The first day of the 2014 WSOP November Nine is in the books. A lot of poker was played over the course of 12 hours and tomorrow promises to be another long night. I'm going to reserve commentary on the gameplay and instead give five observations on the November Nine broadcast. Observation #1 - Rails subdued compared to past years Observation #2 - Daniel vs.

The midterm elections are now in the books and I have been reading the various opinions how this will affect online poker legalization in the United States. A lot of focus has been placed on whether RAWA will find its way to a vote in Congress and if so, whether it will pass. Steve Ruddock is headlining those that are speculating whether Harry Reid will find a way to push an online poker bill through before the end of the lame duck session. Here are my thoughts on both matters: 1.

PokerStars, PokerStars, oh how the industry loves to talk about PokerStars. You would think that PokerStars can be US online poker's savior after reading Steve Ruddock's recent piece. Meanwhile, California Tribes (minus the Morongo) view them as the devil. Love them or hate them, PokerStars is the world's top site and where the majority of the ROW spends a large portion of their online poker dollars.

Not really feeling up to commenting on the latest poker gossip. Instead, I'll share some random funny tidbit from my live poker experiences. Yes, every one of these happened. Obnoxious player: "Do you know how much money I have won in poker?" Middle-aged guy: "Not enough if you're still playing with us.

There is a video floating around the poker community where Nolan Dalla is making fun of Daniel Colman's claim that poker. Check it out below. The whole Daniel Colman situation reminds me of the movie Vampire in Brooklyn and the scene where the vampire (played by Eddie Murphy) was preaching that "Evil must be Good. " I think we can all agree that earning $20 million in a year is good.

I'm writing this just a few minutes after watching Mike Leah win the $25,000 High Roller Event of the 2014 World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific. Mike is a coach for Ivey League and as some of you know, I worked for Ivey Poker until this past July. Mike was one of the pros that I had the fortune to cover frequently because he was one of the team's most consistent performers. In late December 2013, I emailed Mike asking if he would give me a list of his poker-related "New Year's Resolutions.

For the first time all season, I turned on the 2014 World Series of Poker broadcasts on ESPN. I probably wouldn't have watched long except for the fact that both Griffin Benger and Dan Smith were at the featured table. I covered them extensively during my time at Ivey Poker, so I watched them a bit. Just before turning the channel, ESPN showed a video done with Tony Roberto.

"Go get a job. " For some poker players, this phrase is a complete insult. You insulted their ability as a player and you must pay dearly with your chips. Those same players are also the ones who wind up having their chips taken.

A few years ago, I remember sitting on media row at the World Series of Poker playing "douchebag, not a douchebag with other colleagues. " For those not familiar with the game, we would make completely stereotypical decisions on a player's "douchiness" based on how they were dressed. In some cases, it was based on their behavior, but usually on their outfit. On Monday night, World Series of Poker bracelet winner Grant Hinkle entered the douchebag Hall of Fame during the Kansas City - New England game.

"If you make sure you're connected. The writing's on the wall. But if your mind's neglected. Stumble you might fall.