Poker Players Ecstatic with Verdict Despite Being Found Guilty

Municipal Judge J. Lawrence Duffy ruled yesterday in South Carolina that the five defendants were guilty of playing in a “house of gaming” but that poker was a game of skill. Though the defendants were found guilty, they still see the verdict as a victory.

“We knew all along that it would be a very tough battle to get a ‘not guilty’ verdict in this lower court,” said Bob Chimento, one of the five defendants. “But this is definitely a win for us. We’re ecstatic that we have gotten another judge to say that Texas hold’em, or poker, is a game of skill.”

The five defendants were arrested after their home poker game was raided by local police in April 2006. Judge Duffy expressed in his ruling that it was difficult knowing how to interpret an 1802 law that he said was not adequately defined.

“He had reason to [find them not guilty], but he just didn’t want to be the one to pull the trigger,” said Jeff Phillips, the lead attorney for the defendants. “He wanted an appellate court to make that decision.”