Police And Thieves
Well, my live game didn't go so well. And I don't mean because of the $ result. I got my chips all-in in the right spot, and busted in the $100 tourney. I was acting late. The blinds were 25 and 50. It was 175 to go. There were three callers in front of me. I had TT. I call. There was one caller behind me. The guy on the button (solid player that likes to gamble a bit) goes all-in for 1000. The action folds around to the guy on my right. He thinks for a long time before laying down. I think that the guy on the button has a big ace, and the guy that layed down had a big ace. So, I call. The one caller behind me folds. So, we are HU. He shows AJ. The guy to my left says he folded AK. An ace hits the flop. I am crippled. Oh well.
I spend an hour reading my book while waiting for the cash game to get going. I got to the part where Jennifer Harman hands Andy Beal his ass. Sweet! The game starts. It is $400 NL, blinds are 2 and 5. I draw the button. I am dealt QJ. UTG makes it 15. He gets three callers. I call. Flop comes QTK, rainbow. UTG bets 30, only has 30 remaining. I put him all in. He shows Q9. Turn 2, river 4. I take it down. So far, so good.
Then disaster strikes. A thunderous knock rang out. It was coming from the door. It was as though it was being kicked down. Except, it was louder. A quick check of the surveillance camera shows some masked thugs with a battering ram. Seriously. The door withstands three blows. I was wishing I had my compact .380 auto with the frangible ammo. Then, upon reconsideration, I am glad that I didn't have it.
The would be robbers ditch. The proprietor calls the cops. With clock like precision, the chips are counted, stored, along with table #2, and all the chairs. Table #1 is covered with a table cloth and food. The tournament board is replaced with Sunday Night Football. We all whistle as the cops come and take a report. The cops leave.
The proprietor is someone I like and respect. He is in a bad spot. He has a bit invested in this setup. But he also fears for the safety of his customers. Here, robbery is a much bigger threat than the law. This is not even close to the first sign of trouble in the underground scene here. Several armed robberies have already gone down. One place got busted, but it seems that none of the charges stuck. But I think underground poker is doomed. Much more doomed than it seemed it was in NY. Fuck.
I spend an hour reading my book while waiting for the cash game to get going. I got to the part where Jennifer Harman hands Andy Beal his ass. Sweet! The game starts. It is $400 NL, blinds are 2 and 5. I draw the button. I am dealt QJ. UTG makes it 15. He gets three callers. I call. Flop comes QTK, rainbow. UTG bets 30, only has 30 remaining. I put him all in. He shows Q9. Turn 2, river 4. I take it down. So far, so good.
Then disaster strikes. A thunderous knock rang out. It was coming from the door. It was as though it was being kicked down. Except, it was louder. A quick check of the surveillance camera shows some masked thugs with a battering ram. Seriously. The door withstands three blows. I was wishing I had my compact .380 auto with the frangible ammo. Then, upon reconsideration, I am glad that I didn't have it.
The would be robbers ditch. The proprietor calls the cops. With clock like precision, the chips are counted, stored, along with table #2, and all the chairs. Table #1 is covered with a table cloth and food. The tournament board is replaced with Sunday Night Football. We all whistle as the cops come and take a report. The cops leave.
The proprietor is someone I like and respect. He is in a bad spot. He has a bit invested in this setup. But he also fears for the safety of his customers. Here, robbery is a much bigger threat than the law. This is not even close to the first sign of trouble in the underground scene here. Several armed robberies have already gone down. One place got busted, but it seems that none of the charges stuck. But I think underground poker is doomed. Much more doomed than it seemed it was in NY. Fuck.
posted by Weak Player @ 8:01 PM
1 Comments:
Holy shit dude. As I said, NY clubs get robbed too. Some of the bigger ones hire heavy muscle as a deterrent, not neccessarily mob as you might think but just your own freelance thug. Aquarium, before it was Russian owned, had a 7 foot mountain we affectionately called Lurch.
You're guy might think about hiring someone like that, or even an off duty poilice officer if as you say the charges aren't sticking?
At any rate, it is something to consider, an additional cost of business which might be reflectd in higher time/tourney charges. Better to say the price of poker in Atlanta just went up than to have it fold.
Or for all you southern buys to start carrying iron at the table....
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