WGE MAG: 15
“All sports have characters; football for example, in many games you see examples of bad sportsmanship and bad language exhibited by players and those players need to be penalised using FIFA rules - its the same in Poker, players will be penalised according to the International Poker Rules, depending on the act they commit.”
He said: “All sports have characters. Take football for example, in many games you see examples of bad sportsmanship and bad language exhibited by players and those players need to be penalised using FIFA rules. It’s the same in poker, players will be penalised according to the International Poker Rules, depending on the act they commit.
Straight Talking
I
It’s hard to escape the global boom of poker. Whether it’s for fun on Facebook, for real in a casino or even a casual game with friends it’s fast becoming a game which more
and more people can enjoy wherever they are. But who sets the rules and standards for such a burgeoning pastime? Football has FIFA, who looks after poker?
WGE:MAG spoke to leading poker personality Marcel Luske about his involvement with FIDPA, the Federation Internationale de Poker Association. The flamboyant Dutchman is well known for his upside-down sunglasses and his habit of singing during tournaments, but Luske is keen to promote an industry standard within poker across all the many platforms.
“The Federation Internationale de Poker Association (FIDPA) is an international governing body for the sport of poker,” Luske told WGE:MAG this month.
“It’s the recognized leader in promoting and developing the sport’s growth. Its main aim is to support the poker industry and bring fairness and consistency to the game. This also means creating internationally recognised poker rules.
“From grass roots play for fun on social media sites like Facebook, to full time professionals, everyone needs to know the rules of whatever game it is they’re playing and also the way in which they should treat their fellow players, or poker etiquette. This is also covered in the FIDPA rule book. “Wherever you play, not only is it down to the individual to check their own behaviour but also, as important, is the need for the website or game managers to enforce the rules when they see breaches in regulations, no matter who commits them.”
We’ve all come across bad losers, in whatever walk of life and Luske is keen to see poor attitudes stamped out in the game of poker, similar to how other sports deal with those who might step out of line.
“Poker, to my mind, is no less a beautiful game than football but as cerebral as chess. Even in chess there have been some ‘bad’ characters that held the world stage. But in the end, to play properly and to win, you have to follow the rules.” Anyone wishing to see the rules as they stand can visit
http://www.fidpa.com where a beta rulebook is available for download. Luske is hopeful that it will be a set of guidelines that all players will adopt.
“The rules have already been in action for over three years, starting officially with the Bellagio, followed by the Australian Poker League, Mexico, Belgium, Holland, with many applications pending! Many cardrooms can of course play by the International Poker Rules without an official endorsement as they’re free to be used by anyone.
“Even in play for fun poker the rules need to be enforced. Play for fun on social media should be just that ‘fun’ and if bad behaviour disrupts the game or stops it being fun then rules have to be enforced.
“Discussing the best ways to educate new players on social media would be a very interesting avenue for FIDPA and myself to explore, it’d be great to create a forum for open discussion.”
Luske has been a huge character on the international poker circuit for several years now, however the FIDPA commitments have curtailed some of his more recent activities. The Dutchman is also working on another venture, but he’s keen to get back to the tables sooner rather than later.
“I didn’t play too much in 2011 because of working on FIDPA’s International Poker Rulebook and my new business venture, Global Poker Support. I’ve also been working on Tockpoker; a poker tuition game for players just starting to understand the rules, the hands and the combinations, which uses simple transparant gameplay.
“If you understand Sudoku, then you understand Tockpoker. The backs of Tockpoker cards are clearly marked to help any player figure out the winning combination as quickly as possible - meaning once they have mastered this they only need play Tockpoker with winning hands and they can then take the skills they have developed in Tockpoker to other poker games.
“I have these projects to finish then I can enjoy my Pokerstars sponsorship and play my A game again soon!”
http://www.fidpa.com
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