Today’s spotlight is on the man, the myth, the legend: Allen Rash. Allen hates it when I call him by him by his government name, because the entire poker community affectionately knows him only as “AlCantHang.” Al grew up outside of Philadelphia, PA and is one of my favorite people even though he roots for Philly sports teams.

I’ve known Al for about as long as I can remember playing poker on the tour. He quit his job after over 20 years of grinding in the corporate world to become one best bloggers in the poker industry and he has the résumé to prove it. He has written for just about every major tour and poker media outlet around including Borgata and Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood (two venues that’ll be spotlighted in future blogs for their contributions and generosity to the CSOP). He’s an MVP in an indispensable industry that doesn’t get nearly enough credit for its place in the poker world.

Al became the CSOP’s first volunteer after I put out a tweet during CSOP’s infancy saying something along the lines of, “I need to create a program so that whenever I have important CSOP stuff to do and I get on social media, my computer will PUNCH ME IN THE FACE.” Al texted me and told me that he knew that I was joking, but that if I ever needed help that he was more than happy to be a part of it. I hear that from a lot of people, but Al has really proven it over the years and has been the main person responsible for maintaining the CSOP’s website among other things.

The bottom line is that this guy has a heart of gold and I’m proud to call him a friend and CSOP volunteer. We’re extremely lucky to have him on the team. Huge thank you to Al for everything he does for poker in general and especially for the Charity Series of Poker. There are a lot of people who rest easier at night because of the work you do for the organization and we couldn’t be more grateful.

I caught up with Al to ask him 5 questions about his philanthropic endeavors.

1) What was the first charity you got involved with?

Two decades ago I was running massive charity events at my local bar, degening for a good cause. I ran some for American Cancer Society then the last bunch for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Make a Wish after one of my friend’s had a nephew born with the disease.

2) What was the most impactful charity work you’ve done outside of your work with the Charity Series of Poker?

Those charity events back in the early 2000’s raised a lot of money. More recently, I’ve been involved with Habitat for Humanity and various charities still working to rebuild Haiti so many years after the devastating earthquake.

3) Why do you support the Charity Series of Poker?

I’ve been around poker a long time and there a lot of different sites did occasional charity events but CSOP puts a concerted, coordinated effort into running them correctly at a lot of great venues.

4) What is your favorite charity that CSOP raises money for and why?

Three Square food bank has been a benefactor since the beginning and they do a great job for the community. More recently would be Conine Clubhouse at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in South Florida. Anything helping sick children will always be at the top of my list.

5) What’s your favorite charity that is not yet running a CSOP event?

That would be a tie between Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Make-A-Wish Foundation, both of which I’ve raised money for both in the past. They do great work; one trying to heal a childhood disease and the other helping terminal children live out their dreams.

The post Charity Series of Poker Spotlight: Al Rash appeared first on StoutPoker.

Although there have been European Poker Awards since 2001 to recognize the accomplishments of both players and organizers in the poker industry, we had nothing similar in the US until recently despite the fact that the roots of the 2003 poker boom took place right here in the US. That changed last year when the Global Poker Index began hosting the American Poker Awards.

While I thought it was cool that poker was finally going to have an awards ceremony on this side of the pond after all these years, I honestly never expected to be nominated for an award unless I went on some insane heater, especially since there wasn’t a charity category in the European Poker Awards before then. So I was surprised, honored and excited when the Charity Series of Poker (CSOP) was nominated for one of the inaugural American Poker Awards last year in the Charitable Initiative of the Year category.

I was also, however, pretty disappointed when we didn’t win the award to be perfectly honest. I used that disappointment in the most productive way I could. In much the same way, I tried to use my 2nd and 3rd place finishes in major events as motivation to keep improving my game in preparation for the next opportunity.  I tried even harder in year two of operation than I did in year one, and the results followed.

The CSOP inaugural event at Planet Hollywood in Vegas raised nearly $15K for Three Square Food Bank which wasn’t bad, but was nothing compared to the $42K the event raised at the same price point in Season 2.  Our event at Seminole Hard Rock in Florida went from $15K to $34K raised for Habitat for Humanity of Broward County, and our most recent Borgata event was also on the uptick from $8K to over $13K raised for Habitat for Humanity of Atlantic County and the Community FoodBank of NJ.

