After being stranded in Miami because of the snow in the Washington, DC area- we are now back! Look out for more pics from the Super Bowl festivities as well as a brand new Mediocre Poker Radio show!!!
Here is a pic I snapped on my cell of Fergie at the Playboy Party. She was fistpumpin’ the night away….
Sit N Go expert Grayson Physioc AKA Spacegravy was our latest guest on Mediocre Poker Radio. He discussed everything relating to Sit N Go’s, including what it takes to 25-table the high stakes games! So sick. Be sure to check out the interview in the PODCAST section of this site. Oh…forgot to mention that he lives on a beach in Costa Rica and the license plate to his Beamer reads EZGAME. How can you not love poker?!?!
Check out Grayson’s new site Spacegravypoker.com
With today being a holiday, part two of our interview with Nick Rainey will be posted tomorrow morning. We received a ton of good feedback about part 1, so i’m sure you guys will enjoy part 2. Thanks again to Nick for doing a great interview!
Former tennis pro, turned Sit and Go/MTT specialist Nick Rainey will be our guest this week on Mediocre Poker Radio. Nick is the ultimate grinder, playing as many as 24 tables at a time in his 7200 sq ft. “poker office”. He has a ton of personality and isn’t afraid to give he opinion on everything going on in the poker world. Do not miss this interview!
For more info on Nick, check out his blog HERE.
Poker pro and author Dusty Schmidt was our latest guest on Mediocre Poker Radio. You can now listen to the interview in the PODCAST section of this site. Dusty has a new amazing book out, which is TOTALLY different than other poker books. He basically outlines and gives tips on how to turn poker playing into a big money-maker. As always, thanks for listening!!! Merry Christmas!!
Hey guys, just posted another really cool interview with Main Event champion Joe Cada. He’s only 22, but he was in Washington, DC meeting with members of congress on behalf of the PPA. Check out the interview in the PODCAST section of this site!
If you follow poker news, then you have heard about Full Tilt pro and Cardrunners instructor Brian Hastings and his amazing $4.2 Million win (in one night) against Isildur1 from Sweeden. Brian did a great 40-minute interview with us today, giving all the inside scoop on his legendary match. Check it out in the PODCAST section of this site!
This Sunday on 106.7FM The Fan in Washington, DC we will be joined by the 2009 World Series of Poker champion Joe Cada! He is in town meeting with members of Congress on behalf of the PPA. Joe may be only 22 years old, but he seems ready to be the next great ambassador for poker.
Hey guys- since we are always picking up new listeners I decided to re-post the interview we did with Brian Townsend from about a year ago. Brian was a great guest and gave us a lot of insight into both his poker and personal life. I figured it was fitting since he’s battling Isildur1 heads-up almost every night! Check it out in the PODCASTS section of this site.
For those of us living in Northern VA or Washington, DC table games are just 40 miles or so away in Charlestown, WV. Looks like they are starting with Blackjack, Roulette, and Craps. No-limit Holdem is hopefully right around the corner!
Voters OK table games for Charles Town Races
The Associated Press
CHARLES TOWN — A measure to let the Charles Town Races & Slots install roulette wheels and craps tables alongside 5,000 slot machines passed Saturday as voters showed they were willing to gamble on the promise of 500 jobs and a positive ripple effect on the local economy.
A roar went up in a ballroom above the casino about two hours after the polls closed, and track officials declared victory. With all of Jefferson County’s 32 precincts reporting, the unofficial vote was 6,279-4,343.
“We’re thrilled. We’re relieved. And Monday, we’re going to start delivering on our promises,” said John Finamore, a senior vice president of the thoroughbred track and casino’s parent company, Pennsylvania-based Penn National Gaming Inc. “I can’t wait to start filling those $45,000 jobs we promised.”
Both sides had hoped for strong turnout, mobilizing many of the county’s 33,000 registered voters throughout the day with full-page newspaper ads, Facebook pleas and personal phone calls.
Two years ago, voters rejected table games. Penn National believes many of its supporters took victory for granted.
A heavy snow fell Saturday, covering the countless campaign signs along yards and roads throughout picturesque Eastern Panhandle communities like Shepherdstown. Total turnout was slightly higher, at 11,072, compared with the 2007 vote.
“It doesn’t matter,” Finamore said. “We won. To win is the important thing, and to win by a wider margin than we lost last time speaks to a lot of things — the campaign we ran, the needs, the revenues we’ll produce. … It’s a great outcome.”
Al Britton, general manager of the track, said the key differences this time were strong support from the community in motivating voters and the track’s success in telling its story.
“Now we roll the sleeves up. We start the work recruiting and training and getting the facility ready to accept games,” he said. “We’ve got our work cut out for us, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
The arguments against the games were the same as two years ago: Charles Town will become the next Atlantic City. Gamblers will get addicted faster. The new jobs won’t be that great. But 52-year-old Bob Risch of Shepherdstown, who voted for the games, rejected them all.
“I really don’t think it’s going to get out of control like the opponents are saying,” Risch said. “That’s a little over the top.
“I’ve never been to the track but once. Just because I’m not a gambler doesn’t mean I oppose it. I think people should have the choice, if they wish, to indulge.”
While many voters have changed positions since 2007 because of a new revenue-distribution formula that benefits local governments and schools, a Vote No group complains the track and the state still get too much money. They say residents face the threat of higher taxes for law enforcement, emergency services, road construction “and social services to address the needs of the many new low-wage workers brought in to fill positions.”
Betsy Smith, a 49-year-old customer service worker from Bolivar, was among those voting no.
The local college, Shepherd University, does a lot of good for the county, she said, and community leaders should focus on a future that includes partnerships with the school and high-tech companies.
“I think there are better ways to help the economy than gambling,” she said. “It’s a quick fix, and we need a long-term goal.”
But the track’s job-creation argument held sway for many, with unemployment at more than 6 percent and competition for slot players from Pennsylvania and Maryland morphing from threat to reality. The track and its supporters say it’s only a matter of time before gamblers stop traveling, and Charles Town needs something to stay ahead of the game.
“I don’t go to the racetrack, but if it helps the area and brings jobs in, I’m for it,” said Josh Bayles, an unemployed 24-year-old from Harpers Ferry. “I know they’re giving 500 jobs out, and I just had a daughter, so hopefully this can happen and I can give her a better life.”
Three other counties approved table games for their casinos the first time around — Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack & Resort in Chester, Wheeling Island Hotel-Casino-Racetrack and Tri-State Racing and Gaming Center in Nitro.
While the other casinos launched poker first, Finamore said Charles Town will likely start with blackjack, craps and roulette.
Still, it will be at least six months gamblers can play the tables. He said it will take at least that long to hire and train dealers.
