BY TOM SOMACH

Louisiana residents will have to continue to patronize New Orleans casinos if they want to play poker legally in the Bayou State.

The Louisiana House of Representatives earlier this week narrowly rejected a bill that would have allowed state bars and restaurants to hold Texas hold ‘em poker tournaments.

It was the second year in a row that the measure failed in the State House, amid opposition by Governor Kathleen Blanco.

The State House voted 48-46 for the bill by Rep. Warren Triche, but it needed 53 votes–a majority of the full House–for it to pass.

Triche can bring the bill up again.

The Texas hold ‘em tournaments have been the subject of controversy and dispute in Louisiana of late because the state’s top liquor regulator said the tournaments violate Louisiana’s gambling laws.

But many lawmakers said they don’t view the poker games as gambling, as long as the bars and restaurants don’t get a cut of the wagering (the so-called “rake”).

Governor Blanco opposes the bill because she considers it an expansion of gambling.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)