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Star College Quarterback Suspended for Playing Poker; Are You as Outraged as I am about This?

Look, I know rules is rules and NCAA rules are no nonsense rules.

But this story irked me.

A pretty good quarterback, Middle Tennessee State quarterback Dwight Dasher has been suspended by the University and the NCAA indefinitely, and will miss the season opener against Minnesota on Thursday.

And all because he accepted money to play poker.

What the hell.

“He has been humbled with this situation, and he knows he made a mistake,” remarked MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill during a news conference prior to the weekend.

“That is part of your responsibility as a coach to help these players grow as people.”

Dasher must now wait to be reinstated by the NCAA if he is to play this season.

He is a damned good QB too, throwing for 2,800 yards and rushing for an additional 1,150.

“Both (parties) have said the reason he got the loan was because he was a football player,” said MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro.

You gotta give these kids some slack. C’mon…what did he get… and how much does his play on the field make the University. And get this…he BORROWED the money.

It’s an old story. These kids play for their college, fill up their stadiums and bring in a lot of revenue.

I believe college players should get the right to make some money for their play.

This incident continues to bring to light certain benefits that an athlete may receive simply because they are an athlete.

More evidence of this is the recent discovery that former Memphis basketball player Antonio Anderson remarked by way of Twitter that during his college days he did not have to pay for many meals.

Dasher is not under investigation for anything other than playing in poker games with money that he borrowed.

Trapped Chilean Miners Passing the Time by Playing Poker

I know that I usually write about poker tournaments, or poker players or strategies, but I just couldn’t pass this little bit of upbeat information pass you all by.

In case you hadn’t heard…

You know…the Chilean miners trapped underground, thank God still alive…but unlikely to be freed for a few months are passing the time playing poker.

How cool is that? Our game is saving lives.

Well, it seemed like a miracle when a group of miners were found alive after an accident in a gold mine in Chile last week.

Still a massive ordeal for the miners, especially with the prospect of having to spend a further four months stranded in a tiny underground chamber before they can be rescued.

So what are the miners doing to keep mind and soul together?

Playing a whole lot of poker it seems.

According to the daughter of former Chilean football international Franklin Lobos who is one of the trapped miners, the men are getting a serious number of hands in. In an interview in the Daily Mirror, a U.K. newspaper, Carolina Lobos revealed her confidence in her father’s ability to survive saying, “”It will be difficult, I’m sure, but I’m not worried about him. I know he is happy and content down there because he is playing lots of poker and cards. It is good for his mind.”

The trapped men are receiving a steady supply of water and medicine, as well as letters from family members via a six inch wide hole.

Experts are hopeful that they will remain in decent physical shape while the rescue tunnel is built.

Norwegian Pro Takes EPT Estonia Event; A Good Way to Start the Tour

Sometimes, entering the final table with a substantial chip lead isn’t enough.

Just ask pro poker star Arnaud Mattern, of France.

The Pokerstars European Tournament’s Estonia event  ended with the surprise defeat of Mattern, who had entered the final table with a substantial chip lead, but managed only a third place finish.

Disappointing.

The first event of the EPT’s seventh season EPT Tallinn drew a nice number of entrants, 420, creating a Euro 1 596 000 prize pool. That’s a little over $2,000,000 in U.S. dollars.

Mattern found himself facing a final table of Kevin Stani, Konstanin Bilyauer, Dmitry Vitkind, Mikko Jaatinen, Steven van Zadelhoff, Nicolo Calia and Bassam Elnajjar, but was eliminated in third place after a spirited but unsuccessful rally, leaving the heads up to Moscow University student Konstanin Bilyauer (22) playing in only his second live tourney, and Norwegian pro Kevin Stani (27), who had qualified only days earlier in a $530 buy-in Pokerstars satellite, enabling him to make the trip to Tallinn from his home base of Stavanger.? ?

The Norwegian’s experience took the day, delivering an impressive winner’s paycheck of Euro 400 000; it was Stani’s biggest live tournament win yet, although he managed a 127th finish in the WSOP main event earlier this year which earned him $57 102.? ?

Bilyauer, who battled with a significant chip deficit, still gave Stani a good run for his money, making for an exciting finale.

Stay tuned for more info about the European tour.

Wish I was there to watch it, though. Don’t you too?

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