fear of police?

In most states home games are not illegal, as long as the house doesnt take a rake. Some states have a max number of players and a limit on the stakes.

[Lottery Larry]

No

"No. Rake free poker is legal in New York."

Actually that is not true. While it is true that merely being a player in a game in New York (raked or not) is not a violation of any criminal statutes, a home game still has an organizer, and the organizer still technically would be guilty of promoting gambling in the 2nd degree. However there is no way that Police would bother a home game, unless there was something else going on.

Also even though the people who are only players in the game are not guilty of a criminal offense, their activity can not be called legal. see Gen Oblig Laws Sec 5-104

[John Bedtelyon]

Funny story, my buddy went to play at a home game at some random apartment and during the course of the night, the cops came. They slammed hard on the door shouting for them to open it up. Most of the people there, including the guys that lived there got up and ran, jumping from the balcony, my buddy included. He had no idea what was going on, all he knows is that while running he was tackled by a police officer, hand cuffed and questioned.

Turns out the guys that rented the apartment were growing copious amounts of weed and selling to dealers and users alike.

Play at a friends and I wouldn't worry much. Start playing at drug dealers apartments and you could get busted and spend the night in jail.

JMB

[BillFranklin]

No

[chesspain]

[ QUOTE ]
anybody scared of being arrested for playing home poker?

[/ QUOTE ]

There are so many more things other than poker that I do at home that I fear warrant arrest...

Not afraid in DE; it's legal to socially game there. When the house takes a rake, it's raidable. So I'm wary of the games that "want to set up a regular casino game." I live in MD and won't ever host a game here-- illegal even to socially game [no rake]. The way my paranoid ass sees it, it only takes one pissed off player that night to rat out the game. It's happened before to people.

See the above link for more info state-to-state.