Poker night has brief hiatus at Paddlers’

Hawaii-- New Paddlers' Inn owner Kamuela Kamakana has big plans for the breezy Kaunakakai haunt, which include renovations, Ohana Night, and a Texas Hold 'Em tournament.

The famed eatery/mai-tai purveyor has already seen larger crowds each night of the week since the business changed hands barely two weeks ago.

Its thrice-weekly poker night didn't hurt.

On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays in recent weeks, after the dinner crowd was long gone, patrons would pack the dining room at Paddlers' to play poker.

Kamakana made sure Poker Night was in line with county gaming regulations: not a penny changed hands; only colorful poker chips. Not a drop of booze was given as incentive to competitors; only pupus.

While waiting for the county to OK his entertainment permit application (without which not even a dart can be legally thrown), Kamakana said he had a verbal agreement with a liquor control official that, as long as the paperwork was in, Poker Night was good to go.

Players of every stripe sat around those tables, talking story and sipping water, Blue Russians, and everything in between.

But all of this ground to a halt last Tuesday, when the county notified Kamakana that poker night had to stop. A police officer, apparently unaware of the verbal agreement, had called liquor control, which called Kamakana's attorney.

"They wanted us to cease all games, including the pool table, dartboards, and touch screens," Kamakana said.

But he expects the paperwork to clear within a week.

Michael Kawagishi, supervising investigator for the Maui County Liquor Board, said that the permit is required to ensure "the health, safety, and welfare of the public."

"Obviously you don't want a dartboard next to the door," Kawagishi said.

As long as applicants follow protocol to a T, they'll be fine, he said.

In the meantime, pool, darts, touch screen games, and poker are on hiatus.

"We apologize for the inconvenience, Kamakana said, adding that once the permit is secured, the tournament will get rolling right away. The tournament's grand prize will be a trip for two to Las Vegas.

But judging from last Wednesday's Ohana Night, which featured Hawaiian music and a free book giveaway, things are still hopping at Paddlers', darts or not.

Molokai Times

News Added: 15 October, 2007

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