Barack Obama’s Poker Days

Barack Obama’s Poker Days

Wednesday, 26 September 2007

According to a piece by The Associated Press news service, American Presidential candidate Barack Obama is a great fan of poker and used to play the game while serving as a representative in the Illinois State Legislature.

According to a piece by The Associated Press news service, American Presidential candidate Barack Obama is a great fan of poker and used to play the game while serving as a representative in the Illinois State Legislature.
The piece released this week features several legislators and lobbyists speaking about the Democrat candidate for America’s highest post and the poker games that they used to play with him, which were sometimes referred to as the ‘committee meeting’.
Those quoted state that they usually played stud or draw poker for low stakes and that the atmosphere was jovial and relaxed. Players could win or lose anywhere from $60 to $100 during a regular night with Obama’s fellow players reporting that his style as very tight. The piece said that Obama liked to figure his odds and make big moves when he had the upper hand.
'Barack was always focused on anything he did but he would certainly engage in banter,' said Stephen Selcke, a lobbyist for telecommunications giant AT&T. 'Barack was one of the guys.'
The piece said that the poker nights began around 1997 as a way to kill time in the small State Capital city of Springfield during long legislative sessions. Under local law, it's illegal to play poker for money but this is seldom enforced when the games are for low stakes.
While Obama is a self-declared poker player, he has failed to take a definitive stance when it comes to the game although it is widely believed he will support the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act (IGREA) initiative put forward by Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank earlier this year should it be put to a vote.



Tags: Poker News, Barack, Obama’s, Poker, Days