Daily Archives: April 2, 2024

Senator Helming and Senate Republican Conference Unveil Legislative Package to Expand Availability and Access to … – The New York State Senate

Posted: April 2, 2024 at 4:08 am

Watch Senator Helming's remarks here.

Senator Pam Helming, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Housing, Construction and Community Development, with Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt and members of the Senate Republican Conference, today unveiled a comprehensive legislative package to increase homeownership opportunities and improve access to affordable housing options.

The package proposes tax credits and incentives, reduces regulatory burdens, and facilitates new construction as well as improvements to existing housing stock.

Housing affordability is one of the biggest issues facing our state. Our conference has a plan to revitalize our existing housing stock by removing blight from our communities and replacing it with good quality housing units, to work with local communities on what housing strategies are best for them, to expand and create incentives for development, and to establish means-testing for rent-regulated housing to ensure that affordable housing units are occupied by those who truly need them. The legislative package we are putting forward today under the leadership of our housing ranker Senator Pam Helming will deliver affordable homeownership for the state of New York, said Leader Rob Ortt.

From the Bronx to Buffalo, the American Dream is unattainable for a large portion of our population. The good news is, this is a problem we can solve. Our Senate Republican Conference is again putting solutions on the table to increase access to affordable housing options for every New Yorker, from renters to first-time homebuyers to our workforce and seniors. Importantly, our solutions preserve local control and prioritize collaboration with municipalities to facilitate new builds and improve existing housing stock, said Senator Pam Helming.

Proposals in the housing legislative package would:

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Senator Helming and Senate Republican Conference Unveil Legislative Package to Expand Availability and Access to ... - The New York State Senate

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States that lean Republican report more COVID vaccine-related adverse events, study finds – University of Minnesota Twin Cities

Posted: at 4:08 am

US states with a 10% increase in Republican voting reported a 5% increase in COVID-19 vaccinerelated adverse events (AEs), a 25% increase in severe AEs, and a 21% higher proportion of AEs characterized as severe, with more pronounced associations in older people, a study today in JAMA Network Open concludes.

A University of Pennsylvanialed research team analyzed 620,456 AE reports filed by adult vaccine recipients or their clinicians in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database from 2020 to 2022, and compared them with AEs after influenza vaccination from 2019 to 2022. They examined the AEs against state-level proportions of Republican votes in the 2020 US presidential election.

The average age of vaccine recipients was 52 years, and women made up 70.2% of AE reporters. Vaccinees were able to file more than one report.

VAERS reports have not been verified, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes. "Anyone, including healthcare providers, vaccine manufacturers, and the public, can submit reports to the system," the CDC says. "While very important in monitoring vaccine safety, VAERS reports alone cannot be used to determine if a vaccine caused or contributed to an adverse event or illness."

"Antivaccine sentiment is increasingly associated with conservative political positions," the study authors wrote. "COVID-19 mortality has been higher in US jurisdictions that are more conservative in their party registration,voting history,or representation.These differences are likely explained, in part, by differences in vaccination rates."

Significant links were seen between state political inclination and state AE reporting for all three outcomes: a 10% increase in Republican voting was tied to greater chances of AE reports (odds ratio [OR], 1.05), severe AE reports (OR, 1.25), and the percentage of AEs characterized as severe (OR, 1.21).

These results suggest that either the perception of vaccine AEs or the motivation to report them was associated with political inclination.

While these associations were seen across all age-groups, they were more pronounced among older people. There was no such association for the flu vaccine.

"These results suggest that either the perception of vaccine AEs or the motivation to report them was associated with political inclination," the researchers wrote.

They added that the link between observation and belief is bidirectional. "The adage 'seeing is believing' recognizes that our individual experiences inform our sense of truth, and 'believing is seeing' recognizes that our preconceptions modulate what we experience in the first place," they wrote.

"In finding that Republican-inclined states show higher COVID-19 AE reporting than Democrat-inclined states, this study suggests that Republicans are more likely to perceive or report those AEs and that Democrats are less likely to," they concluded.

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Activist actor Kendrick Sampson cleared for trial against LAPD over Black Lives Matter protest – Courthouse News Service

Posted: at 4:07 am

A federal judge tentatively allowed Sampson to proceed to trial over his excessive force and free speech claims.

