Playing Online Poker in Louisiana

The state of Louisiana, on the whole is a pretty friendly state when it comes to playing poker. There are a few rules that must be adhered to when playing at home, casinos are a popular form of entertainment and offer poker both in land based establishments and on the beautiful traditional riverboat casinos. They do frown upon playing online poker in the state and Louisiana is one of the few states to have addressed the issue of online gambling in general, however many residents enjoy their game online at places such as Americas Cardroom.

Playing Home Games in Louisiana

Louisiana follows many states when it comes to either playing in or hosting a home poker game. The penal code seems to focus on the 'business of gambling' and making no illegal profit. Therefore as with plenty of states, if you are considering playing a home game then as long as you are not making a profit by charging a fee or raking the pot then you will be just fine. Of course there are a few other rules such as the game must be held in a private place and any form of gambling in public is illegal. One rule that many people do not know or fail to find out about is the legal age to gamble in the state of Louisiana. It is not 18 like most states, it is in fact 21, so if you are hosting a home game make sure that everyone involved is over 21.

Playing Online Poker in Louisiana

The following statement is taken directly from the Louisiana penal code. "Whoever commits the crime of gambling by computer shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars, or imprisoned for not more than six months, or both." That's a pretty clear and tough stance and does include online poker. With this statement come a set of definitions of gambling by computer and to be honest they are very tight meaning that it is a big no no. The question is how do they monitor it and the answer is that they don't and they can't so unless you are playing online poker and an officer of the law catches you then you can't really be taken to a court of law, can you? Those are the facts and the choice is yours and we can only assume that residents do play at such places as Full Flush Poker and BetOnline Poker.

Playing at Louisiana Casinos

Louisiana has a history of casinos and was one of the first states to become a real gambling center. Many gamblers in the state still enjoy days on the riverboat casinos where most games can be found including craps, roulette and of course poker. As well as the riverboats there are now casino resorts across the state, some of which offer luxurious poker rooms that are open and ready for poker around the clock.