I know it has been along time between Thoughts. I actually wrote a long one last week, but the computer ate it (something abut an automatic restart when i wasn’t looking) and I lost it.

OK, to business. First, the book. Advanced Limit Hold’em Strategy is delayed again, but really should be available in this country sometime in mid-September. (It will probably be available in England/Europe a couple of weeks earlier for those of you who will be there) I appreciate the notes I have gotten asking where it is. I assure you I am am the most anxious person around to get the thing in m the hands of the readers.

BARGE was last week. This is the Big August Rec.Gambling Excursion, and it was held in Binion’s, where we had not been in some time. It was a great homecoming as that house really understand and supports us. The Venetian did a great job last year, but many BARGER’s look forward to the $29 room rate not available at the fine places like the V.

For the first time. I failed to cash in any of the tournaments (I entered the stud/8, blackjack, lowball, TOC-Style, Stud shootout and NLHE.) All of these are very inexpensive, but you get to play with some of the world’s top players, who have been coming to BARGE for many years. For example, Andy Block was at my table for the Stud Shootout (directly on my left - I finished third at my table), and Chris Ferguson was there for the NLHE (but did not fare well). Gavin Smith - WPT player of the year in 2004 - won the BARGE NLHE in 2003 (foreshadowing his amazing success in the real tournament world, played in all of the events, and was our guest speaker at the banquet.

Here are two of the tips from Gavin’s very entertaining talk:

1- Early in large buy-in events, Gavin devotes half of his chips to speculative gambling, hoping to hit something or steal something and build up a lead. If he fails to to this and loses the chips,. he slows down and tries to make a real hand…then go back to speculative playing.

2- Gavin does a lot of speculative calling…feeling, as I do, that calling, especially in position, is a very powerful tool in NLHE. Most players do not understand the incredible value of calling inthat form of the game, and thus fold or raise too often.

Gavin may look goofy and have a silly rep because of his well publicized prop bets, but he really understand poker and tournament theory (and, as many top tournament pros do, he rarely plays cash games). I really like the guy (but not on my left).

I did OK int BARGE side games, playing 4-8 holde’m, 4-8 HORSE, and 1-2 ($5 semi-mandatory straddle) Bing-laha. This exciting Omaha variant is played like pot limit Omaha, but after the flop betting, the player with the dealer button rolls a die - with penalties for weak rolls - and if it comes 1-2-3 we play the rest of the hand hi-lo, 4-5-6 we play the rest of the hand high only. A very exciting action game, especially if the stacks are deep (most players buy in for around $500-$1,000, but sometimes we get a game like last year when both Greg Raymer andGavin Smith bought in for much more,and the rest of us tried to follow suit as much as possible.

Next year I will give you all more notice,and you can sign up (on-line sign-ups only) at www.BARGE. org.

Upcoming events for me: Well, not so up coming, I did another Internet radio shopw, this time with hosts Lou Krieger and Amy Calistra. It is also on holdemradio.com, and you can probably find this on in the archive if you look soon.

A charity tournament benefiting the Jewish Community Center of Las Vegas, which needs a premanent home, will be held on Aug. 12 at the Palms. Sponsored by Eli Elezra, Erica Schoenberg, David Benyamine & Evelyn Ng, it is billed as a shootout. We’ll see when we get there. Anyone interesting playing ($450 donation for enty) write to me.

Finally, I will be in Florida again starting Aug. 18 for 10 days taking care of Mother business, and getting her condo ready for sale. She is doing great in her assisted living place I am delighted to say.

Congratulations to Jerry Yang, who won the main event at the WSOP. Jerry (whom I have never met) played most of the hands at the final table, and win almost every one he played. He won more than half the dealt at the final table, which started nine-handed. remarkable.

I was rooting for Lee Watkinson, who started in 7th chip position, and left in 8th place. Lee and I did a few seminars together a while back, and he is a wonderful person, a great player, and a caring person as well. His charity, with his fiancee Timmi deRosa, is helping maintain and build a shelter for abandoned chimps from movies and labs which are only used when they are very young (and therefore handle-able), and then killed or released into terrible environments. Lee and Timmi have been working on this for a long time, and his his 8th place money will help the cause. Lee lost in a blind vs blind confrontation, when Jerry Yang open-raised out of the small blind, Lee, who had a short stack, pushed with A-7, and Jerry called with A- 9. Congratulations, Lee, on a great run.

This message is from the PPA. If you are not a member, please consider joining by clicking here.

Dear PPA Members,

We have accomplished so much in so little time! Our membership has grown more than 500% since the first of the year, to over 600,000 members — thanks in no small part to you telling your fellow poker enthusiasts to join our cause. We are well on our way to our One Million Member target, and I again ask for your help by encouraging your family, friends and tablemates to join the PPA.

In Washington: Things are moving and moving fast. There are 4 bills pending in the House of Representatives that are helpful for on-line poker and our members. We are strongly supporting two of these bills: Congressman Barney Frank’s H.R. 2046, the “Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act” and Congressman Robert Wexler’s H.R. 2610, the “Skill Games Protection Act”.

Other bills include Congresswoman Shelley Berkley’s H.R. 2410, which calls for a study of Internet Gaming, and Congressman McDermott’s H.R. 2607, which amends H.R. 2610 with a revenue component.

In all, we have a lot of momentum, but we still need your help. I just returned from the World Series of Poker, where PPA hosted Congressman Wexler. We saw first-hand the growth and grandeur of the sport of poker, and we asked the WSOP players for their support. They responded in droves, proving that poker enthusiasts are dedicated activists.

As you know, we are a membership-driven organization and we need your support. We lobby on Capitol Hill and in state capitols to defend poker, but these efforts are not without cost.

We know you agree that poker is not a crime…but we need your help to prevent the coming of the day when the law says it is. Can you assist with an ante up of $5 or more and donate to the PPA, or can you upgrade your membership from an introductory membership to a full membership or even a supporting membership? If you are already a full member, can you consider donating an additional amount for the 2007 campaign?

Please also note we have a store where you can purchase merchandise from PPA hats and t-shirts, to PPA poker tables. Proceeds from these sales go directly to fund our campaign for poker and keep us going strong. Please spare what you can — think of it as putting in your Ante to say you’re Proud to Play Poker!

Regards,

Senator Al D’Amato
Chairman of the Board
Poker Players Alliance

With short notice, I appeared as a guest today, July 11, on Alan Schoonmaker’s Internet radio show, “The Psychology of Poker.” The show is broadcast live over holdemradio.com, and is available on their archive after the show. We spent most of the time discussing the concepts in my soon to be available book, Advanced Limit Hold’em Strategy.

On August 2, I will appear on the same website radio on Lou Krieger and Amy Calistri’s show. This will air live at 6 PM. Listeners are invited to write in questions on the live chat available on the site. I will try to post this again as time draws nearer.