The DCal Zone

Not on the Same Page as the President Here...

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 17:47:00 -0500

In President Obama’s weekly address, one of the solutions he proposes to lower gasoline prices is:

…to finally end the $4 billion in taxpayer subsidies we give to the oil and gas companies each year.

If you take away the subsidies from oil and gas companies, then wouldn’t they respond by increasing prices to make up for the lost revenue? There’s good moral and pragmatic reasons to raise taxes on oil and gas companies, but lowering the price of gasoline in the short-term isn’t really one of them. Am I missing something?

Here’s the video:

Summer Reading List

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 15:42:00 -0500

I’m starting law school this fall, and I’ve consistently been told that the best thing to do to prepare during the preceding summer is to do as much reading as possible. There’s a few books on my list that I’ve been meaning to read for a while, and others that were recently suggested to me by friends. I’ll post a review of each book when its completed.

“Plain, Honest Men” by Richard Beeman

“The Case for Israel” by Alan Dershowitz

“Moonwalking with Einstein” by Joshua Foer

“A People’s History of the United States” by Howard Zinn

“Tear Down this Myth” by Will Bunch

“Catch-22” by Joseph Heller

“The Looming Tower” by Lawrence Wright

“Monsoon” by Robert D. Kaplan

“Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail” by Hunter S. Thompson

“Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe

“Truman” by David McCullough

Happy Passover!

Tue, 19 Apr 2011 00:57:00 -0500

“Michael Walzer once wrote, ‘Wherever you live, it is probably Egypt.’ Those of us who aren’t oppressed live too close to oppression, or participate in oppression, or are otherwise indifferent to oppression. This Passover, when we tell the story of the Jewish people’s journey from the slavery of Egypt to the freedom of Israel, pause for a moment to contemplate this miracle: This year, in Egypt, it isn’t even Egypt. Pharaoh is under arrest, his sons are in jail, and the Egyptian people are groping their way to freedom. Next year, at Passover, let us hope that the Egyptian people will have succeeded in their struggle to make the word “Egypt” a synonym for freedom, and not enslavement. Let us hope that in Libya, and Syria, and Iran, freedom is close at hand. Let us hope that the Palestinian people find their way to freedom, too, and let us hope that by next year, the people of the Jewish state of Israel will have completed their journey from slavery to true freedom, a freedom that will grant them a permanent place under the sun.”

- Jeffrey Goldberg

The Worst Part of the Budget Deal

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:51:03 -0500

There’s lots of things in the budget, agreed upon by the White House and Congress, that I would change if I had my druthers, but the only part that I find patently objectionable is the ban on the District of Columbia’s ability to fund abortions with municipal money. My views on abortion have nothing to do with why I think this is so wrong. The residents of the District should be allowed to set public policy without gross interference from the federal government.

When the Constitution was written, Congress was given so much power over the District because it made sense to have the capital be independent from any of the states. If the capital of the United States was in a state, say Maryland, then Maryland would be able to leverage a lot more power over Congress than every other state. Maryland would potentially have the power to close the streets around the Capitol Building, making the lives of legislators very difficult, unless Congress agreed to pass a bill that would be favorable to the state of Maryland.

Congress’ authority over the District made sense at the founding of the country, when there were no permanent residents of the District. When Congress wasn’t in session, most of the people working in the capital moved back to their home states. Today, there are over 600,000 people who live in the District permanently. They should have the ability to govern themselves locally like every other municipality in the United States, without having to answer to the authority of Congress.

Fun with Scammers

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 06:50:00 -0500

I was browsing through my spam folder, and I noticed that about a week ago I received an e-mail from one of those classic scammers who try to get you to volunteer your personal information with a promise of delivering a large sum of money. I decided to engage with the lady (or gentleman?) who contacted me, and it will hopefully lead to some comedy. Click below to read the e-mail I received in full, as well as my response. I’ll post an update when I hear back from the kind fellow who has my money.

Hong Kong And Shanghai Banking Corporation
From: The Desk of
Miss. Kim Ho .
Managing Director,

RE: PAYMENT OF US$800,000.00 INTEREST INTO YOUR ACCOUNT:

I am Miss. Kim Ho , Managing Director, Corporate Services Division and Head of Swift Transfer Unit of Hong Kong And Shanghai Banking Corporation. Sometime ago, in our bank your inheritance fund was brought to our bank from National Lotto Group here in Asia and after some period, the money was taken back to their treasury. But for the period of time this money was in our bank, it generated an interest of US$800,000.00 which we are about to pay you Via International Certified Bank (ATM CARD ) through our bank in Bangkok Thailand Asia. Hong Kong And Shanghai Banking Corporation. (HSBC).Bank Plc.