More importantly, the events have really taken on a life of their own and become something that a lot of players look forward to as an opportunity to have a few drinks, let loose, and enjoy themselves in a home game atmosphere where they don’t have to play their “A” game because they only care that the charities end up as winners for that tournament.  I had a recreational player I’d never met tell me recently that he played a CSOP event and it was literally the most fun he’s ever had playing poker. That meant the world to me because it was my goal all along.

When the nominees for this year’s American Poker Awards were announced, I was happy that the CSOP had another shot at the award.  However, I’ll admit that I felt a little less confident that we’d win going in this year than I did last year. Maybe it was the loss last year, maybe I’m managing my expectations a little better than I used to, and maybe it was just that I was up against some stiff competition in the form of three worthy causes run and hosted by some great people and big names.

This year’s nominees for Charitable Initiative of the Year were:

• Chad Brown Memorial Tournament
• Charity Series of Poker
• Tiger’s Poker Night
• WSOP One Drop High Roller / Litte One for One Drop

When they opened the envelope and announced that the Charity Series of Poker was the winner I was a little stunned.  I’d managed my expectations a little too well, I suppose!  Fortunately, I’d dusted off the acceptance speech I’d prepared the previous year, added a little shpiel about how much better season two was than season one, and I actually think I did a pretty good job delivering it despite the open bar pre-party festivities!

I think all four deserved the award in their own way and I’m glad there’s so much competition in this category.  It’s great to see so many organizations using poker to raise funds and awareness for some great causes.  Not only do the charities need it, but poker as an industry needs it. Too many of the mainstream headlines about poker are about the dark side of the game being exposed and I hope all of the charity efforts in poker can do just a little bit to counter those headlines, especially as we try to get online poker legalized and regulated in as many US states as possible.

A little part of me has to admit that I would have been just fine watching the award go to the Chad Brown Memorial Tournament.  Chad was an amazing person who had an infectious smile and was relentlessly positive.  Even when you could see just how sick he was, you could simultaneously see the same zest for life he always had. He’ll be missed by many and I’m glad that an event was organized in his honor. (If I were on the panel I’d have voted for them and I hope they win it next year.)

Some people ask me why I say “we” when I talk about the Charity Series of Poker since I’ve become the face of the organization while personally pushing this thing along from idea to inception to reality.  I always say “we” because I never could have done it alone.  Even though I only started the Charity Series of Poker because I knew how much support we would get from the poker community, it’s still incredible to see so many people get behind this dream of mine in such a big way. I just want to thank everybody who has been involved with the CSOP, even in the smallest of ways, from the bottom of my heart. You’re all helping me complete some of my life’s work, and I’m eternally grateful for your assistance.

I’d especially like to thank my Board of Directors where I’m joined by Mike Frazin and Matt Savage. I’d like to thank our sponsors: Great Shot Golf, All-American Dave’s Fit Food Truck, ProCaliber Poker Tables and The Doc’s Place Restaurant in Somers Point, NJ. Most importantly, I’d like to thank Seminole Hard Rock, Planet Hollywood, and of course Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa for playing host to our events and going above and beyond to help make the events a memorable experience for all involved. Here’s to many more years of having great times for great causes. Salud!

The post The American Poker Awards | Matt Stout Poker Blog March 3, 2016 appeared first on StoutPoker.

“Who called the clock?”

Anyone who has played poker before has heard this question asked before, usually rhetorically.  It’s the first step in a series of disdainful comments made by a player who is offended that someone would call the clock on them.  It can lead to awkward confrontations, especially when the player who had the clock called on him just lost a big pot.

I’m here to tell you that the person who is out of line is probably the one who had the clock called on him, not the clock caller.  Although the ability to call the clock on another player, after which a player has one minute to act, has been a rule in poker for decades, it seems that in the “old days” of poker it was somewhat taboo to do so.  Well, it’s a new day, especially in tournaments where the blinds are constantly going up and there’s a lot more pressure to increase your stack than in a cash game.

Tanking has become an epidemic in poker tournaments and is very bad for the game.  Not only does it make the game more boring and less enjoyable when you have to sit through 2 to 4 minute decisions throughout 8 to 10 minute hands, but it also makes everybody at the table a little less likely to win the event.  Per-hand edges are small – the less hands you play per hour, the harder it is for you to accumulate chips and give yourself a chance to win the tournament.

