DOJ Brings Indictments against PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker

War was declared on Friday, April 15th, by the United States government against online poker players living in the U.S.  In a nine-count indictment, the Justice Department went after the three biggest online poker companies, PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker.  It charged the companies' principals with money laundering, bank fraud and "illegal gambling offenses."  Also named in the indictment, a number of payment processors who facilitated payments from US residents to the off short poker sites through various -- according to the government illegal -- means.

The immediate result of these criminal charges was the suspension of all US poker player's ability to play online poker -- or to access their funds -- at these sites.  Deals whose ink had barely dried between land-based casinos and various online sites were canceled.  People whose livelihood is based on online poker were scouring the web for new jobs.  And somewhere Senator and arch opponent of online gambling John Kyl was smiling.

Those defendants currently residing in the US have been arrested; the FBI is working to have those living out of the country extradited.  Their US sites have been seized, their assets frozen, and they are the subject of a forfeiture action.

The gist of the action is that, to deal with the restrictions on money going from US banks to off shore online poker sites, the poker companies tricked "banks and financial institutions to process billions in payments to the companies by having the money disguised as payment to non-existent online merchants and other non-gambling entities.  The defendants utilized third party payment processors who lied to US banks about the nature of the financial transactions they were processing through the creation of phony corporations and websites to disguise payments to the companies."

According to the Feds, the payment processors set up phony companies and websites purporting to sell everything from clothing to jewelry to bicycles to golf equipment and flowers all in an effort to disguise that the payments were going from US residents to online poker companies.  They are seeking billions of dollars from the sites but what they want, more than their money, is to shut them down once and for all.

A cursory look at a tournament on PokerStars hours after the announcement showed a world without US players; it was an eerie sight.  Whether this will be the beginning of the end of online poker is the question, and the likely answer is that this action may actually be what spurs significant changes in the law.  There is no question now that the law needs to be changed.  Not one of us playing poker considered ourselves criminal or thought there was anything illegal about playing poker.  It is not gambling in the true sense of the word as its outcome is not primarily the result of luck.  It is a game of skill that the federal government has no business interfering with.

Now that we've been shaken out of our complacency, we can all take up arms against the battle the Feds have brought against our beloved game of poker.  We must mobilize to get the change in Congress that will silence the objectors and establish the change we need to protect this game we love -- and love to hate.  To see what you can do, please check out theppa.org.

To follow the story, check the Poker Player Newspaper for the latest. 

Find me at Poker Player Newspaper

I write a column at Poker Player Newspaper -- one of those things your parents told you about, it's printed on paper, you can pick it up, feel it, turn the pages.  It was in a way a career-highlight since, while not new and shiny, PPN rightly calls itself the players voice and it is an honor to be in it and in casinos around the country.

But we are in the 21st century, after all, so it was great to see PPN move into the digital age with a really cool launch of its new website.  I am so excited about this that I have promised myself that I will submit new content to the site every day.  I'm now two days into that promise and I'm ready for a nap.

In the event I manage to keep this up, I will link to the articles here, and offer a short teaser paragraph.  Please head on over to the PPN website for not only the rest of my small contributions but also for the many great articles you can find there every day.

Here are the first two new ones I've written:

Twitter to the Rescue at WSOP-C Western Regional Championship

Today was Day 1 of the $10,000 WSOP Circuit Western Regional Championship at Harrah’s Rincon in Valley Center, California. It was already noteworthy for being the third nationally televised event of its kind, the last being the WSOP-C Championship in New Orleans this May, which will send players to the $1 million national championship at Caesars later this year. But tonight, as I was following the tweets from players at the event, I saw something quite unusual.

Wynn and PokerStars Announce Alliance

Last Thursday it was announced that PokerStars and Wynn Resorts were forming a strategic alliance joining the power of the brick and mortar casino with the largest online poker site in the world. One of the first goals of his merger is to seek passage of federal legislation that will regulate Internet gambling

Poker's Most Influential Players

Tonight on Keep Flopping Aces on http://www.roundersradio.com/ at 6:00 PM PDT, Lou Krieger and I will be joined by my friend and former co-worker, poker blogger James Guill, aka Compncards.  I first met James via Skype when I was the shadow editor for Poker News' daily tournament coverage of the World Series of Poker in 2008.  James was one of many bloggers working on site, reporting on the tournaments, and was one of the few who did not mind having an editor or dealing with a woman which made him A-OK in my book.

