Lee Jones, card room manager of Cake Poker, announced on the 2+2 forums that he would be leaving Cake Poker effective immediately. He posted the following in the Internet Poker forum: “This is a brief announcement to let you know that, as of yesterday, I have resigned my position at Cake Poker and will not be making any further posts here. Their management has made some strategic decisions with which I'm not comfortable. Please direct any questions or concerns to the Cake support staff; they are top-notch people. Best regards, Lee Jones” Cake Poker tournament director, Serge Ravitch, otherwise known as “adanthar,” immediately followed up Lee Jones’ announcement with one of his own saying that he would be leaving for the “same reasons” and that we could no longer be affiliated with Cake Poker in any way, including presumably a 1% share that he owned in the company through a tournament giveaway he won early in Cake’s history. Normally, we aren’t going to get too excited about poker site management coming and going, but as you can imagine, speculation and prognostication about the future of Cake Poker has been ignited with these timed announcements. Specifically, the terse statement is made more ominous by Lee Jones’ line of management making “some strategic decisions with which I'm not comfortable.” 2010 has already been a bad year on the network. In mid-April, the Jazette family of sites – which includes Players Only and Sportsbook – moved from Cake to Merge Gaming. In June, PokerTableRatings uncovered a series of embarrassing security issues, leaving many to question how such an obvious flaw could happen, especially given that Cereus had suffered similar issues just a few months prior that were widely criticized. These developments have helped contribute to a traffic loss year-over-year of over 60%, according to PokerScout. Yeah, the Lee Jones statement could mean anything, but when you combine it with Serge Ravitch’s simultaneous departure and Cake Poker’s very poor year, it’s probably not due to the pair being upset about their desks being tin-foiled or them being responsible for inappropriately spiking the eggnog at the office Christmas party. I don’t want to get into too much of the speculation surrounding the announcement (although that is really only all we can do until we get clarification), but I think Lee Jones’ final days on the 2+2 forums are noteworthy. It is on these forums where Jones is most prominently seen as a Cake Poker representative, interacting with players as the face of Cake Poker. On December 9th, Jones came out with a somewhat surprising post regarding his backing of the Harry Reid poker bill. He mentioned a couple times that he was only speaking as a private individual and not as a Cake Poker representative. Still, it doesn’t take too much of a stretch to say management was perhaps not happy with the statement given that they don’t share the same viewpoint or that they felt the statement was unnecessary given the fact the scenario might not come to fruition. Needless to say, its possible discussions regarding the bill brought to light company stances that he was not comfortable with. Within a couple days of this post, Lee Jones made what was his final post as a Cake Poker rep on the 2+2 forums until his announcement on December 28th.
In the year 2010 there was a lot of advancement in web technology, as there is every year since 1995. Things may not have appeared to change much to some on the surface. Most of the recent advancements have been “behind the scenes”, tweaking and optimizing current browsers. Many of us have also experienced the flurry of mobile web devices and the usability pros/cons that go along with them. The need to “Be Connected” these days has really changed the way programmers are thinking. Though some companies, such as Mozilla FireFox are striving to perfect their computer based web browser, other are pioneering the market in mobile usability. Some are even creating their own OS Google to create their version of the user experience. And to be honest, it will be quite something once it spreads and grows. The big difference is “The Cloud”. By storing everything in one central repository, productivity and creativity can flourish. Where Will 2011 Take Us? The Cloud will take the accessibility we have grown a custom to on our mobile devices, and bring it to our homes. In fact, the two sides will somewhat come together in a grand re-invention of how we communicate and entertain. We have seen it in movies for years, the phone rings and there’s grandma’s face on the screen. The video phone has been a dream for years. Many have tried and most, if not all have failed. The luxury of seeing the person you are talking to on the other end has been reserved for Government / Corporate use. The technology just was not affordable to the general public. With Internet speeds increasing exponentially and faster than broadband wireless almost commonplace, things are really taking off! When Skype hit the scene, it changed the game. For less than $100US, anyone can now video chat at home. Some mobile devices offer this functionality as well. Although video chat is not everywhere yet, it soon will be as common as a light bulb. Many of us depend on our mobile devices for so much more than just phone calls. If we could, we just have one device that would do everything. Provide us with phone, email, TV, Movies, Information and so much more! Well folks, it’s already happening! We are on the brink of being completely unplugged. In 2011, you will see much more of this becoming common place. And, as I mentioned above… this is changing the way programmers are thinking. In the past, a website was your 1st priority and a mobile site was a cool thing to have. In the near future, an APP will be your 1st priority and a website will be secondary. The new devices are going to bring everything together using an APP like interface i.e. Droid/iPhone. This will slowly become the “norm”. Along with everything becoming more mobile and at the same time centralized and more accessible, things will become more personalized as well. Geolocation is a great example of how HTML5 will come in handy for all kinds of reasons. Like this music video for example, pay attention to the images and video they are showing. Talk about personalizing an experience!! There are a few examples of what HTML5 can do in this video, see if you can spot them all! In comes HTML5 HTML5 has and will implement ways to personalize more of our content. We have all seen the flat screens showing ads, and the giant digital billboards. Now, imagine if every ad on every screen was geared directly towards you and your tastes. Even using your name and other personal info in the ads! This is already happening in some areas with the use of the latest smart phones. Want to know more about what’s to come? Keep an eye out for a future blog post where we will dive head first into HTML5 and how we can use it and apply it to our industry and other areas of our life.
