Bodog Beat

Poker Pros Howard Lederer and Crandall Addington called for reforming US poker laws at Harvard University. (Photo courtesy flipchip / LasVegasVegas.com)

Lederer and Crandall appeared last night at a Harvard Law School gathering that was organized by the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society (GPSTS), a group that advocates poker as a tool for teaching life skills (like doing laundry and getting a job?).

Harvard saw the first GPSTS chapter go up on October 1^st, 2007 but several other chapters soon followed at Penn State, Stanford, Brown, Yale, Boston University, UCLA and USC.

Lederer and Addington spoke at the meeting about their backgrounds in poker as well as the game itself and what makes it special. "Poker is a microcosm of life," Lederer was quoted as saying, in a Harvard Crimson article. "Good players make their own luck."

GPSTS mentor Charles Nesson, the discussion's moderator, also focused on the luck-vs.-skill aspect of poker, noting the need for a distinction between the two for any legal standard on poker's behalf.

The GPSTS series continues tonight with about the WTO trade dispute between the United States and Antigua.

November 10 will see another meeting featuring the Poker Ambassador, Mike Sexton, and legendary poker writer Jim MacManus. No word yet on whether it will be Good Jim or Bad Jim attending, but we've got our fingers crossed for Bad Jim.