Representative Joe Barton wants to help poker players stay on the couch. The Texas Republican introduced a bill in Congress on Thursday that would pave the way for states to legalize online poker without fear of federal intervention. It’s the second such Internet gambling bill introduced this year. In June, Republican New York Congressman Peter King introduced a piece of legislation he called the Internet Gambling Regulation, Consumer Protection and Enforcement Act of 2013. Unlike Barton’s bill, that gambling act would open the door to all forms of casino games, not just poker. The federal government cracked down on Internet…

From Poker Player The packed Schedule in London allowed me the chance to visit two of the capital’s newest poker hotspots. Neither the Hippodrome or Aspers disappointed. The contrast of the two venues is quite stark. The Hippodrome has carved a casino out of a building very much still identifiable as an old theatre. The maze-like layout has gaming spaces hidden around every corner and a poker room nestled away on the very top floor. The poker room here is PokerStars’ first venture into a permanent live venue in the UK . While you may expect something akin to the…