Poker is a game of equal opportunity, jury hears

POKER is a game of skill and not chance, the jury in a landmark case that could change the future of the game heard yesterday.

Poker is a game of “equal opportunity” where the best players usually come out on top, according to Derek Kelly, aged 46, of Greystones, Co Wicklow, who is facing two charges at London’s Snaresbrook Crown Court of operating illegally under the 1968 Gaming Act.

During his police interviews with Detective Inspector Darren Warner, of the Metropolitan Police’s Clubs and Vice Unit, Kelly confidently told the officer: “I know that I will beat you every time at poker because I’m a better player”.