While there is probably a great deal that can be written for this month’s Publisher’s Note,
probably more than any other Note, my decision is to keep this fairly short. The reason for
this is simply everything is already much better covered on our website than I would be able
to do here. But there are still a couple of points to make.

First, all of us need to realize that poker is an individual right. If two or more consenting
adults want to play poker somewhere on the Internet, it’s our position at Two Plus Two that
they should be able to do so without any interference from an outside source, including our
government.

As most of you (who live in the United States) know, presidential politics is beginning.
There should be many candidates on the Republican side, and the Democratic candidate is of
course already known. So, my recommendation when considering who to vote for is to think
about how each candidate stands on the subject of individual rights. As the great Milton
Friedman once said, we should be “Free to Choose.”

My second point is something that I said on our PokerCast, Episode 168. I believe that the
perception of Internet poker by many people who don’t know much about it, and this includes
many important people in our government, is that it’s a clash of Titans where huge sums of
money constantly change hands.

It should also be obvious why this perception persists. As stated on the show, it’s much
more interesting knowing who won or lost $1 million last night than who won or lost $1.50.
But the fact of the matter is that the large majority of games are for small stakes, and
not for huge amounts. Put another way, the vast majority of players are playing for recreation,
and the cost (assuming they lose) is closer to going to a movie than a house.

So, I believe a better job needs to be done in getting this information out. Once more people
understand this, the number of people who perceive poker as some sort of evil should be reduced.

Speaking of our PokerCast, I want to commend Mike and Adam for getting the information out.
As of this writing (April 28) we have had 291,707 downloads of PokerCast
Episode 168 – Black Friday Special; Aftermath of the Online Poker Indictments, an amazing number.

Finally, changing the subject, there will be a sale for some of our lesser selling books
in our Two Plus Two Poker Book Store. For those of you who like to read poker books, this
will be a great opportunity to pick up a few of our titles at a significantly reduced price.
There will be announcements on the website.

Thu, 07/21/2011 – 22:46 – PokerPages Staff

5. Donnacha O’Dea – Career Earnings of $1,249,442
This talented Dubliner has racked up 33 cashes in a career spanning almost thirty years. Donnacha O’Dea’s career highlight will undoubtedly be his victory at the Poker Million in 2004, where he walked off with over half a million dollars.

4. Fintan Gavin – Career Earnings of $1,286,289
Fintan Gavin has won two tournaments, and cashed 12 times so far in his career. Gavin’s biggest prize to date has been a cool $1,123,884 for a second place in the PokerStars Barcelona Open in 2008.  

3. Padraig Parkinson – Career Earnings of $1,407,822
Padraig Parkinson, another Dubliner, has achieved one first place finish in his career so far. The player who lists his hobbies as “sports betting from the couch and drinking in the pub” achieved his highest cash finish in the WSOP Main Event in 1999, where his third place netted Parkinson almost half a million dollars.

2. Martin Smyth – Career Earnings of $3,635,006
Martin Smyth has taken a little over 10 years to become the second most successful Irish poker player of all time. Of his five career first places, three of them have carried six figure prize pots, and Smyth’s biggest win so far was the $1 million for winning the Ladbrokes Poker Million VII final in 2008. This came after a second placed finish in the same event the previous year.

1. Andy Black – Career Earnings of $4,102,861
Originally from Belfast, Andy Black now calls Dublin his home. Whilst studying at Trinity College, Dublin, Black became involved in the notorious poker school based at the university. Andy Black’s highest cash prize was the $1,750,000 he received for coming fifth in the WSOP main event in 2005.