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Bill To OK Poker Tourneys Clears A House Committee
Published: 2006-04-21
 In defiance of Gov. Kathleen Blanco's vow to veto any expansion of gambling, a House panel agreed Wednesday to legalize Texas Hold 'em poker tournaments, which have come under fire from state regulators who say they are illegal. Two other pro-gambling bills were withdrawn by their authors after the governor's chief attorney reminded legislators of the governor's pledge.
Terry Ryder, Blanco's executive counsel, said three bills under consideration by the House Administration of Criminal Justice Committee fit the governor's definition of gambling expansion. Alton Ashy, a lobbyist for the video-poker industry, asked Rep. Danny Martiny, R-Kenner, and Rep. Ernest Wooton, R-Belle Chasse, to set aside the bills they had filed to allow more video-poker machines at truck stops and to increase the size of wagers and jackpots.
Ashy then took an uncharacteristic swipe at the governor, accusing Blanco of hypocrisy for embracing the government programs that gambling taxes support while opposing the industry's legislative efforts. "The governor wants to give pay raises to teachers and fund every program that comes down the pike and the way she does it is by saying, 'Well, we have increased gaming revenues to do it with,' " Ashy said.
"I think it's somewhat hypocritical for the governor to state that we're going to pad her political nest by getting teachers on board but we're using dirty gambling money to do it." Martiny's House Bill 411 would have allowed truck stops to increase the number of video poker machines, while Wooton's House Bill 384 sought to double the maximum wager on video poker machines to $4 and boost to $1,000 the top jackpot that gamblers could collect. Rep. Warren Triche, D-Thibodaux, decided to move ahead with his House Bill 1149, which would allow bars and restaurants to hold one promotional poker tournament a week provided the house does not take a cut of the gambling proceeds and attendance is limited to people 21 and older.
Triche said the bill is an effort to clarify state law, which bans anyone from operating a business in which people risk something of value for something of greater value. Over the years, the law was only enforced when the house took a cut or charged admission. As poker's popularity has grown with exposure on cable TV, bars around the state began hosting Texas Hold 'em tournaments as a way to draw customers on nights that were otherwise slow. In response, the Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control began cracking down on the practice by interpreting state law to cover bars and restaurants that make an indirect profit on the games by selling liquor and food.
Triche said he moved ahead despite Blanco's objections because he thinks the governor "overstepped her bounds" by threatening to wield her veto pen. "She should wait to do that (until) after the bill actually gets to her," Triche said. Several committee members said they saw little difference between a poker game that's conducted in a private home, which is legal unless the host charges a fee or a cut, and a game that's played in a public venue. Amendments added to the bill by Martiny would forbid bars from providing playing cards, chips, tokens and similar supplies to players, and would only allow advertising on the premises or by word-of-mouth.
The committee voted 6-1 against a proposed amendment by Martiny that would have exempted Orleans Parish from the bill. Martiny said that allowing Texas Hold 'em tournaments in New Orleans could potentially violate the state's contract with Harrah's that gives the land-based casino exclusive rights to conduct gambling in the parish.
But committee members said it would be hypocritical to exclude New Orleans, since their opinion is that the poker games do not meet the definition of gambling if the house does not take a cut. "If it's not gambling, why do we have to exclude New Orleans?" Rep. Alex Heaton, D-New Orleans, said.
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Online Casino Sponsors Upcoming Female Poker Player
Published: 2006-04-28
 Mansion Online has announced their sponsorship of one of poker’s brightest female professional tournament players, Erica Schoenberg. The three-year deal with the 28-year-old Schoenberg comes after she finished 16th in a field of 605 at the 4th Annual Five Star World Poker Classic WPT event in Las Vegas.
'It is with great excitement that we welcome Erica to the Mansion team. Mansion is thrilled to endorse a player with Erica’s obvious talents and skills that extend far beyond the poker table, and we look forward to developing a successful partnership with her,' said David Kinsman, Chief Operating Officer of Mansion Limited.
'Erica is an intelligent woman with a bright future on the international poker circuit. She is poised to become one of the stand-out players and personalities of the game, and we congratulate Erica on a fantastic 16th place get.'
Erica herself was equally thrilled, saying, 'I am so excited to have joined with Mansion, and thrilled to have shown a top-twenty result at one of the most respected poker events worldwide. It is truly a premiere event with all the best players in the game.'
If you fancy taking on Erica at the poker table, you can find her playing under her new handle, 'str8flushin', at Mansionpoker.com.
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