December 22, 2005
Many groups hoping to raise money through PacificPoker com are now reconsidering their efforts but some continue to flout the law because there has yet to be one non-profit group charged with illegal gambling. This does not mean however that bars and clubs have not been forced to comply with the law, as raids and busts have occurred over the course of the last year and will continue as long as the law is in place.
Spurred by the popularity of high-stakes pacific poker on TV cable channels, Adam and his friends, who are all in high school, have been meeting to play cards in Annapolis for about a year. Their game is decidedly low pacificpoker stakes ($5 gets you in), but there are hosts of other games around Annapolis and Anne Arundel County with higher buy-ins.
Not everyone agrees with the heavy-handed law. According to Nathan Barankin, a spokesman for California Attorney General Bill Lockyer, the laws is "un-flexible and unforgiving," but the law must be upheld.
"What I've learned is that it's better to start placing intimidating bets early, " Adam said. "People think you know what you're doing, or have good hands, or (you're) stupid." Pacificpoker.com players would probably agree.
PacificPoker has always had an underground following, but the television exposure has spawned new interest. It's not hard to find a game, but it is hard to get people to talk openly about it. After all, it's illegal to play for money.
