We can't have poker nights, but we can have the National Poker Championships

Also as a regular home poker player.. It’s only illegal to run home games if the house takes money. (eg $55 buy in.. $50 to the prize pool – $5 to the “house”… This also applies if you’ll take say $55 from everyone and that $5 is to buy drinks or food. )

I haven’t read the legislations in about a year or so.. It may have changed since then.

You can thanks the boys from Clubpoker / APL / NPL etc for home games being “legal” as before the days of pub poker it was a big no no.

There is poker on the Northside – http://the-riotact.com/poker-on-the-northside/81666
It’s run every Monday night at the Eagle Hawk pub. The game varies some weeks but it’s usually a $20 buy in with 1 life line. Game starts at 730pm (rego from 630pm)
You’ll get the odd update on facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Capital-Poker/341062179258007

Also regarding the casino… when the ACT Guv’ment granted Casino’s Austria their gaming licence it was under the conditions they were to never have pokie machines. It also gave them a monopoly on the games they run (hence why pub poker is a no go in the ACT)

From the ACT Gambling and Racing Commision website:
Private Gaming
Private and social gaming, such as playing a game of poker or blackjack at home with friends, is lawful in the ACT. While bets can be made on these private games, there are restrictions to ensure that commercial gambling is not operated under the guise of “private” gaming.

For private games to be lawful they must be conducted in the person’s home. It is not lawful to hold private games in public places such as hotels, clubs, community halls, cafes or restaurants.

Private games cannot be conducted for a commercial purpose. For example, it is not lawful to charge a fee to participate in a private game.

( http://www.gamblingandracing.act.gov.au/Unlawful%20Gambling.html )

Of some interest, it has a FAQ about poker tournaments.

johnboy said :

Eaglehawk. Still scurrying over the border like in a gangster film

One of the Jim Jarmusch’s lesser known works: Down by Claw.

Sorry.

c_c said :

Harder to understand is why the government has apparently so little problem with people pissing away money on Pokie machines, but bothers to restrict poker.

Because the house doesn’t make as much coin from a poker game.

And the ALP owns the house.

Harder to understand is why the government has apparently so little problem with people pissing away money on Pokie machines, but bothers to restrict poker.

Overheard said :

Yikes. Lucky my brother didn’t start a poker school 22 years ago and that it totally hasn’t met once a month ever since and lucky I haven’t been a member of it for the last 13 years.

That’s lucky!

IANAL but I think you’ll find that’s an exempt private game.

I don’t understand the thought processes myself. As if most pokie players would go to the casino instead of a local club to play them.
Also poker could be allowed in clubs with say a maximum buy-in of $100. Hell a lot of the Queanbeyan ones Ive done were $10.

Besides plenty of people run their own poker nights, which i think are technically illegal (they may not be), but as if the police don’t have better things to worry about.

So give the casino a small number of pokies and allow clubs to run poker nights.

Did someone also promote a northside event on here ?

Yikes. Lucky my brother didn’t start a poker school 22 years ago and that it totally hasn’t met once a month ever since and lucky I haven’t been a member of it for the last 13 years.

That’s lucky!