The second PIT Poker League Freeroll was full of action and has led to a new point leader in the PPL standings.  The poker freeroll tournament started with daveinbelize (AK) taking an early lead when he crippled Magarul13 (AJ).  Legendsburgerhouse took a chip lead on his table when he took out Greens67 for the second time in two tournaments.  Sorry about that Greens67…  PIT Spotlight Player of the Month deadserious, was soon to fall leaving the tournament up for grabs.  Last weeks champion, pokerinfotoday, was soon to join the many other players in the losers lounge.  The field soon narrowed its way down to the bubble with legendsburgerhouse, rowman, daveinbelize, and hurricane kieth.  After five bad beats in a row, any one of which could qualify for The PIT Suckout of the Week, hurricane keith was sent to the rail as the bubble boy.  Daveinbelize was soon to follow when his (AK) was unable to crack legendsburgerhouse’s (QQ).  Legendsburgerhouse and rowman made a deal for the remainder of the pot with legendsburgerhouse taking the larger amount because of his larger chip stack.

Be sure to play in the upcoming PIT Poker League freeroll this Saturday at 2 PM EST on Full Tilt.  All PIT Poker League members who have already qualified will be receiving their passwords via email, PM, or facebook on Friday!

Check out the new PPL point standings!!

If you are not a PIT Poker League member, sign up for FREE!!  JUST CLICK HERE and claim your share of the $4000 in cash given away weekly.  Still lots of time left to qualify for the upcoming Tournament of Champions!!

Some unexpected items of poker memorabilia can be found on eBay at the moment. The first listing is for a World Series of Poker $5,000 buy-in no-limit hold'em championship bracelet won by the legendary T.J. Cloutier in 2025.

The seller, Plano Pawn Shop, states it is a 100 percent authentic, 14 karat gold diamond encrusted bracelet, which was acquired directly from Cloutier himself. The starting price for this item is $2,999, and shipping is free to the U.S. The auction will end on Jan. 24.

The seller is also offering what it claims to be another Cloutier item — his 2025 Scotty Nguyen Poker Challenge IV Championship bracelet. This is currently going for $2,499, and closes on the same date.

The PIT will post an update after the sale closes, so check back soon…

 We at The PIT have decided to add a section called The PIT Suckout of the Week.  We will be putting what is in our opinion, the most painful, gut wrenching, tilt causing hand we can find.  Please send in your bad beat stories via the Message Board forum “Bad Beats“.  We will publish them here if they warrant being The PIT Suckout of the Week!!  

For the first ever Suckout of the Week, we have chosen a suckout that was not especially rare by itself.  We have decided to use this suckout because of the fact that it was against the famous Chris Allnatt of San Pedro, Belize.  Chris “claims” that he is the most unlucky player in Belize, however he was recently voted “Luckiest Player in Belize”.  I guess you, the PIT reader, will have to decide.  Here is how it went.

Chris was dealt (AQ) with a medium stack in Pedro’s Super Sunday Tournament with 5 people still in the game.  Chris went all-in, only to find a quick call by the chip leader, Robbie (AJ).

Chris, was a 71% favorite, but the whiff of a suckout was in the air for all to smell.  All Chris could do was hold his breath while the dealer dealt the flop!!

OH NO!  Right on the window came the Jack.  Chris, Belize’s Luckiest Player, has just gone from dominator to dominated as a 28% underdog.  Maybe he will hit the 10 for the straight and take down the whole pot and stay in the tourney on the turn….or maybe on the river then….

The inevitable has happened!!  Chris has gotten sucked out on and was sent to the rail in the Super Sunday Tournament.  So sorry, Chris….Better luck next tournament on Wednesday at Pedros!!

Maybe you took a shot and lost. Maybe you went on a tournament binge. Or maybe your no-limit hold'em cash game isn't where it used to be. There's no shame in moving down, so don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Look at Tom Dwan. The $50/100 PLO games "durrrr" is grinding today are one-tenth the size of what he was playing two months ago. His bankroll, however, is well on its way back up to where it used to be. If you're down and out and looking to get back in business, six-max $10 buy-in no-limit hold'em might be one of the fastest ways to get there.

Where can I play?