Since then, James has written for dozens of poker sites on a variety of topics and has kept his finger on the pulse of what's going on in the poker world.  One of his current gigs is writing for Poker Junkie and he has recently started a series on the top 20 most influential people in poker.  It's an intriguing topic and one likely to provide as much disagreement as accord, because everyone has their own idea of who has influenced poker and who is merely famous for being famous.

I mentioned his series to Lou Krieger, my co-host on Keep Flopping Aces and my editor at Poker Player Newspaper, and he agreed that it is an interesting exercise trying to come up with a list of who has had the biggest influence on poker.  Does someone qualify for merely winning the biggest WSOP Main Event ever (Jamie Gold), or is that confusing flash-in-the-pan with actual influence?  And whose influence may have been for the worse (Russ Hamilton?) and not for the better.

Tonight, we will dissect each other's list and hopefully get some input from the listeners and the chat room.  Come join us to weigh in with your own suggestions.   I hope you join us!

New Co-Host on Keep Flopping Aces -- Me!

I’ve been a guest on Lou Krieger’s show Keep Flopping Aces a bunch of times and I know that every time I go on I’ll be wracked with nerves the day before and will have one moment on the show where I forget how to end a sentence. That fear of public speaking is real, even if you can’t see the audience, even if they’re busy playing ten tables while listening to you. Still, I never say no to Lou and not just because he’s my editor at Poker Player Newspaper and can wield the red pen of doom. No, it’s also because I love talking about poker.


So when Lou asked me if I’d like to be a permanent co-host on the show, I think the “Yes!” came out before his sentence was finished. I’ve been infatuated with poker for as long as I can remember. Playing poker is frustrating and exhilarating and tiring and intoxicating. It’s never the same experience twice and even when your flopped set gets you runner-runnered out of a tournament, there’s nothing you want to do but get back in the game.

I started writing about poker three years ago at PokerNews.com, taking the place of Amy Calistri as she was focusing on her job and, later, her book with Mike Matusow. It is interesting that Lou’s last co-host was the same Amy Calistri. Perhaps this means Matusow will be tapping me for the sequel to Check-Raising the Devil – Folding to Bambi. Or am I the only person who worries about his poker playing now that he’s mellow Mike?

My poker writing covered everything except for strategy. I wrote recaps, fluff pieces, interviews, bios, personal interest stories, news and legislation updates. But as someone fairly timid about plunking down large sums of money to play poker, usually sitting with the grandmas and the 2-4 limit games, I didn’t feel I was in any position to give poker advice. About all I was in a position to say was don’t forget to tip the waitress and if you can’t afford to call a limp from the small blind, you probably shouldn’t be playing.

That’s changed. Last year I tried my hand at the Aria $125 buy-in daily tournament. It has an ideal structure for me. You start with a deep stack, and blinds go up slowly and at a steady rate. If you don’t do anything stupid or rash, you can have a decent run. Patience and discipline is rewarded, wild aggression is not as necessary. In other words, it is an ideal set up for a mother of two who lacks the killer ‘shove early and often’ mentality of my much younger, male counterparts.

I won the tournament, an experience I wrote about for Poker Player. For someone with limited tournament experience, my Jerry Yang moment (I was the short stack for much of the time before final table) was a huge achievement. I was as giddy as a Norman Chad watching Patrik Antonius go all in. Then a couple weeks ago, I went back, and over the weekend had one deep run (my opponent’s rivered full house knocking me and my puny ace high flush to the rail), one final table (the aforementioned runner-runner suck out over my set) and a win against the largest field in any of the Aria’s daily tournaments.

So now, of course, I’m a poker expert.

Please come and join me and Lou every Thursday night at 9:00 pm Eastern at Rounder’s Radio. We will talk about everything and anything poker with different guests each week. Come into the chat room or call or DM us your questions at our new Twitter page, KeepFlppingAces. I’ll give you some great tournament advice. Lou may have, literally, written the book on poker – but with my two wins, I’m ready to pen a chapter or two.

