Texas GOP Denies PPA, bans poker comments-Joe Barton's Statement

[Charade You Are]

The Texas GOP rejected the Poker Players Alliance's application for a booth at the Republican State convention. Apparently their convention is closed to those groups or individuals that do not represent the Texas Republican Platform.

They have also banned pro poker commentors and censored posts on their facebook page. So much for freedom of speech. Guess Texas Hold'em needs a new name.

The PPA released the following statement from Texas GOP Rep. Joe Barton (sponsor of HR 2366, the Pro poker bill) about the booth denial:

Poker is the All American game and Texas Hold’em is a natural for Texans to play - in fact I learned to play in Boy Scouts. It is a game of skill, not one of chance. Recent rulings in Washington have set up a scenario that could open online poker to predatory overseas gambling operations.

We need to properly regulate the game online so we can we can protect players from illegal activity and create new revenue for Texas– that is why I believe it shouldn’t be against the Republican Party platform.

The Poker Players Alliance isn’t part of any gambling lobby. They are just a group of normal people working hard to restore rights to law abiding citizens who like to play poker. I think they should be allowed to have a booth at the state convention.