Snaresbrook Crown Court in East London is expected to decide this week whether poker is a game of skill, chance or a combination of both, reports Reuters.com.
Derek Kelly, owner of the Gutshot club in central London, has been accused of hosting an illegal poker game, as well as collecting winnings and establishing stakes without a license.
According to the 1968 Gaming Act, hosting a game of chance requires a license, while hosting a game of skill--chess, for example--does not.
Kelly has been accused of violating the law on two occasions, December, 2004, and January, 2005, and has pled not guilty to the charges.
The judgment could have significant repercussions for Gutshot and its 23,000 members, as well as poker clubs across the country, the news source said.
Last week the prosecution, headed by QC Graham Trembath, argued that shuffling the deck before a game introduced a significant element of chance.
Trembath argued moreover that, if the jury decides that poker comprised either a game of chance or a mixture of chance and skill, then the jury should find Kelly guilty.
On its Web site, the Gambling Commission, the country's gaming and gambling regulatory body, states:
"Whilst there are different levels of skill amongst poker players, the Gaming Act makes clear that even games of skill and chance combined are games of chance."
Gutshot, however, argues that there is a significant element of skill involved in poker--that the game is being unfairly singled out under the law.
Gutshot CEO Barry Martin said he wants the law to differentiate between casino games and poker.
"We say there are no games in the world, not one, that are pure skill," Martin said. "Poker is on trial here. We are saying poker should be moved into the 21st century and should be allowed to be played outside the hard gaming area of casinos."
Martin expects the trial to conclude on Tuesday or Wednesday.