Centralia, Olympia, and their surrounding areas are endowed with some very friendly poker rooms. Poker is still establishing itself as a major game in the region and is not available online for real money, but forerunners of the game include the Hawk’s Prairie Casino poker room and Little Creek Casino poker room. Find the best Washington poker tournaments with our comprehensive list of daily and weekly poker tournaments. Browse through our list of poker tournaments to find the times, days, buy-ins,.

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Superior Court Judge Mary Roberts of King County in Washington state, dealt a huge blow to online poker fans yesterday. Roberts upheld a 2006 law passed in Washington State, that made playing Internet poker a felony. Roberts announced her decision as nearly 70-80 poker supporters outside the Justice center exuded their disbelief.

“We are not criminals. We’re not people off in the hinterland. We really are average citizens,” said Drew Lesofski, the Washington, D.C.-based director of Poker Players Alliance. His group, which claims a million members nationwide, organized the rally. “This censorship can’t be tolerated,” he said.

Lee Rousso, an attorney fighting for Internet poker player rights, argued that this law violated a US Constitutional commerce clause and is cruel and unusual punishment. Rousso continued to ascertain that this law was a protectionist measure by the state that discriminates against legal, out of state companies, who would like to do business in Washington. The law forces gamblers in the state to frequent their local casinos and to spend money in the state as opposed to online.

Bill Sponsor

Not surprisingly, the original bill was sponsored by Senator Margarita Prentice, who’s district has a number of casinos and land based poker rooms that capitalize from the law. A similar type of practice is happening throughout Europe, where countries are trying to ban online gambling so that citizens spend money in their state operated card rooms and casinos. The Netherlands is one such country trying to crack down on Internet gambling, but is facing fierce resistance from the European Union (EU). The EU is giving countries like The Netherlands and Greece a final warning before bringing them to court.

The same thing cannot be said here as the US government shows no signs of stepping in to repeal this decision. Currently, there is no explicit federal law against playing Internet poker. Some argue that the 1961 Wire Act, which essentially made betting and making wagers on sports over a wire communication facility a crime, does not explicitly refer to Internet poker.

Punishment for Internet Gambling in Washington State

Since the law was enacted in 2006, no Internet poker player has been charged. A representative from the Washington State Gambling Commission stated that players do fall under the law, but their primary focus has been on operators of Internet gambling sites. Again, this law makes it a Class C felony, for a person caught playing poker online in the state of Washington, a crime on the same level as child molestation.

Internet Poker Player Reactions

“I don’t know why the government would want to put me in jail, because I want to relax and play poker a couple of hours a night in the privacy of my home,” said Linda McCabe.

For many Internet poker players, they want to see big brother stay out of their lives. They see it as a hypocrisy that the government can outlaw an average citizen from playing Internet poker, but still allow their citizens to purchase lottery tickets from them online. This is a serious issue not only for Internet gamblers but for individuals rights in the United States. It should be interesting to see if other states follow suit.

After reading this article, you may be interested in our articles on:

Washington State is a mixed bag for poker players. Online poker is a felony, but it’s perfectly fine to play live in casinos, home games and leagues, so long as the state’s guidelines are being followed. More details can be found below.

Recommended Washington Poker Site

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What Are the Laws for Playing Poker in Washington?

All forms of gambling not regulated is illegal. In Washington, gambling is considered as risking something of value on a game of chance. This includes all forms of online gambling.

What Are the Consequences of Being Caught Gambling?

Depending on what you’re caught doing, the consequences will be a misdemeanor, gross misdemeanor or felony. Being charged with a felony can result in a fine and/or prison time.

Just to give you an example, being caught playing online poker in Washington is a Class C felony, which can come with a $10,00 fine and/or up to 5 years in prison.

Can You Play Online Poker in Washington?

Obviously not.

In fact, you’ll be lucky if you can find a site that will even accept you. Most of the larger sites have already left the United States market. The majority of those who stayed are not allowing players from Washington State at their site, as they’re running a risk operating in the US market as is.

You can still play for free if you can find a site to signup to. PokerStars allows you to play for free, and I imagine that you could play for free at Full Tilt Poker too, once they reopen in late 2012.

Shy of playing for free, you won’t be able to play online without taking a lot of risks — losing your bankroll to sites that close up shop or are shut down, being caught and fined/jailed, having to setup VPN and extra accounts, etc. It’s just not worth it.

Can You Play in Home Games?

According to this statute:

….a natural person who engages, on equal terms with the other participants, and solely as a contestant or bettor, in any form of gambling in which no person may receive or become entitled to receive any profit there from other than personal gambling winnings, and without otherwise rendering any material assistance to the establishment, conduct or operation of a particular gambling activity. A natural person who gambles at a social game of chance on equal terms with the other participants shall not be considered as rendering material assistance to the establishment, conduct or operation of the social game merely by performing, without fee or remuneration, acts directed toward the arrangement or facilitation of the game, such as inviting persons to play, permitting the use of premises for the game, or supplying cards or other equipment to be used in the games. (Section 9.46.0265)

…. social gambling should be ok, so long as no one is taking a profit from the game itself (rake) and all players are on equal terms.

Charitable games are ok too, so long as they have a special license.

Can You Play Live Poker in Washington?

Yes, there are many brick and mortar casinos in Washington that run real money poker tournaments and cash games. Here is a list of some of the larger casinos in the state:

Lucky Eagle – The poker room at Lucky Eagle is open 7 days a week. They run several tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $40-$60, as well as the occasional $250 tourney. Tuesday nights are set aside for omaha.

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Clearwater Casino – Clearwater runs a $5k freeroll, $3/$6 holdem, $3-$100 spread, $4/$8 holdem, omaha (hi/lo) and kill games. Tournaments run regularly with buy-ins ranging from $25-$50. There is a ladies night and regularly monthly promotions.

Muckleshoot Casino – The Muckleshoot Casino runs $35-$100 tournaments. They pay for high hand and have bad beat jackpots.

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Are There Any Poker Leagues in Washington State?

I did not find as many poker leagues in Washington compared to what I’ve found in other states. My guess is that is because other states have fewer casinos and/or stricter rules on home games. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me.

Here is the one league I found:

Washington State Poker Tour – Located in Kirkland, the WSPT is an $80 buy-in with optional $40 rebuy and add-on. There is a 45-player max and you need to bring your own chair and snacks. 7% of the pot is taken out for expenses. You’ll want to be sure to RSVP to secure a spot.