As you can see, poker is never mentioned and the law does not prohibit anyone from playing or gambling online, it just prohibits companies from accepting and receiving payments. Playing poker itself was never legislated at the federal level and has not yet done so to this day. In the United States, the legality of poker varies from state to state. Under New York State law, it is illegal to benefit from the promotion of a poker game without proper gaming licenses.
Just playing a game like that isn't illegal. However, underground poker flourished in New York City after Giuliani's raids In Manhattan, around 2004, the best-known clubs included PlayStation near Union Square and the New York Players' Club (NYPC) (sometimes called 72nd street) on the Upper West Side. In the State of Oregon, home poker games are classified as “social games,” which are legal under the provisions of the Oregon Revised Statutes. So, while most states consider the game of poker, some don't, and in those states, if it's not a game of chance, it's legal.
The State of Illinois has specific laws that restrict poker games at home and almost any other form of social gambling. You don't actually play poker at PokerDIY, think of it as a Facebook poker, it's designed to connect poker players. No doubt, the authorities would consider that you have overcharged for food and drink to earn some money by organizing the poker game. It is clear that a player who loses money or something of value can claim that loss, by law, within three months, but the actual legality of playing poker games at home is not mentioned in Massachusetts General Law.
In fact, two United States senators asked the Department of Justice for clarification on whether internet poker was illegal or not, specifically with regard to a 1961 gambling law called “The Wire Act”. Reputable online poker sites are not readily available and to the vast majority of Americans today, however, the social trend is clearly (albeit slowly) moving towards a conventional and nationally regulated online poker environment. We don't tolerate gambling in any way, although it's a lot of fun and if you're going to, you can also make your life easier by using PokerDIY to schedule your games, find other poker players and record your results. At least this is how the version of poker is classified, which is equal opportunity and skill, and players “compete with each other on an equal footing”.
As a player, you should look at the laws relating to gambling, as these will be the applicable laws that will tell you whether playing poker will be legal or not. Wyoming home poker games are legally acceptable under the definition of Gambling in the Wyoming Statutes, which provides exceptions for “any game, bet or transaction that is incidental to a bona fide social relationship, is participated only by natural persons, and in which no person participates, directly or indirectly, in professional gambling. In Tennessee, home poker games are prohibited by default, as they are not specifically mentioned anywhere in the state's legislation. Often, players and hosts of clandestine poker games worry more about being attacked by armed robbery than legal action.
Under the Criminal Code, any poker game that is not specifically authorized by the relevant provincial or territorial gambling regulator is covered by Section 201 or Section 204 of the Code. Idaho strictly prohibits most gambling activities within its borders, including all forms of poker, home games or other games. .
