I write to request the legalization of live and online poker, specifically No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em (NLHE). NLHE has been incorrectly and unfortunately lumped together with gambling activities of chance. Playing a game of chance is gambling with a mathematical expectation to lose for any given player. Poker does not fall in this category. Poker is objectively a game of skill, where the best players have a positive mathematical expectation in results and the worst players have a negative expectation in results. The fact that the lottery and other games of chance are legal, while poker in Virginia faces major restrictions is completely illogical. Pursuing poker is much like pursuing chess. Studying and taking the game seriously leads to positive results. For reference, the former 5-time world Chess Champion, Magnus Carlson is currently pursuing poker as he takes a break from the chess scene. He’s not alone in the company of distinguished intellectual professionals from several fields that pursue poker in acknowledgement of it being one of the most beautiful intellectually competitive games in the world. Furthermore, legalizing poker in Virginia would create business and job opportunities throughout the commonwealth. 

For so long poker has been unfairly restricted by a misguided paradigm. Please, for the sake of citizens wanting to exercise their mind and compete with one another, take an enlightened approach to rectifying this situation and allowing our community to engage in a passion that encompasses personal growth, community building, and intellectual mastery. 

Thank you, 

Austin