Greg Raymer, the Main Event winner at the 2004 World Series of Poker, recently testified in a poker case brought before a court in Portsmouth, Virginia. The case, presided over by Judge Thomas Shadrick, involved the potential legalization of brick and mortar poker halls in the southern state.
Raymer, for his part, appeared at the request of the Poker Players Alliance. The case itself was based around the 2010 closure of a poker hall owned and operated by one Charles Daniels. Raymer’s role in the proceedings was simple – prove to the judge that poker is, in fact, more than merely a game of luck. During his fifteen minute presentation, the Main Event champ called upon numerous facts and figures which support the claim long held by poker players the world over.
In the end, however, Raymer’s testimony wasn’t enough to sway Judge Shadrick. Though his honor did concede “that poker involves skill,” he also went on to point out that “the evidence also showed that, while better players will win more over time, the outcome of each hand is still uncertain.”
According to PokerNews, Daniels has yet to decide whether or not to appeal his case.