Gambling in Peoria

Reading about and watching Texas Hold ‘Em poker on TV brings back memories of my early days when I moved to Peoria. One of my first friends was a coach named Joe who introduced me into a poker playing group with guys with names like Billy T, Billy S, Moose, Gene, Ray, Larry, George, two or three guys with Doc in front of their names, Tony, another coach, a TV Sportscaster, John, a former police chief and a former sheriff, Bob the Cleaner, and a few more that were in and out of the game. Some are gone now, some died a few moved away, with some owing unwritten debts to other players. I hold an IOU of which $600.00 was never paid but Bill is long dead. (Chewing tobacco did him in).

The game sort of started coming apart in the 1980’s when I opened a business in Arizona, one player took the cure, some moved on to bigger games, (think Jimmies Lock Shop), some moved up the ladders in their careers and some non-smokers couldn’t handle the cigar smoke and some just got tired of the game and the late hours: some wives got tired of hosting the games, preparing the food and drink and cleaning up later. The games were usually alternately hosted and financially funded with a drag from each pot until expenses were covered.

Back then we played 5 card stud, 7 card stud, and a few games with wild cards. One night I had a Royal Flush and was reaching for the pot when someone, it was you, Larry counted the joker as a wild card ace and took the pot with four natural aces. I learned much of the game the hard way, experience. Very few people in this game went away losing more than they could afford. I hear that happened in the bigger games. I was wary enough not to participate in those.

Since those days, gambling with all its publicity, is involving a lot more people at a younger age; there were no kids allowed in the games we played.

What worries me nowadays is that so many young people are getting hooked on gambling. They are starting younger and are being encouraged by advertising and even some public financed groups like the Peoria Park District.

On 10/21/04, an article appeared in the Journal Star stating the Peoria Park District was teaching kids how to gamble, to play Texas Hold ‘EM and other card gambling games. The instructor is quoted as saying “I’m always trying to find new things to do with teens, you know teenagers – if something isn’t cool they’re not going to do it. And this is hot right now”. The instructor organized a hold ‘em competion for 14 to 18 year-olds at 2 P.M. Saturday at the Owens Center in Peoria

I guess this fits in with the parks philosophy of “families that play together, stay together”. (Bonnie Noble 1999). This follows the parks policy of allowing liquor to be sold in the Riverplex and the parks budget of $80,000.00 to sell body massages at the RiverPlex.

And here we are worrying about nude bodies behind closed doors.