Is Bar Poker still Alive?
With the emergence of online poker over the last few years, and the fame and fortune that’s found in big live tournaments, this begs the question of whether bar poker is still alive. Poker was popularized in the United States through the saloon games many people played in Texas and other parts of the southwest. However, bar poker doesn’t get a whole lot of attention anymore, and those who don’t visit bars may even wonder if the game is still alive in this setting.
The answer is that bar poker is definitely alive among small groups of people in every town and city across the United States. I’ve seen this firsthand in both cities and small towns across Indiana and Ohio, and I’m quite sure that the same rings true in all of the other states in the US.
Nothing can beat the atmosphere of playing in these small games while drinking with some buddies that you know. And the competition isn’t always the greatest either which makes it easier to win money in the bar setting too. One more great thing about playing poker in bars is that you don’t have to worry quite as much about people pulling out revolvers during games since the law has advanced quite a bit since the 1800’s and 1900’s.
One major drawback to playing poker in bars is that the vast majority of the games are illegal as defined by the law which means you could get busted for playing. But to me, the chances are very small that the law will bust in on your game and start arresting people plus it’s a chance that I’m willing to take. Hopefully, one day bar poker will be legal everywhere and we won’t have to worry about this.