Legal Poker In Texas???

[Johnny Hughes]

Today, they are debating making Texas Hold 'em legal in Texas. The National Poker Player's Alliance is leading the charge and that impresses me. I'm going to join because of this. We Texans have to go to New Mexico, Oklahoma, or Nevada to play poker legally. Will the bill to legalize poker in Texas pass? No. And you can book it. The wishes are gone and the prop bets are on.

They made those biker charity poker runs illegal when the legislature last squatted. Now the legislators all drink and gamble and chase the upper-echelon working girls but they are saving the rest of us from all the fun they have in Austin.

The gambling industry lobby is not helping the poker players with the legislature because they hope for full casinos or just slots and video poker. It's ironic. This is the first time I know of that poker and the gambling industry have not been toting the same water bucket. It is being debated right now. 'Course true Texans are more concerned that Billy Joe Shaver shot a guy last night in Waco. We music fans are certain the fellow needed shooting.

Here's the poker story:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/4681802.html

Johnny Hughes

[TheGrasshopper]

Johnny, aren't home games legal in Texas or at least parts of it?

I've heard that the authorities take a wink and nod approach to poker in Houston. Maybe all of that is wrong, but I'm sure you can set me straight on that.

[Toro]

Click the link. It says that in the article.

"Existing Texas law allows gambling on a card game if it is done in a private place, such as a home; if no one received economic benefit from the game other than personal winnings; and if the risk of winning or losing is the same for all participants, according to the Texas District and County Attorneys Association."

[polkaface]

On the news this morning the tv reporter was saying that the poker bill was facing little opposition so far and he was surprised by that considering the last few attempts.

Gives me some hope!!

[AggieAce]

Poker is Texas seems to have different rules based on where/who is doing it, if you know what I mean. Also, on the show Dallas SWAT, I think it came on the Discovery channel they raided a poker game. I was part of a home game in College Station that got busted when I wasn't there.

[the_nightfox]

I was there when the game got busted in College Station. It was completely ridiculous. Nothing like busting in on a cardroom with two tables with the entire SWAT team holding rifles, handcuffing everybody, confiscating money from ONLY the 10-20 LHE players (not the 3-6 LHE players), and then writing everyone tickets and letting them go...

more like a dog and pony show than anything else... there are cardrooms EVERYWHERE in Houston and Dallas and Lake Charles and Shreveport, LA are only a couple of hours away, but it'd be nice to have some legal gambling near home...

[bearly]

johnny, billy joe is one of the best song-writers ever, but no one i've heard can surpass the skills of texas' own townes van zandt.............b

[rageotones]

[ QUOTE ]
On the news this morning the tv reporter was saying that the poker bill was facing little opposition so far and he was surprised by that considering the last few attempts.

Gives me some hope!!

[/ QUOTE ]

wow. everything else i heard said that this had about 0% chance of passing.

i really hope this passes, and if it does, i really hope they don't screw everyone with $10 rake or something.

edit: i just read this

"Menendez said that he plans to amend his bill before presenting it to the licensing panel to require that games be played on an electric table that deals computer-generated cards that can be seen only by the player who receives them."

what the hell?

[Wetdog]

[ QUOTE ]
"Menendez said that he plans to amend his bill before presenting it to the licensing panel to require that games be played on an electric table that deals computer-generated cards that can be seen only by the player who receives them."

what the hell?

[/ QUOTE ]

Payoff from the machine manufacturer being paid back?

[corndog]

Possibly payoff, but also possible that they want a way for everything to be monitored from a central location.

As far as I see it, electronic tables are better than no tables. Baby steps, gents.