Question Of Legality

Hi - Is it legal to have a poker game at your house where everyone puts in say $25 - $50 and then play like a tournament or SNG? Then award the money as prizes to the winners? Just curious if I have to worry about cops beating down my door. TIA

Hey Michelle, according to my cop friend, he said as long the house does not take a rake or percentage on it. It really comes down to if the house is making a profit. I always have house games at my house, either ring games or tourny, and couple of the players are cops. Unless thier lying to me in order to get in the game, I know you can host house games.

As long as there is no few for entry or the house or owner makes profit of it. Also you cant charge for refreshments.

I'm sure there are jurisdictional issues involved here, but the biggest variable is "enforcement". Regardless of legality, do you live in an area where law enforcement takes an unhealthy interest in private gambling? Or do you live in a place where the cops have bigger fish to fry than a few hundred bucks being shuffled around at a poker table in someone's den? If the latter is the case, why sweat it?

My personal take on the pure legal issue? If you are not wagering within the walls of a licensed gaming establishment operating in a state which legally allows such activity, you are gambling outside the law. The question then reverts back to, do you (or the law) care?

I can tell you that down here in the Tennessee hills, if money changes hands over a game of chance, whether it be dice, cards, numbers, fighting cocks, football games, whatever...it's a "crime". There aren't any stipulations which would allow it. I can also tell you that very few of us give a s**t.

Hi All - LOL RammerJammer - Loved your last sentence. I doubt our police (I shouldn't call them cops) care much - we do have bigger fish to fry. I also would never charge for my gourmet snacks of beer and chips and we'd all chip in for pizza!

I did a search on FindPokerPal.com and found 6 poker games listed for my area. I doubt I'll join in those, but at least I know they are going on publicly.

We have lots of casinos here in our area - one every 5 feet it seems, but it would be more fun to play with people I know.

Thanks for the feedback so far.

If it's not for profit I suppose it is legal but even if it's not no one would ever enforce it.

It depends which state you're in. I know Massachusetts frowns upon that. Unless you have a license to do it, you can't. But, I doubt cops will be at your door. If the total amount of money is small (mo more than thousand), I wouldn't worry about it. I played one where the guy running a game where every $50 that was played in the pot, $10 was taken out to pay for the food (the game was a $100 buy-in and there was one table).

I love Tennesse

I really need to move there. You can play cards, fight chickens ,and roll dice and half the time your opponets are the cops......lol

what's SNG?

what's is SNG?

in massachusetts where i play....its only illegal if the house makes a profit from it....