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Springfield Winning With Poker
Officials in Springfield, Oregon have been keeping a close eye on the bars
and restaurants in the area since the City Council voted in August to allow
businesses to host tournament style poker, specifically games of the popular
variant Texas Hold’Em. The games ordinance marked the first time in over ten
years that the city has allowed social gambling, and several local taverns
were quick to pick up the chance to attract some players for business.
Shakers, the Pour House and The Woodsman are all hosting regular games, and
according to Police Chief Jerry Smith those games have not resulted in a single
complaint to city police in the half year they have been in operation. This will
be the center point of Smith’s six month update to the City Council scheduled
for the meeting on Tuesday night.
Investigators have regularly checked the three establishments out, and have
found some minor violations. Both Shakers and the Pour House have failed to post
the requested copy of the city ordinance, and Shakers also failed to have a
licensed tournament organizer on site. Smith said that the establishments
assured authorities that the oversights would be corrected, and were warned
about their failure to comply. They will be visited by police again in order to
ensure compliance. The Woodsman, in the meantime, has been fully complying with
all city rules.
Spokespersons for the establishments say that the tournaments have been going
very well. Shakers has been hosting nightly games, and they seem to be well
attended, with one tournament earlier in February attracting 50 players. Under
the city ordinance, game organizers charge a $5 entry fee per person to cover
the cost of setting up and supervising the games. The fee is separate from the
buy-in. The real profits for the establishments lie in attracting players who
will come for the games and also eat and drink as they play.
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