That's right folks, you very well may be finished playing online poker for a while. The British money transfer co.  NETeller has closed it's virtual doors to ALL American poker business. The two founders of the company, Canadians  Stephan Lawrence, and John Lefebvre, have been charged with conspiracy to transfer funds with the intent to promote illegal gambling. They could both be sentenced to 20 years of prison under the "Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006".

   The law, that passed both the House and Congress, and was signed by Pres. Bush, was enacted as part of Homeland security, and was designed to make it illegal for credit card companies to collect payments for bets. The law did not make playing online poker illegal, that jurisdiction is still held by the individual states, but this is going to make playing legally extremely difficult.

  When the law first came in to being, most of the publicly traded poker sites immediately pulled out of the American market. A few "Privately Held" companies (  FullTiltPoker,  BODOG,  among others ) still offered their services, but many were holding their collective breath until the full scope of the law came into fruition. Well, the shoe has dropped.

   If you are one of the millions of Americans who have accounts at these sites, you should have already received notification that your funds are safe. FullTilt is suggesting alternative avenues if you wish to withdraw your money. Click2Pay, and ePassporte are two that they are working with to aid your transactions.

   MY TAKE:     This has been a while in the making, and it's not going away anytime soon. As my friend ShooterB so eloquently stated, this is a BILLION $$ a year business, and 'Ol Uncle Sam just wants to get his "Fair Share". The U.S. has been in the gambling game for many years now,.IE:  taxing the Casinos and the ever popular Lootery.... I mean Lottery... They want to put a hold on all this money, until they can figure a good way to get it to siphon through them, and therefore be able to peel off their piece. So..... you  I-Net Poker junkies will have to wait a couple months/ years before you can get your gambling fix.

Me.... I'm going where "Real Poker" has always been.... in the Casinos, and in the backrooms and alleys around this great land..... Live and In Color!!

Like always... that's my story.................

special thanx to....... FullTiltPoker / Bluff Magazine / Casino City Times / ShooterB / and the Future X

    As the reigning champion of Foxsports.com/blogs poker,  (see ShooterB's blog for details, and this title was "borrowed" from him, so thanx shooter.) I thought I might pontifacate a bit on the subject.

   First, let's discuss terminology. Poker , like many activities, has it's own proprietary vocabulary. In Texas hold 'em ,you are dealt two cards face down. These are known as your "hole" cards. Then 5 cards are intermittently dealt face up, and these are referred to as the "community" cards. Everyone shares these.

  The first three community cards are called the "flop".

  The next one is called either "fourth street" or the "turn".

  The last card is "fifth street" or , more popular... "the river".

  If your two hole cards are of equal value, then you have what is known as a "wired pair"    (I.E.: K/K or 3/3)  ** From this point forward... A = ace/ K = king/ Q = queen/ J = jack, and the numbers represent themselves...

  Here's where it gets cool... different starting hands (hole cards) have developed names to represent them. Here are a few that I know about....

   A/A =   these get called bullets, points, or American Airlines...

   A/K =  This is generally called "big slick" but lately... Anna Kournacova.. (sure looks good, but rarely actually wins anything..)

  K/K = Cowboys (pretty dull...huh)

  Q/Q = ladies, ####es, or you can say "the Hilton sisters" which I kinda like...

   J/J = jakes, or fish hooks...

   Those are the obvious ones. They have stood the test of time, but there are some obscure ones that I find kinda funny.... like.....

    J/4= is called the Flat tire....as in... "Hey, whats the jack for...?"

    Q/3 = is a "#### waiter".... it's a queen with a tray.... get it???.........ahem.......

    10/2= is the "Doyle Brunson", or the texas dolly... Doyle is the Godfather of modern poker, and has won TWO!!!!  WSOP main events (ten WSOP bracelets total) with that hand!!! It's a #### hand, and I would suggest that everyone who isn't Doyle fold it the second you see it...

    8/8 is double infinity.. (the mathmatical symbol for infinity is an 8 squashed down, and laying on it side.....really... I wouldn't make that up!!)

   There are probably several more that I've not heard of, or forgotten, so please feel free to add to the list......

  There are several etiquette rules in the game (who woulda thunk that), but I have two that I'm really passionate about....

