Discussion with Senator D'Amato

Recently Woman Poker Player was invited to listen in to the Webcast with Poker Player Alliance Senator Al D'Amato and the president of the PPA Michael Bolcerek. There were some great points made that are the basis of the PPA and could help bring poker back to the internet legally by allowing us to deposit and make playing online poker in the US easier for all that enjoy the game.

1. The Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act of 2006 was literally passed in the middle of the night and was never open to debate or consideration. The Act was added to a bill to safeguard US ports from terrorist attacks. The bill itself was important to pass. The addition of the the UIGE was a sneaky attempt by some of our elected representatives to create the beginnings of internet gambling prohibition.

2. The law excludes Horse racing, state lotteries and betting on fantasy sports. Poker players are being discriminated against by the government.

3. Legitimate poker sites are being chased out of the US to be replaced by more unscrupulous poker outlets coming in.

4. One of the issues being brought up in the debate of online poker is that teenagers have easier access. If the US can regulate online poker there is plenty of technology to prohibit teenagers and minors from having attmittance to the online sites. Senator D'Amato used prohibition as an example. When prohibition was in effect people found alcohol anyway. It opened up underground clubs, dangerous conditions, people were drinking anything including poisonous substances.

5. The US is losing over $3 billion in revenue. Many of the online poker rooms have agreed that they would pay US taxes if they were able to do business in the US.

6. The UK and other countries are supervising the online poker rooms. There is no reason why the US cannot do the same.

7. The United States has already been found in breach of the trade accords set by the WTO for keeping other countries from competing with the US. If the US continues to take this stance on online gambling there are likely to be more sanctions.

8. Many diabled and senior citizens enjoy the sport of poker. Many do not have the means to go to legal land based poker rooms. They are being discriminated against by the UIGE.

The PPA and Senator D'Amato encourage all poker players to continue writing their elected officials. Remember, we elected them, we dont have to do it again.

You can hear more about the conference at the Poker Players Alliance website

In the beginning…

First, I just wanted to thank you all for contributing to the blog. Whether you are reading the blog or writing for it…you all contribute so much to it and I look forward to taking it further. I think it will be a very useful tool for women who play poker to be able to relate to the stories, hands and general poker information that it contains.

WPC is the brainchild of Maryann Morrison also known as Goddess. When she started playing poker she saw the number of women in poker growing but saw no place for women to get together with out the hassles of men cajoling and teasing them out of the game. She wanted to create a safe haven for women of all walks of life, all levels of play and mostly women who wanted to share their passion for poker with others who felt the same. Thus, Women’s Poker Club was born and from it more chances for women to compete in poker.

My beginnings on WPC were pretty typical. The very first freeroll tournament that WPC hosted was on Feb 25 of 2004 on the now defunct Jet Set. It was a freeroll and opened to any woman who wanted to play. All you had to do was join the forum. I thought it would be a fun tournament and loved the idea of women only. The women only part did not last very long. With in hours of the announcement of the freeroll the men of Jet Set decided it would be a good idea to play….I think they figured women were easy money. I am happy to say not one of them got to the cash. A problem remained however, the men had to go. There was no sense in having a women’s only club if the men could not leave it alone. A number of safeguards including requesting ID from some and the threat of being added to the bodies in my basement were then put into place to ensure that men had a harder time getting in. Many women grumbled and there are still a few who do when they come into the club but it is necessary to the integrity of the club and to us all that these safeguards are in place.

WPC grew very rapidly and hit 1000 members by August 2004. With the growth of WPC came its share of “publicity” in the poker rooms. Most of us had “WPC” in our mouse overs or added to our user names on the poker sites. WPC as a whole became thought of as a group of men haters. Which was the furthest thing from the truth. There was and still is very little man bashing that goes on at the club. There are of course rants about a bad beats by men or discussions about the way women are treated at the hands of men at the tables and a few men jokes. But not much more than that. We showed anyone who had that train of thought differently by the way we played and the way we supported one another at the tables. It was not long before we were feared at the tables versus looked down upon. I see none of that now…as a whole we have become a respected part of the poker community.

WPC now has over 3,600 members; we are still winning online and live. I have seen beginning players come on to WPC with very little experience and have seen their confidence grow to take part in major tournaments, many times cashing in them. I have seen the support of the club and poker itself responsible for many successes in the lives of these women in and out of poker. Confidence, focus and vision are key in their personalities now.

I look back at the very beginning of WPC and compare it to the great community it has become with awe. I am proud and honored to be a part of such a great society of women. Thank you to you all for all you have contributed to WPC and to me personally. And thank you Goddess for your tireless efforts in keeping WPC a place for us all to share and grow on and off the felt.

Ladies, we have come so far together and have so far to go. I look forward to taking the small steps and the huge leaps with each and every one of you.