For your information and advice, you need to hasten up to pick this Fund because from time to time the National Lotto Group auditors do come to our bank to cross-check our files and our financial update, the earlier you comply with the demands of the delivery of the (ATM CARD ), the faster the action, because when the auditors arrive and find out that this interest fund is still in our bank they will call back the accrued interest to the lotto treasury account.

What we need from you now is any form of your identification for example; Your International passport or your driver license, your telephone and fax numbers for easy communication to you with your mailing address where this (ATM CARD ) will be delivered.

As a matter of fact we don¦t have enough time to waste since we have wasted time in contacting you through phone, so try and comply with the entire necessary requirement for the transaction.

CONTACT: Mr. China Boyanchai

.E-Mail: mrchinaboyanchaittthh@yahoo.com.hk

Note I have attempted to call you but all effort failed and I had to send you a mail on this email address, which I guessed belongs to you. Expecting your immediately response.

Yours Sincerely,

Miss. Kim Ho
Managing Director.
*********************************************************************
Hong Kong And Shanghai Banking Corporation. Asia. CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE:
This transmission may contain confidential information protected by state or federal law. The information is intended only for use consistent with the state business discussed in this transmission. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or the taking of any action based on the contents is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please delete this email and notify the sender immediately. Your cooperation is appreciated.
*********************************************************************

Dear Miss Ho,
Thank you for contacting me about my inheritance. It is very good that this is happening, because I am having some money problems and this money will be very useful. Luckily, I will be touring Asia with my business associates later this month, so I can come and pick up the money myself. When and where would be a good time and place to meet you? My schedule is flexible.
I see that this e-mail is from “mrchinaboyancha222tyhhh@yahoo.com.hk”, but it says your contact is “mrchinaboyanchaittthh@yahoo.com.hk”. In case one of these is a type, I’ll send this response to both addresses.

Yours sincerely,Daniel

We Should Leave This Club

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:58:53 -0500

I don’t like that the USA is the lone liberal democracy that still uses the death penalty against our own citizens. I’m personally pretty indifferent about the death penalty. As long as there are stringent requirements that guarantee that no innocent person is put to death, I’m comfortable using the death penalty against the most heinous criminals.

But it’s clear that the free world is moving in the direction of abolishing the death penalty, and the death penalty is still utilized by the “un-free world”. Aligning ourselves with our liberal allies on this issue would give the United States some more moral leverage as we continue to coax counties in the Middle East and North Africa to embrace liberal democracy.

Kudos to Gov. Quinn for banning the death penalty in Illinois earlier this month.

Pokerstars and Wynn Join Forces

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 03:54:00 -0500

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-bc-us—caesarsentertainment-onlinegambling,0,3521706.story

I’ve long told friends privately that the only way that the laws regarding online gambling would become more liberal is if significant lobbying was done by the major established casinos. It’s very good news that both Caesar’s and Wynn are actively lobbying for laws that would legalize, regulate, and tax online gambling.

I also think it’s a great idea for this to happen at the state level instead of federally. The amount of revenue generated by taxing online gambling would be relatively insignificant to the federal government, but immensely helpful for states looking to balance their budgets.

Ideally this would happen in a state that isn’t Nevada, as regulating the industry from there is more likely to add to the stigma of gambling rather than reduce it. There are plenty of states with budgets that could use a new source of revenue (I’m looking at you, Illinois). I don’t think the politics would be particularly difficult either; think about all the teachers and firefighters who won’t have to be laid off now that this billion dollar industry is relocating to our state!

(h/t: www.chisness.com)

HORSE at the Horseshoe

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 04:31:00 -0500

On Wednesdays and Fridays, there is a $40-$80 HORSE (Holdem, Omaha hi/lo, Razz, Stud, Stud hi/lo) game at the Horseshoe Casino that I like to play. I usually only go once per week, because it oftentimes ends up being close to a 20 hour session and it’s a little exhausting doing that twice per week. I’ve been working hard on my mixed games for the past year, and HORSE is one of my favorite types of poker to play.

Today I lost a little bit, but I’m pretty happy with the result considering how few good hands I was dealt. In games like no limit holdem, sometimes you’re able to manufacture wins even if you aren’t dealt good hands, but in limit games when you aren’t getting good hands you just have to control the damage as best you can. I think I played well considering the circumstances.

