Does it make sense that you can order alcohol and buy smokes in a bar, but you can’t gamble? Actually you can gamble in some bars, but it’s playing VLT machines – which is giving your money away, not really gambling. Apparently only two of the three big sins are allowed in bars. It’s just another example of anti-gambling hypocrisy.

I can see why they would want to keep regular cash ring games out of bars. I doubt the bars would even want them because of the difficulties it would cause. Think about it. If your local bar brought in cash ring games they would need to find the space for them, get some actual dealers (I don’t want waitresses or bartenders dealing to me in a cash game), and they’d have to bring in extra security with all that cash floating around. That’s just the beginning of some of the problems that cash ring games would cause bars.

However, most of these problems wouldn’t exist if bars just held poker tournaments. Even better would be a poker league. There are bars out there that hold pool leagues and darts leagues, what’s the difference or harm of a poker league? If a bar can hold a darts or pool tournament why can’t they hold a poker tournament? There’s skill involved in all three games and just like in a poker tourney there’s money and/or prizes on the line when you’re playing in a pool or darts tourney.

One argument against poker tournaments is the buy-in it takes to play in them. The last time I signed up to play in a darts or pool league or tourney, there was an entry fee. Why can’t you start up a poker tournament with the same kind of fee? If you’re going to treat pool or darts a certain way, then poker should be treated the same and not singled out.