LOS ANGELES (CN) A federal judge cleared actor and activist Kendrick Sampson to take the Los Angeles Police Department to trial over claims that officers used excessive force against him during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

At a hearing Monday U.S. District Judge John Kronstadt tentatively denied the LAPD's bid for summary judgment on Sampson's lawsuit accusing police officers of violating his Fourth Amendment right by using unreasonable force and his First Amendment right by retaliating against him for speaking out about police abuse.

The judge said there were enough factual disputes for those claims to be decided by a jury, such as whether or not the crowd at the demonstration was peaceful; whether Sampson and the other protesters were "kettled" between two police lines; and whether officers who ordered to protesters to disperse had instructed them clearly on where to go.

Kronstadt indicated however that he may throw out Sampson's claims that there was an LAPD conspiracy to deprive him of his constitutional rights and that the city's and police department's policies contributed to the purported violations of his rights. He said Sampson hasn't provided compelling evidence to support those.

"I'm not sure I understand," Kronstadt said to Sampson's lawyer Lawrence Middleton with respect to the argument that the police officers communications during the protest constituted a conspiracy. "Is following an order a conspiracy?"

Sampson, 36, who has starred in the TV series "The Vampire Diaries" and "How to Get Away with Murder" among others, organized and participated in Black Lives Matter protests in Los Angeles following the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

During a May 30, 2020, demonstration in LA's Fairfax District, Sampson claimed he was beaten with police batons and shot at close range with non-lethal projectiles as he and other protesters were boxed in by police. He sued the LAPD and individual officers in 2022 claiming they violated his constitutional rights.

Whereas Lisa Lee, an attorney for the city, argued at Monday's hearing that police video of the demonstration provides undisputed evidence that Sampson was at the front of the protesters refusing orders to disperse, lunging at officers and trying to grab their batons, Middleton said the video shows two competing narratives.

According to Middleton, there was not, a police have claimed, a riotous crowd rather, it was just people standing around and talking and Sampson was filming the protest with his cellphone when he was attacked.

The police say protesters had surrounded a local transit bus with passengers on it, and a first group of LAPD officers dispatched to relieve the bus was itself surrounded by thousands of protesters. A second group of officers specialized in crowd control was subsequently sent to the area to help their colleagues and the bus passengers.

Officers repeatedly told the protesters to disperse, LAPD says, then declared an unlawful assembly because the crowd was "violent, boisterous or tumultuous." Sampson, they claim, refused instructions to leave until he had been hit by the officers he was confronting and nearby police cars were set on fire.

The judge didn't make a final decision on the city's motion for summary judgment at the hearing and said he would issue a written ruling. Judges typically are reluctant to decide lawsuits based on the so-called undisputed evidence unless it's so clear-cut that no reasonable jury could find otherwise.

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Activist actor Kendrick Sampson cleared for trial against LAPD over Black Lives Matter protest - Courthouse News Service

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Why libertarians don’t trust RFK Jr. – UnHerd

Posted: at 4:07 am

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Nicole Shanahan, a 38-year-old attorney and philanthropist, as his running mate last week. Outside of Silicon Valley, Shanahan is a relative political unknown, though as the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, she brings considerable financial assets to the ticket.

Reaction to the pick has been mixed, however especially among a constituency RFK Jr has courted: libertarians. In a recent interview, Libertarian Party Chair Angela McArdle expressed concern about the ticket, saying that Shanahan doesnt necessarily fit into alignment with any of our views. RFK Jr.s new veep was a supporter of Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign, and has donated to Democratic and Left-leaning causes in the past. In 2020, she donated to Marianne Williamson, Peter Buttigieg and Joe Biden.

RFK Jr. is himself a former Democrat, of course and a progressive one, at that. He has a long history of energy and climate activism completely contrary to the limited government ethos of libertarianism. He previously called the National Rifle Association a terrorist group, although he does support the second amendment. He said the Koch brothers should be prosecuted for treason on environmentalist grounds. He also supports student loan debt forgiveness and affirmative action, both liberal stances.

Nevertheless, after RFK Jr. formally left the Democratic Party in October 2023 opting to face-off against President Joe Biden in the general election rather than the primaries widespread speculation ensued that he might seek the Libertarian Partys nomination. Last summer, he attended FreedomFest, an annual gathering of libertarians, and emphasised his involvement in issues that matter to us: most notably, the federal governments efforts to suppress dissenting speech on social media, particularly relating to Covid-19.

