Poker News

Oklahoma Johnny Hale

I have enjoyed playing the game now for over seventy years. I will be 80 this September 30th — and I wish to invite all of you folks to come to my Birthday Poker Party which will be held at the Venetian in Las Vegas on September 28-29th and 30th of 2007. Yes, Kathy Raymond, Director of Poker Operations atthe beautiful poker room in the Venetian Hotel and Casino has invited me and my friends to come for a little birthday poker party. I sure hope you folks can come and enjoy it with me.

I am happy to know that a nice lady by the name of Jan Fisher is now writing a column here in Poker Player Newspaper. Jan you have honored me by referring to this column as one that helped give birth to your own column here in the Newspaper. I have known your father for a number of years, and count it an honor that he finds time to play in some of the events that I host during the tournament year.

My daughter “Oklahoma Sarah” Hale and I will be playing in the inaugural First Family Of Poker Tournament on June 16-17 at Hollywood Park Casino. We invite and welcome you and your father to come down and play with us in this event that was created and sponsored by Poker Player Newspaper.

Jan, I think it is wonderful that you and others are trying to improve the rules of tournament poker, and I thank you for your efforts. I respect you, Linda Johnson, Dave Lamb and others who are trying so hard to improve poker. I would love to give you my support in your efforts to correct any problems with the Tournament Directors Association (TDA).

I have spent a lot of my life trying to bring poker up out of the smokiest of back rooms and always want to be counted as one of those who tried to help improve poker and make poker welcome in the living rooms of the world.

Many of us old timers formed the Poker Players Association before you were born. I was honored to be one of the founding directors of this old PPA. The PPA commissioned a wonderful poker mind, Bob Ciaffone, to write for the PPA a book of poker rules. Bob did a masterful job, and many of the TDA rules are taken from Bob’s original work.

The PPA failed-but it failed trying hard to improve poker! The founding directors of the old PPA tried to obtain sanctions for the early day poker tournaments. Casinos killed the PPA. They would not agree with the PPA as to the sanctioning of the poker tournaments and considered the PPA a players union. The casinos wanted to deal with the poker players one-on-one.

Poker players are wonderful folks, who will help anyone at anytime, and have helped “The Seniors” Charities very much and very often, but they are all individuals and do not take well to being a part of a group or to following too many rules.

The poker players of the world will play on the roof in the rain or in a crooked game, if that is the only poker game they can find. The poker players broke ranks and played in unsanctioned poker tournaments and that was the end of the PPA!

I have said I have great respect for some of the directors of the TDA! I have a great deal of respect for you-Jan, Linda and Dave Lamb and others-who are knowledgeable and helpful in standardizing of the rules of poker from Bob’s original work.

I have played in hundreds of poker tournaments and will always do so and have the courage to say what I think is for the good for poker. I think the TDA can be good for poker!

I will request that all of my friends and all “The Senior” WCOP poker players join me and give our support and respect to the TDA! Moreover, I respect the rules of the TDA, for the good of poker, the game we all love to play. I request that the TDA always be open to the poker players and carefully review any and all of their concerns.

Until Next Time, Remember to STAY LUCKY!!

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