New Poker Game, Kandu, Takes No Chances to Avoid Legal Hassles

By eliminating chance from the game of poker, Wichita Kansas USA entrepreneur Shawn Riley believes his new patent-pending poker game called Kandu will be declared totally legal when it is inspected by the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission, who only learned about the game this week and said they would be sure to take a closer look.

Riley invented the game. He, along with poker aficionado Kurt McPhail, co-founded the World Poker Tour Amateur Poker League (APTAPL) in 2003, providing entertainment by hosting poker tournaments for establishments such as restaurants, bars, local businesses, non for profit organizations, fundraisers and other charity events. The League boasts 150,000 members in 19 states.

You can imagine how eager the pair are to roll out Kandu to the leagues.

But before they do, they want to be certain the game is totally legal. So Riley and several partners opened Highland Gastropub and Cardroom, where for the last four weeks, four tables have been packed since Kandu was introduced. There's usually a waiting list to sit at the Kandu table, Riley noted.

Riley has invited police to observe and comment on the new game. Detectives admitted the game met the standards of law, though one policeman called Kandu "barely legal."

HOW CAN KANDU BE LEGAL?

Kandu is played like Texas Hold'em or Omaha (Hi-Lo), its two current variants, complete with betting. Players pay a fee of $6 per half-hour to play Kandu, and the minimum buy-in is $50.

"How can Kandu be legal, when real money is used?" you might ask.

"We've eliminated the chance" element of the game, Riley was quoted saying in the Kansas City Star. And under the Kansas state gambling law, a game without chance is only a game, not gambling.

"...The difference between Kandu and poker is the 'flash,' a two- or three-second glimpse of the shuffled deck that each player gets as the dealer fans every card in the deck face up across the table before the cut and deal. After the cut the bottom card in the deck is also exposed.

"The idea is that skilled players can spot their own cards, the flop cards and other vital clues like where the aces are hiding.

"...There's a few other differences to the game, including the terminology. Each hand is a "challenge" that any player can opt out of after seeing the cards and before paying the "entry fee," formerly known as the ante.

"There are no blinds, but betting, raising and checking proceeds as normal. The winner wins a 'purse,' formerly known as the pot..."

FUTURE PLANS

Riley insists that Kandu is not gambling. "We're challenging somebody's skills" to read the flash and take advantage."

If Kandu is deemed a game of skill, so is legal, Riley expects to roll the game out nationally, likely in association with his poker league.

"Our intent is to replicate this (Wichita) pilot project and license it," he said.

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