The Politics of Poker

On Tuesday April 1, 2008, two of the best poker players in the game stopped by reason headquarters in Washington, DC for a short panel discussion and a night of Texas Hold 'Em.

Our panel was hosted by reason Senior Editor Radley Balko and featured two poker greats, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson and Andy Bloch.

They came by to answer some of the following questions: Why do moralists in Congress want to ban online poker? Why are local governments sending in SWAT teams to bust up private games?

Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, 2000 winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event, five-time WSOP bracelet winner, and winner of $6.6 million in career poker winnings.

Andy Bloch, one of the MIT students who inspired the The New York Times bestseller Bringing Down the House and the Columbia Pictures film 21.