Indeed, RFK Jr.s contrarian views on Covid-19 policies like mandates, lockdowns, and the vaccines themselves have made him a target of social media censors, who were often pressured by government agents to take down provocative speech. (The Supreme Court is currently weighing whether these actions violated the First Amendment in Murthy v. Missouri.) Many of the underlying views are themselves attractive to libertarians; one need not agree with everything RFK Jr. has said about vaccines to nevertheless admire his opposition to making them compulsory.

It was RFK Jr.s opposition to mandates and lockdowns that first drew the attention of some libertarians. When I spoke with her in June 2023, McArdle was optimistic that his views on the pandemic had stirred an awakening within him, causing him to reconsider many of his other political stances.

Following the 7 October attack by Hamas on Israel, RFK Jr. expressed unqualified support for the US continuing to send aid to Israel, a stance that alienated many libertarians, who do not believe American taxpayers should be required to fund foreign wars. Support for RFK Jr. among rank-and-file LP members now appears lukewarm at best; at a California Libertarian Party convention in February, Kennedy garnered just one vote in the straw poll.

When asked about running for the LP nomination, RFK Jr. has remained evasive and declined to rule it out. As such, the speculation continues. But it seems unlikely he will go for it, and if he did, he would face deep-rooted scepticism, if not outright hostility, from many within the party. In 2016, libertarians booed former Gov. Gary Johnson who sought and obtained the partys presidential nomination for supporting drivers licences. RFK Jr.s heresies loom somewhat larger.

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Unlocking the Secrets of Immortality: Tardigrade Proteins Slow Aging in Human Cells – SciTechDaily

Posted: at 4:07 am

Researchers have discovered that proteins from tardigrades, known for surviving extreme conditions, can slow molecular processes in human cells, offering promising applications in aging research and cell storage. This finding paves the way for developing new technologies to enhance human health and treat diseases.

Researchers at the University of Wyoming have advanced our understanding of how tardigrades survive extreme conditions and shown that proteins from the microscopic creatures expressed in human cells can slow down molecular processes.

This makes the tardigrade proteins potential candidates in technologies centered on slowing the aging process and in long-term storage of human cells.

The new study, published in the journal Protein Science, examines the mechanisms used by tardigrades to enter and exit from suspended animation when faced by environmental stress. Led by Senior Research Scientist Silvia Sanchez-Martinez in the lab of UW Department of Molecular Biology Assistant Professor Thomas Boothby, the research provides additional evidence that tardigrade proteins eventually could be used to make life-saving treatments available to people where refrigeration is not possible and enhance storage of cell-based therapies, such as stem cells.

Measuring less than half a millimeter long, tardigrades also known as water bears can survive being completely dried out; being frozen to just above absolute zero (about minus 458 degrees Fahrenheit, when all molecular motion stops); heated to more than 300 degrees Fahrenheit; irradiated several thousand times beyond what a human could withstand; and even survive the vacuum of outer space.

University of Wyoming Senior Research Scientist Silvia Sanchez-Martinez, left, and Department of Molecular Biology Assistant Professor Thomas Boothby led new research providing additional evidence that tardigrade proteins eventually could be used to make life-saving treatments available to people where refrigeration is not possible. Credit: Vindya Kumara

They survive by entering a state of suspended animation called biostasis, using proteins that form gels inside of cells and slow down life processes, according to the new UW-led research. Co-authors of the study are from institutions including the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, Washington University in St. Louis, the University of California-Merced, the University of Bologna in Italy, and the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

Sanchez-Martinez, who came from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to join Boothbys UW lab, was the lead author of the paper.

Amazingly, when we introduce these proteins into human cells, they gel and slow down metabolism, just like in tardigrades, Sanchez-Martinez says. Furthermore, just like tardigrades, when you put human cells that have these proteins into biostasis, they become more resistant to stresses, conferring some of the tardigrades abilities to the human cells.

Importantly, the research shows that the whole process is reversible: When the stress is relieved, the tardigrade gels dissolve, and the human cells return to their normal metabolism, Boothby says.

Our findings provide an avenue for pursuing technologies centered on the induction of biostasis in cells and even whole organisms to slow aging and enhance storage and stability, the researchers concluded.

Previous research by Boothbys team showed that natural and engineered versions of tardigrade proteins can be used to stabilize an important pharmaceutical used to treat people with hemophilia and other conditions without the need for refrigeration.

Tardigrades ability to survive being dried out has puzzled scientists, as the creatures do so in a manner that appears to differ from a number of other organisms with the ability to enter suspended animation.

