Missouri lawmaker’s ban on rodeo poker is no bluff

Published 9:00 pm Friday, January 11, 2002

Associated Press

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Winning poker may require taking risks, but one state lawmaker says he draws the line when an angry bull is turned loose on the players.

Sen. Larry Rohrbach introduced a bill Thursday that would ban sponsorship in Missouri of "Mexican Poker," where contestants play cards around a table inside a rodeo ring into which a bull is released.

The object of the game — a common event at rodeos nationwide — is to be the last one sitting at the table, meaning a player hasn’t been scared off or knocked over by the bull. Winners typically earn $50 to $500.

"The premise of Mexican Poker is as irresponsible as the game’s name is derogatory," Rohrbach said.

The Republican heard about the game when he got a call from a couple whose grandson was comatose for two weeks after being struck by a bull in a game last summer.

Not everyone is pleased about Rohrbach’s bill, including Chuck McKellips of Kansas City, who sponsors about 30 rodeos a year, although he wouldn’t say whether his rodeos include Mexican Poker.

"Anytime you get in that arena, it’s dangerous," McKellips said Friday. "People volunteer and they all wear protective vests. … Very seldom do people get hurt."

Under the legislation, promoting Mexican Poker would be a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.

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