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When Poker Players Attack

September 5, 2008

Police in Nitro are currently working on obtaining a battery warrant for a 61 year old man from Cross Lanes that is accused of choking a card dealer at the Tri State Racetrack and Gaming Center.  Lt. Joe Savilla said that the man became enraged shortly after midnight when the dealer advised him he couldn’t give another man his winnings at the table.

After he was told that he allegedly walked around the table and then grabbed hold of the card dealer around the neck, according to Savilla.  You might expect to hear a dealer getting assaulted because a player lost a big hand but to assault someone because you have to step away from the table for a minute?

So apparently after the man allegedly assaulted the dealer a floor boss came over an immediately separated the two and security at the track detained the suspect until Nitro officers arrived.  They had to let the suspect go however after they questioned him and he was identified because the crime didn’t occur in the presence of law enforcement.

Police haven’t released the names of the alleged victim or the suspect at the time but Lt. Savilla has described the victim as being a 44 year old man from Chesapeake, Ohio.  He also said that this incident is the first violent one officers can recall happening at the track.

The main reason for this is there is great quality surveillance equipment all around the track and gaming center and it usually deters people from such behavior but apparently not one player who’s bad behavior was captured on their surveillance.  “If you commit a crime at that dog track, their video equipment is going to catch you,” Savilla said.

Now police in Nitro are waiting for a magistrate from Kanawha County to sign off on an arrest warrant and that could happen as soon as tonight, Savilla said.

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    Written by Rebecca Rosales · Filed Under Casino News 

    Notorious Poker Player Jimmy Chagra Dead At 63

    September 3, 2008

    Jamiel Alexander “Jimmy” Chagra, notorious drug runner, fanciful poker player and suspect in a 1979 federal judge assassination, has lost his battle with cancer. Battling the disease since November, Jimmy’s sister Patsy Chagra said he passed away on Friday, August 19, 2008. He was 63 years old.

    Jimmy Chagra led a tarnished existence, a known drug runner throughout most of his life. Much of the money he acquired from his unsavory dealings was lost at the poker tables in Las Vegas. A recreational gambler with a flair for the more expensive tables, Chagra lost uncountable amounts to professional poker players like Doyle Brunson and the late Chip Reese.

    In 1978, Chagra was accused of leading an assassination attempt on against Assistant US Attorney James Kerr. Jimmy plead guilty to the charges and was sentences to life behind bars by federal judge John Wood Jr., known as “Maximum John” for his harsh penalization of known drug felons.

    Chagra then masterminded another assassination attempt, this time on Judge Wood, who was shot and killed May 29, 1978. Chagra’s third wife, Elizabeth, was convicted for conveying the $250,000 to the hit-man hired to shoot the US District Judge. The hit-man in the case was Charles Harrelson, father of esteemed actor Woody Harrelson.

    Three months later, Chagra’s sentence was handed down for disrupting the investigation of Wood’s murder, though the conspiracy charges had been dropped. He then spent 6 months on the run from authorities before being captured by the Drug Enforcement Administration in February of 1980.

    Chagra was sentenced to 30 years in prison for instigating an international drug-smuggling scheme, but due to health issues, was released in 2003. According to a report from the El Paso Times, Jimmy Chagra was believed to have been placed in the Federal Witness Protection Program.

    An El Paso reporter stated that he had been trying to write a book about Jamiel Alexander “Jimmy” Chagra, but halted the work when his subject failed to cooperate. The reporter says Chagra was living by the alias “James Madrid”, residing in a trailer camp in Mesa, Arizona.

      Written by Donna Norman · Filed Under Casino News, Poker News 

      New Poker Lounge for Hard Rock Casino in Vegas

      August 21, 2008

      The Hard Rock Casino is usually on top of most trends, a trend creator rather than a follower, but they are definitely behind the competition when it comes to poker, poker rooms, and poker profits.

      In the past a lot of the visitors of Las Vegas were found wandering a long the strip were generally in search of slots machines… and an icy cold free drinks, slot machines still have their fans, but it’s poker that’s creating all the buzz on the is the game of poker.

      In response, casino’s throughout the strip have started beefing up their poker rooms to more then a small cabled off area into a large stylish poker rooms full of poker tables. Turns out poker players like these stylish new poker rooms, and therefore more players are attracted to the area.

