On any given day, poker will be played illegally in hundreds of places across the state, including Central Texas.

KVUE News

One Texas lawmaker says legalizing poker would take an unnecessary strain off law enforcement, and give the people want they want. So he's introduced a bill to do just that.

Erick Lindgren has played poker professionally the last eleven years. He estimates he's won over five million dollars over his career, and more than one million in earnings this year. But when it comes to playing Texas Hold 'em in Texas -- he'll pass.

"I've heard some great stories about the underground card rooms. I've never been to a game here, but let's just say I would bring a gun," Lindgren laughed.

That's because at the moment, playing poker in Texas is illegal if you play at an underground establishment that gets a take or "rake" of the profits from hosting the event.

"So they're having to raid them, using taxpayers dollars, and in most cases using SWAT teams because they don't know what they're going to find when they go into these illegal poker rooms. Then the worst they can do is issue a ticket to one of the people playing the game," said State Representative Jose Menendez, D- San Antonio.

That's why Menendez is sponsoring legislation that:

-- Allows an establishment that holds a license to serve alcoholic beverages issued by TABC or a license issued by the racing commission to have the ability to host the game of poker.

-- Allows use of regular gaming tables or electronic or virtual tables.

-- Requires players be at least 21 years old.

"I think it's hypocritical for the state to allow a lottery and allow for bingo halls, which are total gambling games of luck. Yet here you have a game of skill," Menendez said.

"It's not just that I've been lucky for eleven years. This is not somebody just pulling a slot machine and losing their money. It's not that way. It's a game of skill. You can acquire that skill, get better at the game," Lindgren said.

Rob Kohler, a lobbyist for the Texas Christian Life Commission disagrees about the amount of skill involved.

"Whether you get dealt an ace or a two by a deck of cards -- that is solely chance," Kohler said.

Still, Kohler says his group is not trying keep poker from becoming legalized, but to go about it the right way.

"The people that I represent are raising their hand and simply saying that if you want to do this and commercialize it, we think the Constitution should be amended to do that," Kohler said.

While Menendez says he believes he has enough support among lawmakers, there's late word that the head of the House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures has vowed to kill the bill.