World Series of Poker 2011 Event Schedule Announced

Here’s a riddle. What has 58 events, is spread out over six months, and can make grown men cry? It’s the 42nd annual World Series of Poker. Running this year from May 31 until July 19, 2011, with a brief hiatus until it officially wraps up on November 7, this is what poker players wait for each year. There is nothing as exciting as the anticipation of the start of the WSOP and nothing as sad as the day you are knocked out of the final event and you have to say, “Wait until next year.”

This is the largest number of events in WSOP history, with buy-ins ranging from $500 to $50,000. "Something for everyone is the best way to describe the 2011 World Series of Poker schedule," said WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel. "It's staggering to think that last year alone the WSOP hosted nine of the 17 largest tournaments in poker history. We had 44 events produce more than a $1 million prize pool, so we can't wait to get at it again and offer players at all levels the best poker action on the planet."

As is the custom, the first event will be the $500 Casino Employees tournament held at noon on May 31. But the first open event will be a new one -- a $25,000 heads-up event. Limited to just 256 players, this is will be the most expensive heads-up tournament in WSOP history. But the most expensive, and most prestigious, event will be the $50,000 Poker Players' Championship, which was won last year by Michael “the Grinder” Mizrachi. Last year, it was scheduled for the beginning of the series and was stopped and started at odd times.  This year it's been given a better slot, near the end of the series, and the players won't have to wonder when they're due back in their seats!

Added to the schedule this year is a $2,500 10-game mix/six-handed event and a $5,000 pot-limit Omaha/six-handed event, while removed from the schedule is the $25,000 six-handed event.  In all, there will be twelve championship events before the main event, including the return of the sometimes controversial Ladies championship.  They also moved the start of the main event to July 7, so as to not interfere with Independence Day any more. 

Another big change from years past will do away with the sight of half-dead, zombie-like players trying to prop open at least one eye to see their cards as the morning sun begins its ascent. There is now a civilized 10-level rule which provides that for all bracelet events (except the main event), no more than 10 levels will be played in a day.  Also, registration for bracelet events will be open for twice as long as in previous years. The window will now close after four levels of play.


With a nod to the economy, and seeing how enormous the turnout was in the past, there will be a number of relatively low buy-in events offered again. This year, the WSOP has announced a "Weekend Warriors" program which will consist of a $1,500 event each Saturday in June and a $1,000 event every Sunday.  In all, there will be five $1,000 events (not counting the Seniors and Ladies tourneys) and twenty $1,500 events.

The granddaddy of them all, the $10,000 main event, will begin on July 7 with one of four Day 1s. After Days 2A and 2B, there will be a day off and then players will play six more days until the final table, the November Nine, is reached on Tuesday, July 19. The final nine players will return to Las Vegas and compete for the bracelet on Nov. 5-7.

I'll be on Lou Krieger's show Keep Flopping Aces on Rounder's Radio this Thursday, January 27, to discuss the changes and the upcoming series.

Below is the complete schedule for the 2011 WSOP. It is not too early to plan your trip to Las Vegas. Pre-registration is available on-site at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino or online at WSOP.com, beginning February 7. 

