Texas Hold'em in Louisiana

Recently the game of Texas Hold'em has become quite the craze in the area around Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It seems everywhere I go people are talking about their home games, time spent at Harrah's casino or local tournaments taking place in local bars and restaurants around town. I have to admit that I've been sucked into playing the game and regularly attend games held at Big Mikes Bar and The Press Box Grill. Suprisingly enough Louisiana's ATC board has recently decided that they believe such games to be illegal gambling operations run by such establishments even though they've allowed tournament games such as darts and pool to be run for years without a sound. Their position as presented by Commissioner Murphy Painter: "The question is whether they are a (gambling) business," Painter said. "They may not be getting a cut, but they are getting additional food and beverage sales. Is that a business? That's never been addressed by the courts."

Are they a gambling business?. The place is called Big Mikes Bar, You go in and its a pool hall with a bar a few other games and a few places sit. Its not called Big Mikes Card House is it? No. Its a bar who allows a few individuals who ARE NOT ON THE PAYROLL to setup and run a poker game on a weekly basis. They make no money from the game and set it up for their own enjoyment as avid card players. Painter goes on to answer their question by saying they may not be getting a cut. So why the hell are you wasting tax dollars on a question you already know the answer to? It seems like it should be a straight forward open/shut situation for any judge presented with the case.

The ATC goes on further: they are getting additional food and beverage sales. Is that a (gambling) business?. Imagine that people hosting events in order to boost sales? Are you kidding me? Everything that goes on in a bar from the jukebox to the dartboards is there to boost sales. Hooters hires women in scanty outfits do what?...boost sales. What we're faced with here is hollow reasoning masking a simple truth. The ATC is being pressured by some corporate body. Why? The casino's obviously don't care much for poker games in that Baton Rouge has no casino with Hold'em tables. You have to drive to New Orleans to get to the closest game with a rake. Do they think that we're going to go play their craps or blackjack tables if they take away our right to play cards? But of course according to the ATC the casino's have nothing to do with their recent crackdow decision.

I find it very sad that America isn't run by people its run by corporations. Until now I had no interests that I'm aware of that fell into the category of being made illegal due to conflicting with the bottom line of some corporate body. The ATC doesn't act on pool, darts or bowling leagues because big money doesn't care about such games due to their inability to draw big profit. Insert a deck of cards into the mix and suddenly the ATC jumps up and starts issuing cease and desist orders. Everything we do is regulated by corporation X's bottom line.(usually involving some politicians campaign funds) Every law thats passed and every lie that falls off the lips of government officials is the result of some corporate campaign donation. Its a sad state of affairs and I don't see any way out of it short of full scale revolution or the United States being invaded.

Its really a shame that we don't control anything from the games we play to the foods we eat. We're at the mercy of big money and nothing can change that. 80% of Americans could give a fuck less and 70% of the remaining are too lazy to do anything about it. The remainder are easily put aside by money and government that doesn't want anyone getting in the way of the bottom line.

I pay taxes, I obey the law and I want to simple game to pass the time. Is that too much to ask?

Update on Poker In Baton Rouge, Louisiana

The Argosy Casino in Baton Rouge opened a poker room about the same time the state started shutting down all privately held games. Suprise suprise. The State is now getting their rake on gaming by forcing tournament players into casinos. Thank god for the Internet.