Thursday, April 7. 2005
Chip News Q&A - Michigan Gambling Laws
Reader Question:
i'm looking to find out what the laws are for running a poker torument in Michigan if i need to run it as a fund raises or give prizes or cruise away or if it just all illegal where can i go to find out? thanks for your help
ChipNews Response:
Everything I've been able to find online points to all poker-related gambling being illegal outside of a home game and what is otherwise conducted in a licensed casino. A home game is legal provided that there is no operator. The operator is generally the decided factor. Most states in fact make this distinction to draw the line between legal and illegal poker games. An operator is anyone who conducts the game and profits from its administration. This profit could take the form of a rake or a fee attached to the buy-in or any cut the operator might get from game without playing and winning it him/herself. Thus, to speak specifically, if you are planning to make any money off of this poker game (even to pay for your own expenses like refreshments or dealer-pay), then it is illegal. If you want to hand out a prize in return for the entry fees and buy-ins that your poker players pay, then the prize needs to exactly equal the value of the money collected. If not, you're considered an operator and it the game is considered illegal.
The Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act defines "gambling game" as any dice or card game played for money or some other form of value, "but does not include games played with cards in private homes or residences in which no person makes money for operating the game, except as a player." All laws, crimes, and punishments concerning gambling do not apply to home gambling, so long as no minors are present and so long as the House does not collect a rake. An interesting aspect of the law is that "cheating" applies only to true "gambling". Therefore, since home poker games are not classified as "gambling" then it is not illegal to cheat in a home poker game and therefore someone who cheated could not be punished by the law. I assume there are other laws to cover this situation because, after all, stealing is stealing. Home poker games are legal here as long as the gamblers are of legal age and there is no rake.
This is a state-wide gambling decree. Since I don't know the specific area within Michigan where your game may be conducted then I can't give you any more in-depth information. Many municipal laws can even further constrict gambling within your town or county making even a home poker game illegal. The only way to find that out is to call your courthouse or shell out a little money for a lawyer.
I'm not a lawyer, so I have passed on to you can not be relied on as gospel truth. My suggestion is that if you're planning to run a serious, regular poker game, no matter where you are, Michigan or Mississippi, then you should talk to a lawyer in your state, preferably a local one. The lawyer would charge by the hour, but it's well worth $100 just to have the certainty of a lawyer's opinion.
i'm looking to find out what the laws are for running a poker torument in Michigan if i need to run it as a fund raises or give prizes or cruise away or if it just all illegal where can i go to find out? thanks for your help
ChipNews Response:
Everything I've been able to find online points to all poker-related gambling being illegal outside of a home game and what is otherwise conducted in a licensed casino. A home game is legal provided that there is no operator. The operator is generally the decided factor. Most states in fact make this distinction to draw the line between legal and illegal poker games. An operator is anyone who conducts the game and profits from its administration. This profit could take the form of a rake or a fee attached to the buy-in or any cut the operator might get from game without playing and winning it him/herself. Thus, to speak specifically, if you are planning to make any money off of this poker game (even to pay for your own expenses like refreshments or dealer-pay), then it is illegal. If you want to hand out a prize in return for the entry fees and buy-ins that your poker players pay, then the prize needs to exactly equal the value of the money collected. If not, you're considered an operator and it the game is considered illegal.
The Michigan Gaming Control and Revenue Act defines "gambling game" as any dice or card game played for money or some other form of value, "but does not include games played with cards in private homes or residences in which no person makes money for operating the game, except as a player." All laws, crimes, and punishments concerning gambling do not apply to home gambling, so long as no minors are present and so long as the House does not collect a rake. An interesting aspect of the law is that "cheating" applies only to true "gambling". Therefore, since home poker games are not classified as "gambling" then it is not illegal to cheat in a home poker game and therefore someone who cheated could not be punished by the law. I assume there are other laws to cover this situation because, after all, stealing is stealing. Home poker games are legal here as long as the gamblers are of legal age and there is no rake.
This is a state-wide gambling decree. Since I don't know the specific area within Michigan where your game may be conducted then I can't give you any more in-depth information. Many municipal laws can even further constrict gambling within your town or county making even a home poker game illegal. The only way to find that out is to call your courthouse or shell out a little money for a lawyer.
