ONLINE POKER

I had no work today. Went to bed at 3, woke up at 11. I went to go get my oil changed at 1:00 and had an approximately 2 hour wait to pick my car up. I had 2 beers at the local bar 'n grill while my car got serviced. 2 things were for sure at that point: 1. I was going to play poker. 2. I wanted a few more drinks. As you may or may not know, I live in the greatest city in the world, Las Vegas, NV. If it isn't the greatest city in the world (as to which I vehemently disagree), it certainly is the poker capital of the world. My thought was I should hit my favorite local casino and play some 1-2 no limit poker. Great thought. Free drinks, competitive play, on the way home.

I never made it there. My mind started to race. Why go there? I can play at home with half the rake?! Also, I won't have to drive home intoxicated. Within 3 minutes of my favorite local casino, I veered east towards my home in the far north of Las Vegas. After making dinner for my loving wife, I made a nice Crown 'n 7 and logged on to play online. Actually, I'm still playing as I write this.

The point is this....even though I live in the poker capital of the world, sometimes it's more fun to play online. Any drink available, low rake, fast play, no driving home. With the recent legislation (Safe Port Act-2006) passed through Congress, many people are scared of playing...and rightfully so. Once again, the government has decided to rub it's nose into the common person's business. Because of bureaucracy, we have a very ambiguous law that scares a lot of people. According to most legal professionals, the act of playing poker itself is not illegal but the act of depositing money into such accounts is illegal. Nice. And yes, that same legislation protected online horse racing wagering. So, as usual, this makes a lot of sense. It's OK to play poker if you have money in a poker account, but not OK to deposit money if you run out...oh yeah it's OK to bet on horses too (and deposit if you run out).

This is why I'm writing this. I ask each and every person that reads this blog (all 4 of you) to support HR 2046, the Internet gambling legalization bill. Poker is a skill. I could care less if online slots, blackjack, craps, or any other chance game is made legal. Poker is one of the great games of American history. With it's technological advancement, it should remain legalized in all forms. If the government decides it needs to regulate the industry, so be it. I'm willing to give that right to government if I can keep my freedom of playing a game of skill online. Who's with me? Buehler? Buehler??

The great P'Loza wanted me to make World Series predictions. I say it's way, way too early for that but OK. Note: these will change in 2.5 months. Further note: he will probably edit this out. (Editors Note: Quit being a chickenshit and pick a winner already! - TPC)

ALCS: LA Angels over Detroit
NLCS: San Diego over NY Mets

World Series: LA Angels over San Diego

My brain says Detroit over SD or NY Mets, but I'm going to go ahead and let my heart pick. I hate Detroit, I hate SD and NY Mets...so why not put a team in the WS that I enjoy to watch?!

Rich Kim