Below is a write-up of one particularly interesting stud hi/lo hand that I played today that I’ve been thinking about a lot. (There is a fair amount of poker jargon in this post, so I apologize if it’s difficult to understand for non-poker players)

We’re playing 8 handed.

The up cards are:

4 (bring-in by Dasher, a very aggressive regular)

K (K8) (my hand)

T (The other opponent, Bobby, who is a tight regular who is pretty good at the stud games but very bad at holdem and omaha)

I complete to $40, Bobby calls, and Dasher calls. When I raise in early position with a K showing and an A and a bunch of low cards left to act, my hand is a pair of Kings an enormous percentage of the time. Bobby is smart and knows this, and I think he would’ve folded if he had a pair of Tens. I think he has either a pair in the hole and is going to try to hit a disguised trips, has a big straight/flush draw, or he has rolled up Tens. My hand is so face-up as a pair of Kings that some good players would even just fold it right away because everyone will be able to play perfectly against me, but I played it because it’s still a very strong hand and the guy with the A showing wasn’t very tricky so I didn’t think I’d have to worry about him causing problems without a huge hand.

4th street (I’m leaving out suits because no flush draws came):

K4 - Dasher

KK (K8) - me

8T - Bobby

I bet $40, Bobby calls, Dasher calls. When Bobby calls I can narrow his hand a lot. He either has three T’s, three 8’s, or a straight draw. Dasher bricked but he’s going to peel another card to try to get a low.

5th street:

AK4 - Dasher

9KK (K8) - Me

J8T - Bobby

I bet $80, Bobby raises to $160, Dasher calls, and I call. My hand looks so much like three Kings, that I’m pretty certain that Bobby will have a straight a huge percentage of the time. I call because the pot is enormous and I have plenty good enough odds to draw for a full house, and there’s an outside chance he’s making a mistake and inflating the pot with three of a kind. Dasher picks up a 4th low card and he’s drawing for the low now.

6th street:

7AK4 - Dasher

49KK (K8) - me

QJ8T - Bobby

I check, Bobby bets $80, Dasher calls, I call. Not much has changed here. I still think I’m losing to a straight most of the time and I’m drawing for a full house. Dasher probably doesn’t have a low yet, but he might be slowplaying it to keep me in the pot. Either way, this street played itself.

7th street:

(?) 7AK4 - Dasher

(3) 49KK (K8) - me

(?) QJ8T - Bobby

I miss my full house, but my plan is still to check call because the pot is gigantic and there’s a chance Bobby has a worse 3 of a kind. I check, Bobby bets $80, Dasher raises to $160. Dasher obviously has made his low, and very well might have a straight as well. I still think Bobby’s most likely hand is a straight. It’s $160 to me to call, but I’m actually facing a lot more than that. If Bobby has a straight (or a full house), he’s going to re-raise, Dasher is going to keep raising since he has half the pot locked up, and the betting will end up being capped at $400. Seeing a showdown is going to cost me $400 when I’m losing, and I’m going to be calling $160 to win half the pot when I’m winning. I decided to fold given the overwhelming likelihood that one of them had a better hand than me.

Bobby calls and turns over three Tens, and Dasher has just a low. I ended up folding the best hand that would’ve won half the pot in a huge pot. I’m not really sure I could’ve played the hand differently. If anyone thinks I made a mistake at any point I’d really like to hear if there’s a different way I should’ve played the hand.

More on Libya

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 23:25:00 -0500

James Fallows provides a skeptic’s perspective to the military engagement in Libya. I agree with him that it would’ve been useful to have had a more thorough public debate. But I disagree with him (and Dennis Kucinich) that it’s wrong that President Obama acted without explicit Congressional approval. Per the War Powers Resolution, the President can commit troops for up to 60 days before he legally needs an Authorization of the Use of Military Force from Congress.

Also, in modern times Congress’ constitutional power to declare war is mostly a superficial power considering most of our military engagements are fought against non-state actors. Congress’ real power stems from their ability to refuse to fund certain military actions. They could do that today if they wanted to. Congress’ non-action signals an implicit approval of the President’s actions.

Play-in Game Madness

Tue, 22 Mar 2011 03:05:00 -0500

I know that this is about a week old or so, but I can’t stop wondering what decision making process would result in the expanded NCAA men’s basketball tournament including play-in games for an 11th and 12th seed. I get why it’s better to get as many schools as possible into the tourney. More games on TV, more money, more exposure for more schools, etc. But I’m completely lost why the play-in games wouldn’t be confined to the 16 seeds.

