CRANBROOK, B.C. -- The poker faces at Cranbrook's Royal Canadian Legion turned to anger last week when it was announced the branch had decided to fold its popular Texas Hold'em tournaments rather than face a hefty fine.
 The Legion recently received a heads-up from the liquor inspector informing them that their tournaments could face the ire of the B.C. Gaming commission among others. The Legion had been hosting upwards of 80 people on Wednesday nights since late September with some people driving more than an hour from other communities to play. They were not happy when they arrived to hear the bad news last Wednesday. "There were a lot of angry people floating around at the Legion that night, I'll tell you," said branch president Tom van Amerongen. "It's been pretty brutal. It was such a great evening here, even for people who didn't play. We had people who would stay longer just to watch the game because it was so much fun, with lots of laughing and joking," said Van Amerongen. If it came to enforcement, he said the bar could expect a $250 fine, as well as a subsequent $7,500 to $10,000 fine and closure for two weeks.
"To me, the government just wants to have total control over every penny that is spent on gambling anywhere. I think they felt it was just growing so much and they weren't getting their cut out of it, and it's a simple as that," Van Amerongen said. The buy-ins were $10, with no opportunity to join back in once a player was out
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