Reference: Labile assembly of a tardigrade protein induces biostasis by S. Sanchez-Martinez, K. Nguyen, S. Biswas, V. Nicholson, A. V. Romanyuk, J. Ramirez, S. Kc, A. Akter, C. Childs, E. K. Meese, E. T. Usher, G. M. Ginell, F. Yu, E. Gollub, M. Malferrari, F. Francia, G. Venturoli, E. W. Martin, F. Caporaletti, G. Giubertoni, S. Woutersen, S. Sukenik, D. N. Woolfson, A. S. Holehouse and T. C. Boothby, 19 March 2024, Protein Science. DOI: 10.1002/pro.4941

The research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the NASA Astrobiology Institute, and the U.S. National Science Foundation.

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Unlocking the Secrets of Immortality: Tardigrade Proteins Slow Aging in Human Cells - SciTechDaily

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Millions of Dollars on the Table in This Week’s High Stakes Poker Episode – PokerNews.com

Posted: at 4:07 am

Nikhil "Nik Airball" Arcot and Andrew Robl went to battle, Santhosh Suvarna played some monster pots, and there was over $4.7 million on the table on the newest High Stakes Poker episode, which aired Monday on PokerGO.

Season 12 is heating up, and Episode 7 is must-see. Multiple pots over $500,000 were played, and the $1,000/$2,000 blinds made for some juicy action. Here's a look at the full list of players when the game began, and the chips they each had in front of them.

The show began with Robl, holding QJ, flopping top pair on a board of 510Q77 and betting $4,000 into a pot of $23,000. Airball, perhaps fooled by the undersized wager, went for a raise to $18,000 with king-high, but it wasnt enough to force a fold.

On the next hand, with a $4,000 straddle on, the same two players would tangle again. Robl raised to $10,000 with K9 from an early position. Airball called on the button with A6.

The flop came out A9A, and Robl led for $10,000 with his nearly-drawing-dead two pair. A call was made, and then both players checked the 4 turn. When the 5 appeared on the river, Robl checked, but would call off a $15,000 bet only to find out his hand was no good.

After Robl pushed Suvarna around in a couple of pots, he went back to war against the Hustler Casino Live regular hed already faced at the beginning of the show. In this next pot, Airball would get a fortunate run-out.

Action began with Robl raising to $6,000 with Q10 and then, in position, Airball made the call with A2. The flop of 987 gave both players something to draw to, and after a check, Airball bet $10,000, to which his opponent called.

Following the K on the turn, which completed the nut flush, Airball would fire out a bet of $21,000 and receive a call. The river was the 3, giving Robl a flush, but one that was inferior. Despite that, instead of checking it back, he fired out a bet of $85,000, just over the size of the pot. Knowing his hand couldnt possibly be beat, Airball raised to $175,000, and he earned a call before scooping a $429,000 pot.

When your pocket aces get cracked but youre still drawing live, thats not an awful position. For Suvarana, who has been getting destroyed in the few High Stakes Poker episodes hes appeared on, he found himself in such a situation against a Harvard professor.

Preflop action started with Tang raising to $5,000 with A5, and then Suvarna deciding to slowplay his AA by just calling in position. Adams, in the big blind with 64, called to see a flop of 5J7, and Tang made a continuation bet of $7,000 with bottom pair.

Suvarna and Adams, who had a straight draw, would both make the call to see the 8 on the turn complete the straight. But with a heart in his hand, Suvarna wasnt drawing dead, and he would bet out $25,000.

Adams had a decision to make with a straight knowing theres a chance he was up against a flush. But he wasnt about to fold, so he made the call just before Tang mucked his cards. The 5 on the river bricked the flush, and Adams checked. Instead of checking behind, Santhosh made a sizable bet of $62,000 for value. But he wouldnt get that value because Adams called with a superior hand.

Moments later in the show, Adams was the one who picked up pocket aces, and he would get paid off on the river by Airballs ten-high when a straight draw failed to come through in a $140,000 pot. Suvarna would then go on a heater, winning large pots against Airball and Tang over the following few hands.

Things would get even better for Santhosh in a hand against Tang. With the board showing 5369, both players were all in for a $524,000 pot. Tang held 107 for a monster draw, and was up against 65 for two pair. They agreed to run it twice, and both rivers were of no help to the drawing hand.

Charles Yu would enter the game late, and it took him no time to lose a big pot, which he often has done on shows such as Hustler Casino Live.

