PokerStars.fr passes taxes to players, will the U.S. be next?

PokerStars.com was forced out of France earlier this week, only to be reborn as the government licensed and taxed website, Pokerstars.fr.

So what has changed beyond the domain suffix? For starters, all cash games now have a per hand rake of 7.39% up to 3.5€ (~$4.28) and a preflop rake of 2% capped at 1€. We'll have to wait and see how long this takes to kill the cash games.

A similar license and tax scheme has been proposed in the U.S. Congress: a scheme which has the wholehearted support of the so-called Poker Players Alliance (h/t Grange95). The pending "poker legalization" bills call for a sin tax on all deposits with a starting rate of between 7-10%. (The Federal income tax topped out at a mere 7% once upon a time too!)

In light of what's being done to French poker players (the phrase "screwed over a barrel" comes to mind), does anyone still believe the tall tales from the PPA's self-appointed representatives that the sites will simply pay the deposit tax out of their own pocket and not instead take it out of the pockets of U.S. players?

This should be a wake up call. I've refused to accept the PPA's hand-waving about how harmless these extra U.S. taxes on poker would be, and so should you.

Mario Marathon hits the jackpot

7!

7!

6?

No!

7!!

g(ood)g(ame) Child's Play!! And the marathon crew!

(infamous Mario hang below)

Mario Marathon 3 ft. Jedediah Johnson -- Finale (I Don't See Nothing Wrong)

You can still donate here!

I don't like Journey because there is no South Detroit

Drunk Broker Gets Five-Year Ban for Trading Oil Futures

This puts my handful of drunken poker sessions in perspective!

After 11 years as a broker, Steven Perkins learned last year that it's not a good idea to get blackout drunk and trade oil futures. During a 19-hour period last June, Perkins artificially drove oil prices to an 8-month high after going on a bender and trading more than 7 million barrels of oil without his employer's consent. He initially tried to cover it up, but London-based PVM Oil Futures noticed something was amiss—Perkins' trades ended up costing them $10 million—and the rogue broker was suspended last July. On Tuesday, England's Financial Services Authority decided to ban Perkins for at least five years from trading, and slammed him with a $108,778 fine. "He claims to have limited recollection of events on Monday and claims to have been in an alcohol-induced blackout at the time he traded in the early hours of 30 June," the report stated. Perkins came clean soon after the investigation began and is currently in rehab.

Via the Slatest.

(Remember: we can't all be Gavin Smith!)

8th out of 1000 in $4.40 4K guarantee

Made another final table (8-handed tourney), but AQo << A9s all in versus the chip-leader after I shoved over their under-the-gun limp.

I'm kinda on a roll though!

The stop and go: do it more

Another note to self! (After the dozenth time I've 4-bet shoved AQs into AKs, when I easily could have taken it down with position on the flop.)

R.E.M. -- Drive

tick 
tock 
tick 
tock

(here's a truck stop instead of Saint Peter's)

3rd annual Mario Marathon underway

Watch it here or here!

From the website: 

Mario Marathon is an annual fan run fundraiser for Child's Play Charity. Child's Play provides toys, games and books to patients of children's hospitals worldwide. The multi day internet event, broadcast live online, attracts an audience from around the world to watch as the team plays through twenty five years of Super Mario Brothers video games.

More info via CNET.

(h/t to gamebolt)

Update: I don't like to brag, but I gave a few bucks and now my name is listed next to fellow donor Jimmy Fricke, a.k.a. Gobboboy, a.k.a. the Poker Police. Small world, huh?

9th in the 3AM $7.5K guaranteed

Woot! Another MTT final table under my belt.

Out of 916 runners. Lost focus a bit, got short, and then 22 << KTo AIPF.

I are tired :/ Off to work....

They never listen

Before the shuffle up and deal, a few players were talking about the T$11 prize pool already. As the first hand went so well for me, I had to go ahead and tell the table what was up.

Poker Stars 70FPP No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t10/t20 Blinds - 10 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

gags1127 (BTN): t1500 M = 50
fubar4444 (SB): t1500 M = 50
LBBAMA (BB): t1500 M = 50
Phat Strat (UTG): t1500 M = 50
Brunokreusc (UTG+1): t1500 M = 50
DKA226501 (UTG+2): t1500 M = 50
Hero (MP1): t1500 M = 50
sithlord20 (MP2): t1500 M = 50
worminhouse (MP3): t1500 M = 50
Jett Boy (CO): t1500 M = 50

Pre Flop: (t30) Hero is MP1 with J 7
Phat Strat raises to t100, 2 folds, Hero calls t100, sithlord20 calls t100, 4 folds, LBBAMA calls t80

Flop: (t410) T 8 7 (4 players)
LBBAMA checks, Phat Strat bets t260, Hero raises to t1400 all in, sithlord20 folds, LBBAMA folds, Phat Strat calls t1140 all in

Phat Strat shows J A 

Turn: (t3210) 3 (2 players - 2 are all in)

River: (t3210) Q (2 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: t3210
Phat Strat shows J A (high card Ace)
Hero shows J 7 (a pair of Sevens)
Hero wins t3210

Conan776 said, "i'm taking it down boys"
Conan776 said, "just sit out and move to a new game"
sithlord20 said, "not is anything to say about it i hAVE"
Conan776 said, "sith you drunk?" (it now occurs to me he was trying to talk like Yoda)
sithlord20 said, "BAKED"
Conan776 said, "ah hah hah"
Conan776 said, "then you might have an edge"

An edge he had NOT!

