Barney Frank spearheaded the issue in 2009, introducing two new bills into Congress—one, in essence, delaying implementation of the law passed in 2006 that would make it illegal for poker sites to allow U.S. players; the other, setting up regulations for legalizing online poker in the U.S.—but neither one has seen the light of day, no matter how much support it’s garnered (and it’s garnered a lot!)

And today it is not either of Rep. Frank’s online poker bills making headlines, but a new bill crafted by 2 senators: Senator Ron Wyden and Senator Judd Gregg. And in truth, the bill is about a lot more than just legal online poker for U.S. residents.

The Tax Fairness and Simplification Act aims to make it easier for peole to files their taxes. That’s what its main goal is. But the bill is filled with addons including one that permits legal online poker gambling in the U.S. (presumably for the intelligent reason of bringing the state revenues to perhaps cover the costs of the bill).

Whatever the bill’s main or primary aims, we can only hope that the part about legalizing online poker in the U.S. finally gets through.

The 2010 WSOP schedule is out now, and it’s got a few interesting changes in store for players, the first of which is two rooms in the Rio to compete in instead of one. The 51-day schedule of 57 events (at least gold bracelet events) starts May 27 and runs through July 17, with the final table of the main event happening November 6 through 9. As always, ESPN will be televising much of the 2010 WSOP tournaments, including the main event. And as always, most of the good poker sites online are or will soon be running satellites and qualifiers into the 2010 WSOP, including the Main Event.

Other differences notable on the 2010 WSOP schedule from years before include a $10,000 HORSE championship instead of a $50,000 one, the $50,000 event becoming an 8-game mixed event. There will also be a $25,000 six-max event in NL Holdem for high-rolling fans of short-handed play.

Who will be the next Joe Cada?

So now that Congress has pushed back the date that the UIGEA is supposed to go into effect, 6 months from its original Dec. 1 deadline for online poker operators to comply with its restrictions against allowing US players on their sites, Barney Frank and his colleagues on the pro poker side of the argument are pushing ahead with the long and arduous task of convincing the other side that this is a good idea.

Last Thursday, Frank et al held a preliminary hearing on one of the bills in particular, the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act (also known as H.R. 2267). Support for its passage seemed overwhelming, with one unfortunate exception.

That came, of course, from the head of the opposition to legal U.S. poker, congressman Spencer Bachus who had the FBI put together a report answer 6 questions pertinent to the subject, including: protections from cheating and collusion, underage gambling, and money laundering. The findings of the study, as reported by the FBI Assistant Director of the Cyber Division, Shawn Henry, lend weight to the anti-poker argument. How much weight? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Online poker players and providers alike can take a big sigh of relief as the start-date for implementing enforcement on the 1006 UIEGA (Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act) that would punish online poker operators severely for allowing U.S. residents to play on their sites. All online gambling companies, online poker at the top of the list, were required to get everything in place to be able to have their systems identify and reject U.S. players attempting to join, and of course kick all existing U.S. customers of theirs off their site, by December 1, 2009.

But because of several bills on Congress’s desk now, waiting for review, including 2 from Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts (one of online poker and online gambling’s biggest and most vocal supporters), the Senate and House have voted to extend the Dec. 1 deadline by 6 months. That means poker sites have more time to prepare their systems for this crackdown, online poker players have more time to enjoy playing on their favorite sites, and most of all, it means that the online poker movement has more time to convince those in power to forget about the UIGEA and make online poker in the U.S. legal.

isildur1 might be the name on everyone’s lips these days, as the unknown players sweeps $6 million off the tables last week (mostly from NL Holdem superstar Tom durrrr Dwan, of the self-named Million Dollar Challenge), but there’s another “old-timer” (comparatively speaking) on everyone’s lips today, and it happens to be another poker pro who lost big to isildur1, that being Patrik Antonius (to the tune of about $1 million).

But Antonius bounced back from that $1 million loss on Full Tilt Poker nicely, taking down the record-breaking largest sized pot in online poker history. And to make the $878,959 pot even sweeter for Antonius, the opponent he won it from was none other than isildur1 himself.

The previously record, appropriately enough, was set by durrrr himself, $723,000 won off Di “Urindanger” Dang in October of 2008.

This time, the game was heads-up Pot Limit Omaha and the table stakes were $500/$1,000. When they sat down at the table, both players started with over $400,000 each.

