By CHRISTIAN RED and ROBERT F. MOORE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Cops have raided a high-stakes Manhattan poker club that has drawn the likes of Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez and professional card shark Phil Hellmuth, police said yesterday.
The Daily News was the first to report that A-Rod and Hellmuth, the youngest player to win the World Series of Poker, attended the Broadway Club in Chelsea the night of Sept. 21. Police said neither of the big names is under criminal investigation.
"It's not illegal to play," a police source said yesterday. "It's illegal for the house to profit."
Vice cops executed a search warrant late Friday at the club, which is on the sixth floor of 151 W. 25th St. The warrant was in response to a recent complaint alleging a gun was pulled on someone there, a police source said.
Just before midnight, cops arrested 13 dealers and other workers and seized about $56,000 in cash. The suspects were charged with counts including promotion of gambling, possession of a controlled substance and possession of gambling paraphernalia.
More than 20 players spread among the tables were briefly detained and questioned, but not arrested. A law enforcement source said the game late Friday was a qualifying round for a tournament organizers had hoped would continue yesterday.
The two biggest poker clubs in the city - the Players Club and Play Station - were raided in May. The illegal clubs, which have grown in popularity over the last several years, mirror the growth of poker's popularity on cable television and online. They attract everyone from beginners to professionals to celebrities.
_________________ "The bigger the lie, the easier it is to believe." - Adolf Hitler
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum
