One of the big names in poker who will be representing the PPA on Capitol Hill will be Chris Moneymaker. Considering his road to fame, Moneymaker should be a poster boy for the PPA as well as one of their biggest supporters.
Without online poker, he wouldn't have found his way to the 2003 WSOP via a $39 satellite on PokerStars . That parlay earned him the coveted bracelet and a 2.5 million dollar addition to his bankroll. If not for playing poker online, Moneymaker would still be an accountant in Tennessee instead of a poker celebrity recognized around the world.
The huge boom in online poker came after Moneymaker's Cinderella Story at the WSOP was televised. Aspiring players everywhere had a new hero, and a renewed hope that they too could see their own WSOP Fairy Tale come true. Hundreds of players flocked to PokerStars and other online poker sites to find out how they could turn their poker dreams into reality. What they found was something they couldn't get in a B&M poker room, hundreds of games, all limits imaginable and always a seat to jump into.
Then came that black day when we heard the UIGEA was signed into law.
We heard the news, read about it, blogged about it and tried to make sense of it all. Amateurs and pros alike were confused, dismayed and angry. We felt cheated. The powers that be didn't even have the guts to put it up front, because they knew it wouldn't fly. Like a thief in the night, they snuck it in with a bill it had no relation to, one they knew would pass.
None of us believe the government has the right to protect us from ourselves. We value our freedom of choice and the pursuit of happiness. If playing poker online makes us happy and we aren't hurting anyone, it should be our freedom of choice, not our governments.
America was built by brave souls who fought for their freedoms and gave their lives to defend them. We as poker players can stand up and fight for our right to be free to play poker, anytime, anywhere we choose. You don't have to be a Moneymaker to get involved; the PPA needs all of our support to fight the UIGEA.
Join the PPA now and just maybe, if we work together, we can once again feel like we live in "The Land of The Free." Exercise your right to freedom of choice, contact your state representatives today and tell them how you feel. Contact information is on the PPA website. Do it now!