Party Poker Blog

First of all, Fuck Absolute Poker.

Secondly, two nights ago, the head of Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society, Harvard Law Prof. Charles Nesson, was on the Colbert Report.

He talked poker, of course, and asked Stephen Colbert to host a poker tournament for the presidential candidates.

Nifty idea, but cmon.

Here's the following press release and video of the show.


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"Quintessential American Game" Reveals Strategic Thinking Ability and other
Life Skills Says Harvard Professor

NEW YORK, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Harvard Law School Professor Charles
Nesson made a special appearance as a guest on COMEDY CENTRAL's The Colbert
Report last night to talk about the virtues of poker as a teaching tool,
call for legalizing poker games online, and to propose hosting a poker game
for presidential candidates to test their skill and strategic acumen.
Professor Nesson's appearance can be seen in rebroadcast on COMEDY CENTRAL
today at 8:30 PM EST.



During the interview with Stephen Colbert, Charles Nesson, founder and
President of the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society (GPSTS) said, "I
want to make poker a legitimate thing for teaching strategy ... Poker is a
marvelous game for seeing what a situation looks like from the other side."

"But why not play with your buddies around the table?" Colbert asked.

"Online is like a school and it is right there for you and it is an
easier way to master the mathematics of it," Nesson said, as to why
Americans should have the right to play online poker.

"I have made it my mission to make poker legitimate as a teaching tool
and a learning tool," Nesson continued.

The interview concluded with Nesson proposing that Colbert team-up with
Nesson by inviting the presidential candidates to play poker to show their
strategic skills in front of a camera. Colbert endorsed Nesson's proposal
saying, "That would be nice ... I can just see Hillary with the sunglasses
with the little snake eyes on them."

Elaborating on the idea, Professor Charles Nesson said, "Poker is a
quintessentially American game that draws on the best traditions in our
culture, mixing individualism and sociability, and placing a premium on
smarts," Nesson said. "Poker is more than just a fun game; it has real
educational possibilities. It is one of the best tools we have to teach
negotiation, risk assessment, strategic thinking and other essential life
skills," Nesson continued.

"This is an exciting opportunity for the public to see how poker
provides important insights into a candidates' personality more effectively
than any debate."

More information on the tournament series can be found at
http://www.gpsts.org.

About GPSTS

Founded by Harvard Law Professor Charles Nesson, the Global Poker
Strategic Thinking Society views pokers as a game of skill that can be used
as a teaching tool at all levels of academia and in secondary education.
The concept is to use poker to teach basic life skills, strategic thinking,
geopolitical analysis, risk assessment, and money management. The goal is
to create an open online curriculum centered on poker that will draw the
brightest minds together, both within and outside of the conventional
university setting, to promote open education and Internet democracy.

About Charles Nesson

Charles Nesson is the William F. Weld Professor of Law, Harvard Law
School and Founder and Co-Director of the Berkman Center for Internet &
Society. He is joined on the GPSTS board by Stanford Law School Professor
Lawrence Lessig, who is the author of Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace and
a previous Berkman Professor of Law.