I’ve lived in Arkansas most of my life. I’ve traveled all over the world, but this place is by far one of the most unique areas of the world. We are in the middle of the Bible belt and there are several places called “Dry Counties” where you cannot buy or possess alcohol. So, as you can imagine there are plenty of hypocrites that live here too.

Surprisingly enough, poker is an acceptable past time for most preachers, sheriff, and just about everyone else in Arkansas. Poker in Arkansas is just as illegal as other forms of gambling as defined in our state laws, but almost every town allows poker to be played in Local VFW chapter and American Veterans buildings. Of course everyone knows someone who hosts a game at their house, but most of the time too many people know about it and they are prime targets to be robbed or raided. Home games are prime targets because most of the time they go unreported for obvious reasons.

Finding a legal poker game in Arkansas takes very little effort and offers comfort and safety. The easiest way to find a legitimate game is to find your local VFW or Amvets building and find out a schedule. They all offer weekly tournaments and juicy cash games. Since the games are not raked and therefore exempt from State and Local gambling laws. All that is required is that you buy an annual membership which is usually around $25. After you get your membership you will be able to play in all the games rake free without worrying about breaking the law. 

So, if you are itching to play some “live” poker and don’t have the time to travel to Las Vegas or Tunica, try finding out where the games in your area. In my area the local VFW chapter is in Batesville and they play poker every night except on Sunday.