Poker hounds packing
Texas Hold 'Em poker tournaments in taverns across the Triangle and around the state probably don't see anything wrong with the way they're scratching their card-flipping itch.
After all, these rounders are playing a virgin version of the game, one where no cash is wagered. Instead of greenbacks, they're competing for tournament points, door prizes and the chance to do a little barstool shirt-popping.
But that still crosses the line of North Carolina law.
If the winners get a door prize -- even a modest one -- that's against the law. If the winners are offered the entry fee for a big Las Vegas poker tournament -- that's against the law.
Even sitting around the cool green felt and clinking casino-grade chips into the cash-free pot is a problem because North Carolina statutes outlaw the possession of a poker table and other gaming equipment.
"If you play for any kind of prize, it's illegal," said Mike Robertson, director of the state Alcohol Law Enforcement Division. "The tables themselves are illegal. A roulette wheel is illegal. A Texas Hold 'Em table is illegal. I get a tremendous amount of complaints and inquiries about poker tournaments."
Money -- either a bet or entry fee -- is the legal trip wire these tournaments are trying to avoid. But a recent advisory letter from the state Attorney General's Office warned that even cash-free tournaments pose problems. Rooted in 19th-century prohibitions against lotteries, state law gives a broader definition to gambling than money bets slapped down on a poker table.
Gambling is defined, the letter said, as games in which players have "tendered some consideration for a chance to win a prize."
