With all the scandals in sports today, it is very interesting that the WPA chose to release a code of ethics at this time.  It is designed to create the baseline standards for poker tournaments.  In order to be admitted to the WPA – as well as to remain – one has to adhere to the code.  It has five sections, in which acceptable behavior and such are outlined.

In order to join or remain in good standing with the WPA, existing and prospective poker players must sign a pledge, which reads:

As a condition of admission and continued membership in the World Poker Association (WPA), I pledge to support and uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct in all aspects of poker competition and tournament activities, and hereby agree to comply with the WPA Code of Ethics as developed and periodically updated by the WPA and posted on its official website, www.wpapoker.org.

To give you an idea of what the Code contains, here are the five sections:

• General Provisions
• Relationships Among Players
• Relationships Between Players and Dealers
• Player-Management Relationships
• External Relationships

It seems to me that the Code has pretty much everything covered – from personal to professional conduct.  At this point, without having read the code in its totality, I totally agree with the concept.  However, with what has been happening in various sports lately, I can’t help but wonder if Codes can do the trick.  Are pledges enough or do we need something else?

In the much awaited poker match between man and machine, man proves that he is still the best.  At the start of this week, Ali Estami and Phil Laak (the Unabomber) took on the challenge of Polaris, touted as the poker computer program that would beat human poker players.  The “First Man-Machine Poker Championship” was held in a hotel in Vancouver, Canada and lasted for four rounds.  The result? Polaris folded after four rounds.

The event was staged at the annual meeting of the Association for Advancement of Artificial Intelligence and a prize money of $50,000 was offered.  Of course, to these poker pros, this prize money is not that high.  It is, in fact, peanuts.  However, the stakes were much higher than the money itself.  Was a computer program supposed to beat the likes of the Unabomber?

This concept is nothing new.  In fact, in games like chess, artificial intelligence has reigned supreme, beating the Master Kasparov.  Yet for now, poker seems to be man’s turf.  There is no doubt about it, poker is a bit more complicated than chess.  There are so many other factors that might have not have been incorporated in the creation of Polaris, such as poker tells.

After the game, the creators of Polaris admitted defeat, but only temporarily.  According to Darse Billings, a member of the Polaris team and a former professional poker player, Estami and Laak played brilliantly.  Yet, he goes on to say that “I wouldn’t be surprised if we can beat them tomorrow.”  Just when “tomorrow” is going to be, we don’t know yet.

Thanks to poker room PKR, poker enthusiasts in Germany are going to be treated to something new and exciting pretty soon.  As it stands now, the norm in Germany is that most people play poker on their laptops or within a small cramped room with bad lighting – stereotypical but true.  With PKR’s upcoming event, though, things are just as likely to change.

On July 22, PKR is set to bring the biggest and most glamorous poker tournament that Germany has ever known.  Billed as Poker in the Sky, this event is going to be held on the top floor of the Cologne Triangle.  Aside from the name – which brings about images of loftiness and high expectations – the building itself is an achievement for a venue.  Standing at 103 meters high, the venue is normally associated with exclusive corporate events and parties.  In a few days, it will be transformed to host what will hopefully be the biggest crowd to gather in a single day for a poker tournament.

Poker in the Sky will start at 10 a.m. and will run till 8 p.m.  Organizers are hoping to draw a thousand players who will vie for the 200 seats in the main event.  Of course, there will only be one winner in the end.  Prizes up for grabs include a 10,000 euro trip to Mallorca, and Apple Mac Book Pro, an LCD flat screen TV, a PlayStation 3, and more.

Alright, who is Shannon Noll?  If you live in Australia, you would definitely not be asking this question.  Of Australian Idol fame, this young guy has just been named the “face” of the Australian Poker League.  Though we might not all be from this part of the earth, it is interesting to read about how popular poker has become.  More than that, it is quite of interest to read about the reactions of different groups to this game that we all love.  Here are snippets of the write up on Shannon Noll and his new “title.”

SHANNON Noll has drawn a rebuke from a problem gambling expert who says the singer’s decision to become the “face” of the Australian Poker League (APL) could have “detrimental effects” on his adolescent fans.
“People who are pathologically addicted to gambling are exposed to it during adolescence,” Dr Matthew Rockloff from the Central Queensland University told NEWS.com.au.

Noll told NEWS.com.au the “wild west” reputation of poker being about hard drinking and big losses still exists, but said he wanted to show people that the game was similar to bingo.

“That’s what we’re trying to do – it’s just a game, like bingo, but it’s more complicated,” Noll said.  We’re trying to make the point clear: (Gambling money) is not what (APL) is.  It’s a great opportunity for people to go have a great night out.” oll said he was still a beginner to the game, but hoped to develop his skills in the future. I’d say my biggest tell is my big, cheesy grin when I’ve got a good hand.”

For some, his big cheesy grin is what they hope to see.

These two names are some of the biggest names in Hollywood today.   Without a doubt, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are considered to be two of the hottest men in this part of the world.  Well certainly for some people – not everyone.  In any case, they have always been known to be very good friends and they have coupled up countless times to work on one project or another.  This time, their “project” has caught the attention of poker lovers.  So what are they up to now?

With the World Series of Poker well underway, these two Hollywood hotshots are making waves of their own with the celebrity poker tour dubbed “Ante Up for Africa.”  Africa has always seemed to be the favorite recipient of charitable events sponsored or supported by celebrities and this is no different.  This poker tourney will be helping the people in Darfur by giving the proceeds to the Enough Project and International Rescue Committee.

You just have to love these guys.  Matt Damon, for one, got the boot within 5 minutes of play.  What did he say? “I’m here to try and raise money and awareness for the tragedies taking place. I hope we can solve this issue and refocus the efforts on something else in Africa.”

As for Ben Affleck, he said “Poker takes a lot of time if you want to stay good. I don’t want to suck. I was good. I’m still good. Family is better though.”  I didn’t really get that one…context maybe?