About one year ago, PocketFives.com had Michael Bolcerek, President of the Poker Players Alliance, on its weekly Podcast. One of the very first political guests the show ever had, Bolcerek spoke about his plans to build something at the time most people probably didn’t think was possible – a formidable lobbying force composed of online poker players. Fast forward one year to May, 2007, and you’ll see that the PPA is nearing the half million member mark. Driven largely by no-cost memberships and the arrival of former Republican Senator Alfonse D’Amato as its Chairman, the PPA’s membership has quadrupled in recent months. PocketFives.com sat down with PPA President Michael Bolcerek during a busy day on Capitol Hill to discuss this explosive growth.

Recovered from the Poker Players Alliance archive index. The full original text continued beyond this excerpt and was not captured in the archive.