Pennsylvania Jury: Poker “Is Not a Skill Game”

Pennsylvania Jury: Poker “Is Not a Skill Game”

Wednesday, 19 August 2009

Once again, for some odd reason, poker has been declared NOT a game of skill by a Pennsylvania jury.

65 year old Lawrence Burns was charged with 12 counts of illegal gambling misdemeanours in 2007. This was after law enforcement officials had accused him of running illegal poker tournaments in local fire halls.


Burns admitted the offences but denied any guilt, stating – quite truthfully – that poker is a game of skill and therefore falls outside the state’s anti-gambling restrictions.


What makes the decision even more insane is that Burns had an expert witness in the shape of University of Denver professor Dr. Robert Hannum, who testified that poker is not a game of chance. He began referencing a computer simulation that showed skilled players winning 960 million times out of one billion over non-skilled players.


But after two hours of deliberation, the 12-person jury rejected the expert opinions, finding Burns guilty on all counts as the week ended.



Tags: Poker News, Pennsylvania, Jury:, Poker, “Is, Not, a, Skill, Game”