The hand began with Adams raising to $5,000 with 77, while Suvarna called behind him with 42. Yu, on the button with QQ, three-bet to $29,000 and both players called.

When the flop showed 1097, Yu was in deep trouble, and he checked it over to Adams, who bet $45,000 with bottom set. That was enough to get Suvarna out of the way, but pocket queens wasnt going anywhere.

The turn was the 5, no help to either player. Yu checked and then called a $90,000 wager before the 5 on the river paired the board. Following another check back to him, Adams downsized his bet a tad to $85,000, just enough to keep his opponent interested. Yu made the call and lost a $530,000 pot to close out Episode 7.

You can catch the full episode on PokerGO and future episodes, which air each Monday at 5 p.m. PT.

To watch new episodes of High Stakes Poker, visit PokerGO.

*Images courtesy of PokerGO/Antonio Abrego

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News: WSOP Mystery Millions to award the bracelet at random – pokerstrategy.com

Posted: at 4:07 am

A controversial change to the popular tournament as the winner's bracelet will be one of the random bounty prizes instead of going to the eventual champion.

More proof that the Mystery Bounty format is capturing the imagination of the poker world, with a surprise announcement from the WSOP.

The WSOP Mystery Millions event has been a big hit for the last two years, with three players winning $1 million from a single bounty pull so far. In every case, they won more money than the eventual champion.

Last night the World Series of Poker announced the bounty jackpots will have even more prestige. One random bounty this year in the Mystery Millions will not contain cash, but instead have the coveted WSOP bracelet at the end of it.

That means you could bust a short stack on Day 2 with 1,000 runners left, but still be the official champion and a bonafide WSOP bracelet winner, without taking down the event. After the bracelet is pulled, the rest of the players are just competing for money like a regular tournament, but with no title at the end.

This is not only the easiest way to win a WSOP bracelet but also very controversial. We spoke with leading WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, who said "This is worse than that Flip & Go thing".

The $1,000 Mystery Millions starts on May 30th with four starting flights and bounties starting on Day 2. The value of the bracelet is $1,500.

Do you like this new format? Let us know in the comments:

Barry Carter is the editor of PokerStrategy.com and the co-author of The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2, Poker Satellite Strategy, PKO Poker Strategy, Endgame Poker Strategy, GTO Poker Simplified, Mystery Bounty Poker Strategy and Beyond GTO.

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Mystery Bounties, Ontario Online Poker and the Sale: Q&A with Partypoker’s Jaime Staples – Pokerfuse

Posted: at 4:07 am

At times I have had as many as 15,000 watching me play poker live, and millions of people on video platforms. Its been quite a journey It has been nearly five years since Jaime Staples joined partypoker. While other ambassadors have come and gone, Jaime and his brother Matt remain the sole ambassadors representing partypoker today.

Originally from Alberta, Canada, Jaime has not only become one of pokers most beloved Twitch streamers but also a prominent voice in the online poker community. His passion for the game and his dedication to fostering community connections have earned him a huge following.

Jaime took time out of his schedule to answer some of our questions about his role at partypoker and share his thoughts on the rooms future. We also delved into topics such as the potential legalization of online poker in his native Alberta, his perspectives on Ontarios segregated player pool model, and addressed speculations surrounding partypokers potential sale.

Its a pleasure, Anuj. I started playing poker in 2010. In October of 2014, I saw a post on this 2+2 forums about streaming on Twitch which is the largest video game streaming website on the web. I had heard my brothers talk about Twitch before so I figured I would try out showcasing my poker there. It ended up becoming something much bigger than I imagined. In the 9 and half years since that day, I have worked with two of the largest poker companies in the world in PokerStars and now partypoker to try and tell the online poker story. At times I have had as many as 15 thousand people watching me play poker live, and millions of people on video platforms. So its been quite a journey that I count myself lucky to experience.

The majority of our job is about showcasing poker to the masses. What it is, how its played. We talk about some of the things people might not know about the game. etcetera. I think we are a guiding hand into understanding the poker world. We do that primarily through playing partypoker tournaments, cash games and Spins Overdrive while sharing our personal journeys along the way. Our secondary duties involve being a voice for players within the company, and a voice for the company to communicate out to players as well. We get to provide feedback on plans and do general consulting on things going on from within. We also produce explainer videos on promotions or tournament series, and provide the social media department with content in which to showcase partypoker on their pages.

