(20:52:08) chonak2: here's something I should blog --
(20:52:41) chonak2: I went to a city parish on Saturday afternoon, and noticed an item in the bulletin...
(20:53:00) chonak2: this parish has really gone beyond Bingo, as fund raising goes...
(20:53:14) JimmyO12: high stakes gambling?
(20:53:19) chonak2: they hosted a Texas Hold 'Em poker tournament...
(20:53:23) chonak2: *on Sunday night*
(20:53:32) JimmyO12: wow wow wow
(20:53:35) chonak2: with a "buy in" of $100!
(20:53:37) JimmyO12: that is unbelievable
(20:53:47) JimmyO12: totally beyond the plae
(20:54:04) chonak2: The notice said: "$6000 first prize if there are 100 players"
(20:54:09) JimmyO12: pale rather
(20:54:14) JimmyO12: amazing
(20:54:14) chonak2: yeah
(20:54:28) chonak2: I think Cdl. Law told the parishes at some point: no new bingos
(20:54:35) chonak2: but he didn't say anything about this ! :-)
(20:54:55) chonak2: lol
(20:56:07) JimmyO12: poker tournament
(20:56:34) JimmyO12: doesn't sound like a Catholic Church
(20:56:50) JimmyO12: what were they raising money for?
(20:56:58) chonak2: And this is in a working-class neighborhood; a great parish with lots of devout Hispanic folks
(20:57:07) chonak2: For the school, probably
(20:58:52) JimmyO12: hmm
(20:58:59) chonak2: I happened to go to that parish 'cuz a priest friend just got transferred there (as a p-vicar). He can't be too thrilled about this!
(20:59:04) JimmyO12: I didn't know the latinos liked their poker so much
(20:59:07) chonak2: heh
(20:59:36) chonak2: maybe they do
(20:59:39) JimmyO12: I think that's immoral
(20:59:41) JimmyO12: the poker thing
(20:59:51) JimmyO12: maybe I just have a firm grasp on the obvious
(20:59:56) chonak2: pretty much. Maybe they should open a bar next
(21:00:03) JimmyO12: exactly
I have no moral problem with gambling in itself -- where WOULD the Church be without bingo after all -- but there is real potential for vice here.
But I've maintained a couple of absolute rules about casinos and video poker parlors. I have never gone alone (so it's always a "social occasion," with friends); I have always played games involving at least some skill or thought on my part (blackjack and poker, fine; slot machines or roulette, no); and I have never put up more money than I would be willing to spend (i.e., lose) for a night's entertainment in some other sense or venue, and if I won enough early, I put that initial stake back in my pocket and played with the house's money (i.e., profit) thereafter.
So, a $100 buy-in for a no-limit Texas Hold-'Em game (where the essence of "winning" is cut-throat busting of the other players, not betting on your own chances against the house) strikes me as a bit ... much, depending on how wealthy most parishioners are.
Also, the $6,000 pot really mixes motives -- the size of it, that is, not the fact of a winning prize itself. It really makes the whole thing comes across as the Church equivalent of a lottery. I once attended a parish group's penny-ante poker games, where ALL the stakes money was expected to be given to the Church (we just played with the purchased chips, bought more and turned them back in at the end for nothing).