Poker Chips
Well, in today’s blog we’ll be discussing a pretty strange news item: Police in Idaho have busted elderly residents at the Twin Falls Senior Center for playing low-limit weekly games of poker. In a move that has been condemned as heavy-handed, police visited the senior centre to inform the residents that their weekly games of Texas Hold’Em must come to end. MagicValley.com has reported that around 20 residents at the care home take part in the games, with many using the activity as a way of meeting new people and partaking in a social activity.
Reporters spoke to players such as Shirley Basham, aged 75, who plays poker at the centre as it places little physical strain on her. Another resident, Norman Pohl, told reporters that while there aren’t “many things” he can do, he looks forward to the poker games every week. The residents admitted that they had tried playing the game legally, but it simply wasn’t as fun without real cash on the line. The residents are now echoing the opinions of other poker players in Idaho, who have suggested that the law should be changed to allow gambling. Twin Falls’ County Prosecutor, Grant Loebs, told MagicValley.com that the bust was “at best…a waste of law enforcement resources”.
If you’re a poker player in Idaho, or think the residents of Twin Falls Senior Center should be allowed to play low-limit poker games, then we’d love to hear from you. How do you think the residents could get around the law, or do you think the law should be changed? Alternatively, do you think it's right that the residents aren't allowed to wager real money in their weekly poker games?
