The Poker Players Alliance has been making its name felt around the poker world over the summer. From events at the 2007 World Series of Poker to engaging its members at the local level, the PPA has done it all. The main lobbying arm for the online poker industry has managed to bring four bills to the Democratically-controlled Congress and looks to bring one of those bills through to law by the end of the year. On Wednesday, August 22, the organization made waves again, announcing the move of its headquarters to Washington, D.C. from San Francisco and the ascension of John Pappas to Executive Director. Pappas sat down with PocketFives just a few hours after the news to discuss the changes.

The PPA’s move was a result of a strategic decision made by its Board of Directors: “The organization’s Board of Directors felt that, to most effectively impact and effectuate our public policy agenda, we needed to be in Washington full time. They felt that we should seize the momentum that is taking place right now with the bills in Congress and show that we have an organization that is based on D.C. so that, when members of Congress are at work, they have an organization here to deal with. When they’re back in their districts, they can answer to our 660,000 members.”

A little over a year ago when I sat down with Pappas and former Executive Director Michael Bolcerek at the Palms in Las Vegas, the PPA’s membership numbered around 50,000. Now, it’s ballooned to 13 times that amount. Bolcerek has elected to stay in San Francisco with his family and left the PPA last Friday. “I think the PPA is going to stay in stride. Michael and I worked closely together over the past two years and I learned a lot from him and he learned a lot from me. I don’t think there’s going to be a tremendous shortfall as a result. I think it’ll be a pretty seamless transition. Michael has been fantastic for the PPA.”

The organization is also currently seeking new staff for its Washington offices, according to Pappas: “We’re going to be making hires here in D.C. We haven’t fully evaluated what positions we’ll be filling. We’re looking for qualified people who are poker enthusiasts who have an understanding of the game itself. We want people who realize that there is an organization behind them defending their rights. We need to strengthen our organization’s efforts in promoting the good things about poker to the general public.”

Pappas has served as a consultant to the PPA since 2005 and assumed the role of Vice President of Government Affairs in May. He now takes over an influential organization that has made a splash over the past few months: “It is a challenge, but I am undaunted. This is something I am looking forward to doing and something I’m prepared for. I’m prepared to rely on the expertise of others as well. We do have some of the top political consultants in the country right here and I’ll continue to rely on them, just as Michael did. This move will only make the organization stronger and more focused.”

We wish Bolcerek the best of luck in his future endeavors in Northern California. His contributions to the online poker community will be missed. At the same time, we look forward to the Poker Players Alliance taking the next step and moving across the United States. If you're not a PPA member, you should be. Visit the Poker Players Alliance website for more details on their free memberships.