poker in nyc bars?

karitek · #1 04-09-2005, 05:55 PM

so when i was in vegas multiple people i sat next to who were from around the country mentioned bars in their area hosting poker nights where the winner won a bar tab. i'd love to start something like this in nyc. does anyone know if it's legal? (i know bars who do similar things for bingo and trivia nights.)

BigWesCT · #2 04-09-2005, 10:33 PM

I live in CT and we play at local bars for cash prizes!! There is a game every night of the week. Although the has been much talk of the Attny. Gen. shutting the games down. It seems the Indians(i.e. Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods) are threatening to take away the states cut of slot money. We will see what happens.

karitek · #3 04-12-2005, 01:02 AM

bump. i'm serious. this could be fun.

playersare · #4 04-12-2005, 01:55 AM

bingo and trivia can be implemented in bars more easily because it only involves yelling out loud and working with something flat on your table in front of you.

poker would accomodate less people in the same amount of space (especially true in NYC), has higher equipment and labor costs, and is not condusive to large groups of casual friends (men + women) hanging out and having a good time together, as opposed to against each other.

non-competitive games are better for bars. bingo is pure luck, and with trivia you either know the answer or you don't...can't get mad at the other team just because they read more books in their spare time.

considering that most real-life cardrooms give drinks away as a perk for giving them rake business, I don't see how having poker in a bar would help them sell MORE drinks at full price than they usually do.

karitek · #5 04-12-2005, 07:41 AM

well, i'm not that worried about the logistics. card rooms in nyc don't give out drinks - they don't even sell alcohol. getting people into a bar on an off night would automatically sell more drinks. i know poker in bars would work. it happens all around the country.

what i'm concerned about is is it legal?

from the post article:'"Generally speaking, illegal gambling is the house taking a percentage of the pot," said Barbara Thompson, spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau.'

does that mean it's legal? does anyone have a link to nyc gambling laws?

TheJunkyardGod · #6 04-12-2005, 10:05 AM

I've found a few bars in new jersey that are part of some "pub poker league" they play freeroll games for t-shirts and free drinks. I checked it out in north jersey last week and had a great time. They're holding some sort of Players Points system and are giving away a seat for the WSOP.

PoorLawyer · #7 04-12-2005, 10:06 AM

they do this in a bunch of bars in DC but only give out prizes (the one time i went 1st place got an acoustic guitar). I hear one down the street from me gives out gift certificates for area stuff

MtDon · #8 04-12-2005, 08:12 PM

Unless someone has already tried this, or there is a NYC lawyer on this forum who wants to investigate this for you, you probably need to ask a lawyer in NYC or have a bar owner contact a lawyer. Or just start it and see what happens.

The answer may not be clear-cut unless a case has been decided in court or unless the statutes and regulations are clear.

If you want to have poker just a few nights a week, you can get or build a poker table top that will fit on the top of a couple of tables and store it by leaning it against a wall.

satelliter · #9 04-13-2005, 05:32 AM

A New York State Liquor License specifically prohibits gambling. We of course believe that poker is a game of skill and not gambling, but a bar would be pushing it.

Luv2DriveTT · #10 04-13-2005, 08:46 AM

To elaborate on Satelliter's statement there are significantly different scenarios with a license to serve alcohol granted by the State Liquor Authority. As a former owner of an SLA license, I can verify from personal experience that the SLA will not bother to take the owner of the license to court to argue if poker is a game of skill or a game of chance... the business will be effectively considered guilty until proven innocent, the business would have the right to challenge the ruling after the fact of course. Therefore it would be very unwise to do so, risking the establishment's primary source of income would not be prudent.

TT [img]/images/graemlins/club.gif[/img]