Did you see the article printed recently in the NY Times about online gambling.

Very, very interesting.

The story is about Jesus Ferguson and Howard Lederer, founders of Full Tilt Poker…which until they were busted by the U.S. FBI, was the gambling palace of choice on the web for millions of players.

As the years went by, the story documents, Full Tilt became a powerhouse in the cultish world of Internet poker.

By 2010, Americans were gambling $16 billion a year through such sites, according to the site PokerScout.com.

Free gambling tips, strategies, and an ONLINE GAMBLING guide.

Once away from America, online gambling is generally legal. And the ONLY sites I write about are legitimate and not about to rip you off. OK?

That understood, next time you are considering online poker, check out titanpoker.com. It’s a leading site in Europe to be sure. They have recently (according to a press release I received) launched  a series of poker satellite tournaments to determine the winning players that will participate on its behalf at the Irish Winter Festival 2011 tournament in Ireland in October.

Winning players will be awarded with a €1,800 (that’s euros) Prize Package, including the €1,000 + €100 buy-in to the Irish Winter Festival Main Event tournament, which will be staged in Dublin, Oct. 29.

Titan Poker’s players will have won four nights at the Burlington Hotel in Dublin, and will receive €354 for flights and spending money.

Three winners’ packages, each valued at €1,800, are guaranteed at the weekly Irish Winter Festival 2011 Super Satellite, staged every Sunday night with a buy-in of €150 + €12.

To qualify for a seat at the Super Satellite, online poker players can play one of Titan Poker’s many scheduled and sit ‘n’ go qualifiers.

Try out the free poker download at Titan Poker. Check it out.

But remember, OUTSIDE the U.S. only.

Texas U.S. Rep. Joe Barton,  is said to be readying a bill that would make it legal for Americans to bet money on online poker.

It’s about time someone had the balls to try this.

Barton said he was urged to act via Facebook by many of his constituents who play poker online and were upset by a federal crackdown in April on some online poker sites.

Federal officials claimed the sites violated a 2006 law banning payments for online gambling and requiring payment processors to block payments for online bets.

Yeah, right.

Barton said online poker is not illegal but that processing payments for online poker is unlawful – a discrepancy he said in an interview “doesn’t make sense.”

His bill would authorize payments for online poker games in states where such gambling is legal now. He said he would introduce the bill soon.

Barton, who says he plays poker himself but not online, said he sees poker as different from other forms of online gaming. “Poker is a game of skill,” he said.

Supporters of legislation to legalize online gambling argue that laws trying to stop online poker are ineffective and have done little to stop millions of Americans from gambling online via offshore sites.

They say instead of trying to prohibit Internet gambling, policy makers should tax and regulate it to ensure that those who gamble online are protected. Barton said his bill would put in place rules to regulate online poker and prevent fraud.

Let’s watch this and see what happens.

OK?

What do you do when your leading sponsors have been busted by the U.S. feds?

Obviously, the World Series of Poker officials have a problem.

The WSOP is on the search for new interested sponsors.

Current WSOP partners are longtime sponsor Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, and new sponsorships Dearfoam Slippers and GoDaddy.com.

The GoDaddy logo will appear on all televised WSOP tables this year.

GoDaddy CEO Bob Parsons says their Internet loving fans are happy about the partnership, though there were some issues pertaining to specific Gaming Control Board rules and regulations.

No doubt, the usual host of big online poker site advertisements are not present this year.

Most of the focus now is on the action, though the issue of Internet poker advertising crossing over into the WSOP may come up again prior to the Main Event.

We hope the feds come to their senses and stop prosecuting online gambling sites.

With all the poker superstars flocking to “Sin City” it is easy to forget that there are a number of excellent poker players who are not yet household names across the world but may have lighted up European tournaments for the past year or so or in great form and therefore stand a great chance of winning a WSOP bracelet at the upcoming series.

One man who is in tremendous form the last 12 months is Martin Jacobson of Sweden. Jacobson has made it to three final tables at EPT events, including teo second place finishes at Vilamoura and Deauville before coming fourth in the recent Berlin Main Event. Add to this the fact that in his relatively short career he has already final tabled two WSOP events and finished as runner up in a WPT event, helping him to a career earnings tally of almost $2,500,000.

Another player to look out for is Britain’s Jake Cody, who if he wins a WSOP title will become only the third player in history to win a Triple Crown of live titles, having already won an EPT and WPT event. He won EPT Deauville in January 2010 for €857,000 and followed that up by winning WPT London a few months later for an additional £273,783. The man known as “neverbluff67” when playing online poker has had some more impressive results of late, including winning the £1,500 UKIPT Nottingham High Roller and a $2,100 SCOOP event online.

Last but certainly not least is a Belgian player by the name of Kevin Vandersmissen. Although he only has ten major live tournament cashes to his name he does have two second place finishes and three outright wins for cashes totalling just over $850,000. He is probably the least well-known of the trio but he is certainly one to watch if present form is anything to go on.