Before I joined partypoker, there was very little social or internet media footprint. The focus was primarily on live poker and sponsoring existing large production type stuff. I like those types of productions as well but sometimes I feel as if online poker should do a better job of standing on its own. We arent primarily live poker companies. We are online poker companies. And there are some distinct advantages to a digital game that make it different to live. A good example is progressive knockout tournaments. A very difficult game to run live, that works perfectly online. There are all sorts of interesting formats waiting to be explored that only work digitally. Which gets more views CSGO esports or airsoft gun championships? The digital format is better in this example, and there is no reason why that cant be true of poker too.

I think Canadian regulators should look to the UK and the system they have developed for poker when moving forward with province-by-province legislation. So we have been able to start telling the online story of partypoker. Featuring our daily legend poker tournaments, streaming the story on Twitch. We had a great event called The Big Deal where we got around 50 streamers to come together and all stream 1 poker tournament at the same time. That was pretty cool.

I dont live in Alberta right now but I hope for the best for my home province. At its core, I think its important for poker players to be able to compete with people from around the world. This is the only game in a casino where that actually matters. Because poker is a competition, even when you play for fun, with an expectation of losing. Imagine not being able to play chess against someone outside of your home province. It would stunt the players from using those platforms and push them underground to non regulated options generating no tax revenue, and with no oversight. Im not sure regulators know that about poker specifically, or care. And for the parent companies lobbying to make this regulated market happen, poker revenue is an afterthought in comparison to their total portfolios. So Its a bit of a grim picture when it comes to our chances at shared liquidity which is so important.

I think Canadian regulators should look to the UK and the system they have developed for poker when moving forward with province by province legislation. They strike a great balance between consumer protection, tax revenue, protecting UK business interests while still allowing market forces to ensure the best product for consumers. They let the best operators do what they do, and everyone is happy. The Ontario model is not working for the game. For me, the answer is clear. Regulate poker, tax operators an amount (similar to the UK) where it is not prohibitive to run poker, have strict regulations on consumer protection, game integrity, and anti money laundering standards with periodic reviews, and license existing operators that want to play fair. Its a win for everyone. Adopting this model also respects First Nations, Metis, and Inuit autonomy within Canada which is important.

We have ceased to operate in many countries that do not have a clear road to regulation. Most of our competitors have a different approach. I am totally indifferent to ring fenced casino because it makes no difference to anyone. Just poker needs different treatment because its PvP.

Mystery Bounties are fun arent they! I have been in some discussions about that. I dont have anything to share beyond that but it definitely has been on our radar for quite some time.

We have a lot of fun tournament stuff happening right now. We have The Big Quarter which is a four times a year tournament with a $200K Gtd. Every Sunday there is an $11 flight and they all combine to make one big finale which is cool. We also have a micro series running starting Sunday March 24th featuring buyins from 0$ to a $22 main event. And last, my favorite, Millions Online is coming May 9th-June 4th. There will be $5 Million Gtd across the series and a $500K Main event. So that is my main focus coming up.

Partypoker was the first to pull out of the US after UIGEA, it is the first to pull out of grey markets as well. We do things by the book I dont have anything to share when it comes to live events. It has typically operated fairly separately from the online side of things so its not a part of the company I work with.

The goals of our parent company Entain shifted, and as such so have we. Entain wants to operate in regulated markets. As such we have ceased to operate in many countries that do not have a clear road to regulation. Most of our competitors have a different approach. When I joined partypoker 6 years ago, the focus was very much to compete to become the biggest. The goal now is to be the very best at what we do. Our strength is our name. Partypoker was the first to pull out of the US after UIGEA, it is the first to pull out of grey markets as well. We do things by the book which means we have a safe trusted fair place to play cards. Thats our strength. The people that play with us care about that.

Currently, my understanding, and that of the people I work closely with at partypoker, is that this is all speculation. Although it casts some uncertainty in terms of the long term direction, if anything like that happens I have no doubt whoever ends up guiding the ship in the future will find success.

In a macro sense, I think we will continue to see fragmentation of markets into ring fenced liquidity. And we will continue to see poker players take their action into unregulated environments and underground. From the micro view, we will continue to see passionate poker people at poker companies, innovate, and change the game for the better. I expect lots of security innovation as it is less and less optional to invest significant resources in that area. I have 100% faith in our approach at partypoker in that area as I also do with my former partner PokerStars. Poker will live on forever, but getting new players in seems a stretch in the current legal environment.

