Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards admits to holding poker games in the governor’s mansion
Like many other politicians, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards is a poker fan, hosting many low-stakes poker games at the governor’s mansion over his eight-year term.
The games would feature top administration officials, state senators and lobbyists but were much different than when former Gov. Edwin Edwards hosted high-stakes poker games during four terms in office between 1972 and 1996.
“If you try to equate these games with those of Edwin Edwards, you will be making a tremendous mistake,” Edwards told NOLA.com. “That was not the purpose for why they were held. That’s not the way they were conducted. We always had fun, always. That’s why we did it.”
Edwards said he would host games about three times a year, except during the COVID pandemic. The games were always bipartisan and would usually be attended by Senate President John Alario and his successor, Page Cortez.
State officials who attended included Secretary of Transportation Shawn Wilson, Executive Counsel Matthew Block, Senator. Jay Luneau, Chief of Staff Mark Cooper and several others. While the games may not have been for high stakes, they were evidently pretty competitive. “Everybody won at some point,” Wilson revealed to NOLA.com. “Nobody lost too big. It was a fun time.”
Former Louisiana Governor Buddy Roemer was also an avid poker player, possessing some genuine skill at the table. Reports say he won as much as $25,000 annually in the 1980s, even claiming winnings on his income taxes.
Other famous politicians have also played poker, including US Presidents Dwight Eisenhower, Rutherford B. Hayes, Warren Harding, Harry Truman and Richard Nixon, who is said to have been so good that he helped fund his first congressional campaign with his winnings.
