Minnesota bill aims to legitimize hold ‘em tourneys

Patrick Condon

Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2005 | 9:21 a.m.

ST. PAUL -- Playing in a Texas hold 'em tournament may soon be a lot less risky in Minnesota, the latest state to struggle with questions about the legality of the popular game.

A state senator's bill would let bars and other establishments add hold 'em tournaments to the list of legal card tournaments. That currently includes games such as cribbage, bridge, gin, 500 and others, but not Texas hold 'em. The game is at the center of a national poker craze fed by cable coverage of tournaments and professional events.

Republican Sen. Dave Kleis of St. Cloud said he introduced the bill in response to a police raid in his home city last year at a bowling alley that was hosting weekly hold 'em tournaments. The owner, David Bischoff, said several attorneys told him the tournaments were legal, and county prosecutors ultimately filed no charges. But police confiscated items from the bowling alley and detained 40 players for several hours.

"It's certainly a waste of our state resources to go after tournaments like this," Kleis said. "The purpose of this bill is to make it very clear that Texas hold 'em is allowed in business establishments."

Other states have also struggled with legal questions surrounding hold 'em tournaments. In Wyoming, a number of bars recently shut down tournaments after the state attorney general questioned their legality. In Texas itself, prosecutors have questioned whether bars are improperly profiting from the tournaments.

Minnesota law allows card and game tournaments at bars and businesses as long as the hosts don't directly profit from the play, and players don't gamble with real money. Bischoff said he met those criteria -- he charged no entrance fee, and the only rewards for players were hats and T-shirts for tournament winners.

"I was just looking for something new to do in my bar," Bischoff said. He said the tournaments were popular, always drawing the maximum 40 players and bringing new business into his bowling alley.

Bischoff said he suspended the tournaments for a while but started again once county prosecutors declined to file charges.

"There's absolutely no reason Texas hold 'em should be illegal," Kleis said. The senator said he plays the game himself for money among friends, which state law also allows.

Texas hold 'em has become a popular pasttime for teenagers, and some experts have raised concern that it encourages gambling habits especially among young men. Kleis dismissed such concerns, saying the game cultivates math and problem-solving skills.