Las Vegas Sands dynamo, Sheldon Adelson, says that poker is not a game of skill. Instead, he refers to online poker as a ‘train wreck waiting to happen,’ and a ‘cancer.’ Referring to anyone who believes otherwise the 60+ year casino veteran replies that, ‘skill base is, in my opinion, just a bunch of baloney. To get a card is not skill based.’
Adelson is not alone in his views, but the fact that the Sands general is the 15th richest man in the world, and has been in the business longer than most of us have been alive, means that his views may be digested with more palatable interest than most. Nolan Dalla, Media Director, World Series of Poker (WSOP) is one man who recognizes the damage that Adelson can do to the campaign to legalize online poker at a federal level, or indeed more states that the paltry three who have dared pick up their kilts and show the world their hairy balls.
Dalla called for a boycott of the Venetian poker room July 22-26 as a show of strength against Adelson. He wanted the poker community to unite and show the gazillionaire that he had better shut his mouth or else. Unfortunately, it seems the poker players decided it would be a great opportunity to invade the Venetian instead of boycott it. Obviously, the lure of a much softer set of tables becoming more appealing to the selfish grinder.
It’s always going to be difficult to unite the mavericks of the poker world. There is no team in poker. It’s every man, and woman, for themselves. But the last place you would expect a presence to rise above the parapet and supply Adelson with more bombs is an online poker site. Step forward and take a bow Full Tilt Poker (FTP).
This morning when I switched on my e-mail I was greeted with a note from FTP and this is what it said (Italics added by yours truly).
Hi xxxx,
Win a UKIPT Galway Main Event seat in one of our new Flip Qualifier Sit & Go Tournaments and play for your share of at least €1,000,000 in prize money.
In a Flip Sit & Go Tournament, players begin with a single chip and move all-in automatically on every hand, meaning each tournament plays out within a few minutes – once you register, you don’t even need to remain logged in to win.
A range of UKIPT Galway Flip Qualifiers are available now:
- $8 buy-in, 180 players
- $32 buy-in, 45 players
- $160 buy-in, 9 players
Now for a player as awful as I am, this is right down my street, but from a global perspective this is an awful move by the bright sparks who keep the lights on in the house of FTP. In just one e-mail they have turned online poker into a slot machine. Enter your money, click a button and then let the algorithms do their job.
It seems as if Nolan Dalla isn’t just fighting the 15th richest man in the world, but he is also fighting against the very people who should be doing their utmost to retain the respectability of the industry. Adelson has his brick and mortar empire to protect, what excuse does the management of FTP have?
I realize the Rational Group owns both FTP and PokerStars but can you honestly see these lottery style qualifiers being rolled out on Stars?
Bravo FTP…Bravo….
