Poker Room in New York Receives Double Dose of Bad Luck

It is legal in New York City for patrons to play poker for money, however, it is against the law for places or individuals to organize the playing of poker games for profit.

On Friday, armed robbers charged into 'The National Card Room' on the East Side at about 12:30 A.M. and demanded money from the poker room's bank, and also took all of the cash off of the seven or so patrons who were in the building at the time.

The card room has been hosting No Limit Texas Hold'em poker for years in the city. These establishments are popular in New York, so popular in fact, that Yankees star third baseman Alex Rodriguez is among the players that have visited them, according to reports.

The second dose of bad luck for the room came when police arrived on the scene. They arrested a man, Edgar Concepcion, 29, and charged him with promoting gambling and possessing bookmaking supplies. Concepcion is thought to be the manager of the operation.

In 2005, the police cracked down on many of these card rooms, one of which was The National Card Room, and in that raid they confiscated thousands of dollars and arrested dozens of people.

As of Saturday, the armed robbers were still on the loose.



2007-06-17