WSOP bracelet winner Annie Duke, otherwise known as the “Duchess of Poker” can now add another name to her collection- a congressional witness- as she is now advocating the right for every American to gamble online in the privacy of their own homes.

Duke expressed this view to the House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday, and also argued that there were huge advantages to legalising and regulating an ever growing and lucrative underground online gambling market.

"At its most basic level, the issue before this committee is personal freedom, the right of individual Americans to do what they want in the privacy of their homes without the intrusion of the government," Duke said.

As it presently stands, online poker is illegal in the US but players still go to the online casino sites that are set up offshore and therefore beyond the reach of federal regulators.

Duke is firmly behind the views of Rep. Barney Frank, the chairman of the Financial Services Committee, who is trying to introduce a bill that would legalise and tax the online gambling websites.

Frank advocates the players’ freedom to choose: "Unwise choices [are] part of freedom."

If this bill is passed the taxes on it could bring in almost $42 billion for the federal government for the next 10 years.

Jeff Madsen made a huge impact on the poker world by winning not one but two bracelets at the 2007 WSOP. His rap music has not however had the same impact. Watch this fantastic video, Liv Boeree on the right, and see why he’s not exactly famous as a rapper.

This odd video by 2+2 regular DRybes, cause a bit of a stir a while back when it became the latest poker viral. The fusion of classic poker footages with current hip hop stars and Phil Helmuth makes for a fantastic video and catchy song

Prahlad is best known for hideous rap in the WSOP 2005, but he landed up taking another crack at it in 2006. It’s so bad it’s great.

This is actually the officially song of the 2007 WSOP. Truth be told I’d never heard it before, but it’s fun to see Helmuth and Chan miming along to the lyrics. Plus his poker isn’t that good.

Anna Chapman, one of the ten persons who were detained by the US authorities on Monday morning as Russian spies, is apparently an Internet entrepreneur who went on a mission to seek for Moscow based investors to start an online poker site, one such as PokerTime. (Which is us, in case you don’t know where you are?)

Chapman, a 28 year old lady living in Manhattan, NYU, was arrested on Monday morning for using her social connections to feed secret information to the Russian Government. A friend of hers in Moscow downplayed his connection to Chapman on the Fox News website. Alexander Galtsky, the managing partner of a Russian investment firm denied any connection to Chapman, but he did say there was an interest from her side to start an online poker company.

While online poker is not specifically illegal in the USA, and is legal in numerous countries around the planet, Galtsky did not specifically say where Chapman wanted to start up her online poker site and where she wanted to operate.

"She tried to raise capital for her online real estate business,” the Russian investor stated in an email. "After this she tried to speak about some other initiative like online poker, but this is out of our policy."

Chapman has been acknowledged as the head of an online real estate website that might be the front of an information collection device. A real estate acquaintance said she absolutely knew nothing about the real estate market.

In accordance with her arrest by the FBI, she’s been accused of flirting and using her social connections to make friends with national security personnel, Congressional counsel, military scientists, and political fundraisers at the highest level. She has been accused of been instructed by Russian operatives to gather information on the policies and goals of the current Obama administrations in the upcoming G20 in Canada.

I think this case might be one big bluff.

The Australian Prime Minister has said that he absolutely hates Poker machines, but his government has refused to back major problem gambling changes as proposed by his own inquiry.

Before he was elected, Mr Rudd told The Australian newspaper: "I hate poker machines and I know something of their impact on families.”

A two year study into gambling in Australia has shown that the government has made probably around the $4.7 billion dollar mark in gaming revenue, but it’s been proposed that changes be made that bets which are currently in the $1200 state-wide profit be put down to $1 bets, thereby pushing profit down to $120 an hour.

The commission said some 600,000 Australians - four per cent of the adult population - play pokies at least weekly, with about 95,000 classed as problem gamblers. Maximum bet limits are currently set at AU$5 or AU$10.

This is from a country that just banned swearing in one of its own cities.

The PPA has just launched their 'Tweet for Poker Campaign' in an effort to create awareness about the UIGEA’s decision to indirectly outlaw online poker.

Twitter has been used as a communication tool or virtual ‘soap box’ for numerous issues ranging from the dictatorship in Iran to the UK election campaigns, and the Poker Players Alliance is now launching an awareness campaign that urges people to tweet to their local member of US Congress. There is also a US map that tracks all the tweets from all over the country.

The campaign encourages players to fight for their right to protect poker and hopes to overturn the 2006 Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act that indirectly prevents online gambling from taking place in the US through the outlawing of the transfer of funds from financial institutions to online gambling sites.

Okay, quick test for you, sit back in your chair and think of the 5 people you ABSOLUTELY trust.  Go on, I'll wait.

*Drums fingers on desk*

Did you think of 5 ? Good.  Now give them £2000 or so to invest in their ability to gamble, asking for the occassional update on how they are doing.  Your faith starting to waver a little now ?

As the recent alledged Betfair trading scam to the tune of around 100K shows, people in the poker community are quite prepared to trust large chunks of capital to someone they have played with a bit & "Know" to invest in their skills at making wagers.  Does this strike anyone as a little nuts ?  I trust my family and friends but would still not just hand over a substantial amount of money without due thought of the potential outcomes and knowing that the monies are to be used exactly as described.  Yet we hear stories of poker players staking money in another players abilities to gamble or play our beloved game, only to find out they have been conned and the stakee has absconded with the loot.

Staking players can result in a brilliant working relationship between the parties involved but everyone should know and trust each other & if one person gets nervous or has concerns about the situation, a fair and amicable conclusion should be sort.  Trust may be hard to come by in this day and age but it is extremely commodity to lose.

As my dear Grandma would have said - "Neither a lender or a borrower be."