Article
Law Prof Pushes Poker as Game of Skill
Posted May 3, 2007, 08:00 am CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
A Harvard law professor is strategizing with professional poker players in an effort to show that poker is a game of skill rather than chance.
Charles Nesson is just an amateur player. But he told the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) he seeks to “legitimate poker,” a game that is "rampant, in a good way" among his law students.
It’s not just an academic debate. In September, Congress barred the use of credit cards for online wagers in any "game predominantly subject to chance," including poker. Horse bets, though, are still allowed.
Even courts have weighed in on the debate, the newspaper says. In a 1989 case, a California judge held the game was one of skill and allowed card rooms to continue operating. Other judges have disagreed.