2011 World Series of Poker Schedule

Event  Date, Time Tournament Buy-in
1 May 31, noon Casino Employees Event no-limit hold 'em (two-day event) $500
2 May 31, 5 p.m. Heads-up no-limit hold 'em championship (four-day event) $25,000
3 June 1, noon Omaha high-low split eight-or-better (three-day event) $1,500
4 June 2, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $5,000
5 June 2, 5 p.m. Seven card stud (three-day event) $1,500
6 June 3, noon Limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
7 June 3, 5 p.m. Pot-limit hold 'em championship (three-day event) $10,000
8 June 4, noon No-limit hold 'em (two starting days, five-day event) $1,000
9 June 4, 5 p.m. 2-7 draw lowball no-limit (three-day event) $1,500
10 June 6, noon Six-handed no-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
11 June 6, 5 p.m. Omaha high-low split eight-or-better championship (three-day event) $10,000
12 June 7, noon. Triple chance no-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
13 June 8, noon No-limit hold 'em shootout (three-day event) $1,500
14 June 8, 5 p.m. Limit hold 'em (three-day event) $3,000
15 June 9, noon Pot-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
16 June 9, 5 p.m. 2-7 draw lowball championship (three-day event) $10,000
17 June 10, noon HORSE (three-day event) $1,500
18 June 11, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
19 June 11, 5 p.m. Six-handed limit hold 'em (three-day event) $2,500
20 June 12, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,000
21 June 12, 5 p.m. Seven card stud championship (three-day event) $10,000
22 June 13, noon Pot-limit Omaha (three-day event) $1,500
23 June 13, 5 p.m. Eight-game mix (limit hold 'em, Omaha high-low split, razz, seven card stud, seven card stud high-low, no-limit hold 'em, pot-limit Omaha, 2-7 triple draw; three-day event) $2,500
24 June 14, noon No-limit hold 'em shootout (three-day event) $5,000
25 June 14, 5 p.m. Seven card stud high-low (three-day event) $1,500
26 June 15, noon Six-handed no-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $2,500
27 June 15, 5 p.m. Limit hold 'em championship (three-day event) $10,000
28 June 16, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
29 June 16, 5 p.m. 10-game mix (no-limit hold 'em, razz, limit hold 'em, Badugi, seven card stud, 2-7 draw lowball, Omaha high-low split, pot-limit Omaha, 2-7 triple draw lowball and seven card stud high-low split eight-or-better; three-day event) $2,500
30 June 17, noon Seniors no-limit hold 'em championship (three-day event) $1,000
31 June 17, 5 p.m. Pot-limit Omaha (three-day event) $3,000
32 June 18, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
33 June 18, 5 p.m. Seven card stud high-low split eight-or-better championship (three-day event) $10,000
34 June 19, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,000
35 June 20, noon Six-handed pot-limit Omaha (three-day event) $5,000
36 June 21, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $2,500
37 June 21, 5 p.m. HORSE championship (three-day event) $10,000
38 June 22, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
39 June 22, 5 p.m. Pot-limit hold 'em/pot-limit Omaha (three-day event) $2,500
40 June 23, noon Six-handed no-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $5,000
41 June 24, noon Limit hold 'em shootout (three-day event) $1,500
42 June 24, 5 p.m. Pot-limit Omaha championship (three-day event) $10,000
43 June 25, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
44 June 25, 5 p.m. Razz (three-day event) $2,500
45 June 26, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,000
46 June 27, noon Six-handed no-limit hold 'em championship (three-day event) $10,000
47 June 27, 5 p.m. Omaha/Seven card stud high-low eight-or-better (four-day event) $2,500
48 June 28, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
49 June 28, 5 p.m. 2-7 triple draw lowball (limit; three-day event) $2,500
50 June 29, noon Triple Chance no-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $5,000
51 June 30, noon Pot-limit Omaha high-low split eight-or-better (three-day event) $1,500
52 June 30, 5 p.m. Mixed hold 'em (three-day event) $2,000
53 July 1, noon Ladies no-limit hold 'em championship (three-day event) $1,000
54 July 2, noon No-limit hold 'em (two starting days, five-day event) $1,000
55 July 2, 5 p.m. The Poker Players' Championship (five-day event) $50,000
56 July 2, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500
57 July 5, 5 p.m. Pot-limit Omaha high-low split eight-or-better $5,000
58 July 7 - July 19 No-limit hold 'em main event $10,000

Jared Lee Loughner -- The Rapid Decline

I was startled when I saw the mugshot today of accused mass murderer Jared Lee Loughner.  I knew he was 22 at the time of the shooting and had only seen his high school yearbook picture:

 

as well as another, more recent photo:

Those photos were significant just in how ordinary they were.  The first image was of a curly-haired teenager, no different from any other kid you'd see bagging your groceries or hanging out in a skate park. The second, a normal, indistinguishable twenty-something. 

This is what Jared Loughner looked like today:

This is the face of someone accused of killing six people, including a child.  How he went from the youth above to the frighteningly crazy-eyed man in the bottom photo in just a few short years, will be a cautionary tale for all of us. Because the signs of his rapid and extreme change were all there.  From his dropping out of high school, to run-ins at junior college, to a failed attempt to enlist in the draft, to authoring nonsensical yet vitriolic rants, he was a ticking timebomb.  

Why he wasn't helped, how he slipped through our fingers, how he was allowed to plunge deeper into whatever strange thoughts possessed him is something we need to face. Immediately after the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the more than a dozen others, all the attention turned to the heated speech in our current political discord as having incited this shooting.  But it seems much more likely that what motivated and propelled the shooter will be much more mundane and less newsworthy than a Sarah Palin target map or the ravings of Glenn Beck.  It should be noted that Loughner's interest in the Congresswoman goes back to at least 2007 when he first saw her at a constituent meet-and-greet, a year before most of us had heard of Sarah Palin.

This is not one of those instances where after a suspect is named, those who knew him say, I never thought this could happen or this doesn't sound like the person I knew.  No, this is, sadly, one of those cases where someone's alleged connection with a horrific shooting is met not with shock but with acceptance.  A former classmate's emails about Loughner from last summer were reproduced in today's Washington Post.

June 1, the first day of class:


'One day down and nineteen to go. We do have one student in the class who was disruptive today, I'm not certain yet if he was on drugs (as one person surmised) or disturbed. He scares me a bit. The teacher tried to throw him out and he refused to go, so I talked to the teacher afterward. Hopefully he will be out of class very soon, and not come back with an automatic weapon.'

From June 10:

'As for me, Thursday means the end to week two of algebra class. It seems to be going by quickly, but then I do have three weeks to go so we'll see how I feel by then. Class isn't dull as we have a seriously disturbed student in the class, and they are trying to figure out how to get rid of him before he does something bad, but on the other hand, until he does something bad, you can't do anything about him. Needless to say, I sit by the door.'

From June 14:

'We have a mentally unstable person in the class that scares the living cr** out of me. He is one of those whose picture you see on the news, after he has come into class with an automatic weapon. Everyone interviewed would say, Yeah, he was in my math class and he was really weird. I sit by the door with my purse handy. If you see it on the news one night, know that I got out fast...'

Unfortunately, her emails, while prescient, did nothing to actually get Loughner whatever help he needed or protect the public from him before it was too late.

If Loughner is indeed the shooter, we can look closer to home for clues -- to his backyard with the makeshift shrine and plastic skull, to his rambling, incoherent thoughts and beliefs, to his drug use and to his presently uncooperative parents.  What we will find, ultimately, is that there is not one, easy explanation for such a horrific act of violence.  We will peel away at the many aspects of his personality and experiences and discover that it took a perfect storm of things going wrong for him to pick up that gun and aim it at his fellow human beings.  What is tragic is that the signs he was heading in that direction were apparently there, but no one knew what to do with them.

2010 -- The Year in Poker

It's now an annual event, going on Lou Krieger's show Keep Flopping Aces on Rounder's Radio to go over the naughty and nice list in poker.  This year was a bit more special because biliousbetil, one of the listeners in the chat room, wrote a poem for the occasion: 

Twas the night before FTOPS, And all thru the house

Not a freeroll was running, no use for the mouse.

The grinders were nestled all tucked in their beds,

While visions of Shari Geller danced in their heads.

That being the first, and possibly last, poem ever written for me, I was particularly tickled.  Less so after someone posted a link to my Facebook page and the illusion of a twenty-something hottie was replaced by the cold reality that I am, in fact, much older than the World Series of Poker.

As we went through the list, two things stood out as themes for 2010.  One, was the number of first-time WSOP bracelet winners who also fell in the category of the nice guys.  Not to say those who still lack that fine piece of jewelry are naughty -- Tom Dwan, who came pretty close in one of $1,500 No Limit Hold'em events, finishing in second place, and the sole remaining member of the best who haven't won, Andy Bloch, both seem like cool guys.  But having Michael Mizrachi, Gavin Smith, Phil Laak and Gus Hansen each pick up their first bracelet this year was good for them and good for the game. 

The other consistent theme was just how much the government is at odds with the poker community, especially those in favor of online poker.   Congressman Barney Frank of Massachusetts has tried unsuccessfully to get a bill legalizing and regulating online gambling through the House.  Whether it's lack of clout or the inability to draft a bill that can withstand attack from the religious right, Frank has been able to get dozens of co-signers to the bill, but not able to get a house vote for the bill.  At least his heart, if not the brain of his legislative drafting staff, is in the right place.

