It’s no secret that numerous politicians have taken a seat at the poker table on occasion through the years. Outgoing Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) looks to be one of the latest admitting to a penchant for card playing.
The state’s chief executive hosted numerous low-stakes poker nights at the Louisiana governor’s mansion during his eight years in office. The games featured state senators, top administration officials, and lobbyists. These games were in stark contrast to the apparent high-stakes action that former Gov. Edwin Edwards held during his four varying terms as governor from 1972 to 1996.
“If you try to equate these games with those of Edwin Edwards, you will be making a tremendous mistake,” John Bel 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.”
Details On The Governor’s Games
Edwards said the games were held about three times each year, excluding during the COVID pandemic. The card-playing get-togethers were bipartisan affairs and usually included Senate President John Alario® and his successor Page Cortez®.
Other players were Edwards’ secretary of transportation Shawn Wilson, his executive counsel Matthew Block, chief of staff Mark Cooper, Sen. Jay Luneau (D), and others. The games may not have been for big money, but were apparently pretty intense.
“Everybody won at some point,” Wilson told NOLA.com. “Nobody lost too big. It was a fun time.” He added about the former governor: “He’s not a bluffer, I can tell you that. You can see straight through his bluff in cards.”
Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer® was a regular poker player as well, and apparently had some real skills at the table. In the 1980s, reports note that he won as much as $25,000 a year in the 1980s and even claimed it on his income taxes.
