Forgot to mention more dangerous. I'm guessing the security is no where near as stringent as Casino where a herd of security charge the room if any prolonged disturbance takes place, and they generally have the back-up of a trained Indian police department close to the premises

I'm also guessing as these independent poker rooms become successful and well-known, they may become the specific target of organized crime or small group of thugs looking for easy money.

Crime/Robbery of home games and some smallish card rooms has been an increasing and publicized problem across the US

I know of at least one instance of a non-publicized local robbery of a home game where robbers and players had guns, and shots were fired by a player.

But, if the law changed I would not be against more card rooms. But how many do you need in Phoenix?

I don't even have a reservation, nor do I own the land of my ancestors.

The people who came to the "New World" did a pretty special job of screwing the native peoples - that's for sure - but that doesn't mean that someone born today of Native parents doesn't have the same opportunities or "basic principle rights" (your words) of anyone else of any other heritage born today. You can apply for any job, live in any city, travel freely, vote, and enjoy every other freedom this country has.

Ironically, as Lee and Company would remind us that Native tribes actually have more rights than us regular folk. The City of Scottsdale can't open a casino -- but the Akimel O'Odham tribe most certainly can. That's part of the argument here.

What did CAT get banned for?

In regards to the Native Americans, we need to either give them direct control of their resources or end reservations and integrate them into the greater society as a whole.

In regards to expanding card rooms, people need to lobby their state legislators not thumb their nose at the law.

*sigh*

For the second time this thread, you have demonstrated the need to retake 6th-grade english.

Anytime that you make a decision that attempts to make money in a zero-sum situation, like poker, you are exploiting them. If a player raises limpers too often, limping with AA is exploiting them. If a player limps too often raising 78ss on the button is exploiting them. If a player bluffs on the river too often, calling light is exploiting them.

If you aren't exploiting someone in poker, you are automatically a losing player (or, if everyone is as dumb as you, everyone is break-even).

Every time you sit down in poker with the goal of winning your goal is to exploit your opponents. Not admitting to this is a show of moral and intellectual failure.

Don't know what games you play in, but games with drunks like at CAZ are infinitely better than games at TTJ, Pete's, Mike's, etc. Ever since I turned 21, I've never been back to any of the ****-tier games since my $/hr is so much higher at CAZ.

Prior to Black Friday, Pokerstars was the biggest, followed by full tilt. Merge has both a lower rake and a better rake-back, unless you happened to be SNE. Why did pros play at Pokerstars then? Because that's where the bigger player pool was.

Perhaps in addition to 6th-grade english, perhaps you should take a basic highschool Econ class.

For most people, poker is entertainment. Specifically, most "regs" at the strip-mall rooms are there for fun, not a living. I've played at all of them, perhaps 2 people of the 100s could be a pro.

Entertainment is one of the many things where the consumer already has a huge number of choices. Poker is one of the choices. Thus, additional competition doesn't help the consumer, if it does at all. As such, a monopoly wouldn't be bad at all. If the casinos charged too much, the games would run dry too quickly and people wouldn't play. It benefits the casino far too much to keep the games fair and the rake reasonable. The hosts are well aware of this fact.

"You can sheer a sheep many times, but only skin it once."

Casinos live off this basis. If they overcharge on rake, their days will be numbered. If they keep it reasonable, as it is right now, they'll be fine and dandy.

Once again, a thread on AZ issues has gotten out of hand. I'm going to close this one up. Feel free to start another, but let's keep the new thread confined to issues of legislation and advocacy of Arizona poker laws.