But opposing efforts to legalize online gambling for the past many years has been Nevada Senator Harry Reid.  That was until this election year when his ass was saved by a combination of a loony Republican opponent and massive campaign contributions from MGM and Harrah's (now Caesar's).  Suddenly, miraculously, Reid did a 180 and became a champion of the rights of poker players to play online. As long as they did so on a site owned and operated by MGM or Harrah's or one of the other brick and mortar casinos that supported his campaign.  But, Reid, despite having a majority in the Senate, a Democrat in the White House, and the perfect bill within which to put this bill -- failed.

He could have pushed harder.  He could have dug in his heels.  He could have stressed how online gambling would add millions in tax revenues which are desperately needed right now.  He could have been a leader and stood tall and did what he said he wanted to.  Instead, he was a typical politician.  Pretending to try to pay back the people who paid for his seat, while in reality doing nothing. 

Shaun "Tootsie" Deeb

There were other people and stories that shaped 2010.  One involved the continuing controversy about the existence of Ladies' Events, such as the annual one at the WSOP.  This year Shaun Deeb followed in the high-heeled footsteps of Rafe Furst by playing the women's tournament in drag, embarrassing himself and making a mockery of attempts to welcome more women to the poker tables. 

Women were shut out of bracelets in this year's WSOP, with their only win in the Ladies' Event. They were chided by wunderkind Annette Obrestad who memorably told ESPN that "women suck at poker." Notwithstanding, outside of the WSOP, women made some major strides, taking down a number of big tournaments throughout the year. In March, Annie Duke won NBC's National Heads-Up Tournament. The next month, Vanessa Selbst won the NAPT Mohegan Sun Main Event and Liv Boeree won the EPT San Remo. Obrestad put either her quote or her gender into question by winning the EPT London Heads-Up NLHE event in September.

Selbst came back in November to win her second major of the year, the Partouche Poker Tour in Cannes. In December, Leo Margets, the last woman standing in the 2009 WSOP, won first place in the Full Tilt Poker Masters Series at the Grand Casino in Costa Brava, Barcelona. Vanessa Rousso went into the WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic final table as the chip leader, but fell in third place

On a less positive note, there was a rash of articles about WSOP event winners selling, hocking or auctioning off their bracelets.  Some, like T.J. Cloutier and Paul "Eskimo" Clark, were doing it out of financial need.  Recent main event winner Peter Eastgate put his up for auction because he was leaving poker and wanted to use it to raise money for charity.  Under either circumstances, I think it is an unfortunate decision.  The WSOP bracelet is the pinnacle of success for a tournament poker player.  Even with so many events per year, it is still that piece of hardware that signifies that you have made it.  You have left an indelible mark on poker and will be in the record books as long as people remember what books are.

The bracelet means something and it shouldn't be something that you can buy; it should be earned.  It should belong to the person who, through a magical combination of luck and skill, outplayed and outlasted everyone else at the most prestigious poker tournament in the world.  In the movie world, the Oscar is their gold standard, the award that has the most significance with the public as identifying the holder as special and unique.  Since the 1950's, the Motion Picture Academy has tied ownership of the statute to the award recipient and required that anyone who wants to sell it must first make it available to the Academy for the price of $1.  I think the WSOP should institute a similar legal requirement.

So here's the complete naughty and nice list for 2010:
Naughty: 
John Racener, whose third DUI arrest completely obliterated all that he had accomplished on the felt this year. 
Shaun Deeb, for his "Tootsie" turn at the WSOP Ladies' Event.  It wasn't original and it proved nothing other than the fact that he is in serious need of a bra.
WSOP bracelet sellers, for trivializing a significant accomplishment.
The State of Washington, for losing its rep as a forward-thinking state when its Supreme Court ruled in favor of its online poker.
Harry Reid, for being a weasel, a wuss, and a phony. 

Nice:
Michael Mizrachi, for giving us a great ride as he tried for the WSOP trifecta, and bringing along his entertaining family to share the experience with all of us.
Phil Laak, for his stamina, his resilience, and his sense of humor.
First-time bracelet winners, for making us feel sorry for MIT and Harvard educated, but bracelet-less, Andy Bloch.
Matt Affleck, for playing great poker, losing excruciatingly, yet accepting it with grace.
New Hall of Fame members Dan Harrington and Erik Seidel, for representing poker with grace and class and skill.

Check out my articles from the past year over at Poker Player Newspaper.  And Happy New Year!