In his second show back from a long summer off, Jon Stewart took on the “Groundhog Deja Clusterf@#k” that is the debate over military action in Syria. Stewart had a particularly good time ribbing Sen. John McCain for his unabashed iPhone poker play during yesterday’s Senate hearings. “Hey, man, is this possible global conflagration interrupting your video poker time?” Stewart asked McCain. “You know what, Senator? Go. There’s a rascal scooter and a bucket of quarters with your name on it over at the Golden Nugget… Instead of playing pretend poker in the actual Senate, go to an actual casino…

Could virtual currency save web poker? The wild world of online poker that can see millions of dollars spent on the game has been under attack in the USA and some other jurisdictions on the planet. One of the most effective methods of controlling the online poker industry has been the control of the financial transactions. Most of the concern in America has been based on the taxes that the government hasn’t been collecting when the game is played. Then came Bitcoin the virtual online money that has taken the internet by a storm came into online gambling’s focus. Bitcoins…

An increase of Tribal Gaming revenue in the U.S. showed an increase in 2012, which may not be good news for online poker legislative efforts in several states. A recent report released by the National Indian Gaming Commission reveals that revenue generated last year by land-based tribal gaming operations reached an all-time high of $27.9 billion. That statistic marks three straight years of growth for tribal concerns following a decline brought on by a slumping economy in 2008. While an increase in gross gaming revenues would normally be a reason for rejoicing, those hoping to see online poker and gambling…

Representative Joe Barton wants to help poker players stay on the couch. The Texas Republican introduced a bill in Congress on Thursday that would pave the way for states to legalize online poker without fear of federal intervention. It’s the second such Internet gambling bill introduced this year. In June, Republican New York Congressman Peter King introduced a piece of legislation he called the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act of 2013. Unlike Barton’s bill, that gambling act would open the door to all forms of casino games, not just poker. The federal government cracked down on Internet…

From iGaming Business The drop in cash game poker stakes in France’s iGaming market continued during the first half of 2013 as licensed operators’ turnover fell by 14 percent year-on-year to €2.7 billion ($3.4 billion). The figures were revealed to Agence France Presse on Thursday during a meeting of German, Spanish, French, British, Italian and Portuguese gambling regulators taking place in Lisbon. French online poker’s travails are in marked contrast to the regulated online sportsbetting sector, which saw turnover rise by eleven percent year-on-year to €402 million ($515.7 million) and gross gaming revenues improve by 11.5 percent when compared with…

From Pokerati Trust us, they’re not the same! First and foremost, it all boils to down to whom you’re playing. In a traditional game of poker, even online, you’re putting up bets against other players. You’re trying to win for yourself, but you’re also trying to beat them. But with video poker, it’s all about you. Maybe you’ll win and maybe you’ll lose, but you don’t have to focus on anyone else’s hand. Really the only commonality between the two games is the system of ranking cards. A good hand in poker is a good hand in video poker, but…