Every night that Howard Lee opens his tiny storefront poker room in Sierra Vista, Arizona, he knows there’s a chance that law enforcement will come in and arrest him, but the thought of being arrested doesn’t faze him. Lee is old-fashioned, the same way the founding fathers were. He believes in freedom and the freedom to play poker. Plus, he doesn’t believe that he is doing anything wrong.
In fact, he looks forward to the opportunity to stand in front of a judge and jury and tell them why he believes his games are legal in Arizona.
“I don’t think they’ll find a jury that will convict me,” Lee said.
Lee has operated Judge Lee’s Arizona Card Room & Social Club and other games of both ring and tournament poker in southern Arizona since 2005, and soon may find himself in a courtroom.
A year after he started running games, the Arizona Gaming Department recommended that Lee and a now defunct partner be charged with a felony related to the business. The attorney general’s office declined to press charges at the time, but now that it’s receiving inquires from local newspapers, it will reconsider charging Lee.
Lee is not the average cardroom owner. The 64-year-old spent a dozen years as a justice of the peace in Arizona. He said he couldn’t stand it when the authorities would, in his eyes, overstep their boundaries. While on the bench, he once chastised a police department for spending thousands of dollars and wasting a night of man-hours investigating a male strip club to see if the dancers were being touched.
After losing re-election, Lee drove a truck until shoulder problems forced him to retire. He said he had to do something, and thought opening a poker room was as good as anything. So, he drew up a business plan, wrote letters to city, county, and state officials — including the attorney general’s office — letting them know of his plan, and started holding games around the city of Tombstone and Sierra Vista.
At least one game is running a night. Blinds are usually $1-$2, with a $40 minimum buy-in and a $100 maximum. Rake is not collected from the pot. Instead, each time the dealer button hits a player, he has to throw in a little extra for the button. This goes to the house. Occasionally, he floats larger games. Players pay a $20 annual membership fee.
Lee gives several reasons why his poker room is legal. He believes poker is a game of skill and shouldn’t be considered a game of gambling. He also claims that Tombstone’s original charter, which is still in place, gives its citizens the right to operate cardrooms.
“I think Tombstone is the first city that actually regulated gaming, and it was gamblers who actually did it,” Lee said. “I just think it’s a profession, and I think it’s legal in Arizona. All my life, I’ve liked freedom. I don’t understand people that don’t. I’m confused by that.”
Soon, he may have to explain his points to a judge and jury, but Lee believes he’s within his rights, and he’s willing to stick his neck out for something he believes in. Now, that’s poker.
