Poker Deemed Not 'Gambling' in Colorado Criminal Case

January 27, 2009

A Colorado criminal trail has resulted in a not guilty verdict for the defendant and strengthened the arguments of
those who view poker as a game of skill. The case of Colorado v. Kevin Raley went to court after authorities
raided a game at Rafferty's Bar in Greeley,Colorado, where about 30 patrons were playing as part of a social group
advertised on the Internet and elsewhere. Charges of "professional gambling" were brought against Raley and four
other persons cited as either table dealers or organizers/operators of the game.

The case received significant assistance from Poker Players Alliance officials who submitted evidence that poker was
a game of skill, and therefore should not be treated as "gambling" under Colorado state law. The Colorado law
specifically exempts "bona fide contests of skill." Defense lawyer Todd Taylor presented testimony and evidence by U.
of Denver statistics professor Robert Hannum asserting poker's high skill element, contributing significantly to the
jury's verdict of not guilty. The PPA, led by its Colorado state director, Gary Reed, helped provide the statistical
evidence for the defense.

According to the initial report, the raid followed the usual pattern of undercover officers inserting themselves into
the game, which was run at the west Greeley bar twice weekly. The game, though, was organized by the semi-private poker
club and not run directly by the bar. While the game could have been construed as meeting Colorado's allowance for
social gambling, Colorado revenue officials asserted that the game's presence in a place serving alcohol broke a state
ban against games of chance in such locations. When the case went to trial, that assertion was disregarded by the jury.

Raley, a PPA member, went on to thank the organization for its assistance in this case. In addition to inserting
statistical proof of poker's skill element into the legal public record, the decision also likely clears the way for
bar-league poker events in Colorado.

2009 World Series of Poker Schedule Announced January 26, 2009 Harrah's has announced the official schedule for the 2009 World Series of Poker, the 40th annual gathering for the world's largest poker extravaganza. The 2009 WSOP will again be held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, running May 26 – July 15, 2009. Contrary to rumors of a possible trimming of the series, the WSOP will insteadoffer its largest-ever schedule of events. 57 different bracelet tournaments (two more than in 2008), will make up the bulk of the schedule, to be joined by a handful of special events and a continuous menu of satellite tourneys and cash games. The complete 2009 schedule as announced will again include the much-discussed delay for the Main Event final table, with 2009's eventual "November Nine" slated to return to the Rio on November 7th for the prestigious title. Denmark's Peter Eastgate survived the 117-day delay in 2008 to win the WSOP's top honor, the first time that such a pause had been introduced. ESPN will return to provide special prime-time coverage of the final table. This year's WSOP schedule introduces a handful of new ideas, along with the return of many of the most popular events and traditional World Series of Poker offerings. Among the new wrinkles is a $1,000 no-limit hold'em "Stimulus Special" to be held on the WSOP's opening weekend, May 30-31. WSOP officials project this tourney to be the largest-ever event outside the Main Event itself, shattering the mark established in 2008. The event's prize purse is expected to approach $5 million. The stimulus special will be joined by a second distinctive offering later in the series, a $40,000 buy-in NLHE event designed to commemorate the WSOP's 40th edition. That event begins on May 28th, assuring that the WSOP jumps from the starting blocks in the last days of May. Several other mainstays return to the 2009 WSOP roster of events. Among them are the following: • The $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship – the third appearance of this high-profile event and its Chip Reese Memorial Trophy; • Ten different $10,000 "World Championship" events (including the no-limit hold'em Main Event) in different poker variants; • Seven of the popular $1,500 no-limit hold'em tourneys – these events are sprinkled throughout the series and traditionally draw large fields to the Rio Convention center; • The third annual "Ante Up for Africa" charity fundraiser, created to benefit the ongoing humanitarian crisis in war-torn Darfur. This $5,000-entry funder traditionally draws dozens of celebrities and top poker pros, and is scheduled for July 2, 2009; • The Ladies and Seniors Events – two WSOP traditions return to the 2009 roster, both with $1,000 buy-ins. The ladies tourney begins on June 7th and features a tie-in with the Nevada Cancer Institute, the WSOP's official community relations partner. The seniors event open to poker players aged 50 and over begins on June 22. WSOP Schedule