Two big stories struck the online poker community this weekend. Phil Ivey may be considered by many the best live poker players of our time, but his online poker prowess continues to sink after dropping nearly $200k on the virtual felt this week. In other news, the RAWA hearing on Capitol Hill that was previously postponed due to imminent winter weather has been rescheduled for March 26, 2015.
Phil Ivey down another $200k
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Once again, Phil Ivey has been ranked the biggest loser in online poker this week after dropping almost $200k at Full Tilt in just two days. According to reports, Phil “Polarizing” Ivey clocked 1,191 hands across 9 sessions last weekend, losing $195,765 along the way. This marks the third time in four weeks Phil Ivey has named the biggest loser throughout the online poker realm.
But don’t worry – the 10x WSOP bracelet winner’s bankroll isn’t hurting for it. In February, Ivey took down the $250k NLHE event at the 2015 Aussie Millions for a massive score of AUD $2,205,000 (USD $1,713,285).
Despite his consistent shortcomings on the virtual felt (down 6,580,384 since Dec. 2012), Ivey’s Aussie Millions experiences have been just as consistent, winning the same $250k tournament for three of the last four years. In fact, his 2014 win marked the largest score of Phil Ivey’s live tournament career, netting AUD $4,000,000 (USD $3,573,600).
This latest win pushed Phil Ivey back up the All Time Money list to the #3 spot with collective live career cashes totaling $23,199,533. Leading the pack is Canadian poker pro Daniel Negreanu with $29,973,908, followed by the inaugural WSOP Big One for One Drop winner, Antonio Esfandiari, with $26,407,317.
RAWA Hearing Rescheduled, March 26
For online poker players in the United States, the online poker hearing set to take place on Capitol Hill is of grand importance. If passed, the Restoration of America’s Wire Act (RAWA) would put an immediate halt to the progression of online poker regulations in the US, and could halt the current regulated markets in Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey.
The hearing to discuss Rep. Jason Chaffetz’s HR 707 was previously slated for 9:30am March 5, but with members of the panel bracing for a severe winter storm, the hearing was put off. It’s now believed (though not officially confirmed) that the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security will hold the RAWA debate on Thursday, March 26.
HR 707 is heavily backed by the seemingly bottomless wallet of casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. At 81 years of age, the LVS chairman is said to be worth $27.9 billion, making him the 18th richest man in America according to Forbes.com. And Adelson himself has made it clear that he will spend “whatever it takes” to get RAWA passed into US federal law, inciting a blanket ban of online gambling throughout the nation.
The significance of the date, March 26, merits observation. On that very same day last year, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) introduced the original (and identical) version of RAWA, S-2159. When his efforts were dismissed by congress, Rep. Chaffetz took up the cause last month by reintroducing it as HR 707.
While many vested parties have exuded concern as to the repercussions of such a hearing, pointing out that most of the panel will be loaded with opponents of online gambling, it should also be noted that Chaffetz has gained very few co-sponsors for RAWA. He may have the signatures of 14 co-sponsors on the bill, but there are 435 House Representatives in the nation. Compared to Sen. Graham’s 5 of 50 Senate co-sponsors last year, HR 707 has a very thin leg to stand on.