LIZZARD GAZZETTE - AUGUST 2008

Welcome back Lizzards and fellow Railbirds!!

We are quite happy and proud to present you the new and improved Lizzard Gazzette. A monthly newsletter jam packed full of League news, information on upcoming tournaments, jokes, reviews, and so much more.

We sure hope you enjoy what we have put together for you and if you have any suggestions, ideas, or feedback don't hesitate to let the Lizzard Editors know!

PPA Chairman Alfonse D'Amato Releases Statement on UltimateBet, Absolute Cheating Scandals

July 23, 2008
Haley Hintze

Early on Tuesday, the Poker Players Alliance released a statement authored by its chairman, former Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, regarding the unfolding insider-cheating situation at UltimateBet and a similar situation at Absolute Poker that was exposed months earlier. D'Amato's statement called for a full and public disclosure of the affairs and included a renewed call for the United States to implement a licensing and regulatory framework for online poker to protect American citizens' interests. D'Amato also noted that the PPA is not a regulatory body per se, but that the unfolding events compelled the organization to make a statement on the matter.

"Trust is paramount in poker," began the heart of the D'Amato/PPA statement, the complete text of which is available at the pokerplayersalliance.org site. "Sadly, this foundation has been undercut by admissions from two well-known online poker companies, Absolute Poker and Ultimate Bet, that cheating has occurred on their poker sites. The Poker Players Alliance condemns any and all cheating in poker no matter the forum in which it is played. Because of the current legal uncertainties and the lack of federal regulation and oversight, it is especially troubling when cheating occurs in online poker. This has created an untenable atmosphere and has denied the proper means to investigate allegations, administer due process and then apply appropriate penalties for the wrongdoers. We urge these companies and their regulating authority, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, to provide a full and transparent accounting of these breaches of the public trust to help lift the black cloud that has been placed over the industry."

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission, or KGC, is the Canada-based regulatory body which claims oversight over UltimateBet, Absolute Poker, and a number of other online poker sites. Statements regarding the current UltimateBet situation were released on May 29th and July 8th, 2008 by Montreal-based Tokwiro Enterprises ENRG, the proprietors of UltimateBet, which acknowledged some of the screen names involved and promised restitution for the cheating uncovered to that point.

In making the call for full disclosure, the PPA vowed to renew its efforts to have regulatory measures put into place by the US federal government, rather than the current unworkable and trade-damaging ban called for under the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). "The federal government cannot continue to abdicate this basic responsibility to millions of its citizens who choose to play poker on the Internet," continued the PPA statement. "The attempt to enforce an outright prohibition of online poker is deeply flawed and unworkable, not to mention it invades upon the personal freedoms of law-abiding adults who wish to engage in a game of skill."

D'Amato and the PPA closed by inferring that the scandals might turn out to be a key moment in the battle to create a US regulatory framework. Said the PPA: "These scandals will not and should not be the demise of a responsible government approach to Internet poker. Instead, this can be the pathway to understanding that regulation is the key to protecting citizens and the future of America's card game."

Wow! Thank you to everyone who helped make the 1st Annual Railbirds Clan Anniversary Spectaular huge and quite.. ..well ..... SPECTACULAR!!

There were 228 members from Railbirds past and present that attended the festivities to try to grab their share of the $489 prize pool and possibly even grab a bounty or two in the process.

The League won the Best Clan Annoucement Blog Contest, which was part of the Spectacular Xs 2 contests. It was quite an honor as there were many wonderful blogs that were submitted.

We look forward to the next one!

New inductees into the Blog of Fame for the winners of Lizzards_League Tournaments:

RITJ July Winners

• 8-A Unicat01
• 8-B TheJuanupsman
• 8-C CPTNMIK
• 8-D PayDragon
• 8-E Mol2003
• 8-F Weatherguy75
• 8-G RowanKhan
• 8-H MartyJr2

Lizzards Lounge #3 Winner

• Schelhas1976

Tells by Daniel Negreanu

You've no doubt heard the myth about needing a poker face to play the game well. I'm going to let you in on a little secret today. Poker isn't about reading facial tics—it's about reading people.

What's the difference you ask?

Well, when you hear the term, 'reading your opponent,' it doesn't necessarily mean that you are looking for body language clues. More often than not, the tells you're looking for come from reading your opponents' betting patterns. There is a famous poker player out there who claims that he can "see through your soul." No, he can't. Trust me. Some top pros might want you to believe that type of hype so they can garner a psychological edge over you. The truth is, an elite poker player doesn't focus much on body language. Instead, he tries to understand how you think based on the hands you play and how you play them. He isn't looking for some obscure nostril flare or eye twitch to make a decision, but you can bet he's delving into his memory bank and comparing notes from previous hands.

He's likely asking himself questions such as, "How much did my opponent bet the last time he was bluffing?" Or, "When he flops three of a kind, does he usually check to trap me or does he bet right out to protect his hand?" So, those physical tells that television commentators like to go on about are for the most part a bunch of hogwash! Watch me on television and you'll see that I make all kinds of strange faces. Good luck trying to figure out what they mean.