I'm not a lawyer, so I have passed on to you can not be relied on as gospel truth. My suggestion is that if you're planning to run a serious, regular poker game, no matter where you are, Michigan or Mississippi, then you should talk to a lawyer in your state, preferably a local one. The lawyer would charge by the hour, but it's well worth $100 just to have the certainty of a lawyer's opinion.
Wednesday, February 23. 2005
ChipNews Q&A - PokerStars Invitational
Reader Question:
I have been searching on different poker sites to see if I can get a copy on DVD or VHS of the Poker Superstars Championship that NBC broadcasted on Superbowl sunday. I will appreciate if you can help me with that, thanks.
ChipNews Response:
Thanks for writing. I doubt the PokerStars Invitational would be out so soon after airing, but I checked just in case. I looked everywhere I could think of and used several search engines. I'm not sure if NBC plans to release it on DVD or not. I went to NBC's website and didn't find it listed even under their special programming section (or any section, for that matter), so I sent an email to sports (sports@msnbc.com) to inquire. It's likely that my email will get lost in the deluge of email that they no doubt receive, but should I actually receive a response, I will gladly pass it on to you.
My recommendation is to wait a few months then start looking again. If NBC does decide to release it, it should be available by then. Start checking again at the start of the summer. If you don't want to wait (or don't expect NBC to release it on DVD), then there is another route. The legality of this method is questionable, but provided no one is making any profit off of it and didn't bypass DRM (digital rights management) or reverse engineer to do it, it should be alright. Some people who have DVRs or TiVos have transferred the show to their harddrives and are burning it to CD. If you have a friend or acquaintance who might have done so, they can burn you a copy. Whatever you do, do not pay money for it. If they're selling it, they're a pirate, and that's illegal. However, just copying and burning it for personal use may be legal. It's all a matter of whether you think its ethical or worth the trouble, and that's all ultimately your choice.
I continue to recommend waiting a few months and looking again for the DVD set. If you don't want to own the show, you might want to settle for keeping an eye out for a rebroadcast either on NBC or Bravo.
I hope I was in some way helpful,
ginger
I have been searching on different poker sites to see if I can get a copy on DVD or VHS of the Poker Superstars Championship that NBC broadcasted on Superbowl sunday. I will appreciate if you can help me with that, thanks.
ChipNews Response:
Thanks for writing. I doubt the PokerStars Invitational would be out so soon after airing, but I checked just in case. I looked everywhere I could think of and used several search engines. I'm not sure if NBC plans to release it on DVD or not. I went to NBC's website and didn't find it listed even under their special programming section (or any section, for that matter), so I sent an email to sports (sports@msnbc.com) to inquire. It's likely that my email will get lost in the deluge of email that they no doubt receive, but should I actually receive a response, I will gladly pass it on to you.
My recommendation is to wait a few months then start looking again. If NBC does decide to release it, it should be available by then. Start checking again at the start of the summer. If you don't want to wait (or don't expect NBC to release it on DVD), then there is another route. The legality of this method is questionable, but provided no one is making any profit off of it and didn't bypass DRM (digital rights management) or reverse engineer to do it, it should be alright. Some people who have DVRs or TiVos have transferred the show to their harddrives and are burning it to CD. If you have a friend or acquaintance who might have done so, they can burn you a copy. Whatever you do, do not pay money for it. If they're selling it, they're a pirate, and that's illegal. However, just copying and burning it for personal use may be legal. It's all a matter of whether you think its ethical or worth the trouble, and that's all ultimately your choice.
I continue to recommend waiting a few months and looking again for the DVD set. If you don't want to own the show, you might want to settle for keeping an eye out for a rebroadcast either on NBC or Bravo.
I hope I was in some way helpful,
ginger
Tuesday, February 8. 2005
More Chip News Q & A
Today I'm posting another ChipNews.org reader question submitted through our contact page and answered here. Last week I posted another reader's question. Please feel free to ask any question, no matter how odd or silly it may seem. I don't post personal information unless its somehow relavent to the discussion and I've secured your permission to do so.
