BILL ANALYSIS
By: Herrero
Culture, Recreation, & Tourism
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The popularity of the poker game Texas Hold'em has increased dramatically over the past several years, and each day untold numbers of people throughout the world play this exciting game of skill, intuition, and good old-fashioned luck. A true phenomenon of our time, Texas Hold'em has taken the world by storm, captivating countless card enthusiasts with its deceptively simple format. Whether betting and bluffing across casino tables and kitchen tables, raising and folding in the virtual world of online card rooms, or moving "all-in" at charity poker tournaments, poker players everywhere have embraced this fascinating and challenging game. The game's invention dates back to the early 1900s when it is traditionally held that the first hand of the popular card game was dealt in the city of Robstown, and from there it traveled northward in the hands of "rounders" and up the sleeves of cardsharps who quickly recognized the game's potential for mass appeal. Poker legends such as Crandell Addington and Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson helped further popularize the game in and around Texas in the 1950s, and they and others eventually brought Texas Hold'em to Las Vegas, where it was first played at the Golden Nugget Casino in 1967. Three years later, the inaugural World Series of Poker was played at the Horseshoe Casino, featuring no-limit Texas Hold'em to determine the world champion, and that annual tournament has continued to grow in both size and stature with each passing year. The popularity of hold'em has no doubt been spurred by the advent of online gaming and by the broadcast of televised poker tournaments, most notably the World Series of Poker's "Main Event," a $10,000 no-limit Texas Hold'em tournament that attracts top poker professionals, talented amateurs, celebrities, and poker wannabes from around the globe hoping to become the next world champion of poker. It is said that Texas Hold'em takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master, and this telling statement underscores the high level of skill necessary to win consistently. A successful hold'em player relies on reason, intuition, and bravado, and these same qualities have served many notable Texans well throughout the proud history of the Lone Star State.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
HCR 109 formally recognizes Robstown, Texas, as the birthplace of the poker game Texas Hold'em.