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The Poker Players Alliance is at the WSOP this year hoping to turn you into an advocate for the game, ready to wield your vote like a check-raise to stop any attempt in Washington to stifle your right to play poker.

In between all the hustle and bustle of tournament coverage, I had the opportunity this weekend to catch up with PPA Executive Director John Pappas and ask him about his organization’s new voter registration campaign and its efforts to change Congress’ mind on the issues surrounding the legality of the game.

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The first two events of the 2008 World Series of Poker did not go as well as expected for Greg Raymer.

After describing how he pushed most or all of his chips into the pot as a solid favorite several times, only to watch his opponent outdraw him, Raymer explained why he figures his luck will change as the six-week poker extravaganza progresses at the Rio.

Only Raymer doesn’t use terms like “luck.”

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Sen. Ted Stevens plays in his native Alaska’s fishing camps.

Rep. Charlie Rangel deals with his buddies from the block back in New York.

Rep. Joe Barton heads north from Dallas on I-35 to Oklahoma’s Indian reservations.

Rep. Duncan Hunter runs nickel/dime/quarter games on Capitol Hill.

And long before he launched his bid for the White House, then-Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama dealt in lawmakers and lobbyists during the long legislative sessions in Springfield.

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The California Gambling Control/ Intrastate Online Poker Legalization Act (AB 2026, authored by Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys) passed another historic legislative milestone on May 29 as the bill advanced from the Assembly floor to the State Senate for action. Within the next week, the Senate Rules Committee will assign the bill to the appropriate Committee in the upper house for consideration.

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Lobbying in Washington is a thankless task. Time and again, John Pappas has plead his case and that of poker players across the United States to the men and women who make the laws of the land, only to find himself forced to plead again. Still, his efforts aren’t going unnoticed; his organization, the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) now boasts over 1 million members. I sat down with Pappas to talk about poker, politics and everything in between.

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Read the latest news from the PPA as poker players from all over the country celebrate America’s card game and tell Congress that Poker is Not a Crime.

Click here for the PPA press release.