Reader Question:
How do I find out about hold'em tournaments in the cassino's in Tunica, St. Louis, etc. I've been trying to line up a time to go, but am having trouble finding this information.
Chip News Response:
One of the greatest side effects of poker's recent surge in popularity is that the number of your standard, everyday no-limit tournaments has risen dramatically. Most casino poker rooms worth their weight have started to have regularly scheduled daily tournaments. It's just a matter of finding out what time they start and what type of game they have that day.
Somtimes this information can be found on the web, but if you're like me, you've found out the hard way that often that information is wrong. Since I have to drive at least an hour to get to any casino, I've adopted a check and confirm method to avoid long waits or missed opportunities.
First, I go to www.PokerPages.com's Card Room directory and search for casinos in the area where I plan to be. I have a few favorites I always go back to, but if you're just looking for any game, pick a casino where you feel comfortable, with good service and charming and helpful dealers. Just put in the state and city where you plan to play and look at the list.
Next to each casino there should be links to that casino's Profile, Weekly Tournaments, Special Events, and Live Games. Click on the weekly tournaments and pick a day, time, and game type that suits you best. If you don't find an option that you like, go back to previous list and find another casino.
Now, for the confirmation method: in case any of that information is incorrect, I go to the casino's profile to find either the casino's 1-800 telephone number or official website. If the casino's website doesn't have those tournaments listed themselves, I simply call the number and ask to talk to the pit boss in the poker room. All it takes is asking what tournaments are available, their day and time and buy-in.
Just remember, casinos want you to come and play and are glad to answer your questions.
-ginger
Reader Question:
How do I find out about hold'em tournaments in the cassino's in Tunica, St. Louis, etc. I've been trying to line up a time to go, but am having trouble finding this information.
Chip News Response:
One of the greatest side effects of poker's recent surge in popularity is that the number of your standard, everyday no-limit tournaments has risen dramatically. Most casino poker rooms worth their weight have started to have regularly scheduled daily tournaments. It's just a matter of finding out what time they start and what type of game they have that day.
Somtimes this information can be found on the web, but if you're like me, you've found out the hard way that often that information is wrong. Since I have to drive at least an hour to get to any casino, I've adopted a check and confirm method to avoid long waits or missed opportunities.
First, I go to www.PokerPages.com's Card Room directory and search for casinos in the area where I plan to be. I have a few favorites I always go back to, but if you're just looking for any game, pick a casino where you feel comfortable, with good service and charming and helpful dealers. Just put in the state and city where you plan to play and look at the list.
Next to each casino there should be links to that casino's Profile, Weekly Tournaments, Special Events, and Live Games. Click on the weekly tournaments and pick a day, time, and game type that suits you best. If you don't find an option that you like, go back to previous list and find another casino.
Now, for the confirmation method: in case any of that information is incorrect, I go to the casino's profile to find either the casino's 1-800 telephone number or official website. If the casino's website doesn't have those tournaments listed themselves, I simply call the number and ask to talk to the pit boss in the poker room. All it takes is asking what tournaments are available, their day and time and buy-in.
Just remember, casinos want you to come and play and are glad to answer your questions.
-ginger
Thursday, January 27. 2005
Chip News Q & A
Today I'm posting a question we received in the comments. Please feel free to do the same yourself if you're confused or curious. You can contact us either through the contact page or by leaving a comment.
Reader Question:
i saw one of your guys (poker chip) posted about doyle brunson sitting in his seat at the WSOP. do you think you could ask him what chip colors and chip denominations and how many of each chip you get to START/play with for the $10,000 main event at the WSOP. i am sick of playing in tourneys where you start with $1000 in chips and would like to start trying tourneys where u start with $10,000 in chips. i would really appreciated your reply back. thank you
Chip News Response:
The number of chips you start with depends completely on the type of tournament you're playing. That might sound like too simple of a response, but the style and pace of game are completely different from game to game. Although it might be tempting to ask a big name star to answer your question, I'd much prefer to ask just the dealer or the satellite tournament coordinator. They're the best source of information and you're a lot less likely to make someone angry for disrupting their game.
