Obama Runs Good

Obama Runs Good

Sunday, 2 November 2008

In light of the newly-renovated political world coupled with the impending economic crisis and strife in the Middle East, what I really want to know is this: why on earth aren’t Christina Lindley and Lacey Jones on the front cover of Bluff Europe as well as our American counterpart? I’m not denying that John Juanda is one damn sexy man (and I suppose a near-million pound cash helps his appeal somewhat) but he’s not quite one buxom blonde, let alone two.

I suppose it’s because he won the World Series of Poker Europe and the US aren’t quite sure where Europe is or how it’s pronounced (Your-oop-ee, maybe?). Therefore, the great American people decided to put a pair of hotties on the front cover instead – they’re on a roll with sensible decisions recently.

As you are no doubt aware (even people living under rocks have heard something about it so you’ve got no excuse) Barack Obama is President-elect and will be inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States of America in January. He absolutely demolished the duo of Old Guy and Psycho Woman and the vast majority of the world is over the moon about it. As a (presumably) online poker player, you should be too.

Another thing people living under rocks will have heard of is the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act – the anti-online gambling act passed by the Republican government in the USA what seems like a thousand years ago. There are tens of thousands of potential fish in America who now, due to advertising laws that came as part and parcel of the UIGEA, think it’s illegal to play for money online.

Now that Obama the Democrat has been elected there is some hope – he’s not going to repeal the law the day after monkey-boy leaves the White House and he steps in (wiping the drool off the desk in the Oval Office first) but there is now a foreseeable future where the act might be discarded. The work of Democratic congressman Barney Frank to repeal the UIGEA will now have added momentum.

In addition, Obama is a poker player himself. Someone he played with said he was “tight, analytical and knew the odds” so let me be the first to welcome President Dan Harrington into office. Sorry, I had to make a poker joke or this piece would have turned into serious political journalism and we can’t have that, can we?

In summary, the idea of President Obama should make any online poker player pretty happy. Under a Republican government it would have been very hard to have the act repealed but now there’s a fighting chance. We can relive the days on PartyPoker that CTS and Green Plastic speak of so reverently, when fish were fish and tables weren’t full of CardRunners members making side-bets on who could value bet the thinnest and the first to 6-bet bluff with 56s and have it be mathematically correct.

Oh, and Barack ol’ buddy – if you’re ever in London and need a game hit me up and we’ll take that grumpy Scottish git for all he’s worth.



Tags: Matt Perry, Columnist