has been feverishly busy over the winter would be the understatement of the century. The Harvard-based institution out to relay the educational aspects of poker has compiled a diverse events schedule for the Spring featuring some of the biggest names the industry has to offer. With 13 officially approved chapters in universities around the country, the GPSTS has surpassed even its own expectations. PocketFives.com sat down with GPSTS Executive Director Andrew Woods to review the list of events on the horizon.
Woods comments, “I’m excited for our chapters to get going. I’m excited to export this idea around the country.” On tap first is an event on February 12th in London, England: Woods describes the event: “Professor Charles Nesson will speak on the implications of the global free trade ramifications of the U.S. gaming ban at the Institute of Economic Affairs, in London.” Also at the event will be Sallie James, a Policy Analyst at the Center for Trade Policy Studies at the Cato Institute, and Lode Van Den Hende, a Senior Associate of Herbert Smith, LLP. This event will have especially pertinent ramifications given the Remote Gambling Association’s recent complaint lodged with the European Commission claiming discrimination by the United States.
Back in Massachusetts, a state casino bill will be the focus of an event on February 20th. Woods explains the detrimental effects of the bill: “The Massachusetts Casino Gaming Bill would open three casinos in the state. There’s a provision in the bill that would make online gaming illegal and punishable by up to two years in jail for both the provider and the player. We’re going to bring in an Associated Press reporter as well as representatives from an industry magazine to give an informational briefing on it.”
The following day, eyes will turn to Wharton College, which will host David Apostolico, who will discuss the business side of his text, “Poker Strategies for a Winning Edge in Business.” Woods notes that the speakers, including Apostolico, were hand-selected carefully: “We picked speakers who could talk about not just playing poker, but also describe strategies and then relate those to business in the real world.”
On February 27th, Poker Players Alliance Executive Director John Pappas will visit George Washington University to discuss the “current legal regime and the poker-related legislation pending before Congress. Pappas will discuss the bill sponsored by Congressman Frank, the bill sponsored by Congressman Wexler, and the PPA’s efforts to support each bill.” The two bills in question have been the focal points of the PPA’s efforts since June. In an election year, internet gambling has a significant amount of competition for a Congressman’s time.
During the first week of March, poker pro Andy Bloch will travel to UCLA to talk about “his unique poker career and how he has found success by translating his mathematical and legal skills to the poker realm. An MIT-trained mathematician, computer scientist, and Harvard-trained lawyer, Bloch will discuss the parallels between the analytical skills that allowed him to succeed at the world’s most selective universities and the skills that allow him to succeed at the poker table.”
Events after Bloch’s symposium include talks by Annie Duke, Howard Lederer, and PocketFiver Taylor “Green Plastic” Caby, who will be speaking in mid-March at New York University’s Leonard N. Stern Business School on the success of CardRunners.com.
GPSTS Founder and President Charles Nesson, Professor of Law at Harvard, appeared on Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” to talk about poker as an educational medium. This and other national appearances have helped grow the GPSTS leaps and bounds. The organization features 13 officially sanctioned chapters, which typically means that the organizations have an official faculty adviser and have undergone whatever process it takes from the university to get sanctioned. There are another 35 – yes, 35 – in the works. Woods hopes to have 10 of those come online officially by the end of the academic calendar.
Woods comments on whether these numbers surpassed his predictions headed into the venture: “When we were developing the GPSTS, we thought we had a good idea, but I didn’t know to what extent students would jump on it considering our chapters don’t gamble. Without money involved in the poker, I didn’t know if there would be a good response. I was dead wrong. Students have loved the idea and it’s been refreshing to be involved in an academic mission that people have found so much fun with.”
Woods sums up the next few weeks at the GPSTS: “We have a lot coming up. It’s going to be a fun semester.” Well said, Andrew. To learn more, check out the GPSTS website at www.gpsts.org