In April 2006 around twenty five people were arrested for gambling while playing poker. Most of the players plead guilty to gambling and paid a small fine. However there are five players still left who will not plead guilty and want to argue that the version of the poker game they were playing takes skill.

Jeff Phillips of Greenville is the player’s lawyer and must prove that the game of Texas Hold’em requires skill and is not a game of chance. The players would also like the game to be taken off the list of games of chance that are banned in South Carolina.

A Judge signed a ruling last month that stated the arguments could be made for the five players. The judge also said that his ruling will only cover the Texas Hold’em game played at the time of the arrests.

Jeff Phillips, the lawyer has stated that he is a regular card player and he knows it takes a lot of skill and is more than just a random dealing of cards. Phillips commented: "While there is no disputing that the element of chance is present in poker — as in everything else in life — there are numerous skills a poker player must rely upon in playing the game of poker that will determine whether that player is successful or not.”


- 2008-12-17