For years, texas holdem was played in the backrooms and bars "illegally" throughout the great state of Texas. According to The Poker Gazette, this could be changing soon if the Texas Poker PAC gets its way with the Texas legislature. According to Mike Lavigne, treasurer of the newly formed Texas PAC, "The growing popularity of games like texas holdem, fueled by televised tournaments, has spurned a cottage industry of underground games that warrants state supervision." The state is currently running a $9.9 billion deficit and projected revenue from poker could bring in as much as $500 million for the state in annual earnings. It would seem to be about time texas holdem was finally legalized in the state that invented it.