Earning a higher seed based upon your regular season performance is a cornerstone of all major professional and collegiate sports. If you prove yourself during the regular season as a superior team, you are rewarded with favorable matchups and game locations. This ensures that as many regular season games as possible are meaningful, and it increases the likelihood of the two best teams in the country meeting in the championship game.

The mid-seed play-in game creates some perverse incentives. Would a team try to avoid the play-in game in order to increase the likelihood of them winning the championship, or would they seek the play-in game for the guaranteed television exposure? I’m not sure which is the more powerful incentive, but either way it creates a situation where there will be an incentive for teams to throw games during the regular season to try to either land on or avoid the play-in game.

Given that the field is expanded to 68 teams, is there any good reason why anybody other than 16 seeds should have to qualify through play-in games? I’m having trouble thinking of even a remotely plausible counter argument, so if anyone disagrees with me I’d love to hear the other side.

Preempting a Genocide

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 04:47:00 -0500

For a few days, I’ve been struggling to understand precisely why the United States has taken a leading role in the internationally sanctioned attacks against Libya. Muammar Gaddafi’s forces have killed some of the rebels who are attempting to overthrow his government, but similarly deadly force has been used by the governments of Yemen and Bahrain against their respective insurgencies.

The killings perpetrated by Gaddafi are even arguably defensible; his semi-legitimate government is protecting itself from rebels who are openly and feverishly plotting a revolution. The Libyans who are demanding an end to dictatorship and the implementation of democracy are surely justified, but when the Gaddafi government is legitimized by international organizations such as the United Nations, it seems odd for the international community to then tell Gaddafi that he can’t defend his government against a violent rebellion. Additionally, Gaddafi doesn’t pose any sort of threat to the people of the United States.

President Obama’s statement this Friday illuminated exactly why it is so important that we use military force to stop Gaddafi’s attacks against the rebels.

The reason that the uprising in Libya is so different than all the others in the Middle East is that if we don’t stop him, Muammar Gaddafi will commit genocide against his own people. President Obama quotes what Gaddafi said about the city of Benghazi, population 700,000, “We will have no mercy, and no pity.” Obama, along with our British and French allies, is convinced that Gaddafi’s violence won’t stop with simply quelling the rebellion. He believes that Gaddafi will perpetrate a mass murder against innocent civilians in Benghazi.

This is an unprecedented justification of force. Libya poses no threat to the United States, and only an indirect threat to our allies in the region. Gaddafi isn’t invading any neighboring country, nor is he attempting to spread a toxic ideology. He hasn’t even began a mass killing of his own people.

Barack Obama is turning George W. Bush’s doctrine of preemptive war on its head. It’s no longer the policy of the United States to preemptively attack a country who might in the future decide to attack us, but we will act to preemptively stop a genocide. If you intend to commit the ultimate crime against humanity, for now on you’re going to have to go through the most effective military that the world has ever seen.

When I heard Bill Clinton speak at the opening of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center, he spoke extensively about how the greatest regret of his Presidency is that he did not act to stop the genocide in Rwanda. Barack Obama will not have a similar regret. He’s not going to even let a genocide start.

Welcome!

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 01:40:07 -0500

I decided to start a blog for a few reasons. I get a lot of questions about what it’s like to be a professional poker player, undoubtedly a nontraditional profession. I’m going to try to write things that will help illuminate what the lifestyle of a pro poker player entails for the outsiders of the poker world, and will also supply an interesting perspective for those familiar with the poker world as well.

I’m also often the source of information regarding the news and politics for my friends. This website will also be a resource so you can see what I think is important around the world. I spend more time during my day reading news sources and politics blogs than any sane person would admit to, so I’ll compile what I find most interesting and most important to know about, and occasionally offer my opinion on the matters of the day. I might also choose to write about things that aren’t particularly important at all if that’s the type of mood I’m in. Although I’m steering this ship, I’m not completely sure what direction it’s going to go.

The title of this blog is the name that I use as my online poker handle, as well as a derivative of my first and middle name. Feel free to utilize the “Ask DCal Anything” link to ask me questions; I’ll answer virtually anything that you ask me to the best of my abilities. I’m also on Twitter as @thedcalzone. I’m not completely familiar with how Twitter works, but I’m going to try my best to get the hang of it.