I want to do meaningful work in poker and make a difference in poker. Thats my north star at the moment. Meaningful work. So whenever those opportunities arise, I will jump at them. My next project with partypoker is to interview our head of Game Integrity about our approach with security. Another site reached out about doing something like that with them too so I may pursue it as a series where I could survey the whole industry. More stuff like this is what Im excited about.

And of course continuing to stream every week on Twitch, Youtube and Facebook.

Thanks for asking me the questions Anuj. I enjoyed the opportunity to talk about online poker.

Please play responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800 GAMBLER.

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Mystery Bounties, Ontario Online Poker and the Sale: Q&A with Partypoker's Jaime Staples - Pokerfuse

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News: Second half of 2024 WPT schedule is out – pokerstrategy.com

Posted: at 4:07 am

Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States all make up the stops where the World Poker Tours in the last six months of the year.

As is often the case, the World Poker Tour schedule has been released in two stages. We brought you the first half of the year schedule at the end of last year and now we have the second half.

We had already brought you news about WPT Macau last month and that will soon be followed up by another Asian stop in Taiwan.

France, the United Kingdom and Liechtenstein make up the European stops on the tour and Australia is also represented. Finally, we have two back-to-back stops in the United States.

We expect you will be able to qualify for all these events via our partner WPT Global.

The first half of Season XXII has been outstanding, said WPT CEO Adam Pliska. Looking ahead to the second half of the season, we think there is plenty for poker players to get excited about as we will host festivals on four different continents with sensational global casino partners.

Will you be trying to qualify? Let us know in the comments:

Barry Carter is the editor of PokerStrategy.com and the co-author of The Mental Game of Poker 1 & 2, Poker Satellite Strategy, PKO Poker Strategy & the new book Endgame Poker Strategy

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News: Second half of 2024 WPT schedule is out - pokerstrategy.com

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Over $1500 Added Value in our PokerNews Home Games on PokerStars in April – PokerNews.com

Posted: at 4:07 am

We at PokerNews are excited to announce that our Home Games Leaderboard is continuing in April and readers can continue to pit themselves against one another in our private PokerNews Home Games group on the PokerStars platform.

PokerNews Home Games has already awarded over $8,000 worth of tickets and with games running daily, there is always time to jump and grab some of that juicy value.

Members can compete on the virtual felt on both mobile and desktop, and PokerNews will add incredible value to the heap of online poker tournaments running throughout the year. Don't worry if you are a new player as everyone is welcome, we have a variety of buy-ins and games that will be running so you too can enjoy battling for bragging rights and big blinds.

These exclusive value-added tournaments are set to start on April 1st at 8:00 pm BST, and run daily. The best way to keep up-to-date with the schedule of games will be in our new and improved Discord channel which you can join below.

Click Here to Join the PokerNews Discord Server

Throughout April, PokerNews will be running daily Added Value MTTs in which the winner shall receive a tournament ticket, of $11, for winning the MTT and this is on top of the prizepool itself. Buyins are an affordable $1.10 and there are also Leaderboard prizes for the top 10 finishers at the end of the month. Any MTT in which registration closes with over 30 players, PokerNews will double the 1st place ticket, so the incentive is there to get all of your poker playing buddies involved and get even more value.

On top of the added value tickets on offer in each of the Home Games MTTs during April, PokerNews is also running a Home Games Leaderboard in which the top ten performing players will win additional tickets.

Any player that joins at least one of the NLHE MTTs during April will qualify. All competing players will earn points based on their finishing position in each event, with the top ten points winning additional PokerStars tickets for their efforts.

After the games are played and the dust has settled, the top five players in the standings will not only have earned huge kudos and bragging rights over the competition but will walk away with the following additional value prizes.

So if you want to grab some extra value for a tiny investment then head over and register for our exclusive PokerNews Home Games on PokerStars and be sure to join the PokerNews Discord to follow the leaderboard standings and get the latest news of all promotions that are running.

Join your fellow PokerNews readers in our Discord server, where you'll find exclusive offers, special freerolls, and all the latest poker-related news and tournament live updates.

It couldn't be simpler to join the Club, all you need to do is go to the Home Games tab in your PokerStars client and click "Join a Club".

If you havent got a PokerStars account already, you need one, so download the software now, set up a new account, and claim a welcome bonus worth up to $600.

Link:

Over $1500 Added Value in our PokerNews Home Games on PokerStars in April - PokerNews.com

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