First of all, I am sorry Michael for pushing your music video off the top of the page. I have been patient waiting for someone else to do it, but nobody seems to be in a writing mood.
Second, I am an old grumpy guy (not saying that I am pushing Tom off that throne, but almost as old and almost as grumpy), and as an old grumpy guy I have to write stuff befitting of such a person. I was recently looking at some information regarding the PPA – Poker Players Alliance, and my mind started to wander off, which it often does.
The idea behind the PPA was to have an organization that would protect the rights of poker players, as a sort of union, with members that would set the agenda. The main focus at present time of this so called alliance is to legallize poker in the US. I am definitely for legal internet poker, so I am not arguing against the PPA. I am just worried that this organization is nothing more than a front for the major internet poker sites. I received a mail from Pokerstars about a freeroll if I signed a PPA petition.
The PPA is mainly funded by poker sites and my worry is that when we get beyond the right to play poker, this organization will be another tool of the major poker sites and not the much needed union style organization players so badly need to argue for their rights. The rights I am mostly referring to that goes against the sites is an arbitration forum that will make sure Players get a fair shake from the sites. We see way too often that The poker sites (and yes this is also Full Tilt and Poker Stars) simply ignore the individual players and they refuse to listen to players arguments whenever problems arise. One thing is that the major sites have very limited regulations to adhere to, another is that they couldn’t care about the individual player. It is not until the individual creates some buzz in the forums and internet news sites that the sites do anything to address the issues, and that is simply not good enough.
One example of this is the Ultimate Bet Scandal. Nothing from the PPA’s side was done to try to help the people (Players) who had been cheated. There was almost no info and no way to obtain info from the poker site. Now Annie Duke is very active in the PPA, but she (and Hellmuth, both of whom I would risk my bankroll on have shares in the company) said absolutely nothing about this matter. This is of great concern to me. It is kind of Ironic that the big 3 sites are all licensed in locations with little to no regulation and almost no process for cheated customers to complain.
My hope is that once we get to legal online poker in the US, then the PPA will try to make sure thast the customers (Players) are protected. This means that the PPA will all of the sudden argue against the companies that are currently funding it’s existence. Another problem is that the people embedded in and associated with the PPA are people like Howard Lederer, Annie Duke, Greg Raymer etc, all very good people, but with too close ties to the poker sites (Raymer is only a sponsored player, whereas the other two have likely ownership interests in the poker sites they represent).
I guess my reasoning for writing this story is to make sure poker players (all 3) reading this blog will be aware of this as soon as our common interest is achieved.
Long live the players,
Claus