Tournament directors and organizers have gone so far as to consider instituting a “shot clock” in poker tournaments and providing Tournament Directors the ability to call the clock rather than relying on players to do it.  I personally stood up at the Poker Tournament Directors’ Association’s (“TDA”) most recent summit while they discussed this idea and told them that while I appreciate their efforts, I think the onus is on us as players to speak up when someone’s tanking habits are out of line.  While I think a shot clock would combat the tanking epidemic effectively – and I initially liked the idea – I’ve realized that it would probably be bad for poker in the long run.

The first problem is that it will create difficulties in trying to get the average dealer to fairly clock every player for all actions while performing their other tasks.  The far more significant issue is that many recreational players are intimidated enough by the rules and etiquette of poker tournaments in casinos and implementing a shot clock would probably make the average person less likely to make the jump from his home game to taking a shot at the next $560 opening event at Borgata.

While I’ll obviously take the size of the bet, the size of the tournament, and the experience level of the player involved into account when considering when it’s appropriate to call the clock, I think 3 to 4 minutes is long enough to make the biggest decisions in most cases.  The average hand takes around two minutes, so when you tank for four minutes you’ve kept your table from playing two more hands that blind level … and that was only ONE decision in the hand!

The bottom line is that you should try to be reasonable in how long you take for your decisions and expect your table mates to do the same.  If they don’t, you should not be afraid to call the clock to speed things up.  Even if people make slightly worse decisions by tanking less, they are likely still going to benefit in the long run by playing more hands and maximizing their chance to accumulate and make the final table.

You should only give a person 2 to 3 minutes max before you call the clock the first time, and if the decision is a trivial one or the player is a habitual tanker, you should give them less and less time before you call the clock.  While the TDA rules which govern most poker tournaments specify that players should be given a “reasonable” amount of time for decisions, they also allow tournament directors to give less than one minute to act to habitual tankers.  Most tournament directors agree that the game needs to speed up, but the power is in OUR hands.  Use it!

The post Calling the Clock | Matt Stout Poker Blog February 19, 2016 appeared first on StoutPoker.

The CSOP would like to thank The Doc’s Place restaurant, ProCaliber Poker, and Great Shot Golf for their generous support along with the featured pros and celebrities who took the time to promote and attend the event.  We were joined by film critic and Good Day Chicago host Richard Roeper, WSOP bracelet winners Jeff Madsen and Vanessa Selbst, 3-time WPT champion Anthony Zinno, One Drop champion Tony Gregg, and 2015 Borgata WPT champion Asher Conniff. We’d also like to thank all of the other players who came out for an evening of poker for a good cause and of course Borgata for agreeing to host the event as well as making their own donation to the charities!

Recent November Niner and fedora aficionado Neil Blumenfield earned a $1,000 bonus for holding the chip lead when registration closed and Borgata favorite Esther Taylor-Brady grabbed the other $1,000 bonus for the most re-entries. New Jersey poker pro Jamie Kerstetter was the last player to arrive but was also the last player standing and earned a CSOP Borgata title!  She picked the first place prize of $5,512, the glass Borgata trophy, and a $500 gift certificate from ProCaliber Poker.

• 1st place: – Jamie Kerstetter $5,512
• 2nd place – Neil Blumenfield $3,031
• 3rd Place – Matthew Stout $1,745
• 4th Place – Raviteja Kondrakunta $1,470
• 5th Place – Ranson Nelson $1,102
• 6th Place – Anthony Derasmo $919
• 7th Place – David Wheeler $735
• 8th Place – Robert Raphael $551
• 9th Place – Jorge Stella $413

Missed the event, but want to support the charities?  Click the links below to view the charities’ donations pages.

Habitat for Humanity of Atlantic County
Habitat for Humanity’s vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. They strive to achieve this vision by using donated materials and labor to build new homes and repair existing ones. Then they help hard-working but low-paid families who donate 250+ hours of work on Habitat homes get mortgages on their new affordable homes.

Community FoodBank of New Jersey
The Community FoodBank of New Jersey is a member of Feeding America, the largest domestic hunger relief organization. They provide more than 40 million pounds of food annually to over 1,000 non-profit programs including emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, senior feeding programs, shelters, and after school programs.

The post Charity Series of Poker at Borgata | Matt Stout Poker Blog February 12, 2016 appeared first on StoutPoker.