Two friends and co-workers from Indiana, who now describe themselves as retired welders, are splitting the $221.7 million dollar Powerball jackpot. The two buddies who have the appearance and demeanor of Abbot & Costello or Laurel & Hardy have been pooling $4 each Wednesday, playing the Hoosier Lotto for the past seven years that they’ve been working together at Munich Welding Inc.

On April 6, It was Darin Fox’s turn. The 32 year old unmarried welder (the skinny guy in the photo), who lives with his mama and enjoys hunting and super sized trucks was attracted by the 200 million dollar Powerball sign.

So this week on a lark, he decided to spend $2 on the regular Hoosier game and invest the other $2 for a Powerball ticket. Hel let the machine chose the numbers. “The sign with the amount was what made the decision for me to split it up,” Fox said Thursday.

When the next morning he saw the numbers hit he called in sick from work and has been on a vacation ever since. He called his buddy Todd Reardon, 38 and married with an 11 year old son who enjoys big trucks, hunting and cooks a mean BBQ, (the big guy in photo) who at first wouldn’t believe his friend.

“I said boy, boy you lying like a gutter snake in the chicken coop. You been smoking the devil lettuce again or hitting the hooch like that time you climbed on top of papy’s pig barn naked as a jaybird hollering that you is George Washington? Put your mama on the phone so she can slap some sense into your thick head,” said the ever joking newest multi-millionaire Mr. Todd Reardon.

The men took the lump sum payment and aftet feed and taxes, each received a cool $40,000,000 check. The men will owe additional taxes but have already hired lawyers, investment advisors and money managers to make sure they will never have to weld stainless steel toilets again.

Both winners only play single hand Jackpot Deuces video poker and enjoy playing online poker as well.The men said they plan to buy bigger trucks, homes for their families, and lots of hunting land.

An idea first proposed last year in California will take the next step toward realization on Tuesday, when State Senator Rod Wright issues his bill proposing the creation of an intranet poker network. Naturally this proposal has provoked much discussion in local media. The proposal seeks to limit the number of online casinos offering legal gambling in California and to collect a minimum of 20% of revenue from these websites to fill the state budget deficit. Some estimates say that Californians spent $300 million on poker websites alone in 2009.

The (Sacramento) Press-Enterprise: Online poker bill to emerge

A bill from state senator Rod Wright is expected within a few days that would provide players in California the opportunity to legally choose between multiple online poker websites, in hopes of generating billions of dollars in tax revenue for the treasury.

Competing with Wright’s proposal is a plan put forth by the Morongo Ban of Mission Indians, a group that would create a “tribal intrastate Internet poker consortium” to act as a monopoly over a California-wide poker network, but Wright seeks to introduce a system of natural competition with his bill.

Expected to be put out on Tuesday, Wright’s bill seems to be based on the standard European model. Wright proposes that the California Department of Justice award five-year contracts to between one and three online poker websites based within the state. A minimum of 20% of revenue generated would be paid to the state in taxes.

Wright estimates that after passage of the bill, it might take another three years to have such an online poker system running. Californians spent an estimated $300 million on Internet poker last year. The state of California will have a $19.1 billion deficit as of June 2011.

NBC Bay Area: Can Online Gambling Save California?

The taxation of online gambling may be a way to solve part of the state’s budget problems – even more so than marijuana legalization. Supporters of decriminalisation of Internet gambling have claimed that regulating and taxing Internet gaming could earn up to $42 billion in federal taxes.

In California, some politicians who are pro-online gambling push such taxation as potentially bringing money and jobs to the state. This includes firms in Silicon Valley such as CyberArts, which produces Internet casino architectural software known as Foundation.

Though online gambling remains controversial even in California, the time to make it legal may have come. One consult was quoted as saying “it’s generally easier to pass something like (online gambling regulations) in a recession.”

Tech Jackal: California close to being the first state to legalize online poker

California may be on the way to becoming the first U.S. state to legalize online poker, because of state senator Rod Wright’s proposed new bill. Wright heads up the California Senate committee which overseeing gambling among other areas.

The addition of further taxes and revenues created from state-based gambling websites would go to directly addressing the state budget deficit, though Wright emphasized he sought to avoid a single-company monopoly.

Wright said that online gambling taxation “is an asset that is underperforming and it belongs to the state. It should be nondiscriminatory in terms of the people who participate. It’ll go to the people who want it and show up and bid.”

In order to take advantage of any opportunity to establish online poker or casino gaming for California citizens, website operators will have to meet certain specified legal, technical and financial conditions.

The state lottery groups of several Canadian provinces are joining forces to build what will eventually be a nation-wide mobile gambling platform offering casino-style games as well as internet poker. The system will use geo-location technology to make sure players are within the proper jurisdiction before they will be allowed to play.

Winnipeg Free Press: Provinces get in the game

Canadians spend an estimated $1 billion a year gambling on the internet and most of this money goes to offshore gambling sites. Recently, the provinces have been moving in to grab their share of this money.

Later this year, six Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Quebec and the four Atlantic provinces) intend to share a common online gambling platform that will offer online poker and internet casino games.

