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Camilla's son is the new poker face
Published: 2005-04-23
 Camilla's son is the new poker face
By James Moore
(Filed: 23/04/2005)
To some, the word poker still conjures up an image of smoky back street card rooms where large sums of money are thrown around by sharks and hustlers and an undercurrent of violence is never far away.
That is becoming a minority view, however. The game is increasingly replacing the likes of bridge as - in the words of Tom Parker Bowles, son of Camilla - "the middle-class game of choice".
He has been playing for eight years and provided one of the highlights of the 2004 television series of Celebrity Poker Club when he took on the darts champion Phil Taylor.
But while the son of the Duchess of Cornwall may have acquitted himself with aplomb against fellow celebrities for the digital channel Challenge TV, it is a different story against two bona fide professionals.
Betfair, the on-line betting exchange that sees poker as its next big thing, has invited six of us to The Games Room in Mayfair to play for a seat at the World Series of Poker, the game's blue riband event in Las Vegas that will this year boast a $60 million prize pool.
Alongside Tom are his friend Zac Goldsmith, the professionals Willie Tann and Neil Channing, the Betfair founder Andrew Black, and myself.
The action is rather cagey at first, as the professionals attempt to get the measure of the novice players but, after a bit of gentle banter with long-time pro Willie, Tom decides to take him on. It proves a fatal error.
After pushing all his chips into the centre of the table in the vain hope that it will frighten off Willie, the pro calls the bet, turns over an unbeatable hand and knocks Tom out of the game. He has been playing for barely five minutes.
Zac is another matter. He keeps screwing his face up and initially I wonder if this could be a poker tell; an involuntary physical tic or gesture that gives away the type of hand a player is holding. No such luck.
Zac may devote his life to attempting to restrain our addiction to burning fossil fuels through his magazine The Ecologist, but on his off nights he is partial to burning expensive tobacco. The grimace simply denotes that he is taking a long, meditative draw on the large Cuban cigar that barely moves from between his lips the entire evening.
While dressed in the same manner as Tom, who also sports a sharp suit, open-necked shirt and similarly impressive cigar, he looks and plays like a much more serious proposition. I feel rather pleased after I manage to bluff him a couple of times, but it isn't long before I make exactly the same mistake as Tom by thinking that I can take on Willie, who seems blessed with an unbeatable series of cards.
Andrew, a professional standard bridge player but with me in the "novice" category when it comes to poker, lasts a little longer but soon succumbs, leaving the three of us to watch the big three take each other on.
Tom is an entertaining chap. He has put much publicised drug problems behind him but can still cause a stir.
His description of poker as "the middle-class pastime of choice" is rather milder than what he said to a magazine published by the casino operator, London Clubs International.
"For me, the poker room of a British casino is triplex hard core slut action compared to the Page 3 charms of normal casino games," he opined.
He also admits that it drives his fiancée, the fashion editor Sara Buys, up the wall when he spends hours watching televised poker. Figures from Channel 4 and Challenge TV suggest that he is one of up to one million viewers, despite the programmes' late start.
Tom also has a weakness for playing on-line poker after hitting the town on a Friday and Saturday.
"I'm just too impatient," he laments, as the big boys fight it out. "After a while, I get bored and feel I have to play a hand. I do it online, too," he sighs.
After a shaky start, which saw him sandwiched between the two professionals, Zac ends up in a two-way tussle with Willie for entry into the big tournament.
Just like Tom and me much earlier on, Zac thought he had a good hand, pushed all his chips into the centre of the table and found himself knocked out by the professional. That's poker.
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Chief wants hold put on illegal poker tourneys
Published: 2005-04-25
 Chief wants hold put on illegal poker tourneys
By Chris Stevens
Monday, April 25, 2005
SAUGUS - If you're planning a "Texas Hold 'Em" poker night, you better not try and bluff the town or you could be in for a serious fine, or jail time.
Police Chief James MacKay said since the popularity of poker fund-raisers has surged, there has been a lot of confusion about legal versus illegal gambling.
"I have never had a request for a bazaar permit until November or December," MacKay said. "Now I get them almost daily, and I've rejected some because they don't fit the requirements."
Bazzar permits are needed by any group looking to run a poker benefit and the only groups eligible are non-profit organizations that have been in existence for at least two years.
MacKay said there are also businesses that will run and promote poker fund-raisers for various groups, something he said state law prohibits.
"The only ones who can actually operate and promote the fund-raisers is the organization that applies for the permit," he added.
Another misconception, McKay said, is the cash prizes. According to MacKay, cash prizes in the poker tournaments cannot exceed $25. Organizations in other communities have advertised poker nights with prizes up to $5,000.
In Lynn, St. Mary's will be holding a Texas Hold 'Em night with a reported $7,500 in prizes. However, MacKay said state law clearly prohibits awards above $25.
Nahant Lions Club members seemed to circumvent the law by securing permission from the state Lottery and the town to hold a poker tournament last January, in which $3,500 was given for the first place prize.
MacKay says he knows of no backroom poker rings or unofficial fund-raisers being held, but said since the proliferation of requests for permits to hold poker nights, he wants to make sure everyone is clear on the rules.
"We just want to make sure we have a system in place," he said.
MacKay said as a non-gambler and somewhat surprised by the Texas Hold 'Em fad.
"I don't gamble," he said, "so I don't get it. I know there's a lot of interest in it. I just don't get it."
MacKay said organizations also need to be aware that they can only hold three gambling events in one calendar year, and only one during one calendar day, which cannot last any longer than five hours.
"Operating outside the limits of the law and technically it's illegal gambling," he said. "And you could be subject to a $1,000 fine and up to two years in jail. We're not looking for that of course, we're just taking steps so everyone is well informed."
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