A Poker Players Alliance to lobby on behalf of poker players, online and off. Good idea, though the astroturf nature of the group (the seed money was provided by online poker rooms) may prove a hindrance. In any event, I hope this is the start of a trend. I am reluctant to think that the inexorable march of history will easily be changed, but I do think the time is ripe to break from the traditional boom/bust model, where gambling expands dramatically, and is swiftly reigned in by a moralistic backlash. It is time the government approached gambling regulation as predominately a consumer protection matter. Not that the government should not regulating gaming to keep the social costs contained, but players should receive a fair deal from a gaming establishment chosen in a competitive marketplace, just like any other market in this country. Lobbyists working for gamblers (even if pushing a fairly narrow agenda) should help advance this mindset. Though I will just say, while I do think this is a good time to strike, I'm not particularly optimistic. Sure, poker's popular, but how has pot's popularity affected the war on drugs? Of course, unlike marijuana, gambling has a bevy of legal companies in this country (MGM/Mirage, Harrah's, et. al.) eager to expand into the online market, and numerous tribal casinos, which should welcome federal regulation, sovereignty be damned, because one cheating scandal at a podunk Indian casino could kill their business). Anyway, only time will tell.

This seems a reasonable time to update you, dear reader, on my own online poker exploits. This was a bad week. Real bad. I do believe I cried at one point. Bad. I was in a bit of a funk earlier this week, and probably should have known I was not in a good mindset to play poker with discipline and patience. But instead I gave back what it took me a long time to win. Plus a few bucks. It's not a catastrophic loss that will force me to swear off gambling forever, but it's still frustrating that a few hours online can wipe out the benefits of a lot of hard work. I'll be taking a break for a few days, and sometime next week I'll start building back up my bankroll. And hopefully I'll be a little wiser, having learned not to chase losses, and not to play when depressed (though I already knew that, and fat lot of good it did).