Poker Doldrums, Rumors, Doyle & UPC.

Yes, there are fewer and fewer poker posts on blogs throughout the cybersphere. Yes, it is the UIGEA and the fascist enforcement tactics of the United States government. Thousands of lost jobs, magazines and websites shutting down. Viable businesses banning players from the 50 states of Amerika. While poker flourishes throughtout the rest of the world. But enough of that here are some news tidbits, including one that includes an article I wrote.

Item 1: Last week I wrote an article for PokerNews, which basically said that the Ultimate Poker Challenge had stopped taping their weekend events at Binion's in Las Vegas. Well the UPC folks threw a hissy fit and got out a nasty little press release that denied everything in my article and, of course, contained a big dose of spin. [You know what "spin" is right? "Spin" means lying under the disguise of public relations.]. Poker News, not wanting to get into a pissing contest with the UPC folks, pulled the article. So let me ask the UPC folks, who by the way, have not returned my phone calls. Phone calls they requested I make to them to allow "comment" on the article. Anyway, last weekend at Binions there were no UPC events, not only are they not taping them; they were not held at all. And, there will be no future UPC events spread at Binion's.

Any comment from UPC??? You have my number, just check your message pad from last week.

Now the UPC spin-doctors are going to say that they did this because they have so many shows in the can but let me ask: "Was it really that difficult to look at a calendar and know what three shows a week-end would mean as far as a television schedule? And what about those big banners at BInion's that said: "A year of televised events taped every Saturday, Sunday and Monday." Three taped shows a weekend was the October schedule, in December that was down to two tapings each weekend; and now no tapings and Oh Wait! No tournaments.

Yes, we are all suffering because of the UIGEA. Yes, UPC has lost some sponsors but rather than just step up like the rest of the industry, the folks at UPC when for the spin, I mean they went for the lie and in the course of doing that they basically called me crappy journalist and a liar. So UPC, Bite Me!

Item #2: Call it a rumor or an old rumor or two plus three might equal six. But is it a coincidence that Doyle arrest rumors, which were very, very slowly denied, appeared less than a week before Doyle's Room closes to the US market? Or might it not be the case that rather than bust "The Great One", there might have been a deal made with the federal poker narcs.....

Item #3: They got Party, Paradise, Mansion, Doyle, Green Tie, Tony G's and so many more.... has anyone seen a Full Tilt owner on US soil recently? Well OK, no busts at Stars or FullTilt yet... but please folks let's wake up and smell the coffee, I mean how much of your Neteller money has the Gestapo confiscated?