If Poker Were a Game of Skill . . . 0
. . . you wouldn’t need to bet to make it interesting.
The ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York reversed a decision last year that said Lawrence DiCristina could not be prosecuted because “Texas Hold ‘Em” was a game of skill rather than chance.
Bennett Cerf, in one of his books, told the story of a small town in the old west that outlawed gambling (in those days, faro was the game of choice) and promptly had some professional gamblers arrested. The gamblers protested that it was a game of skill.
Defense counsel suggested a fair (faro?) test to determine whether faro was a game of chance or one of skill. Three townsfolk representing the “game of chance” position squared off against three of the professional gamblers . . . .
Charges were dropped.
