Is Poker A Game Of Skill Or Chance 

Is Poker A Game Of Skill Or Chance

Chess Strategy
He said: "The only licence that appeared to cover us was a full casino licence but they are very restricted and anyway, that type of licence is for blackjack, roulette and all other games as well.

"We just want to play poker. We cater for the social player who doesn't want to play for high stakes and doesn't want to be in a gambling environment like a casino. I don't see why people who want to play poker and maybe win a maximum of ?0 in a night should have to go to a casino to do so."

He added: "The problem is that the Gaming Act came into force in 1968 when there were a huge amount of illegal casinos and when poker wasn't very popular. Poker has become the biggest card game on the planet in recent years and unfortunately the law hasn't caught up with that." After a year-long investigation by the Metropolitan Police and the Gambling Commission, Mr Kelly has been charged with breaching the Gaming Act and could face jail if he is found guilty. If he is acquitted, it could open the floodgates for pubs to run their own poker tournaments free of restrictions.

A central part of Mr Kelly's defence is expected to be that poker is a game of skill rather than luck and should be viewed like chess or bridge. "I think the Gambling Commission will have great difficulty in finding anyone who will take the stand to say that poker is not a game of skill," he said. "In any case, I don't think there is a single game that is purely about skill. Take chess; it comes down to skill but to start a game, you have to toss to decide who starts, so even then there is an element of gambling. How do you decide whether a game is say 43 per cent skill, or 60 per cent?"

The case is to be heard at Snaresbrook Crown Court in south-east London early next year. Insiders in the poker-playing community say there is something of a "free for all" among pubs running unlicensed poker tournaments while the law remains in limbo. The Commission is determined to crack down on the phenomenon and this week wrote to police, local authorities and licensing trade associations to remind them playing for money is illegal. Phill Brear, its director of operations, said: "We know that whereas it was hardly on the radar last year we are getting some very significant blips now.