us_playing_cardsIn July, KS shut down a card room for hosting Kandu, a Texas Holdem variant invented by the room’s owner. In Kandu, the deck is revealed before play, and each player then decides whether or not to play. This removes a lot of the luck, I think anyone could argue.

The owners argued against the closure, but a judge has just returned a verdict upholding the ban, finding that the game is, in fact, still a luck-based gambling game.

Considering that regular old Texas Holdem has already been found to be a skill game by several other states, this is a pretty surprising decision to come to. The inventor is appealing.

(source)