Subject: Statement by Lou Krieger on WSOP Date: 23 Apr 2001 14:48:23 GMT From: loukrieger@aol.com (LouKrieger) Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com Newsgroups: rec.gambling.poker My friend and colleague nailed it when he wrote, "You may add my name -- Nolan Dalla -- to the growing list of names who will no longer do business with or at Binion's Horseshoe, until this matter is resolved in a way that reverses the hostilies that Horseshoe management has created." I concur with Nolan, and Binion's will not see Lou Krieger inside it's walls either, until the situation is resolved. But the more I think about this issue the more a number of points come clearly to mind. First, I believe there will be a greater display of feelings and opinions about this incident on RGP than there will be in Binion's. Many of the players at the WSOP are probably ignorant -- if not totally, than to a much greater degree than we are -- about the barrings. Those of us here -- those of us who read RGP regularly -- have seen this issue dissected again and again, whereas players at Binion's may have only read the article in the newspaper and never given it a second thought. For that reason I believe that the WSOP will not suffer much (if any) of a drop off in attendance this year. Moreover, there is a lot stronger politcal consciousness and moral compass among most RGPers than there is in the poker comunity at large. While I think the lack of a moral compass is sad, the fact remains that RGPers are quite different in many respects from the rest of the poker ocmmunity. While RGP may collectively represent the future of poker, we are numerically in the minority. Having said that, I do believe that in the long run Binion's will suffer greatly for their overreaction to two players expressing their personal views to a reporter. Even if only a few people (out of the hundreds of thousanof poker players out there) have spoken about this incident, many of them are opinion leaders in the poker community, and a few are even WSOP bracelet holders. I join these opinion leaders by stating that I shall not set foot in Binion's again until this situation is resolved in a manner that is fair to both Paul and Richard. Although I don't play tournaments, and had no plans to attend the WSOP this year, I have supported this event in the past, much as all of us had prior to this incident. "Poker For Dummies" contains a 14-page chapter devoted to the WSOP, and I contributed 4,000 word articles to both Card Player and to Midwest Gaming and Travel about the Series. In fact, I felt so strongly about the WSOP as the poker community's defining event, that the launch party for "Poker For Dummies" was held at Binion's the day preceding last year's $10,000 buy-in, N/L event. There's been a lot of cross-talk on RGP about what the proper position ought to be in response to Binion's actions. While unity is a nice idea, I believe that each individual has to draw his or her own line in the sand. Some of us will never set foot in Binion's again until the issue is resolved. Othes are still playing poker there and have no plans to modify their behavior in response to Binion's actions. All I can do is state my position and explain the actions I have taken. If this motivates others to take this same stand I welcome them. If they choose not to, that's their decision and theirs to live with. My personal politics hold that since Binion's is a private business, they have the right to forbid anyone from playing there, for whatever reasons suit them. But once they elect to trample on someone's first amendment rights, it's my turn at the plate -- and it's yours, too. What Binion's may not have realized is that the customer bats last, and we can withold our economic support from them as easily as they can institute a ban on Richard Tatalovich and Paul Phillips. If enough of us do that, they will get the message, and rather quickly too. After all, there's competition for the player's dollar and Binion's ought to be happy to have our business rather than screaming into the wind about receiving apologies from Paul and Richard before allowing them to play. While the World Series of Poker is a big thing to the poker community, it is, after all, still a poker game. And that's not nearly as precious to me as the Constitution; it's not even close. I guess I've said my piece here; I'm not going to say much more about it unless there are new developments. And neither will I stand on this plinth and tell others where they ought to be drawing a line in the sand, if they choose to draw one at all. That's a decision of conscience -- and an intensely personal act. If Binion's is able to resolve the situation with Paul Phillips and Richard Tatalovich they'll get my business again. If they can't -- or won't -- then I'm no longer a patron of the Shoe. Like any poker player, all I can do is put my money where my mouth is and let the chips fall where they may. I have drawn my line in the sand alongside many other opinion leaders in the poker community, and right now I'm feeling good about the company I keep. Lou Krieger