| Q: |
Isn’t
poker illegal? |
| A: |
No.
But let me expand on that. For a game like poker to be deemed an "unlawful game"
it must fulfil several requirements according to the Criminal Code of Qld. Taken from the code: |
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"unlawful
game" means a game of chance, or mixed chance and skill, that— |
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(a)
is not authorised under an Act; and |
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True
- poker is not authorised under any other act. Although there is cause to believe that
under the form we play (tournament format) that it could be grouped alongside other
raffle/competitions under the Charitable and Non-Profit Gaming Act’s definitions |
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(b)
is played by 1 or more persons (players) who gamble or bet on an outcome of the game for
the purpose of winning money or another consideration; and |
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True
– there is "betting" in the form of poker we play but it is done with poker
chips which have no monetary value and cannot be exchanged or redeemed for cash. The
format we use is no different than paying an entry fee into a bridge, billiards or darts
tournament with the money going to the eventual winners. Under the format we use there is
much cause to question whether or not there even is "betting" taking place. But
for the sake of caution, and until we receive advice otherwise, we err on the side of yes,
there is "betting". |
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(c)
has at least 1 of the following characteristics— |
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(i)
the game is conducted or played in a public place; |
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False
– We don't conduct any tournament in a public place. All our games are hosted at
private residences and are invite only. |
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(ii)
the game is played in a place, or part of a place, the occupier of which allows, on
payment of money or for other consideration, players to enter and use for playing the
game; |
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False
– The owners of each "venue" never charge players or the club anything to
enter or use their property for the game |
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(iii)
a percentage of the amount gambled or bet is— |
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(A)
kept by 1 or more of the players, or another person; and |
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(B)
not included in the winnings of the players. |
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False –
Every dollar of the entry into each tournament is won by the players. There is no
"rake" and the club keeps ZERO dollars from the players entry fees. |
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So
in conclusion, for a game like we play to be "unlawful", it must answer
"true" to conditions "a", "b" and "c" as stated
above. As you can see, the game we play does not, making it perfectly legal. |
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| Q: |
Why
form a club to play poker? |
| A: |
We
started out as six blokes who discovered tournament style poker after seeing it on TV
shows like the World Poker Tour. However, we quickly found that to truly experience the
excitement and enjoyment of tournament poker we would need more players. So we invited a
few of our mates for a game and they eventually invited some of their mates and so on.
With more players came the need for some sort of structure and so the club was formed to
enable us to provide the maximum amount of enjoyment for the players involved |
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| Q: |
Ok,
I’m interested, how do I get involved (or) how do I find out more? |
| A: |
Easy.
If you know one of the members then give them a call and tell them you saw our website. If
you know one of the members but don't have their contact details then you can send us an
e-mail HERE. As our goal is to recreate the fun and excitement
of large poker tournaments we will always be willing to invite potential members along to
see if they would enjoy being a member of our club. |
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