excerpt:

Sen. Ted Stevens plays in his native Alaska’s fishing camps.

Rep. Charlie Rangel deals with his buddies from the block back in New York.

Rep. Joe Barton heads north from Dallas on I-35 to Oklahoma’s Indian reservations.

Rep. Duncan Hunter runs nickel/dime/quarter games on Capitol Hill.

And long before he launched his bid for the White House, then-Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama dealt in lawmakers and lobbyists during the long legislative sessions in Springfield.

Be it Texas Hold ’Em, Razz, Omaha or one of poker’s many other variations, more than a few members of Congress are players. Some other rounders are Democratic Reps. Linda T. Sanchez of California, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Ed Perlmutter of Colorado and Republican Sens. John Ensign of Nevada and John Sununu of New Hampshire.

But even a built-in constituency of card sharks and guppies doesn’t make supporters of online poker a good bet on Capitol Hill. The Poker Players Alliance has been working for a couple of years to convince Congress to reverse the ban on Internet gambling or at least exempt poker. So far, it’s been as tough to complete as an inside straight — even if you know some friendly dealers.

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Poker group has important allies on Hill - Chris Frates - Politico.com

Author Contact Info: Chris Frates

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