  1. DON'T SPLASH THE POT!!!  This is where you throw your chips in the center, and no one sees what amount you had. Especially don't do this with a phony Russian accent!!!! ( see John Makolvich in the movie "Rounders")

  2. DON'T react to the community cards if you're NOT IN THE HAND!!!  If you folded a 7/2, and the flop comes out 7-7-2...... Don't act like you just made the biggest poker mistake ever.... You folded cards that will only win 1% of the time... just because this is the one time out of a hundred.... you already folded them..... let me act like I have them.....and I'll do the same for you...

  I'm not going to debate the whole poker ain't a sport thing here....but you should not treat it like a hobby either. Fishing is a hobby.... and after you get a boat, buy gas, rods and reels, and bait.....it can become a very expensive hobby! Poker will get expensive too... so you should treat it like a job.

  There are several good books out there on Texas hold 'em, and they can all help increase your skill level. Here are some that I recommend....

  Anything written by *David Sklansky or *Barry Schulman... these guys cover everything needed for the novice or the pro. They read like a text book.... so have a highlighter, a pad and a pencil with you when you're reading. *Doyle Brunson's "Super System" is a must read for anybody who wants to play any type of poker. I am currently reading *Phil Gorden"s "Little Green Book", and have found it to be like having a conversation with one of the top players in the business.... so I recommend that as well.

  So.... Ya'll have fun, and remember....... A Chip and a Chair.... can make you a Millionaire!!!

  Like always.... that's my story.........

  Post Script.... Thanks again to ShooterB and Saxman, and Ricko for allowing me to participate in the "First FoxSports Bloggers Poker Tournament"    I had fun!!!!

    The Tour Championship starts tomorrow, Thurs. Nov. 2, 2006, and Tiger Woods will not be participating. There are some other names that will be absent, most notably Phil Mickelson, but Tiger's reluctance to play is "The Story".  Mr. Woods has said that this has been a very emotional year, and he needs some extra time off to prepare for the upcoming season.  Lefty is also tired from the devastating loss in the recent Ryder Cup matches, and all that man-bra shopping he has been doing.

   The powers that be in the P.G.A. are worried that this will reflect negatively on next years "Fed-Ex Cup", the tour ending "Chase" that Pres. Tim Finchem basically borrowed from NASCAR. ( How about that irony) The cup chase was supposed to add drama / participation / and more importantly....... ratings, to the increasingly dull end of golf season. There had already been the Vantage Cup in place for the last 20 years, but it's importance has wained, once the novelty wore off, and tour officials seem to fear this will happen to the Fed-Ex as well.

   I'm not sure how most people feel, but the golf season starts with the beginning of the "majors". They start getting serious for the Masters, and then slow down right after the PGA. There are a few sentimental favorites, and player sponsored events in the middle, but for the most part that's it. The rest of the tournaments are for the lower tier players to make some money and keep their cards, and the stars use them for "tune-ups" for the biggie's. These guys are self employed / general contractors. While the PGA sanctions and has some control of the matches, the players can come and go as they choose. Mr. Finchem can install all the artificial suspence builders he want's to .... they'll be there when they feel like it. Period.

 I just wanted to see how you felt about this.....so... That's my story ... What's yours??

Anything in this piece that might be concieved of as a fact, was gleaned from a couple of articles on FoxSports.com .... If it looks like a stupid opinion ......it's mine...

    I'm not a big numbers guy. I know this by reading my Bio. That's it just to your right...... Now, I know you're gonna tell me that the numbers in sports mean everything. That the stats provide us with the information, tendencies, and future performance possibilities. Yea...yea...yea...OK.  I disagree.

   When I was a kid, our little league team had to play the best team in all the land. (or at least in Winston-Salem NC....between the ages of 10 and 12) and we were beside ourselves with fear and self doubt. But something happend that day. We played so far above our heads, that our noses bled for a week to ten days. We made plays, and got hits, in a way that had never happened before. Or since, as luck would have it. When the game was over, and I was struttin' around like a little king, my Dad said something very profound. With a little shrug, and a slight smirk he said, "That's why we play the Game."

                             Imagine if you will...........

  Ten men....Big burly men....5 wearing dark shirts, the others in white. The dark shirted guys have one objective... To make this particular piece of real estate "impenetrable". The guys in white have a different agenda all together. A smaller guy sneaks up behind them, and starts speaking in gibberish....a code of some sort....Let the dance begin.....The small guy hands the ball to another guy, and there it is!!...A hole...very slight...almost not really there...but a hole none the less. Three yards....five yards......seven yards.....Ten!!!   First Down!!!    And the choir says in unison...Wasn't that pretty!!!

   Two guy's out for a Sunday drive. One in a red car, the other painted blue. They"ve gotta go 500 miles, just to get to the exact same spot they started in. Somewhere around mile number 300, going upwards to 180mph, the blue car wiggles....barely perceptable... but a little slide.....Let the dance begin.........The red car dives to his left, and winds his motor as tight as it will go. His nose breaks free of the dirty air, and now he has some runnin' room.....as they exit the turn, he pushes in front of his advisary....and a voice from the distance, yells into his helmet.....Wasn't that pretty!!

  Thursday night.....in South-Eastern VA.  A softball game is taking place. The score is 6 -5 our way. Bottom of the seventh inning....Two outs...runner on first....I'm playing 2nd base..The runner is a young kid, lot's of speed, could be dangerous on a base hit. The other teams catcher comes to bat. He's a big guy, but you can tell there used to be an athlete there.  He's got that construction worker look, maybe carrying 150 or so extra pounds, but he deserves some respect!...Let the dance begin..........Line drive to left center....we gave him too much room...and he played us like fiddles!! Danny, our left fielder, charges the ball, but has to pick it up off the ground. Someone screams "Cut Three", and Danny fires the ball to third. Ben (3rd base) makes a sweeping tag, to no avail.....safe at third.. But.....Benny looks me dead in the eyes, and that can only mean one thing! I had already assumed my position, left field side of 2nd base, belt buckle pointed at the mound, upper torso rotated toward third, and Benny cocked his arm. Now when Ben throws a ball at you, you generally want a little more that 60 feet seperating you from him. He's got a CANNON!!! But....Big Boy had decided to win the game, all on his own... When the ball hit my glove, I was Very Aware that it had arrived...and my hand dropped like a anchor was attached. And there it was!!! A white Rawlins batting glove with blue trim..Big Boy had gone "Pete Rose" on me!!! His hand slides up my glove, and over my arm. Out Three!!!!

   Now most of you are gonna say..."Typical play, from a typical team, in your typical Thurs. nite Rec league." But not me.....as I sauntered over to the first base dugout, with a slight smirk on my face, ya'll know what i was thinkin'.........Wasn't That Pretty!!!

  As you watch your games and matches this week, and you're keeping notes on the runs, passes, yards, outs, strikes, and laps.....I want you to try something new.   Look for it!! Look for it, and it will be there!!...That moment of beauty that occurs when we least expect it!!.....And then remember...........That's Why We Play The Game!!

  Anyway......As always....That's my story..............Thanks!!

PS.....The "nosebleed" line in the 2nd paragraph, is from the movie "Meatballs" starring ricko

I got the WOTD from dictionary.com on google yesterday, and liked it so much that I decided to pass it along.

FANFARONADE \ fan-fair-uh-nayde/ nod   noun~

1. Swaggering, Empty boasting, blustering manner or behavior, ostentatious display.

 2. fanfare 

They gave a couple of examples of how to use it in a sentence, but they were unnecessary. Just say, Roy Williams, Terrell Owens, and Keyshawn Johnson. Go ahead say it........ Are you finished?......... Good!!!

I like words....

Hey!!..... They're shootin' at people over sports....... Did ya'll see that?...... Actually shootin' at them and killing them..... And threatening to shoot some more!!.... I mean what's next?..... Killing folks over their religion?....... My God!!..... When will it end??

On a more personal note:

The METS have clinched the NL East and are waitin' to see who gets the wild card. ...For the record, I hope it's the Dodgers or the Phillies...Not the Padre's!! Something about Mike Piazza coming back for a playoff game scares me....

The Cowboys beat the Skins!!..  I don't care how the rest of the season goes.....as long as I get to say that!! ( Remember Troy Aikman's first season...1-11...but we beat the Skins!!)

