I was skeptical when I saw the formation of the Poker Player’s Alliance about 18 months ago. Their goal is “.. to promote the game, ensure its integrity, and, most importantly, to protect poker players’ rights.”.

Yeah, right. Good luck.

But I now think that they may be on to something. They have named former senator Alfonse D’Amato as Chairman of the Board of the organization. Getting someome like him to lead the charge — someone who knows the ins-and-outs of Congress, and who still may be able to call in a few outstanding favors — is a real score.

Do your part and help fud the efforts of the PPA — and get some bonus cash at the same time. Here’s how.

• Open a new Full Tilt Poker account, or log into your existing account
• Follow these instructions to join the PPA through the Full Tilt Poker cashier. If you join PPA at the $20 level, Full Tilt Poker will give you a $50 bonus + a freeroll entry; joining the PPA at higher levels gets you better goodies from Full Tilt Poker.

US players can also play in special PPA Membership Drive $500 freerolls at PokerStars in exchange for allowing them to share your contact information with the PPA. The PPA will send you more information, and you can decide to join at a later time.