On this week’s edition of the ESPN.com poker news program “Inside Deal,” 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event November Niner Dennis Phillips sat in throughout the duration of the episode. Phillips was the second guest to visit “Inside Deal” when it debuted last year.
The hot topic of the week was the passage of HR 2267, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection, and Enforcement Act, by the House Financial Services Committee. Poker Players Alliance (PPA) Executive Director John Pappas joined the show via phone and commented on the 14 amendments added to the bill: “There were a lot of strong consumer protection amendments added to the bill. Many believe that much of it could be handled by the regulators, but I think it gave lawmakers a little more comfort supporting the legislation.”
One amendment, introduced by Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA), outlaws those sites still operating illegally in the United States from obtaining a license if HR 2267 were to become law. Pappas shared the mentality of outfits like PokerStars and Full Tilt, which seem to be the target of this inclusion: “They aren’t operating illegally. Therefore, they would still be allowed to apply for a license. Nothing in the law is going to guarantee anyone a license, but we need to have a fair and open system that allows anybody to apply for a license and then let the regulators decide.”
While progress has been made towards legalized internet gambling in the House, no movement has taken place in the Senate. There, a rumored bill introduced by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) may take shape. Pappas gave “Inside Deal” viewers the lay of the land: “Senator Reid and other members of the Senate are probably looking at this more narrowly than Frank’s legislation. All of the feedback we’ve gotten from the Senate is that if this is something that’s going to get done, it’s going to be a poker-only approach, not broad poker and casino gaming over the internet.”
Following the lengthy discussion of HR 2267, the crew debated whether the final table of the Player’s Championship should have been only No Limit Hold’em. “Inside Deal” co-host Bernard Lee opined, “This year, the decision was better than it has been in the past. Previously, when it was a $50,000 HORSE tournament, HORSE is a Limit game. To switch it to No Limit [at the final table] was ridiculous. In this Eight Game Championship, one of those eight games was No Limit.”
The industry is in the midst of the 100-day break leading up to the resumption of the WSOP Main Event in November. Lee, who took 410th in the feature tournament for $31,000, recalled this year’s scramble for site sponsorships: “They signed players from Day 6 and the rest of the tournament. Last year, they patched players on a daily basis. Because you’re patching these players for the rest of the tournament, you have to have some pretty deep pockets. Therefore, only a few of the sites were able to do it.”
The 2010 WSOP November Nine consists of seven Full Tilt players. However, Harrah’s has mandated that each room can only patch three players at the final table. Consequently, Full Tilt finds itself in a bit of a quandary. “If you’re Full Tilt, you can’t give up ‘The Grinder,’” Lee remarked. “He is the star. John Dolan is second in chips and then you have an issue. That leaves four of these guys basically patchless.”
While Phillips shared his insight throughout the show, David Baker joined the program via phone to discuss why he held out on an endorsement deal while driving to a 17th place finish: “I just knew that most of the money was deep in the tournament itself plus the endorsements. You had a lot more leverage later on. Obviously, poker is very volatile, so they don’t want to pay for too much early, but if they know you’re going to get a lot of camera time, they’re willing to pay a little bit more.”
“Inside Deal” is released every Tuesday on ESPN.com.