Jeff Gordon made the Chase, and then went from 9th to 4th in one race! There's still 9 races to go, and the whole chase thing is still relatively new. So who knows how that"ll wash out.

My COED softball team is 5-1, and our MENS team is 6-0........We have new coaches for both squads......but it looks good so far....I love "Fall-Ball" ....the weather is usually perfect!!!! 

As always...........That's my story........what's yours???

As I've been rambling around our little Bloggersville community recently, I've noticed several among us lamenting poker being shown on ESPN. It's been stated that since it's not a real sport, it should'nt be there. I'd like to address this if I may....

First, I'm a poker player. I play no less than two nights a week in LIVE cash games, and have been known to make it to a table three or four nights. I get four or five tournaments (LIVE) a month, and dabble on some of the online sites. (They don't hold my attention very long, and I wind up "stuck on stupid" and lose my roll.) 

I realize that the "S" in ESPN stands for sports, so I consulted with my old friend  Dan'l Webster for some enlightenment.

sport  n. 1. any recreational activity; specific. a game, competition etc., requiring bodily exertion.

Now......rec. activity, game, competition, I'm sure everyone will agree, poker meets those requirements. But, what about the bodily exertion part? Well......... If you've ever had 1 Vente cappacino/ frappacino , 2 bottles of water, 1 cheap hoagie from the snackbar, and then had to wait 3 HOURS for the next bathroom break, then you know.  You are USING some muscles!!! ( Not sure which muscles exactly, but I'm sure Miracle or Flying Pig could help there. They seem to know a lot about those kinds of things.) The clock never moves so slowly, as when you're short stacked, AND seconds from "blowin' a gasket!!!

The thing that I think some people may have forgotten is, the "E" in ESPN stands for entertainment. The "Boys in Bristol" seem to thing that enough folks will watch to make it profitable for them to produce, and broadcast the entire event. And it looks like they are right, sure does seem to be alot of commercials during the broadcast, and the replays. They even had the final table on pay-per-view this year! Someones makin' coin or you would have never seen it on TV to start with. Big profits tend to entertain the guys at ESPN.

Now...for those of you who would just like it to go away, fear not. I don't believe you'll have to bear this much longer. They have created a monster that they can't control.

( **editors note** Have Siddartha or South. Cindy put a shot of Peter Doyle as the monster in Young Frankenstein here..)

The WSOP has grown to the point where it can't be controled and monitored in one casino any more. There were over 8600 players this year, and it took four actual days just to complete day 1 of the event. Add to that, poker being shown on the Travel channel, FSN, and even BRAVO!!!! ( That drunk nancy-boy Dave Foley should go back in the hall, or the closet.... just go away!!)  And....anybody who really cared about who won was either already there, or found out on the Web / email. INSTANTLY!!

 I'll bet ol' Benny Binion never saw all this coming.......................

That's my story anyway............as always, your comments are greatly appreciated....

   As I was gettin' ready for work this morning, I heard  a passing comment on Mike and Mike on ESPN. It would appear that Tiger Woods was at the U.S. Open this past weekend, and was....GASP!!.... rootin' for, and hanging out with, Roger Federer.

 It seems this Federer guy is "some kinda foreigner or something", and Tiger hates his country by cheering this guy on.

  Now Tiger's not an average mortal like you and I. He's a man who has spent countless hours practicing and honing his craft. I think he knows hard work and dedication when he see's it. I'll wager he never thought once about Roger's country of origin. He admires WINNERS!!

   We don't hear about Tiger going out much. Outside of his caddie Stevie, and maybe Mark O'Meara, he probably doesn't have a lot of guy friends. But here is a guy, a peer, who Tiger does not have to compete against. Roger knows about living your whole life in the "fishbowl". He know's the pressure of competing at that level. Maybe Tigger just wants some dude he can call, so he can #### about the new wife. Who knows, just don't turn the whole situation into some Geo-political satire with Tiger as Sadam!!

  I dont know Sheep #### from Duck butter when it comes to tennis..., but this Federer dude seems to know his stuff. This was his third Open championship, they tell me.

 So Come On............Let Tiger have a friend!!!!!!

**Afterthought....Tiger and Roger celebrated by "Popping" a couple of bottles of "Dom"

  They should know better.......that stuff ####!!