The Atlantic Lottery Corp. and the British Columbia Lottery Corp. have both been offering online gambling for several years, but so far, their internet gambling offerings only make up about 1% of their revenues. They expect this number to climb once they begin to offer the types of online casino games that players can currently only access through offshore gambling sites.

“We estimate that by the end of 2012/13, e-gaming revenue will be about 3.5 per cent of BCLC’s overall revenue,” a corporation spokeswoman said.

The Montreal Gazette: Gambling on the go

Loto-Québec, B.C. Lottery Corp. and Atlantic Lottery Corp. have announced a plan to launch a common online gambling platform this fall.

Bob Rybak, a consultant working with Atlantic Lottery, says the system will likely expand through the rest of Canada 18 months, as Western Lottery Corp. and Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. join in.

Canadian gamblers spent around $800 million gambling online in 2009, and according to Rybak,”the vast majority of that money going offshore.”

Provinces want to funnel some of that money back into Canada, so lottery corporations have figured out a way to provide “a legal and credible” option to Canadian gamblers. The new platform will include casino-style gambling as well as an online poker network.

Rybak envisions players using mobile phones, laptops and lottery kiosk terminals to plug into a library of online casino games. It is a vision of “gambling-on-the-go”. Wireless devices like the Apple iPad will even be added to the mix, says Rybak.

The system will use geo-location technology to make sure that only within approved jurisdictions can access the site. Other software will help determine the gambler’s identity for age verification purposes.

Times Colonist: Nationwide platform to link gamblers on the go

B.C. Lottery Corp. is working to build a nationwide Canadian internet gambling platform that will give players access to online casino games and poker games through mobile devices such as cellphones and netbooks.

The platform will go live this fall, and will be launched in cooperation with Loto-Québec and Atlantic Lottery. Bob Rybak, a gambling consultant with Atlantic Lottery, expects the rest of Canada’s provinces to join eventually.

Rybak stresses that public acceptance of a nationwide online gambling system will depend on the system’s ability to ensure underage players cannot access the games.

Like their offshore competitors, Canada’s online gambling groups will use geo-location software to make sure gamblers are within the proper jurisdictions before they will be allowed to sign up and play.

Poker master Doyle Brunson, sometimes known as “Texas Dolly”, is one of the most fearsome players the game has ever seen. Brunson has played poker professionally for more than 50 years, and he is very, very good at what he does. He’s netted over $5.8 million in tournament wins during his career, and is the proud owner of 10 WSOP bracelets. These are things that every poker fan knows – but who is the man behind the cards?

Brunson is a Texas native, born in Longsworth on August 10, 1933. He was a runner, a basketball star, and an all-around excellent athlete. In fact, he was nearly drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers until a knee injury put him in a cast for two years, ended his basketball career.

His interest in poker started early on. He began with five card stud, and he the game was easy – Brunson is a born natural, some say. Before long, he was traveling around Texas, then eventually the neighboring states of Oklahoma and Louisiana, playing poker in illegal, underground games. He saved up his wins, and headed to Vegas – where he lost everything.

This didn’t stop him though. Brunson caught the gambling bug, and decided to settle down in Vegas. He played more and more, and was a regular participant in the WSOP, which saw its first game in 1970. By the late 70s, he had made a name for himself in the poker world, netting win after win and accumulating quite a lot of wealth.

Brunson got the nickname “Texas Dolly” when Jimmy Snyder’s tongue slipped one day. Snyder was supposed to introduce Brunson as “Texas Doyle” but somehow it came out “Dolly” instead. The crowed loved it, and the name stuck. Even today when Brunson plays online poker he uses the alias ‘texdolly’.

Brunson is still a poker master. He has published numerous books about his career and about poker strategy, and spends much of his time promoting the famous Doyle’s Room online poker site at events all around the world.

Here are a few interesting facts about the Texas Dolly that not all poker fans know:

• A “Doyle Brunson” is a 10-2 starting hand in Texas Hold Em. It’s called this because Bruson won the WSOP with this hand – twice!
• Brunson has played so much poker, he has seen three men die at the table. One was shot point-blank in the head, and the other two died of heart attacks, one from the shock of losing a huge pot to the Texas Dolly.
• In the early 60s, Brunson was diagnosed with “incurable” cancer after a tumor was found on his neck. Doctors call his recovery a miracle.
• Brunson’s son Tom won a bracelet in Omaha Hi-Lo at the 2005 WSOP, making the Brunsons the first father-son World Series winners.

“I’m a gambler,” says Brunson. “I’ll always be one. I couldn’t be anything else. So, my life will always be full of wins and losses. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s exciting. There’s never been a dull moment in my life.”

1. Tobey Maguire

The famous actor most known for his rolls in the Spider-man movies has participated in several poker tournaments and won over $10 million in Hollywood home games.

2. Jenifer Tilly

The Oscar nominated actress had won a WSOP bracelet and a victory in WPT Ladies Night III.

3. Ben Affleck

The world famous actor and celebrity had won the California State Poker Championship, grabbing $360,000 in prize money.

4. Shannon Elizabeth

The Hollywood actress best known for her roll in American Pie has been developing her career as a pro poker player, competing in poker tournaments and playing against the best poker players in the world.