Tournaments come in several varieties: main events and satellites, single table and multi-table, normal and accelerated blinds. In general, if you want to play in a slower game with more chips, you need to play one of the main events. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to play the larger buy-in tournaments; you can find smaller buy-in tournaments with normal blinds progressions many days of the week at your nearest casino.
What it does mean is that you need to stay away from satellites. Although I love satellites, many of the super or ultra satellites that pay out a free buy-in to the main event start you off with very little in chips (what you paid for) and increase the blinds every 25 minutes. Although a good player can fare well almost any game s/he plays, it's much more difficult because you get to play so few hands. And if re-buys are allowed, often the same players you eliminated a few hands ago take you out. It's much harder to climb the satellite ladder than a normal tournament. It seems like the casino is trying to make as much money as possible off the super satellites by allowing rebuys and running up the blinds quickly to shove you out faster.
This is what you should look for in a tournament if you want to maximize your play-time and increase the opportunities for your skill to have more weight than your luck. Find a tournament with a buy-in you can afford that isn't a satellite. Check the tournament schedule and look for fliers that have the blinds schedule on and it check to see how often they go up. For example, the World Poker Open keeps theirs in a set of little cubby holes tucked into an alcove between the buy-in cage and a long registration table. Usually, if the event you want to play in has a schedule paper at all, the blinds go up every hour or so (but, once again, that's variable and depends on where you go and who's running the gig).
Playing single tables mean that you won't have new players brought in to fill in empty seats once you've eliminated them or learned their play style, but the pot sizes will be significantly smaller. Single tables can be either fast paced or slow, so it still comes down to asking the dealer or coordinator before you sit down. Please don't be afraid to ask anyone; most people are very nice and are glad to be helpful. - ginger
Reader Question:
i saw one of your guys (poker chip) posted about doyle brunson sitting in his seat at the WSOP. do you think you could ask him what chip colors and chip denominations and how many of each chip you get to START/play with for the $10,000 main event at the WSOP. i am sick of playing in tourneys where you start with $1000 in chips and would like to start trying tourneys where u start with $10,000 in chips. i would really appreciated your reply back. thank you
Chip News Response:
The number of chips you start with depends completely on the type of tournament you're playing. That might sound like too simple of a response, but the style and pace of game are completely different from game to game. Although it might be tempting to ask a big name star to answer your question, I'd much prefer to ask just the dealer or the satellite tournament coordinator. They're the best source of information and you're a lot less likely to make someone angry for disrupting their game.
Tournaments come in several varieties: main events and satellites, single table and multi-table, normal and accelerated blinds. In general, if you want to play in a slower game with more chips, you need to play one of the main events. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to play the larger buy-in tournaments; you can find smaller buy-in tournaments with normal blinds progressions many days of the week at your nearest casino.
What it does mean is that you need to stay away from satellites. Although I love satellites, many of the super or ultra satellites that pay out a free buy-in to the main event start you off with very little in chips (what you paid for) and increase the blinds every 25 minutes. Although a good player can fare well almost any game s/he plays, it's much more difficult because you get to play so few hands. And if re-buys are allowed, often the same players you eliminated a few hands ago take you out. It's much harder to climb the satellite ladder than a normal tournament. It seems like the casino is trying to make as much money as possible off the super satellites by allowing rebuys and running up the blinds quickly to shove you out faster.
This is what you should look for in a tournament if you want to maximize your play-time and increase the opportunities for your skill to have more weight than your luck. Find a tournament with a buy-in you can afford that isn't a satellite. Check the tournament schedule and look for fliers that have the blinds schedule on and it check to see how often they go up. For example, the World Poker Open keeps theirs in a set of little cubby holes tucked into an alcove between the buy-in cage and a long registration table. Usually, if the event you want to play in has a schedule paper at all, the blinds go up every hour or so (but, once again, that's variable and depends on where you go and who's running the gig).
Playing single tables mean that you won't have new players brought in to fill in empty seats once you've eliminated them or learned their play style, but the pot sizes will be significantly smaller. Single tables can be either fast paced or slow, so it still comes down to asking the dealer or coordinator before you sit down. Please don't be afraid to ask anyone; most people are very nice and are glad to be helpful. - ginger
