In the past, there have been thriving live poker scenes that have brought the game to people without having to go to Las Vegas or an Indian reservation casino to take part. The New York underground poker rooms are legendary, in part due to the seminal poker movie Rounders and part due to the legend of such rooms as the Mayfair Club (which spawned such famous professional poker players as Erik Seidel, Dan Harrington, Steve Zolotow, Howard Lederer and the late Stu Ungar, among others) and the Diamond Club. Writer Brad Willis penned an epic four-part piece about the South Carolina poker scene – and its unfortunate ramifications – entitled “Bust: An Insider’s Account of Greenville’s Underground Poker Scene,” for the website Bitter Southerner. For the most part, however, these ties to poker’s legendary past have been eradicated except for the Northwest, where poker rooms thrive but are facing a challenge.
In an outstanding piece for the Willamette Week, journalist Nigel Jaquiss examines the history of Portland’s poker room industry. While “social gaming” was allowed in many areas of Oregon beginning in 1973 that would allow for poker in “businesses and private clubs,” that social gaming wasn’t allowed in Portland until 1984. Even with that law in place, it wouldn’t be until 2007 that licensed poker clubs began to spring up around the City of Roses. Today, 13 poker rooms exist within the city limits.
The problem is the monumental opposition that these rooms are facing. Because of the outdated laws on the books that allow for these poker rooms to exist while there are laws against gambling, Portland’s city commissioners will convene next month to try to shut down these clubs. Two of the most popular rooms in the city, Final Table and Portland Meadows poker clubs, will be on hand to defend the honor of the poker rooms against the opposition.
As is the case in most locales when a disagreement comes up regarding gambling, there is a powerful Indian casino industry that thrives in the state of Oregon. Indian tribes operate eight different casinos, including the Klamath Tribe, the Coquille Indian Tribe, and the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, which operates arguably the most notable Indian casino in the Wildhorse Resort & Casino. These casinos are not pleased that they are losing a conservatively estimated $10-$15 million per year in revenues from Portland because the poker rooms exist.
The state of Washington is also watching the proceedings with interest. Washington’s Indian casino and card room industry encompasses more than 50 businesses, with most of those casinos located within driving distance from Portland. Those businesses, alongside the Oregon Indian casinos, would stand to see a huge increase in players if the Portland card rooms were to be shut down.
Over the past year, Portland law enforcement has also been surveilling the poker clubs, Jaquiss states. As the clubs are not allowed to employ dealers for the games – the deal is supposed to be performed by the players at the tables, not a designated person – the undercover work by Portland police focused on this rule (Jaquiss points out several highlights from the laws that govern Portland’s poker clubs). Four clubs, including Final Table and Portland Meadows, were found to be employing dealers and were penalized with a two-week closure and further examination to ensure they were abiding by the law. Two of those clubs accepted the decision and penalties; Final Table and Portland Meadows didn’t, bringing about the hearing in front of the city commissioners in April.
The eventual outcome of the Portland poker room industry is cloudy at best. Because of the conflict in laws between the licensing of room and the actual activities that violate state laws, the city commissioners would love to be able to force the closure of those operations. The poker rooms, naturally, are fighting the elected officials tooth and nail to be able to stay in operation. One thing that is clear from Jaquiss’ investigation is that there is an appetite for poker in Portland. What those people – the players – will do if the rooms are shut down is unknown.
