Professional poker player Phil Gordon will argue to Minnesota state legislators that Texas Hold’em is a skill game. Minnesota law currently forbids games of chance, which poker is currently considered, unless they are organized as a tournament. Even then, prize money is limited to no more than $200.
Poker Gazette - ST. PAUL, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–March 17, 2005–Phil Gordon, a top professional poker player, expert analyst and co-host of TV’s “Celebrity Poker Showdown,” will be in St. Paul, Minnesota on Monday, March 21 to testify on behalf of proposed legislation to clarify state laws related to card games.
The legislation, offered by State Senator Dave Kleis, would add the game of Texas Hold’em to the definition of social skill games that are legal in Minnesota, such as cribbage, bridge, gin, 500 and whist.
Under Kleis’ bill, tournaments involving any of these games cannot provide any direct financial benefit to the promoter or organizer, and the sum of all prizes for each tournament cannot exceed $200. Tournaments involving games of skill, such as pool and darts, are allowed under current Minnesota law.
Popular poker programs like the World Poker Tour, the World Series of Poker, Celebrity Poker, and Tilt have given many people the false impression that poker is legal in their state. In a few years it probably will be.
Nathan adds: I find it ironic that it’s Gordon, of all people, who is being called to testify in this matter. While Gordon is clearly a very sharp tack, his greatest success came at the 2001 World Series of Poker thanks to a ludicrous final table suckout on Phil Hellmuth. Gordon’s two sixes sucked out on Hellmuth’s famous two black nines that day; the suckjob no doubt took a great degree of skill to pull off.
Eric Anderson at 8:09 pm
Poker is definetely skill, it is not a game of luck even thoough people play it as it
Comment by Jamie — March 17, 2005 @ 11:39 pm
To even suggest that poker is not a skill game is absurd. As a Brit I find it incredible that many areas of the US are so shy when it comes to gambling. As the country that invented the poker, you should be proud of the fact and shouting it from the rooftops.
Comment by John Sorley — June 16, 2005 @ 11:04 am