      Well if you were casino hopping looking for a casino full of fish you would have been surprised when you asked the staff of the Hard Rock Casino where there poker room was. Because up until now they didn’t have one so to catch up with other casinos in the area they have created a new Poker Lounge.

      The Poker Lounge is a $30 million dollar tear drop shaped poker room and a club. Now when you ask where the poker room is you will be quite happy with the answer and what awaits you in the Lounge. The Poker Lounge is equipped with a full service bar, slots, video poker and 18 new poker tables.

      Zaff Designs was in charge of creating the new hot poker place at the Hard Rock Casino and you will find dark wood accents throughout and over sized leather chairs, no more squishing into tiny uncomfortable chairs. Players can now play all kinds of poker in the new facility including No Limit with Kills as well as Straddles.

      There will also be tournaments played regularly including deep stack tourneys on weekends for a $330 and a $540 dollar buy in. You can also play in a variety of sit n go styled games for much lower buy ins, starting at $65 dollars up to $2,200 dollars.

      Since it isn’t just a run of the mill poker room players and guests in the Poker Lounge will be treated to a sixteen zone speaker system so you can dance in your seat and have something to listen to besides other players bluffing and bragging.

        Written by Rebecca Rosales · Filed Under Casino News, Poker News 

        Mohegan Sun Thinking Big With New 42 Table Poker Room

        August 19, 2008

        Many casinos have realized the lure of online poker is taking away their customers. So the Mohegan Sun has set some high goals for their new poker room in order to get players off their recliners and into their card room. The Mohegan Sun Casino is thinking big and they plan for their new poker room to be a major contender in the poker community and in the world.

        The new poker room is part of Mohegan Sun’s expansion which includes the new 64,000 square foot Casino of the Wind located next to their Casino of the Sky. The Casino of the Wind is going to offer customers 45,000 square feet of gaming space, a large 16,000 square foot Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville restaurant, retail outlet, Chief’s Deli fast food outlet that has 56 seats and most important a 42 table poker room.

        They are going to be showing us a preview of the new casino on August 29th and then the Grand Opening will happen later in the fall. There isn’t an exact date yet for the official opening of the casino but some say that the doors could be opening in October.

        According to Bruce Dixon, the director of poker for Mohegan Sun, there is going to be plenty of space to offer a broad choice of games at a variety of limits. Texas Hold’em is going to be played at different limits that range from $2/$4 up to $40/$80. There will also be No Limit Hold’em as well starting at $1/2 and $2/5 up to $25/$50 or for the higher rollers $50/$100.

        Also appearing in the new card room is Omaha, 7 Card Stud, Razz and Pineapple. All of the games will offer a variety of limits so no matter what your game is or how full your wallet is there will be a perfect table for you at Mohegan Sun’s mew Casino of the Wind.

          Written by Rebecca Rosales · Filed Under Casino News, Poker News 

          Poker After Dark Filming at Golden Nugget Casino

          August 18, 2008

          NBC announced today that their popular poker show, Poker After Dark is going to be filming their new 2009 season at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The Golden Nugget Casino is located on Fremont street in what most people call ‘Old Vegas’. This part Of Las Vegas has remained mostly unchanged and the casinos in this area have been struggling because most of the tourists are a few miles away on Las Vegas Blvd.

          Pokerstars Banner But it appears as if the Golden Nugget has no plans of going under and is coming up with ways to draw gamblers to them. They have recently held several news making major tournaments, including the Continental Airlines sponsored tournament where the winner received 21 million frequent flyer miles for taking first place and now the Poker After Dark show is going to be filmed in their new events center.

          Filming is going to start on October 26th and finish on November 5th. Host of the show, Leeann Tweeden will be returning for another 60 new episodes. They are going to stay with their traditional format for the show of a six handed $20,000 dollar buy in winner take all but with more cash games.

          The fifth season is going to begin airing on December 29th at 2:05am and each week’s tournament will air Tuesday through Saturday at the same time. The special one hour “Director’s Cut” episodes are still going to be recapping the week’s action and you can watch them on Sundays at 1am.

            Written by Rebecca Rosales · Filed Under Casino News, Poker News, Poker on TV 

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