Poker club's bluff called -- PLAY PARTY POKER... texas holdem

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Date Posted: 07:48:58 05/29/05 Sun
Author: WSOP
Subject: Poker club's bluff called
In reply to: World series of poker 's message, "Cops bust live poker clubs, just another reason to play safely online!" on 06:08:12 05/28/05 Sat

One of the swanky poker clubs shut down by cops last week was so confident about its alleged illegal activities it published a newsletter hours before the raid.
"We would like to thank you for making the New York Players' Club the premier place in New York City to play poker," the E-mail missive proclaimed.

"We look forward to serving you in the years to come."

The newsletter boasted about players who posted big wins at legal casinos, promoted new tournaments and classes and even named an "employee of the month."

"Pass this E-mail along to friends and family," said the four-page newsletter, listing the club address and phone number.

The inaugural issue, obtained by the Daily News, had barely hit members' in-boxes when vice cops swooped down on the gambling parlor at 200 W. 72nd St. on Thursday night.

The NYPD also raided a sister club called Play Station in Union Square, arresting three dozen dealers, runners and managers on misdemeanor charges, and seizing $100,000.

It's not illegal to play cards at the clubs. But it is illegal for the clubs to take a percentage of every table's pot, police said.

The clubs allegedly netted more than $20,000 a day.

Fourteen suspects from the Players' Club - including an alleged manager, Harwyn Malkin of Woodside Park, N.J. - were arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court yesterday on charges of promoting gambling and possession of gambling devices.

Malkin had $24,000 in cash on him at the time of his arrest, and an additional $50,000 was found at the club, according to the Manhattan district attorney's office.

The club set up shop just over a year ago, at the height of the nationwide poker craze.

In February, The News revealed that actors Macaulay Culkin and Hank Azaria had wagered at the gambling lounge.

Before the police crackdown, the Players' Club's owners seemed bent on expanding, offering $25 bonuses to anyone who referred a friend to the club.

Five 32-inch plasma televisions were installed, and T-shirts and hats with the club logo were being printed.

The club was supposed to extend its hours from noon to 6 a.m. every day starting this week, and a $200 Texas Hold 'Em tournament was scheduled for tomorrow.

The newsletter heaped praise on "employee of the month" Damon Alexander, the club's tournament director.

Alexander could not be reached for comment.

>The two biggest poker clubs in the city - frequented
>by celebrities and card sharks - were raided by cops
>after investigators infiltrated the gambling dens.
>The illegal operations raked in millions of dollars
>while offering players valet parking, shoulder
>massages - and the chance to win big payouts, police
>said yesterday.
>
>"I can't believe it," said a well-dressed 30-year-old
>Manhattan lawyer as he stood outside the New York
>Players Club on the upper West Side.
>
>"My wife is out of town. What am I going to do now?"
>
>After initially keeping a low-profile, the Players
>Club and the Play Station grew immensely popular with
>experienced and novice gamblers.
>
>In February, the Daily News revealed that actors
>Macaulay Culkin and Hank Azaria, who have both
>appeared on Bravo's "Celebrity Poker Showdown," tried
>their luck at the $20 ante table at the Players Club.
>
>It was not clear if either won - but the house folded
>Thursday night.
>
>Vice cops raided the gambling parlor at 200 W. 72nd
>St. around 11 p.m. At almost the exact moment, more
>cops executed a search warrant at the Play Station at
>6 W. 14th St., police said.
>
>Cops seized about $100,000, along with a small amount
>of marijuana, and arrested 39 dealers, runners and
>managers. The clubs were owned by many of the same
>people, police said.
>
>The suspects were charged with promoting gambling and
>possession of gambling devices, misdemeanors
>punishable by up to a year in jail.
>
>Cops checked the players for outstanding warrants,
>took their names and let them go. They included
>lawyers, doctors and "regular guys," police said.
>
>They were forced to leave their winnings behind.
>
>It's not illegal to play at the clubs. But it is
>illegal for the clubs to take a percentage of every
>table's pot, authorities said.
>
>The Players Club has been open at least a year, while
>Play Station set up shop in 1999, police said.
>
>The stakes ranged from just a few dollars to more than
>$10,000, and the clubs allegedly netted more than
>$20,000 a day. More than a dozen other illegal poker
>clubs continue to operate in the city, police said.
>
>In August, The News gave New Yorkers a look inside the
>Players Club, finding 10 poker tables, more than the
>number offered at most legal casinos across the
>country.
>
>Sexy young women walked around in black dresses or
>tight jeans, bringing food, sodas and gambling chips
>to players in the second-floor parlor.
>
>Giant televisions, large couches and an autographed
>cast photograph from HBO's hit show "The Sopranos"
>greeted gamblers. No alcohol was allowed.
>
>News of the raids popped up on the Internet, but some
>found out firsthand.
>
>"I'm p-----," said a 29-year-old man, who showed up on
>W. 72nd St. hours after the raid with four friends. "I
>guess everyone has to play at home now."
>
>With Austin Fenner
>
>Pol deals up plan to legalize club games
>By OREN YANIV
>DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
>
>
>As a poker craze sweeps the nation, gamblers, bar
>owners and even elected leaders are fighting to
>legalize the card game in New York clubs.
>
>High stakes and celebrity tournaments on ESPN have
>helped introduce poker to mainstream America, and its
>newfound acceptance has led some to question the merit
>of police raids.
>
>"The intense popularity of poker presents an
>opportunity we shouldn't run from," state Sen. John
>Sabini (D-Queens) said.
>
>Sabini sponsored legislation last week that would
>allow low-stake poker games in restaurants, bars and
>cafes. The bill would set a $50 limit on admission (or
>the "buy in") and a $100 cap on the first-place prize.
>
>Another bill that seeks to green-light poker
>tournaments in charitable events has passed a state
>Senate committee.
>
>Sabini's bill is being hailed in the hospitality
>industry as a way for patrons to socialize and for
>businesses to increase revenue.
>
>"The bill would just recognize the reality of what's
>going on anyway," said David Rabin, president of the
>New York Nightlife Association and a poker fanatic.
>"I'm totally amazed at how many home games there are."
>
>Robert Bookman, a lawyer for the association, added:
>"It's better to have it regulated than keeping it in
>smoky back rooms."
>
>Fans of Texas hold'em - the most popular poker game -
>say it involves more skill than luck - but it is still
>considered gambling.
>
>The odds are not high for Sabini's bill to pass before
>the legislative session ends June 23.

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