Virtually every major online poker site spreads $10 buy-in no-limit hold'em with $0.05/0.10 blinds. PokerStars and Full Tilt have the highest traffic and, therefore, the most to offer in terms of the number of open seats at any given time, as well as choice when it comes to table selection.

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How much do I need?

Ten dollar six-max NLHE is the perfect limit to try if you're down to the last $100 to $200 in your online poker account. That's equal to between 10 and 20 buy-ins; 10 being at the low end of what you should have to start playing and 20 being a much safer amount to keep you from going entirely busto.

Should I multi-table?

Absolutely. For our purposes here, we're assuming you have at least some experience at no-limit hold'em. Total novices should, of course, start with only one table. To keep from growing stunningly bored, however, you should consider playing at least 3 to 4 tables. With a decision always in front of you, it will be easier for you to concentrate on the game rather than other distractions like surfing the internet, instant messaging, or watching television. The more zoned in you are at the task at hand, the more you'll pick up on your opponents' tendencies.

How much can I earn?

When it comes to the serious grinders, the top 25 players by volume at the $10 level on Full Tilt Poker earned an average of 2.28 BB/100 according to pokertableratings. Each of those players logged at least 75,000 hands, some as many as 200,000. It's certainly possible to see a greater win rate in the short term, however. Nine of the 25 biggest net winners at $10 NLHE have played fewer than 50,000 hands at that limit and six of those nine played less than 25,000 hands.

Should I move up?

The standard line here is to say "move up when you feel ready and are adequately rolled to do so." However, the difference in an average player's skill level at $10 NLHE and that of a $25 NLHE player is pretty substantial. If you've won 25 buy-ins at $10 NLHE, start thinking about moving up. But before jumping in, spend some time reading strategy texts, watching videos, and discussing your play with a peer to make sure that you're ready. Also consider posting some of your hands on The PIT Message Board to get some tips from more experienced players.

Start playing now on one of The PIT’s recommended online poker sites!!

By: Nicole Gordon

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) spent nearly a decade trying to move anti-online gambling legislation through Congress.

He first took up his crusade in 2025, proposing the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act, which would have made it illegal for a company to offer online gambling to U.S. citizens. When his multiple attempts at prohibition failed, he got tricky and pushed for the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in an attempt to cut off funding for poker accounts.

It’s understandable that Kyl is angry. More than three years after he finally scored a legislative victory against the Internet gambling industry, the law is still not being enforced.

Kyl is showing his ire in a petty tantrum on Capitol Hill. Because it was the Treasury Department that decided to grant a six-month delay for UIGEA enforcement just days prior to last year’s March. 1 deadline, Kyl is striking back by blocking pending Treasury nominees from taking office.

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These nominees were appointed by President Obama to fill key posts involved in tax policy and international finance. The Senate would overwhelmingly approve their nominations only Kyl is preventing the vote from taking place. Kyl, the Senate Minority Whip, is the second-ranking Republican in a Senate controlled by the Democrats.

This is a power play by Kyl to show Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner that there will be consequences for his decisions on this issue.

It’s unlikely that Kyl will stand in the way much longer. It’s political suicide to go against the rest of the Senate to block Treasury nominees during these difficult economic times over Internet gambling, a minor issue on the national landscape. He’s already starting to take a small beating in the media.

“I don’t know if anyone would agree with holding up critical nominees in a time of economic crisis because of a gambling bill,” said John Pappas, executive director of thePoker Players Alliance. “Kyl is opening himself up to a lot of criticism.”

Assuming that Kyl backs down before this gets ugly, the real question is whether or not Geithner will consider this move when weighing whether or not to grant another delay as the June 1 deadline approaches.

“It certainly can weigh on the minds of the Treasury and Feds if we’re seeking another delay in six months,” Pappas said. “No agency likes to have nominees held up.”

We’ll see in June if this was a desperate ploy by Kyl or an ingenious maneuver.

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In other news …

The Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Actreceived two more co-sponsors to bring its total backers to 65. Rep. Charlie Melancon(D-LA) and Eliot Engel (D-NY) became the first congressmen to sign on to the bill in the new year. …

A decision from the Kentucky Supreme Court on the state’s attempt to seize 141 domain names related to Internet gambling could come Thursday.

Click here for more info on poker news and legislation

By: Mathew Kredell