Some of the information that came out of the meetings seems to have made an impression on some of the powers that be. One very interesting fact was a research project that had been done on the Poker Stars site in reference to how many of the hands actually go to showdown. This was done to show that poker is not a game of luck, but one of skill that makes the player rely on instincts to get out of a bad situation and limit their losses. This is something that one cannot do when they make a wager in any other form of gambling.

The stat that was rather enlightening that after tracking well over 100,000,000 hands, they found that a mere 25% actually went to showdown. This number made lawmakers take a step back and take a look at the game of poker as a game of skill.  If the laws are going to get passed in poker’s favor, this is a huge step in the right direction. Now all we need to do is catch President Obama and some of his cronies sitting around the table with chips and cards in front of them!

Another feather in the cap of the PPA was that they managed to bring to light the ‘good’ that poker has brought to many organizations. It is not uncommon for a local charity or church to hold a poker tournament as a way to raise money. This is not to mention the millions of dollars that the major poker players have donated over the last few years.  It is not uncommon for any of them to drop 6 figures into the basket when it is passed around.

As with anything else though, only time will tell if all of this lobbying is going to be successful. It would however seem as though poker is slowly but surely starting to tilt the scales in their favor. Hopefully we will see this trend continue because once the United States officially gets on board, the poker world is sure to benefit.