Reading tells and reading people are two separate skills that are often lumped together, but they are, in fact, very different. Reading tells is the ability to recognize the way people look when they are bluffing versus telling the truth. Reading people deals more with the ability to understand how someone thinks based on various clues you can put together.

August Lizzards_League Tournaments
(open to all RBs)

8/2 12:30 PL HA

8/4 18:00 FL Razz

8/9 12:30 FL Stud

8/11 18:00 NL Hold'em

8/16 12:30 FL HORSE

8/18 18:00 PL HA

8/23 12:30 NL Hold'em

8/25 18:00 PL Omaha H/L

8/30 12:30 FL Razz

8/16 NL Hold'em KO

For a detailed description and
passwords, please see the main
tourney blogs here:
Rumble In The Jungle - August
Lizzards' Lounge #4

You can also visit the

for complete details to these and
other upcoming private tournaments.

Upcoming Clan Tournaments

THE RAILBIRDS CLAN LEAGUE

The Lizzards are in a tight race in the RBCL and the battle vs. the Pirates is our last week to earn points to clinch a spot in the playoffs and get a good position in the playoffs!

The more players we have the better! That will be even more true once we make the playoffs!

August 9 17:00 - RBCL Week 10
Pirates vs Lizzards

August 16 1700 - RBCL
Black Conference Playoff
?Lizzards? vs ?????

August 17 1700 - RBCL
Black Conference Championship
?Lizzards? vs ?????

August 23 1700 - RBCL
Third Place &
Championship Games

CLAN BATTLES

August 15 20:00
Lizzards vs King Cartel

Be sure to watch for private messages from the Lizzards_League with the detailed information and passwords for these tournaments!

Good Luck and see everyone there!!

The League of Lizzards is always looking for new members ...

If you are interested in joining one of the friendliest families on this site Go Green and contact us today!

May

HephaestU; RobinSweet;JerseyGirl28; Chamelean; N.E.R.D; Annie-up; Budcans88; seabass69; Krice6792

June

EMB_30; MclovinMcMuffin; xXShannonAXx; skankman29; bs4316

July

ECHELONXN; theallinkid989; ant1595; Big Lui, 4phil-ivy

Oops!! We need your help by submitting reviews of your favorite poker books to place here in our future newsletters.

Poker Wisdom from:

Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens)

"There are few things that are so unpardonably neglected in our country as poker. The upper class knows very little about it. Now and then you find ambassadors who have sort of a general knowledge of the game, but the ignorance of the people is fearful. Why, I have known clergymen, good men, kind-hearted, liberal, sincere, and all that, who did not know the meaning of a "flush". It is enough to make one ashamed of the species. "

"God rewards gamblers and fools.The crucial thing, when you win, is knowing which you were."

"Luck comes to those who are prepared and persevere."

"He had the calm confidence of a Christian with four aces."

"Learning to play two pair is worth about as much as a college education, and about as costly."

Next Month: Lou Krieger

Submit any Lou Krieger quotes to A55A55IN .

.

Bill Gates Gets A

Poker LessoN

Bill Gates dies and goes to heaven. Saint Peter greets him at the pearly gates and says, "Bill you're such a unique individual that we've decided to give you a choice between heaven and hell."

Bill thinks about this and asks if he can get a look at the two options. St. Peter says, "Sure, I've got a couple of windows you can look through."

So he opens the window to heaven and Bill sees lots of angels sitting on clouds plucking harps. Peter then opens the second window to hell. It's a brightly lit casino - lots of people drinking, laughing, and having a good time. There are naked dancing girls on stage and in the corner a nice little poker room. Doyle, Mike and other poker greats are playing Bill's favorite $3-$6 Hold'em. There's an empty seat with chips and they wave at Bill to come join them in the game.

Bill tells Saint Peter that he's decided that hell looks like its more fun than heaven and he wants to join the poker game. Saint Peter snaps his fingers and Bill's wish is granted.

Well about 6 months go by and Saint Peter decides to see how his friend Bill is doing. He opens the window to hell and there is Bill shacked by his ankles, hanging over a fiery pit. Peter asks him how he likes his new home.
Bill says, "Saint Peter, this isn't anything like you showed me. What happened?"

Saint Peter responds, "Sorry Bill, I thought you realized that that was just the demo version".

EDITORS NOTE

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August

ButtonDog, JandLHart8, Sapphos, Whyme277, seabass69, emb_30, iHATEftp, LPdevil, mtminer, and Katchagirl

READER'S FEEDBACK

"After reading a few blogs and responses today I just felt the need to thank the leaders of the Lizzards. I am a proud Lizzard (even though I sometimes use another avatar). I have never felt the need to resign from the clan nor bash another member. I don't normally request railing but know that if I do, I will get some support. So thank you for keeping our clan fun. And thank you for all the work you all do on behalf of us Lizzards."