Welcome to the Facebook home of the Poker Alliance.
Board of Directors:
John Pappas
Executive Director
• John Pappas has been engaged in high-level policy and political consulting in Washington, D.C., for the last 16 years. Prior to taking a full-time position as vice president of government affairs for the Poker Players Alliance (PPA) he was a public affairs consultant for the Washington PR firm Dittus Communications. During his four years at Dittus, Pappas served as a media and policy advisor for dozens of Fortune 500 companies, start-up firms, trade associations and grassroots organizations like the PPA.
Linda Johnson
Professional Poker Player, Publisher, Entrepreneur
• Referred to as the “first lady of poker”, Linda Johnson taught herself to play the game at an early age. In 1980, after finishing 5th in the WSOP Ladies Seven-Card Stud Tournament, Linda quit her job to move to Las Vegas and become a professional poker player. In 1997, she became the second woman in history to win a World Series open event.
Rich Muny
Vice President
• Rich Muny has been a tireless advocate for poker rights since passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act in 2006. He has successfully organized like-minded poker enthusiasts to work together on many campaigns for poker rights. These efforts led to his being named to the PPA Board of Directors in 2007 and to his current role of vice president of player relations in 2011. Prior to being named vice president of player relations, Rich made his living at the tables as a professional poker player. Prior to that, Rich was a mechanical engineer for GE Aviation, where he developed extensive project management, problem solving, and other skills that he brings to his role at PPA.
Patrick Fleming
PPA Litigation Support Director
• Patrick W. Fleming serves as the director of the Poker Players Alliance’s Litigation Support Network. An attorney with his own private practice in Portsmouth, NH, Fleming specializes in criminal defense and civil rights litigation.
• Fleming has always had a love of competitive gaming, from chess to complex military history simulations. His father taught him how to play poker when he was in his early teens, and Fleming frequently played in his father’s regular game and throughout his college and law school years. In 2004, Fleming discovered online poker and quickly became a frequent player under the screen name “Skallagrim.”
The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) is a non-profit membership organization comprised of online and offline poker players. Our membership consists of enthusiasts from around the United States who have joined together to speak with one voice to promote the game and protect the right to play poker in all its forms.
The PPA’s mission is to establish favorable laws that provide poker players with a secure, safe and regulated place to play. Through education and awareness the PPA will keep this game of skill, one of America’s oldest recreational activities, free from egregious government intervention and misguided laws.
The PPA is committed to defending the rights of poker players. On behalf of our broad membership, we will promote and protect poker through advocacy work in Washington, D.C., and throughout the nation. The Poker Players Alliance will work with key lawmakers to ensure a thoughtful and productive dialogue that represents everyone who enjoys and wants to protect the game.
But the PPA’s most powerful resource is its membership base, the players. Through our Web site, www.theppa.org, and through direct contact with our members, the Poker Players Alliance is empowering poker players and enthusiasts to deliver positive messages about the game and why it should be protected to federal, state, and local elected representatives.
