NYC Poker Clubs busted up

Two popular poker clubs folded after a six-month sting operation put officers "all in" Thursday night, yielding 39 arrests and more than $100,000, police said Friday.

Complaints of illegal gambling prompted police to infiltrate the Playstation Club at 6 W. 14th St. and the New York Players Club at 200 W. 72nd St. in November, said Lt. Pasquale Morena, commanding officer of the Vice Unit Special Investigations team.

"These are two of the largest poker casinos in the city," he said.

The tables, which generally featured Texas Hold 'em, the current game du jour, had prize pools upwards of $10,000, and a diverse clientele, police said.

Both clubs operated by generating a profit from each game, sometimes taking a portion of the pot, other times charging a $4 or $5 fee every half hour for players to keep their seats, police said. In each place, there were about 12 tables seating 10 per table, police said.

"It's not illegal to play poker, only to profit from it," Morena said, indicating that the state does not sanction gambling activity outside of Off Track Betting and lottery games.

Morena said both clubs, which had engraved chip sets with logos on them, were generating about $20,000 to $30,000 a night. Both were upscale, with the 72nd Street operation featuring valet parking and massages for the stiff-necked gamblers. Each generally stayed open from 1 p.m. to 6 a.m, except on weekends, when they never closed, police said.

Players usually needed sponsorship by an established regular to enter, but other times, according to authorities, admission guidelines were loose. Dealers worked mainly on tips, but also received medical benefits, Morena said.

Each club was raided at 11 p.m. Thursday night. Morena said most of the players, none of whom was arrested, appeared glad that it was the police, not robbers, storming in.

"They thought they were getting robbed," he said. "From a few comments I heard . . . 'Lucky it's the cops.' "

One man who showed up at Playstation Friday was upset to see a sign on the door indicating it was closed. The man said he has made $3,500 since January and was counting on making more during the summer.

"I'll have to play online, which I don't like," said the 60-year-old part-time teacher, who declined to give his name.

The man said the clubs featured no alcohol, drugs or cheating.

"It's a really clean place. Anybody that's rough, they throw them out," he said.

A Wall Street lawyer who also showed up Friday said he believed celebrities were frequenting the games, which were easy to find.

"These places are not that hidden," he said. "I think they are relatively harmless."

The 39 people arrested were charged with promoting gambling and possession of gambling devices, both misdemeanors punishable by up to a year in jail, Morena said. No one answered a phone number posted on the door at 14th Street.

http://www.nynewsday.com/news/printedition...0,5461524.story

------------------------------------------------------------

I've never played at playstation or the player's club, but I'm a member at APC. My boy has been playing at the player's club alot recently and was about to head over when he got a call from a waitress and warned him about the bust. Everyone lost everything they had sitting in front of them...no if's and's or but's about it. One dude had over 6 grand sitting in front of him and a minute later it's evidence. I feel terrible for these dudes.

This poker room i went to on long island was packed last night with all dudes who were players at these clubs.

In other news, I graduated college last week. I've gotta go back in the fall for 4 more classes, as do 2 of my friends. We've yet to find an apartment and are being pretty fucking lazy about finding one.

There is a silver lining in returning for one more semester and that would be the wifey. She's going to be a senior so at least i won't have to jackass upstate to visit every week or so for five months.

I'm enjoying a real stiff vodka & cranberry right now, awaiting the arrival of two of my boys. My best friends bro is spinning tonight at some place in brooklyn so we're gonna head over there and act like lunatic drunks.

We partied fuckin hard after graduation last week. dropped a ton of money but i start work this week so it's not too big of a hit. We got a table at that place marquee.

Shit was pretty dope. Wife and I had a blast, as did everyone else...until we got the $1600 bar tab. it was worth it though.

we're all making money doing our respective things. my boy's dad just put his life on the line and scraped enough money together for his son to open up his own pizzeria. it's a nice place and i see it doing really well if he can keep his emotions under control.

anyway, i haven't posted in mad long and i just felt like sayin what up & doing some babbling. peace.

yeah man, word.

that's some quality babblings.

I knew a guy who ran poker joints for the pros. He'd have little

nights for his friends with something like a $100 buy-in but he

also rented an empty house in the burbs where people would

drop tens of thousands of dollars. They'd pay him nicely to just

keep the place empty when they weren't there, and stocked when

they were. The real big gamblers dont care for the booze and

cocktail waitresses, they just want the big pay off. When I was

down in the Carib a few months ago, an older friend of a friend

was a serious pro. he'd loose about 2 mil per year but he'd make 2.2.

I'm enjoying some sparking wine at work, it's like lime perrier but with alcohol.

you drink at work?

what's so bad about your job again?

*edit typo

hahahaha....

I'm the only one here and it's Saturday evening.

the bad thing is that it's saturday evening, and I'm at work.

I love my job, it's just sometimes the deadlines get a bit crazy.

pulling 24 hours shifts is just not natural.

jesus key3. 24 hours shifts?? what is it that you do? pimp?

I make TV shows.

oh yeah.. well that explains it then.

................

Shit, I make TV shows too, and I never get to drink at work. You in NYC Key?

nope.

'hollywood north'

what's your job? (dont get too specific, just the general category)

Art Dept., sometimes post. You?

THEY GOT BUSTED UP. WHICH MEANS THEY GOT RAIDED, ARRESTED, AND SHUT DOWN.

FUCK TEXAS

Originally posted by harvey wallbanger@May 29 2005, 01:45 PM

Art Dept., sometimes post. You?

Quoted post

everything post.