Poker is a Game of Skill according to US Judge
Anyone that has been following the online poker industry within the United States is aware of how much the federal government has been trying to crack down on poker within its own borders, but a decision by the judicial branch of that government could send their entire strategy crumbling to the ground like the house of cards that it is. According to a recent ruling given in a Pennsylvania court, Judge Thomas A. James has ruled that poker is a game of skill and for that reason cannot be treated like a gambling activity under the state’s law.
The main factor regarding the decision, according to the judge, was the wide range of poker literature available on the odds of the game. The specific game in question here was Texas Hold ‘Em and the wide range of literature available on that particular gaming form convinced the judge that the long range skill of professional players wins out over their luck in the long run. This was brought home especially by a study done on the game of poker that showed that the majority of wins for a good poker player over time come from minimizing losses on bad hands and maximizing them on good ones. Since no other form of gambling can state this, the judge felt he had no choice but to make that particular ruling regarding Texas Holdem Poker.
This case started when a Pennsylvanian resident named Walter Watkins was arrested for running a $1-$2 No Limit Texas Holdem Poker game in his garage with no gambling license, but the ruling by the court has effectively resulted in the dropping of the entire gamut of charges against him and his dealer Diane Dent. According to Poker Player’s Alliance, this represents a huge victory for poker in the United States.