A judge in the US State of South Carolina has reversed the ruling on five people convicted of playing poker and therefore violating the law. More significantly in the process Judge R Markley Dennis ruled that Texas holdÂ'em is a game of skill and not chance in his formal opinion.

Dennis continued to state that he considered holdÂ'em to be a game not based on luck and that over a period of time a skilled player would consistently beat a less skilled opponent. Lawmakers in some Southern States are considering legalizing friendly poker games due to progressive rulings such as this.

The origins of this case occurred three years ago in the town of Mount Pleasant, when the five in question were arrested and accused of running an illegal gambling house. However Dennis was quick was swift to quash the ruling, stating that the gambling laws in the State were too broad and that holdÂ'em was fundamentally a game of skill.