5. Michael Greco

The British actor most known for his roll in the TV soap opera East Enders, has made over $500,000 playing poker.

6. Laura Prepon

The Hollywood actress most known for her roll in “That 70’s show”  is the host of “Hollywood Hold’em” on the E! Network and a frequent player at the Bicycle casino in LA.

7. Michael Phelps

The Olympic champion Swimmer Michel Phelps is playing a lot of online poker. One of his dreams is to win the World Series of Poker.

8. James Woods

The famous actor is on the official team of online poker room Hollywood Poker.

9. Boris Becker

The famous tennis player is often seen playing in the EPT (European Poker Tour) and is serving as an ambassador for online poker room PokerStars.com

10. Jason Alexander

The Seinfeld star is a dedicated poker player. He participates in poker tournaments on a regular basis.

Playing poker online for real money has become extremely popular in recent years. As more and more people get high-speed internet access in their homes, and learn how easy it is to get online and join an poker site, the popularity of internet poker just continues to grow. These days, anyone can log in and join a tournament or sit in on a quick cash game, and play against real people from all corners of the globe. Some players have had such success that they quit their day jobs and live exclusively off of their online poker winnings!

But therein lies the problem – for anyone who is not quite ready to pull up anchor and give up their working lives, it can be hard putting aside enough time to get started in the world of online poker. Playing at work is obviously not an option, so that leaves playing at home, where the whole family is competing for time online, and where other responsibilities inevitably end up coming first.

The solution is simple: play in between. Pick up an iPhone or a  netbook computer, They are basically mini laptops that are designed for ultimate portability. They are small, light, and have great battery life. But are they well suited to playing online poker?

There is a misconception about mobile phones and netbook computers that says they are not powerful enough for things like games and videos, but this simply is not true. While netbooks do have less computing power than the average desktop computer, they are still miles ahead of what was standard just a few years ago, and they have more than enough power to handle internet poker software.

More importantly, many online poker sites don’t even require players to download or install anything extra in order to play. Their software is designed to run across the internet, right inside the player’s favorite web browser. This is perfect, since iPhones and netbook computers are basically designed to run online programs in this way.

To play real money internet poker on an iPhone or netbook computer, players only need to find an open Wi-Fi connection, get online, and then can log in from wherever they happen to be. Whether it’s lunch at the café on the corner, a three hour airport layover, or a study break between lectures, if you have your iPhone or netbook along, you can spend all your free time winning money by playing poker online, anytime and anywhere.

The case between Clonie Gowen and Full Tilt Poker has been officially dismissed. Gowen, a pro poker player, said she was promised 1% of Full Tilt shares a while back. 1% of Full Tilt is estimated at about $40 million! Since there was no contract between the two parties the case was inevitably dismissed. We can still enjoy Clonie’s performance in this video though.

The durrrr Challenge on Full Tilt Poker
Challenger: Tome “durrrr” Dwan
Players: Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, David Benyamine
Pot: $2 Million (durrrr’s $1.5 million to given players $500,000)

Danish poker star Gustav (Gus) Hansen has had three major love affairs during his life. Their names are Tennis, Backgammon, and Poker. Some of these temptresses have treated him better than others, but to this day, each one holds a special place in his heart.

As a youngster, Hansen was an avid sports fan, and he had a knack for playing tennis. He made a very successful junior athlete, and competed in several major events. Hansen’s relationship with tennis faded away after his teenage years, but this old flame never quite died. Unfortunately, their last meeting did not go so well: in July of 2009, Hansen lost a €1.4 million wager he put on Rafael Nadal to win the French Open 2009.

As the years passed, Hansen’s love for tennis was replaced by a fascination with the classic board game backgammon. In 2000, he followed his love to New York City, where he hoped to make a living as a professional backgammon player. While his devotion to the game was never shaken, he eventually moved on, looking for bigger and better things. Backgammon, he said, was too small for his tastes.

This brings us to the biggest love of Gus Hansen’s life: that irresistible lady called Poker. He met her in the Ocean View Card Room in Santa Cruz, California in the early 90s, while attending college at the local university. It was love at first sight.

Since then, Hansen’s relationship with poker has blossomed, and he has gone on to win three World Poker Tour open titles, the 2007 Aussie Millions main event, season one of the Poker Superstars Invitational Tournament, the WPT Bad Boys of Poker invitational, and many other prestigious titles.

Today, Hansen calls himself a “sensible gambler”, a title that fits very well. His aggressive playing style and his propensity to throw down pre-flop raises are responsible for a pile of tournament winnings that exceeds $7,500,000. He has even made money while standing on the other side of the table, by founding then selling off a website called pokerchamps.com (Betfair bought it in 2005 for €13 million). Hansen admits to losing nearly as often as he wins, but for him, the game is more important than the end result.

In recent years, Hansen has been spending more and more with a sly gal named Golf, who he sometimes meets on the weekends while Poker is away. He has also been seen with both Squash and Soccer on more than one occasion. But these are just flings, and Poker doesn’t seem to mind – she knows that she’s still his one true love.