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 The Poker Players Alliance (PPA) has appointed Rich Muny as their vice president of player relations. Muny who is known as "TheEngineer" has served as a PPA representative on poker message boards such as TwoPlusTwo.com and PocketFives.com for quite some time. He has been on the PPA board of directors since 2007 and until now has been an unpaid volunteer. His newly created position will allow him to dedicate himself to improving the PPA's alliance with its members, full time.
"I think it's absolutely necessary to have a community that is united," Muny said. "We know we can't get every single poker player on board. The NRA hasn't gotten every single gun owner on board with their mission either. It's important to have support of the large majority, and I think it's absolutely possible. I think a lot of it is discussing where we are, and I do that every day. I'm proactive in sending out emails and videos, actively speaking to individual members through Skype mail and Skype conference calls."
"We want to keep the player right at the forefront of PPA decisions and relay our decisions and the reasons for them back to the players so that everyone feels they are well represented," Muny said. "I will be taking player concerns to the PPA in a senior role."
One of the most difficult tasks that Muny will be faced with in his new position is to temper expectations and build trust with players. Many players feel that the PPA is not doing enough to make a difference but even though the concrete results might not be there the PPA has fought hard for players for the past five years and plan to continue to do so.
"A lot of people think this is a lot easier than it is," Muny said. "We've always been underdogs, so the true measure of success has been are we getting legislation introduced in Congress, are we getting letters to congressmen and are we changing people's minds on Capitol Hill? I think the answer is yes to all of those questions. I think an important outreach function is to communicate what we're fighting, how we're fighting and why we're fighting."
During the announcement, PPA Founder John Papas praised Muny saying, "The strength of the PPA greatly depends on the voice of its membership and Rich has proven to be an outstanding representative of poker players, not only in his home state of Kentucky, but from across the country. As an avid poker player himself, Rich is truly ingrained in the issues and understands the frustration players feel around the current legislative challenges to online poker in the U.S. I can't imagine anyone more suited to directly communicate with our membership."
Muny knows how to communicate with regular online poker players because he is one. He's not a political lobbyist or a big named professional player; he is simply a regular down to earth small-stakes player who found joy in playing a game that he loves and making a little money in the process. A long time casual gamer he decided to quit his job as an engineer and go pro in 2010 but the events of Black Friday seriously through a wrench in his plans. His money is still locked up on Full Tilt Poker so he understands and shares the frustrations of everyone who ended up cut off from their favorite game.
"I didn't come from the PPA to ask players to support the PPA," Muny told the press. "I came from the player base to ask players to oppose those who stop us from playing. I came from the player community, joined the PPA in that role and continued to move up. It's an honor now to be in a senior role in this organization and to relay the player concerns that are always at the forefront of our mission."
With the background he has we have little doubt that Muny will be perfect in his new role.
As always, stay tuned to Casinofan for more news and updates.
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