WASHINGTON

WE REPRESENT two of the hundreds of thousands of everyday people who love the game of poker. We view ourselves as fathers, husbands, businessmen, and responsible members of the community. We also see ourselves as free-thinking, intelligent human beings. Along the way we have become serious poker players. But legislation now on Capitol Hill to ban online poker would affect not only the two of us but all of those who find online poker an engaging, challenging, fun game. [The U.S. House recently passed legislation, which awaits action in the Senate, to ban Internet gambling. - Editor]

Like most Americans, those who play poker for the challenge of the game and the joy of its camaraderie are capable of making intelligent decisions about their lives. And it scares us that some on Capitol Hill can offer up a bill that ignores the reality of the game and is, instead, a full-blown intrusion into the ability of individuals to make personal choices regarding such a simple thing as poker -- a game that has historical roots throughout our country.

So let it be clear where we stand: We think that it is important to defeat legislation that would ban online poker. This is an example of the worst sort of lawmaking. Whenever Congress tries to protect people from themselves, it is taking a huge step toward becoming Big Brother. We believe in self-responsibility and capitalism, and thus would be against this legislation even if we did not play poker.

Let's also clarify a few other issues. Advocates of this legislation raise many specters of doom, including online poker's funneling money to al-Qaida. The image would not be complete without the offering of a ruined young person who had lost his college tuition playing poker.

We have never heard or seen any evidence that anyone has ever used online poker to finance terrorism. To legislate against poker merely because it might be used in such a way is ridiculous. If that is the metric, then Congress should just as readily legislate against a thousand other American businesses.

The large majority of online players are small-stakes players, who enjoy the convenience and comfort of being able to find a $10 tournament with which to pass a few hours by playing a game that requires reasoning, psychology, and math. These are the people some in Congress are targeting. It is offensive to sensationalize the instances in which some people have gambled excessively.

With personal choice comes personal responsibility. There are a million examples of seemingly innocent things that have been a vehicle for personal ruin for an irresponsible person -- including being addicted to compulsive purchases from QVC or the Home Shopping Network.

With online poker, new players can start with play money before putting up any cash. Then, when they feel ready for real-money games, they can start with pennies. We always advise new players not to move higher than the penny games until they've won enough money do so.

Following this advice, you will either move up as you win or stay at a level where you are losing no more than a few dollars per session -- the price of a movie ticket, or less.

The effort to stop online poker while permitting horse racing and other forms of online gambling is ridiculous. All the online sites do everything they can to prevent minors from playing; when adults play, they are responsible for themselves.

We see the effort to stop online poker as merely an Internet version of the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s and '30s. The outcome would be no more beneficial. Such a ban criminalizes an activity in which many people engage, leading to a loss of tax revenue and an increase in true criminal behavior.

We suggest that Congress devote its valuable time to pursuing the critical issues facing this country. If you in Congress feel threatened by the companies that had the foresight to offer a product desired by millions of your constituents, figure out a way to tax it and regulate it. That way, it could be assured that the online-poker sites would keep operating in a way that favors the best interests of their customers, and that the silly fears of Congresspeople would never come to fruition.

Greg Raymer was the 2004 World Series of Poker champion and Chris Savage is an online-poker professional.