Presidential Candidate Barack Obama Plays Poker

Presidential candidate Barack Obama reportedly played poker while in the Illinois legislature. (AP Images)

The Associated Press is running a fluff piece in which several legislators and lobbyists talk about current presidential candidate Barack Obama and the poker game that they used to play with him, sometimes referred to as the "committee meeting." It really has no substance at all, but it's about poker so we feel obligated.

They usually played stud or draw poker for low stakes, and the atmosphere was jovial and relaxed. Players could win or lose anywhere from $60 to $100 during a regular night, so let's just say the stakes were really low. The game went on during Obama's stint in the Illinois legislature, and his fellow players report his style as very tight, saying they knew that if he was in a hand that he probably had something close to the nuts. Apparently, he liked to figure the odds and make big moves when he had the upper hand. Great a "tight-aggressive" politician.

The AP story points out that home games like this are illegal, but often ignored by police if they involve low stakes. Since the rest of the story reads like it was written by one of his campaign directors, maybe they were looking to give Obama some sort of Tony G style "street" cred. Or, maybe he'll admit to playing poker but that he never entered a "pot," therefore wasn't gambling. Hey! It's political humor day on the Beat.