Yes, I've come to terms with the fact that this post may be outdated by the time I submit this for public viewing, but here goes: the Harry Reid Internet Poker bill is dead. For now. Credible reports were first released late last week from ESPN and then from other news outlets that the bill was effectively killed, which was then subsequently followed up by a PPA statement on Friday saying that “Congress has failed to regulate poker and protect consumers.” The options for attaching the bill to “must-pass” or other important legislation have dwindled. It had its best chance of being attached to the tax bill; then Jon Kyl insisted it be left off (it passed late last week). Then the Omnibus spending package died in the Senate. And despite the fact that there are homosexual and Russian poker players, there just isn’t enough synergy to get it attached to something like Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (which also passed over the weekend) or the START Arms treaty. It’s been said that anything can happen in Congress, but barring a "Christmas miracle" a regulated poker bill will not go through in 2010. Congress So what does this mean for online poker going forward? Recent history has shown us that Democrats support our cause far more than Republicans, despite the GOP’s traditional platform of less government. Far too many congressmen and women either oppose online poker on moral grounds or believe it should be an issue for the states to regulate, exclusively. As an aside, it should be noted that the Reid Bill does, in fact, give the states all the power to decide the fate of iPoker in their state. On January 4th, the new congress will be sworn in. On this day, the House of Representatives will swing from a Democratic majority of 75 seats to a 49 seat Republican majority. Elections have consequences and as result of the House moving to the Republican side, all House committees will now be chaired by Republicans instead of Democrats. This includes the House Financial Services Committee, currently headed by Barney Frank, who has been extremely favorable to online poker interests. His leadership was instrumental in helping pass an online gambling bill through the committee in July by a margin of 41-22, an impressive victory considering the House four years earlier had approved an anti-gambling bill (with more teeth than UIGEA) by a landslide vote of 317-93. The committee will now be chaired by Spencer Bachus, one of online poker’s staunchest opponents. There is better news in the Senate. Democrats maintained their majority in the upper chamber of Congress by a slim margin of 51-47 with 2 independents (who will caucus with Democrats). This means Harry Reid will still be Senate majority leader and can still conceivably introduce a similar bill in the next year or so. There does seem to be some optimism from the PPA and others that this is not a longshot of happening in 2011, despite less favorable conditions. Maybe, just maybe, if it were to be attached to the right bill at the right time, with arguments that resonate with the right people, something could get done. The industry has one thing going for it: it wants to be regulated. Putting this on top of the fact that the US government and states need revenue really does make this seem like a no-brainer, especially with the industry trucking along without it. States One thing you can be sure about in 2011: states will make serious efforts to regulate online poker within their borders. We could easily see one or two states offering online poker by the end of the year. New Jersey is on the fast-track to be the first state to regulate, with a final vote taking place as early as January 6th. Operators must be physically located in Atlantic City in order to offer games to New Jersey players. In Florida, there is a bill circulating that is less eminent to pass. The Florida bill currently allows for one network, with each operator – which is required to be located in Florida-- effectively acting as a skin on the network. Poker legislation on the state level could also come from unexpected places. The District of Columbia surprised everyone with a proposed amendment to their budget to allow online poker through the D.C. lottery. Online poker in DC is currently seen as a long-shot, but it does illustrate that some states that would otherwise be surprising participants, could join the online poker regulation bandwagon in light of budget issues. Other states such as California, with their large population, are often seen as being a top candidate to run successful intrastate poker. You have to think that if a state like New Jersey is successful with iPoker that others will quickly follow. By definition, players in intrastate markets would have to play poker against players in their state. These states would also ban operators from offering games outside of their state. Playing on PokerStars and Full Tilt would clearly be illegal in these states, likely meaning both sites –and possibly others—would leave these markets. Players also have legitimate concerns about player pools, competition, and taxes, among others. Final Thoughts I think it’s safe to say some affiliates will breathe a sigh of relief at news of this bill failing. Despite the potential benefits down the road, the uncertainty heavily US-focused affiliates would need to confront -- both during the blackout period (how would revenue be replaced?) and once the blackout period ended (will affiliates be allowed?) -- could be difficult to come to terms with. I do think it illustrates an important lesson that can be applied to any business, and especially one in this industry: diversify, prepare and don’t worry about what you can’t control. Remember: even if a similar bill does not pass within the next couple years, there is a real chance that all but the most hard-core USA players will have stopped playing due to payment processing issues. I think it makes good sense to prepare for something like that. If it doesn’t happen, great, but at least you were prepared. If you had any stake in the outcome of this legislation, regardless of where you stand on the bill, it’s likely your emotions were tested. I bounced between reluctantly supporting it to not supporting it, especially with the final draft (at least the copy that was released last), since it didn’t include language to force intrastate poker to become interstate. I feel a bit guilty for my feelings since it is probably our best chance of ever lifting the grey, but even PPA reps came out with lukewarm to slightly negative views on final versions. Let’s hope that the positive momentum gained over the last four years continues and maybe, just maybe, we can finally get an honest, educated debate on the merits of regulated poker in the US during the new year. Maybe this even translates to a better bill. The big B&Ms now appear to be on board, we have a powerful Senator on our side and government needs cash. Maybe 2011 is the year logic prevails. Until that time, here’s to hoping that everyone has a carefree holiday season with their loved ones.
