, although the law forced industry websites to guarantee prize pools and not allow a manager to have all of his players come from the same team.
Joe Brennan, Chairman of the Interactive Media Entertainment and Gaming Association (iMEGA), told Poker News Daily why sports betting has received such a bad rap: “It’s the only type of betting where the courts have been explicit. The Wire Act arose out of a couple of sports betting scandals back in the 1950s. It always comes back to trying to protect the integrity of the game.” iMEGA is suing to declare the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) unconstitutional. The case has been assigned to Chief Judge Garrett E. Brown, Jr. of the New Jersey District Court.
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Study Reveals Poker is a Game of Skill
In a study released on Friday, it was revealed that Texas Hold’em, statistically at least, is a game of skill. The research in question investigated 103 million hands and found that three-quarters of them did not go to showdown. In essence, they were won due to betting by players.
A total of 75.7% of the hands examined as part of the study did not go to showdown. In these hands, the victor’s skill of betting managed to win the pot for them, regardless of whether they held the best hand. In the remaining 24.3% of hands, the player who held the best five cards only won 50.3% of the time. In the other 49.7% of pots, the player with the best hand folded prior to showdown. Overall, the best hand actually scooped the pot just 12% of the time. Therefore, according to the study, Texas Hold’em can be seen as 88% skill and not predominated by chance.
Former three-term Senator from New York and current Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Chairman Alfonse D’Amato commented, “As a poker player, I can tell you that knowing when to hold or fold is not based solely on the cards that are dealt, but a series of decisions based on skill and the actions taken by other players. This study provides the raw data to back up the compelling arguments made by poker players around the world that it’s skill, not pure luck, that determines the outcome of this game.”
The data in question has been used by the PPA to help prove that poker is a game of skill in several legal battles. Most recently, a judge in South Carolina overwhelmingly agreed that poker was a game of skill, but still found the defendants in the case guilty of illegal gambling due to a lack of direction by the state’s legislature and courts. Other judges in Colorado and Pennsylvania concurred with the PPA’s assessment that poker is a game of skill, a trait that might help the game receive special recognition on a national level.
The study was performed by Cigital using 103 million hands on PokerStars, the world’s most popular online poker site. Heads-up and play money games were excluded, as were many micro-level games with less than $1 blinds. While PokerStars was busy gearing up for World Record Week last December, the hands were being logged. The festivities saw PokerStars set the record for the Largest Online Poker Tournament at 35,000 players and the Most Players to Simultaneously Play Poker Online at 250,500. PokerStars also upped the ante on its marquee Sunday Million, offering a prize pool of $2.5 million. PokerStars worked in conjunction with Cigital on the study.
Wall Street Journal writer Carl Bialik authored a blog on the study, outlining many of the doubts its opponents had. Among them were “players’ decisions are determined by the cards they draw, which is entirely a matter of luck.” In addition, the relationship between Cigital and PokerStars was questioned and individual players were not tracked to see if they experienced success over time. Finally, “the study doesn’t answer the question of how showdowns and best-hand wins would look in a game of pure skill, or of pure chance.”
Despite the pitfalls, PPA Executive Director John Pappas was elated at the public disbursement of the study’s results. He commented in a press release on Friday, “The question of whether poker is a game of predominant skill or chance is not about the player’s ego, but the nature and legal protections of the game. In courtrooms across the country, judges and juries are finding that poker is a game of skill – not chance like lotteries or slot machines – and this study confirms that fact.”
Read the full study claiming that poker is a game of skill.
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