Underground poker
Underground poker rooms are venues not operating in accordance with state gaming laws. They usually profit from offering side games such as blackjack or craps or (more often) collecting rake, or both, while not being a licensed gaming operator.
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[edit] Historical New York clubs
Some of the longest operating underground clubs have been in New York City. Two of these, the Diamond Club and the Mayfair Club, were famous proving grounds for such now well-known poker players as Howard Lederer, Erik Seidel and Dan Harrington. The New York Police Department, however, closed these clubs in the summer of 2000 during the Rudolph Giuliani administration’s law and order campaign[citation needed].
[edit] Recent years
Underground poker nevertheless flourished in New York City after the Giuliani busts. In Manhattan, circa 2004, the most well-known clubs included Playstation near Union Square and New York Players’ Club (NYPC) (sometimes referred to as 72nd Street) on the Upper West Side.
On May 26, 2005 New York City police raided and shut down numerous rooms, including Playstation and NYPC[1][2][3]. Clubs that were not targeted then voluntarily closed their doors for some time in spring 2005, but were mostly reopened by that summer.
The reopened clubs began to draw some celebrity clientele, including Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees[4] (who was officially reprimanded for playing in such clubs), and Robert Iler (who was actually present for the October 23, 2005 bust of the club Ace Point at 328 E. 61st Street)[5]. Raids continued regularly throughout 2005, closing club such as Rounders on West 25th Street in the Flatiron District of Manhattan[6], and, after a series of busts and re-opens, the Brooklyn Players' Club in Park Slope area of Brooklyn[7].
Clubs generally continued throughout New York City during 2006 and into 2007, but seemed to the clientele to keep their size smaller to avoid the attention that the larger clubs such as NYPC and Playstation brought.
However, robberies still remained common throughout 2007. This issue reached a crescendo when the City Limit, at 251 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, was robbed on 2007-11-02. Frank DeSena of Wayne, NJ was killed in an accidental weapons fire during the armed robbery. [8]
[edit] References
- ^ Hays, Tom (2005-11-27). "Police Crackdown Ups the Ante for Poker Clubs in New York". Syndicated to The Washington Post and The Chicago-Sun Times. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20051122/ai_n15909066. Retrieved 2007-08-14.[dead link]
- ^ "Authorities crack down on NYC poker clubs". USA Today. 2005-11-21. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-21-poker-crackdown_x.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
- ^ Lee, Jennifer (2005-05-28). "2 Manhattan Poker Parlors Raided by Police". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/28/nyregion/28poker.html. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ "Yankees tell A-Rod to avoid illegal poker clubs". Syndicated to ESPN.com. 2005-11-02. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2211201&type=story. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
- ^ Friedman, Michael (2005-10-23). "Anthony Soprano Jr. Caught in Poker Raid". Pokernews.com. http://www.pokernews.com/news/2005/10/anthony-soprano-poker-raid.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
- ^ Fahim, Kareem (2005-10-16). "13 Arrested In Police Raid On Poker Club". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/16/nyregion/16gambling.html. Retrieved 2008-03-26.
- ^ The Brooklyn Players Club moved but did not close.[1]
- ^ Wilson, Michael; Annie Correal (2007-11-04). "New Jersey Man Is Killed in Midtown Poker Game". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/nyregion/04poker.html. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
