See, this is actually more along the lines of what I'd like to see. I just don't feel right about petitioning people to regulate/tax/etc poker because I feel it could be a huge nightmare that ruins the game and the game is already bad enough with the rake model. I'd LOVE to see poker have the same status as other skill games, some even card games, which also don't happen to get raked to death nor need legislation and regulation for every single thing they do. Even if we were to just get poker carved out of the UIGEA like fantasy betting was so easily able to attain, it would make me feel much more confident that there would be less threat to destroy the game and more competition which will help the rake.

I absolutely hate the rake model and think it's under handed and could be attacked from a consumer advocate angle, but I fear we are over looking any and all of those types of things just to get something passed asap. I also fear this is the time to get things right and once it's done it'll be just as hard to change as it is now.

I really really am not trying to troll the thread or be a debbie downer or slow any momentum. I think everyone here who is donating their efforts are awesome. These are just concerns I have and I feel like poker is already at it's worse so it cant get any worse and I wish we discussed some other aspects of concern with poker rather than just the legalization and taxation of it (which they surely are focusing on and is a huge plus, but I don't want the game to be a huge target for profitability desires only)

I just wish I knew why it was so easy for home poker, other skill games, fantasy to be legalized etc and why this has to be so scary. I think it's because it's larger and people know it, but that's what scares me, because all they see are $$ signs and people begging to give them those. How did fantasy and skill games get passed without daily action threads and threats from the DOJ and fights with the christian coalition etc? It just seems like it was so easy for them and whatever it is they did to clear themselves from this scorn and threat, we need to do.

It's hard to say. They may read both but not use either too much for communication. They did read FB enough to ban me from posting to their wall.

I'll post the link to their direct contact page to the action plan. Thanks!

Thanks! I used a variant for today's tweets as well.

Done 2/5

For these tweets, I think we'll wish to keep the name of the conference committee in them. So, tweets will have to have the form of something like: @XXXXXXXX: Online #poker xxxxxxxxxxxxx. Please back on Payroll, Unemployment & Medicare Committee! #HR2366

That limits what we can fit into the 140 character Twitter limitation. I hope a few here will take a crack at it. The longest Twitter handle belongs to @SenJohnBarrasso.

Thanks!

We'd all love that. I see no way for it to happen, unfortunately. We've discussed the skill game issue here at length, to the point that I thought your earlier post on it was rhetorical in nature.

I think we're best off trying to get lawmakers on our side and then seeking to negotiate the terms.

That really will have to be part of it, though. They voted on the freedom angle when they voted on HR 4411, the bill that became UIGEA. The House voted against us on as a purely freedom issue by 317-93.

I don't think so. I don't think Kyl, Goodlatte, or Leach cared about rake or anything like that when they sought to ban online poker. State laws against poker in general (B&M, etc.) surely weren't done to keep costs high, as most of those states didn't have licensed poker when the laws were passed.

I wish rakes were lower too. I just don't see that as something we'll get from Congress. My hope is that we'll have the maximum competition in the market, thus keeping costs as low as possible.

Let's continue telling the Payroll Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance, and Medicare Physicians Payment Fix Conference Committee to include online poker in their discussions. The committee needs to resolve this matter by the end of February, so the timing is perfect for us.

If they don't act, we still benefit by the effort itself, as the members of the conference committee are leaders in the House and Senate! These take just a couple of minutes each, so thanks for participating:

1. Let's send the Conference Committee members + Sen. Reid & Sen. McConnell NEW tweets urging inclusion of federal online poker legislation: HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.
2. Let's post and like pro-poker comments on the Facebook walls of Conference Committee members Rep. Tom Price, Rep. Xavier Becerra, and Rep. Henry Waxman: HERE, HERE, and HERE
3. Let's post and like pro-poker comments on the Facebook walls of senators (not members of the Conference Committee) Ayotte (R-NH), Begich (D-AK), Bennet (D-CO), Bingaman (D-NM), and Blumenthal (D-CT): HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE
4. Let's send a NEW prefilled tweet promoting the daily action plan HERE ("To take a stand for #poker rights each day, please check out the Daily Action Plan @twoplustwoforum: http://t.co/G5ZDMeh")
   

Please reply in this thread with "tweeted", "done", etc. to encourage others to participate. The past 146 actions have generated triple-digit participation, so let's keep it growing. Thanks!


Conference Committee Members:

Republicans:

• Sen. Jon Kyl [Facebook] [Contact]
• Sen. Mike Crapo [Facebook] [Post for commenting] (part of the 2/5 action plan)
• Sen. John Barrasso [Facebook]
• Rep. Dave Camp: [Facebook] [Facebook]
• Rep. Fred Upton [Facebook] [Facebook]
• Rep. Kevin Brady [Facebook] [Post for commenting] (part of the 2/5 action plan)
• Rep. Greg Walden [Facebook] [Post for commenting] (part of the 2/5 action plan)
• Rep. Tom Price [Facebook] [Post for commenting] (part of today's action plan)
• Rep. Thomas Reed [Facebook]
• Rep. Renee Ellmers [Facebook]
• Rep. Nan Hayworth [Facebook]

Democrats:

• Sen. Max Baucus [Facebook] [Post for commenting] (part of the 2/4 action plan)
• Sen. Ben Cardin [Facebook]
• Sen. Jack Reed [No Facebook]
• Sen. Bob Casey [Facebook] Facebook] [Post for commenting] (part of the 2/5 action plan)
• Rep. Sander Levin [Facebook]
• Rep. Xavier Becerra [Facebook] [Post for commenting] (part of today's action plan)
• Rep. Chris Van Hollen [Facebook]
• Rep. Henry Waxman [Facebook] [Post for commenting] (part of today's action plan)
• Rep. Allyson Schwartz [No Facebook]

Done 2/6

I see a cherry popped itt! Done toooo

The Tuesday action plan will include:

• Let's post and like pro-poker comments on the Facebook walls of Conference Committee members Sen. John Barrasso and Rep. Dave Camp: HERE, HERE, and HERE.
• Let's post and like pro-poker comments on the Facebook walls of Senators (not members of the Conference Committee) John Boozman (R-AR), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Scott Brown (R-MA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), and Richard Burr (R-NC): HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE

There are several senators whom we've reached via Twitter but not (yet) via a formal Facebook action. I think we can gain by picking them up over the next few weeks.

Hi there. Just wanted to let you know that the Daily Action Plan regulars all contribute ideas, etc. Sometimes one of us will throw out a tweet idea and everybody runs with it. So you can always do that. Also, the tweets Rich plans out for us are all editable. In fact, I've actually clicked on all of them, deleted all of the text except the twitter name, and inserted my own text. I've only done that a couple of times, but it's always an option if you have an issue with a particular day's tweet. The poker community is diverse. We don't all agree on everything. I've made the comment in the past that I may be a sheep, but I'm a thinking sheep. Haha. If there's a tweet we're sending out that I don't like, I'll change mine. It's rare, but it happens.

Anyway, didn't mean to babble. Just want you to feel comfortable with the process we've got going here.

I'm posting this so others can read it but also sending this as a PM so it doesn't get lost in the thread.

Done.

Done.

done

tweeted.

done, gogo !

done

Tweets sent

done 2/6/12

FB and Tweets done!

I thought about replying to her, but I couldn't figure out what to say.

done

done

tweeted, liked

done