As the only 3-D poker room online, it seemed inevitable the PKR Poker would eventually receive the acclaim it deserves. Over its three year history, the site showed a steady increase in its membership with the PKR Poker player pool jumping to 1 million around the 1 year anniversary, up to 2 million by its 2nd year anniversary, and reaching its 3 millionth player just in time to celebrate its recent third anniversary.

And now, finally, one of the premier online gaming industry accolades, the 2009 e-Gaming Review Awards, has short-listed PKR Poker for 3 awards, including the Poker Operator of the Year, for which it got an Honorable Mention last year, and for which it will this year be competing against Party Poker, Ladbrokes, Gaming Media Group and 888.

PKR Poker has also been nominated for 2009 Online Marketing Campaign of the Year and 2009 Offline Marketing Campaign of the Year.

If you’re a fan of PokerTracker then you’re going to want to read this. If you use the leading online poker aiding software yourself, then you already know that it’s compatible with most of the major online poker rooms, including Full Tilt Poker, Poker Stars, Party Poker, Titan Poker, and Everest Poker (among a few others).

But now there’s PokerTracker 3 which, in addition to some new features, has added support for two more leading poker sites: Bodog Poker and Cake Poker.

While pokerbots are making a big stir in the online poker world, far less controversial and more universally loved is software like PokerTracker that helps you play better online poker without actually playing the game for you.

Players at Full Tilt using the software will also enjoy the new support for its Super Turbo Matrix tables and recognition for Heroes. Also improved with the latest update are hand histories for iPoker rooms (like Titan Poker) and better accounting for PokerStars tournament rakes.

When Team Poker Stars launched the Million Dollar Challenge t.v. show on FOX television October 11, they probably never imagined that one of the top winners of the televised heads-up poker tournament series’ inaugural season would be a preacher playing for charity.

The preacher is Father Andrew Trapp and the charity that he’s playing for is his church’s building fund. When not ministering to his flock, Father Trapp has a friendly home poker game. It was by being one of the top 10 finishers in a PokerStars online qualifier for the Million Dollar Challenge t.v. program that he landed an opportunity to audition for the show. His audition, a short video, took him the final stride to the studio where he earned $25,000 and then $100,000, besting even show headliner Daniel Negreanu. Now he will face the 3 other $100,000 winners at the December season finisher for the $1 million winner-takes-all grand prize.  This is much higher than any casino signup bonus he could have received.

Churches are nothing new to using gambling as a means to raise money.  However, many have not tried to play keno online yet.

A big name in profession poker has just come out saying that he approves of poker bots being allowed at online poker tables. With a caveat, of course. But first, the poker pro: it is Barry Greenstein, the world-renowned philanthropist of poker who gives away his winnings to charity.

Now the caveat: What Barry Greenstein suggests is that poker sites have specific poker tables (and possibly tournaments too) that are labeled as poker bot friendly sites. Who knows? Maybe this will attract a whole niche of player who enjoy pitting their wits against a machine. Lots of people wanted to test their mettle against the Deep Blue chess laying program.

And it’s likely to bring out a whole breed of poker bot developers wishing to pit their programs against others made by other developers. At the very least, these would be fun to watch.

Poker bots, for those who don’t know. are programs designed to play poker equal or superior to that of human players. Results have so far been mixed. Which is probably why Barry Greenstein doesn’t see much of a threat in permitting them seats at the felt.

The World Poker Tour put out a press release last Wednesday announcing that it has agreed to be bought out by Party Poker. That means that Party Poker will be the new owner of all WPT operating assets. It seems like a perfect match being that Mike Sexton is an element in both – he is the official spokesman for PartyPoker.com and he is, and has been for years, one of the two official commentators, along with Vince Van Patten, for the televised World Poker Tour events. How much Mike Sexton actualhad to do with the transaction, though, is questionable.

Whoever instigated it and for whatever reason, PartyPoker is adding the WPT to its gaming properties for a little over $12 million with revenue sharing of at least $3 million paid out to the WPT organization once every 3 years.

Fans have every reason to believe that the World Poker Tour circuit, schedule, and format will remain the same throughout and after this transition, as it is a formula that PartyPoker knows works. We’ll probably just be seeing the PartyPoker logo on more WPT tables, and paraphernalia, and of course more satellite tournaments into WPT events offered on PartyPoker.com.