PokerStars Tournament #285390723, No Limit Hold'em
Super Satellite
Buy-In: 70 FPP
10 players
Total Prize Pool: 700 FPP
Target Tournament #317010003
1 tickets to the target tournament

Tournament started 2010/06/23 1:14:21 ET


Dear Conan776,

You finished the tournament in 1st place. You qualified to play in Tournament #317010003 and are automatically registered for it. See Tournament #317010003 Lobby for further details.

If you choose to unregister from this tournament your account will be credited with T-USD 11.00. Tournament US Dollars can be used to buy into any tournament. Visit our web site at http://www.pokerstars.com/poker/tournaments/ for more details.

Congratulations!
Thank you for participating.

I tried to tell them. Oh well! 
 

"Weird Al" Yankovic - Yoda

(with apologies to the Kinks)

Really?

So many odds defying things occur in the low-level FPP tourneys, it's hardly worth mentioning, but this brought in an extra chorus of "rigged."

First hand of a 20-man 210:

Poker Stars 210FPP No Limit Hold'em Tournament - t10/t20 Blinds - 10 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

Hero (BTN): t1500 M = 50
SB: t1500 M = 50
BB: t1500 M = 50
UTG: t1500 M = 50
UTG+1: t1500 M = 50
UTG+2: t1500 M = 50
MP1: t1500 M = 50
MP2: t1500 M = 50
MP3: t1500 M = 50
CO: t1500 M = 50

Pre Flop: (t30) Hero is BTN with K K
1 fold, UTG+1 raises to t40, 1 fold, MP1 raises to t140, 2 folds, CO calls t140, Hero raises to t1500 all in, 2 folds, UTG+1 calls t1460 all in, MP1 calls t1360 all in, 1 fold

UTG+1 shows A A
MP1 shows Q Q

Flop: (t4670) 5 Q 2 (3 players - 3 are all in)

Turn: (t4670) A (3 players - 3 are all in)

River: (t4670) 5 (3 players - 3 are all in)

Final Pot: t4670
Hero shows K K (two pair, Kings and Fives)
UTG+1 shows A A (a full house, Aces full of Fives)
MP1 shows Q Q (a full house, Queens full of Fives)
UTG+1 wins t4670

Oh well, I really can't complain, as I played 13 of these tonight, 11 of them the single table 70fpps, and made T$22. Got heads up two other times but couldn't seal the deal.

And I lost it all back

Anyone know what I can buy with Sklansky bucks?

Today was a good day

[X] $1 a hand

The following video is not safe for work!

Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day

What's the haps on the craps? 
Shake 'em up, shake 'em up, shake 'em up, shake 'em 
Roll 'em in a circle
of niggaz and watch me break 'em 
with the seven, seven-eleven, seven-eleven 
Seven (even back doored Lil Joe)
I picked up the cash flow 
Then we played bones and...
I'm yelling "Domino!"

Poker police?

A screen shot from the closing credits of The Big Game, via 2+2

Gobboboy: the "freaky, weird" arm of the law!

poker police, arrest this man
he talks in maths

Lost a huge flip

I continued playing the rush last night, but this hand put a crimp in things.

I hate it when I'm dead right!

Poker Stars $0.25/$0.50 No Limit Hold'em $0.10 Ante - 7 players
The Official DeucesCracked.com Hand History Converter

CO: $45.10
BTN: $228.25
SB: $85.85
BB: $29.10
UTG: $51.25
Hero (UTG+1): $155.70
MP: $189.75

Pre Flop: ($1.45) Hero is UTG+1 with 7 9
1 fold, Hero raises to $2.50, 2 folds, BTN raises to $9, 2 folds, Hero calls $6.50

Flop: ($19.45) A 9 8 (2 players)
Hero checks, BTN bets $13, Hero raises to $28.50, BTN raises to $219.15 all in, Hero calls $118.10 all in

BTN shows 8 5

I looked up the odds just to be certain today:

Turn: ($312.65) K (2 players - 2 are all in)

River: ($312.65) 3 (2 players - 2 are all in)

Final Pot: $312.65
BTN shows 8 5 (a flush, Ace high)
Hero shows 7 9 (a pair of Nines)
BTN wins $309.65
(Rake: $3.00)

Conan776 said, "i knew i was good lol"