Gutierrez, Frank Hold Congressional UIGEA Hearings --  The debate over the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was front and center in Congress for the first time on Wednesday.  Congressman Luis Gutierrez chaired a House Financial Services Committee hearing entitled “Proposed UIGEA Regulations: Burden without Benefit?” The hearing included representatives from the Justice and Treasury departments, who are jointly responsible for implementing the regulations that the law calls for, regulations which have been nearly impossible to craft in a reasonable and legally clear form.  Banking and small-business officials were on hand to air their protests over the unfunded mandates the bill demands, with Rep. Barney Frank also using the occasion to promote his Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (IGREA), which seeks to regulate (instead of ban) online gambling.  The hearing produced lots of commentary but little in concrete results.

Lee Markholt Takes 208 WPT World Poker Challenge --  The only major live tournament to conclude during the week saw veteran tournament player Lee Markholt take down the WPT’s World Poker Challenge.  Markholt, a former rodeo rider turned poker pro, was one of two players with a big stack entering the six-player final, along with Jason Potter, who made headlines of a different sort at the Aussie Millions after being robbed for his $30,000+ cash bankroll on a late-night walk.  Markholt triumphed here for $493,815 and a WPT championship seat, with Bryan Devonshire moving up to second and Potter finishing fourth.

Rousso Gives Up Washington Gubernatorial Hopes --  Lee Rousso’s short-lived attempt to unseat Washington Governor Christine Gregoire is over.  Rousso, the Washington lawyer who is suing that state over its law banning online poker, had launched a gubernatorial campaign on his single-issue plank, that of overturning the 2006 Washington law signed by Gregoire.  However, a state Supreme Court ruling that eliminates much of the crossover-vote possibilities also eliminated any real chance for Rousso, hence his abandonment of his campaign.  Rousso vowed to continue his lawsuit against the state, with a hearing in the matter coming up within weeks.

“Jennicide” in Playboy --  Online poker star Jennifer “Jennicide” Leigh had been rumored to be appearing in Playboy for nearly a year.  Those rumors were confirmed a couple of months back, and the issue featuring Leigh’s poker-themed spread went on sale on Tuesday.  No doubt the online poker forums will have a bit to say on this one…

Florida Bill Seeks to Expand Poker Offerings --  For the second straight year, a bill seeking to liberalize Florida’s poker laws has begun to make its way through the state legislature.  One feature of this year’s version of the bill is its allowance for high-dollar tournaments (two per casino), which, should the bill become law, would allow poker TV tours to consider Florida as a locale.  No doubt the folks on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast would hate this law; a study released this week bemoaned the pressure from casinos elsewhere in the South on Mississippi’s Coast casinos.

Does the Thames Have Fjords? --  This week saw another fine example of the results of legislative idiocy with the relocation of the 2008 Norwegian Poker Championships, the seventh such series, out of Norway entirely.  This year’s series has been moved to Nottingham, England, in its entirety, with 10 events over eight days in late April and early May. Norwegian website Expekt.com will charter a plane for the series and roughly 500 Norwegian rounders are expected to fly to England for the fun.