ARTICLES BY: BILL GRADY
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POKER
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published over 2 years ago in
Card Player College Magazine Volume 1, Number 6
Card Player College Magazine Volume 1, Number 6
Campus Happenings: University of Tennessee
Poker players in Tennessee do not have convenient access to casinos as do their brethren in Las Vegas, California, and New Jersey. Gambling, which includes poker, is a criminal offense in Tennessee. "Gambling is contrary to the public policy of this state and means risking anything of value for a profit whose return is to any degree contingent on chance, or any games of chance associated with casinos, including, but not limited to, slot machines, roulette wheels and the like." (Tenn. Code Annex § 39-17-501(1).)
Most poker players, at least the good ones, contend that poker is less a game of chance and more a game of skill. I am inclined to agree when I see player after player repeatedly bust out of the SNGs that I routinely play, and place in the money in, online (free-money games only of course). Although, I am not going to take the time to fully research gambling across the South for this column, I would venture to say that most states in the South (despite the fact that so many have lotteries, which are true games of chance) continue to maintain the same backward view that Tennessee does in regards to poker - the one obvious exception being legal river gambling in Mississippi.
Despite the above statute, players continue to host home games in private residences and on college campuses across the state. One can always find a game just about any day of the week at one of the Greek houses at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Chris Moneymaker, the 2003 World Series of Poker main event champion, played poker while in college at UTK, and then he later perfected his game on the Internet while working as an accountant in Nashville. Many co-workers join each other one or two nights a week for a friendly game that includes beer and maybe a baseball or football game showing on the TV.
I would not be surprised to find out that the majority of casual gamers do not know that playing poker is a Class C misdemeanor in Tennessee. (Ibid. § 39-17-502(c).) However, even if they did know, they probably would not give the matter much thought, as law enforcement agencies lack the manpower and the interest in stopping these activities with the result that they do not do much about them in all but the most exceptional cases, such as high-limit games and underground cardrooms. (One of the latter was recently infiltrated and busted in Nashville.)
The legal option for poker players is one of the many restaurant-hosted games that occur in many of the college towns. Here in Knoxville, one can go play poker at the Mellow Mushroom on Cumberland Avenue every Tuesday at 10 p.m. The winners receive Mellow Mushroom money, with which they can purchase food. Since these gamblers are not "risking anything of value," they are not breaking the law. However, the quality of player that is attracted on any given Tuesday is unlikely to provide the challenged desired by serious players, but the experience can be an enjoyable way to spend a weeknight meeting other people.
Whether poker is illegal or not, Tennesseans are going to continue to play poker in home games and on the Internet. Perhaps in a state with a lottery and where trading futures is legal - gambling by many standards - the legislature should rethink its posture on gambling in general, if not specifically poker. The game is becoming more and more accepted by society and is no longer relegated to or associated with shady characters in backrooms and alleys.
Most poker players, at least the good ones, contend that poker is less a game of chance and more a game of skill. I am inclined to agree when I see player after player repeatedly bust out of the SNGs that I routinely play, and place in the money in, online (free-money games only of course). Although, I am not going to take the time to fully research gambling across the South for this column, I would venture to say that most states in the South (despite the fact that so many have lotteries, which are true games of chance) continue to maintain the same backward view that Tennessee does in regards to poker - the one obvious exception being legal river gambling in Mississippi.
Despite the above statute, players continue to host home games in private residences and on college campuses across the state. One can always find a game just about any day of the week at one of the Greek houses at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Chris Moneymaker, the 2003 World Series of Poker main event champion, played poker while in college at UTK, and then he later perfected his game on the Internet while working as an accountant in Nashville. Many co-workers join each other one or two nights a week for a friendly game that includes beer and maybe a baseball or football game showing on the TV.
I would not be surprised to find out that the majority of casual gamers do not know that playing poker is a Class C misdemeanor in Tennessee. (Ibid. § 39-17-502(c).) However, even if they did know, they probably would not give the matter much thought, as law enforcement agencies lack the manpower and the interest in stopping these activities with the result that they do not do much about them in all but the most exceptional cases, such as high-limit games and underground cardrooms. (One of the latter was recently infiltrated and busted in Nashville.)
The legal option for poker players is one of the many restaurant-hosted games that occur in many of the college towns. Here in Knoxville, one can go play poker at the Mellow Mushroom on Cumberland Avenue every Tuesday at 10 p.m. The winners receive Mellow Mushroom money, with which they can purchase food. Since these gamblers are not "risking anything of value," they are not breaking the law. However, the quality of player that is attracted on any given Tuesday is unlikely to provide the challenged desired by serious players, but the experience can be an enjoyable way to spend a weeknight meeting other people.
Whether poker is illegal or not, Tennesseans are going to continue to play poker in home games and on the Internet. Perhaps in a state with a lottery and where trading futures is legal - gambling by many standards - the legislature should rethink its posture on gambling in general, if not specifically poker. The game is becoming more and more accepted by society and is no longer relegated to or associated with shady characters in backrooms and alleys.
