My son who has lived with his mom, and spent summers with me, since he was 2 years old has decided to live with us for his High School years.  We couldn’t be more happy about it but now having three kids with separate activities, well, you parents out there can imagine the lack of free time left over.

I’ve also found out that the company I work for will be laying me off at the end of August.  The local location I work at will be closing down so that leaves me on the outs.  I have some job leads so I hope to find something soon, but I can’t justify leaving money in the poker accounts if I don’t have an income.  The whole “going pro” thing would be too stressful and I’d fail miserably at it.

That leaves me to decide what I’m going to do with this blog.  I’ve been at it for over four years so it seems like a waste to just let it die.  I suppose I could start commentating on news items or promotions but I don’t know if anyone would read it.

If anybody still reading this has any suggestions please leave me a comment.

Is it just me or was their a large sense of apathy towards the WSOP in general this year. I didn’t follow a single event. I don’t care about who wins the Main Event.  I don’t even plan to watch any of it on TV. All in all I couldn’t care less about any of it.

The only thing that may have held interest for me would have been if Tiffany Michelle had made the final table.  But she didn’t, so it doesn’t.

How many of you feel the way I do?  I bet it’s most of you.

Looks like you can see it all in Vegas!

I’ve never met Eric Lynch in person.  I’ve followed his career with some interest, since he’s a local boy, and he truly seems like a stand up guy.  The “Internet Fame” never went to his head and his blog posts always impressed me as he placed his family first. 

That’s why I was surprised earlier this month when the announcement came out that he would become a sponsored pro of UB. Given UB’s recent history of player cheating I wondered what would possess him to join up with such a damaged brand. His post on the decision was well thought out and convinced me that UB was truly committed to changing their ways and that all was right with their operation.

Now less than a month later he is leaving.  His reasons for departure are as cryptic as they can be.  He states that he will not go into detail on the decision at this time and goes on to thank everyone in his life, and at UB for being supportive. Personally I think that stance will damage his credibility more than help it.

Was something rotten in UB all along? Then the betting public has a right to know and anyone with that knowledge should be morally bound to disclose it.

Did he cave into anti UB sentiment?  Then he isn’t the man of conviction I thought he was.

Either way if I was his agent I’d be heading up damage control, not citing respect of privacy and an unwillingness to go into the decision.

Has all that changed? I’m about to find out. As I type this I’m downloading the newest beta version of the poker client. According to the press release it will allow for “full screen mode, resizable tables, embedded chat and game details and on-demand player tools”.

That sounds like quite a change from the software of the past. Full screen mode doesn’t sound like something I, or anyone else for that matter, would be interested in. Resizable tables are a must for any modern poker client and a welcome addition. Embedded chat, meh, I don’t chat much anyway. Game details and on-demand player tools, sounds intriguing.

Now if I could just find that old email with my bodog account number in it…

**Update:

I found my account number.  I’ve also found that the beta software with the new enhancements is only usable on the “.net” site.  That makes it play money only.  I see the reason for introducing the new features where money wont be involved, but since that’s the case it’s rather useless to me.

Here is what the widget looks like:

The Authority Launches in

25 Days

Again thanks for helping us spread the word.

Review Standards for Poker Tech Reviews

Expectation

Your expected to have fun.  If their is a program you are passionate about, good or bad, then write it up.  Inject your passion into your writing and the readers will get a better understanding of the product.  Fame and glory can be yours  as your name and a link to your website will be posted with every published review.  If you find that you have a knack for review writing and your reviews are informative and entertaining, then we just may hire you to write for us on a regular basis.

Rating

The ratings standard for all reviews will be based on a 4 point system.  Each point within the system should represent the reviewers feelings for the product as follows:

1. Below Average
2. Average
3. Above Average
4. Excellent

Using the above scoring system the reviewer must supply a rating for each of the following individual features:

• User Interface
• Feature Set
• Usability

The overall rating for the product will be determined via an average of the three assigned scores.  (ie. A program is given the following scores: User Interface=2  Feature Set=4  Usability=1  Then the program receives an overall score of 2)

Structure

Review should open with a paragraph devoted to the programs function.  Following this the review will be broken down into three distinct sections.  Each of the three sections will be devoted to one of the rated features listed above.  The review should close with a summary where the reviewers final thoughts of the overall program are discussed.
You are encouraged to inject your personal writing style and voice into the review.  The structure is provided as a guideline so that the sites visitors will have a familiar structure while browsing the reviews.

Screenshots

Along with the review a gallery of screenshots will be included.  To facilitate this we ask that you provide at least 4-5 screenshots depicting various operating modes of the program.  If you reference a particular screenshot during the review, you should reference the screenshot by file name so it can be properly formatted when published.

Submission

The review should be submitted in plain text format to submissions@pokertechreviews.com. Upon submission the review will go through an editorial process.  To facilitate this process the review should contain proper grammar, punctuation, and paragraph structure.  Whether a review is accepted for publishing or not the reviewer will be contacted.  If the review is considered in need of follow up, the reviewer will be contacted and the editorial notes forwarded.

The UIGEA finally forced out the only real online banking provider for U.S. poker players. That was ePassporte. Now Cake Poker is touting a new provider called eWalletXpress. A quick perusal of their terms & conditions along with the fee structure revealed that they are not a feasible replacement.

Within the Withdrawls section of the T&C I found the following:

We may limit withdrawals and require additional information from you depending upon your location (Canada, U.S. or international), credit rating, and other factors deemed necessary or appropriate in our sole discretion.

Excuse me but if it’s my money, you damn well better give it to me when I want it. Not if you deem me worthy of having it.

They’ll let you deposit $150 for free during the registration period and then they will gouge you after that for $10 a pop. To get your money out it’s a nice chunk to the tune of 10%.

eWalletXpress….I think not.

Play your favorite games for FREE or for over $250,000 won daily.