Updated 12-21-2010 at 04:08 PM by TimPAS
I previously wrote a post about 5 reasons to use jQuery but I felt like I was skipping some key points. Here are 5 MORE reasons to use jQuery: 1. Separation of Code from Content One of the key design principles for good developers is separation of code from content. Adding new Javascript functionality is much easier when it’s all in one place instead of embedded within HTML tags strewn across many pages. This also makes updates much easier since you don’t have to worry about a massive Search/Replace. 2.Usability, User Interaction Whether dynamically adding row striping, an animated dropdown, a date picker, or a rotating banner, jQuery allows you to go beyond HTML/CSS and add progressive enhancements which make sites easier to use. I would take this one step further and say a good UI with appropriate Javascript can make sites a joy to use. 3. Efficiency: “Write Less, Do More” The ethos “Write Less, Do More” is one I will gladly get behind. With jQuery, there is a shorthand which allows you to quickly do things in the DOM. Here’s what should be a familiar example which applies to all PAS sites: PHP Code: jQuery(document).ready(function(){ jQuery(".pas_data_table tbody tr:even").addClass("alt");}); And when starting with Javascript, it’s much easier to debug a few elegant lines of jQuery code than the standard Javascript alternative. 4. Designer Friendly Markup One of the things that got me into using jQuery versus other libraries was that it immediately made more sense. Given the example above, it’s pretty understandable even for a novice. Basically, this is how it works: “select the even table rows of a 'pas_data_table', add an 'alt' class”. 5. It’s a Standard With companies like Google, Amazon, Twitter, Dell, NBC, ESPN and Twitter using it, you can be fairly certain it won’t be going away anytime soon. The large community and mass adoption will ensure this framework’s continued growth and development for years to come.
jQuery(document).ready(function(){ jQuery(".pas_data_table tbody tr:even").addClass("alt");});
Updated 12-22-2010 at 05:21 PM by TimPAS
We are pleased to announce Overbet as the latest site to be added to Poker Affiliate Solutions. Launched this year, the site is one of the newest to join the Merge Gaming Network. Despite the new brand, management has many years of collective experience in the poker industry. Like most Merge Gaming sites, they offer 35% rakeback and accept players from the US. To celebrate the introduction of Overbet to the PAS family, we are offering publishers extra incentive this month to jump on the Overbet bandwagon. PAS publishers who add Overbet to their site will be entered into a drawing where we will be giving away $1,500! Three lucky PAS publishers will split the prize. The drawing will take place in the last week in December and you must have Overbet enabled on your site by December 24th. Definitely try to take advantage of this promotion if you have been looking for an excuse to add another Merge Gaming site. As a PAS publisher, you may be asking yourself why PAS is adding yet another Merge skin to our large selection of offers. First of all, we have found the Merge Gaming skins we partner with to be very affiliate-friendly and easy to work with, which is a truly important, desirable trait to have with a modern affiliate program. It’s these great working relationships that are the foundation of successful results, after all. Secondly, quite frankly, the Merge Gaming Network has had one hell of a year. Earlier this summer, PokerAddict posted regarding the influx of new players one month after Sportsbook and Players Only, both PAS partners, moved from Cake to Merge. Before they joined the network, traffic peak was around 400 real money players per day at Merge. Traffic skyrocketed overnight to close to 1,000 real money players. While many other sites have held steady or lost traffic over the same time, Merge has continued to thrive, now hosting over 1,300 players during peak time on an average day. On a good day, they will even be ahead of Everest Poker and Cake Poker, two sites that, unlike Merge, have fallen on relatively hard times over the last year. Needless to say, we think now is an excellent time to give Merge Gaming sites an extra look. For this week, Overbet makes even more sense.
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