Kleis announces Texas Hold'em bill

Kleis announces Texas Hold'em bill - By Lawrence Schumacher ST. PAUL -- Dave Bischoff said he's still a little upset that he never got his poker chips back. But the owner of Granite Bowl in St. Cloud said he's hopeful that a bill at the Minnesota Legislature will prevent others from having their business raided to bust a free Texas Hold'em poker tournament. "They came in with their guns drawn," he said of a Department of Public Safety-led raid in July at Granite Bowl. "They held everybody for about 21/2 hours. They took all the poker chips and the cards. They took everybody's names and addresses and took pictures of everyone." Bischoff told his story at a crowded news conference Wednesday near the Capitol as Sen. Dave Kleis, R-St. Cloud, announced he would push to make it legal for owners of bars and bowling alleys to host Texas Hold'em tournaments. Kleis said he would introduce a bill this week to add the popular poker variant to a list of other games including cribbage, bridge, gin, pool, darts and whist that Minnesota law allows to be played in public tournaments for prizes worth no more than $200. Stearns County Attorney Janelle Kendall this fall declined to press charges against Bischoff, saying the law was not clear enough to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Kleis said he wants to clarify the law and make sure other establishments don't suffer the same fate as Granite Bowl, which has resumed its tournaments. The change would only apply to Texas Hold'em tournaments.