Jury asked to decide if poker is game of chance

A CROWN court was introduced to the terms “flop”, a “blind bet” and “raising” as a landmark case opened yesterday that could decide the future growth of poker gaming.

A jury has been asked to decide whether poker is a game of skill or chance or a combination of both in the trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London.

Derek Kelly, 46, chairman of the Gutshot Private Members’ Club, in Clerkenwell, central London, has denied contravening the 1968 Gaming Act by organising a game of poker on December 7, 2004, in which a levy was charged on the winnings.