Gambling celebrity Phil Gordon has been reported to take active part in the legislation unleashing poker gaming

Gambling guru Phil Gordon to testify that poker is legal skill game

Gambling celebrity Phil Gordon has been reported to take active part in the legislation unleashing poker gaming. The professional poker player will arrive in St. Paul, Minnesota on Monday, March 21 to testify on behalf of proposed legislation to clarify state laws related to card games.

According to the legislation, poker game of Texas Hold'em should be perceived as the game of skills like cribbage, bridge, gin, 500 and whist. Initiated by State Senator Dave Kleislike, the new definition is aimed at providing legal status for poker game in Minnesota.

The current Minnesota law permits organizing tournaments based on games of skill. The Kleis' bill states that poker is a similar activity and cannot provide any direct financial benefit to the promoter or organizer. The sum of all prizes for each poker tournament shouldn't exceed $200.

"Legalizing this game of skill and making the pleasures of the game easier for all to enjoy is a worthy pursuit," said Gordon. "Government need not protect us from social poker."

"Phil Gordon is one of the world's foremost experts on Texas Hold'em, as well as an emerging role model for how this game is played today," said Kleis. "His credibility and expertise lend a great deal to our argument for why it is important to make the legality of this game clear under Minnesota law."

The recent studies have determined, that about 80 million Americans actively play the game, majority of them participate in various poker tournaments.  Gordon, who got his initial poker experience at the age of seven, has become a well-recognized gambling expert. He wrote a book Poker: The Real Deal, his next book, The Little Green Book of No-Limit Hold'em, is scheduled for release in September 2005.