The season to be jolly, spend family time, give back...and play online poker?

I just got to Canada a few days ago. I usually try to spend the Holidays with my family. It's been really nice to be back to my hometown, Quebec city. The weather has been unusually nice, which is awesome because, I was dreading the cold a little bit. Living in Vegas, we get spoiled with winters that are pretty sunny with mild temperatures. Though the weather is usually nicer in Vegas, Quebec is way more beautiful and magical during the holidays. It is a beautiful, historical city and I am very proud to be from here. I am here for almost 3 weeks so I will have plenty of time to see everyone and catch up with family and friends. I especially will be spending time with my daugther, even though she is working a lot at the moment, I still get to see her everyday. *Happy mum*

The holidays is a time for family but it's also a time to give back. Before my departure, Mike and I got a few toys for kids who are less fortunate and dropped them off to one of the "Toys for tots" locations. There are MANY locations you can drop off toys if you would like to participate or you can donate money. They also have different events around the USA to raise money. You can go on their website at http://www.toysfortots.org/ for any information needed. You can give as much as you want/can and it truly makes a difference in a kid`s life. It feels good to do so, so just do it! ;)


I also was invited to play as a poker guest in a celebrity charity event for Cerebral Palsy called "All In for CP" at the Venetian a few days before my Canada departure. It is an event that is held by Jacob, who has CP and is a poker player, Many of you might have seen him during the WSOP as he is very friendly and wanders around the rooms with his electrical scooter/wheelchair. The event is held yearly, in December in hope of raising money for kids with Cerebral Palsy so that they can get an electrical wheelchair. For those who do not know, these wheelchairs are VERY expensive. They start at around 25K each but they change those kids lives tremendously. We raised close to 200k in the event, which consisted of a $550 buy-in tournament with $200 re-buys, with a silent auction in which some very generous donations were made. There was a total of 155 players. My girlfriend Pamela Brunson and I both made the final table, where she took 2ND and I took 8Th. It was lots of fun to be part of such a great successful event. You can still make a donation or learn more about it at http://www.onestepcloserfoundation.org/tournament/.
I surely hope I can be part of it again next year. A lot of people do not realize that poker is a great way to raise money for charities. It's not all bad like the government makes it look like lately.

Now that I am in Canada, I decided to open a few accounts so that I can play online poker. I do not have to worry about my money being frozen by the DOJ and can play freely on hours that are convenient to me. Since I came here to be with my family, I usually wait until they are in bed, busy or working. It's great to have that freedom again and be able to open your laptop and jump in a game whenever you wish! Even though I prefer playing live than online in general, I still really appreciate the convenience of online playing. The only day that will be all about poker and not family is going to be next Sunday, as it is when all the big payouts are being held. Being Pokerstars 10Th anniversary, the prize pools are even bigger than usual. Sunday million tournament has a guaranteed 2 million for 1st place so I will definitively be trying for my shot at that prize. So far I am doing pretty good in the cash games and I have won a seat to one of the big tourneys on Sunday so I am definitely having a good start. *smile*


I hope everyone has a happy holiday season.

Be safe, loved and happy.

XXX

Goodbye online poker... for now.

I went to Hawaii 2 weeks ago with Mike, we had a great time! We stayed at the Kahala Resort and really got a chance to relax and enjoy the sun. We have friends who live there and it was also nice to catch up with them. It was a very last minute trip. Mike had been talking about wanting to go but we never got around to planning it. He called me one day and said he finally had booked it and that we were leaving that night on a red eye! Talk about spontaneous! I am so glad we went. It got our heads in the right mindset for the months to come and the WSOP.

By now, I’m assuming that everybody heard the news that last Friday the government and the feds shut down 3 of the major poker sites: Full Tilt, Pokerstars and UB/Absolute Poker. They made a few arrests and are suing the sites for money laundering. Everyone in the poker world went crazy; it got called the Black Friday of the poker industry and was the main conversation topic on Facebook and Twitter over the whole weekend.

I know that I will miss loging into my account and playing on my own hours, in the comfort of my home, some of my favorite games, but, is it the end of the world? Probably not. It's time to think about what's next and what other options there are.

Living in Vegas, I am very lucky to have casinos that offer different styles of cash games at many levels. Same goes with tournaments. With online poker gone, one has to realize how good and juicy the live games are going to get. Lots of online pros are talking about relocating to cities with casinos, after all, big CEO of companies do it all the time. They move their family where the jobs are and where the money is. Online pros are great players, they are not going to "donk off" their money easily. However, they are usually more aggressive and they play a loser style of poker which is excellent for the game. The weaker players do not know how to adjust to that and usually start playing bad. Those weaker players are the ones we are playing against. So it's a great thing! There are going to be more games, more action and more money on the tables. I can't complain!

The day after "Black Friday" I decided to go to the Aria to see if there was already a difference in the volume of players in the room. I opted to play the tournament that day. The place was packed but then again it was a Saturday. While playing the tournament, I could not believe how easy the field was. I ended up chopping it 3 ways which was pretty cool. The following day, Sunday, I decided to play live cash games and that is when I really saw the difference... Sunday nights are usually not that busy, there was a list for each games and every table was full. Live poker is going be off the hook!

I will miss online poker but, I am looking forward to playing live, being more focused, out of the house, and on more of a schedule. I am looking forward to the upcoming WSOP. The tournament circuit is also looking more attractive. I’m pretty confident that soon enough the online games will be regulated and we will be playing in the comfort of our homes again, legally and safely. In the meantime, let's fight for our rights, look for solutions, keep positive and keep playing the game we love in live games.

See you at the tables. :)