"It's a 'cover charge,' not a 'buy-in,'" one man said of the five-dollar fee. He explained the wording makes all the difference, in the eyes of the local vice squad.
Cover charges to enter bars or clubs are legal. A buy-in for a tournament makes it gambling, which is illegal under Georgia law. (We've entered two buy-in tournaments in Florida, but they were at a state-regulated poker room.)
Speaking personally, we don't any to take part in any illegal poker. We're reminded from the Bible:
Abstain from all appearance of evil. - I Thessalonians 5:22 (KJV)Of course, we realize some people consider it the "appearance of evil" merely to walk into a bar to play poker. They would turn to another verse:
"Therefore come out from the and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing and I will receive you." - II Corinthians 6:17But bars can have "clean things," as well as unclean things. We've never bought alcohol (which is not necessarily an "unclean thing") at any place where we've played. We settle for sodas, even though that usually means fewer bonus chips at the table.
(Besides, unclean things can show up anywhere. A man asked us the other day about smoking pot -- as we played a game of chess beneath a shady tree in our neighborhood.)
Our point is that a good Christian witness should uphold the law -- whether that means the rules of a poker game or city ordinances. After all....
Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules. - II Timothy 2:5As we write this, the sports news of the day includes the strange case of a baseball pitcher who was thrown out of a game. Not for throwing at the batters -- but for having an illegal substance in his glove.
May you be fair and legal in everything you do, whether poker is a matter of work or play. Follow a Biblical principle of family affairs....
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. - Colossians 3:20
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