Almost Busted!
A suburban Dallas card room abruptly shut its doors last night amid threats of police incursion. Two full tables of 1/2 NL were running strong at about 2:40 am when management informed players that cops were in the near vicinity and the game was over. “This is a precautionary measure,” the night-shift boss announced, at which point players lined up at the window to cash in their chips.
“This probably means we’re done” said one dealer, scrambling to get out of his staff T-shirt. “They know where we are!” But another member of the staff more calmly erased the Bad Beat jackpots and other information off the white boards before explaining to the players what was going on.
Apparently police had pulled over two players en route to the poker game right outside the small office building where it was located, and when asked where they were going, they said to play poker. Then, shortly thereafter, two players came to the card-room door (not sure if they were the same two) and when being let in, a squad car flashed its spotlight on them. Understandably spooked, the doorman refused to allow them entrance and quickly locked the deadbolt.
I happened to be sitting at a table with Sweet Texas Jimmy and Sang when it all went down …
While several players made semi-laughy jokes about being arrested and how funny it would be if cops came in to find us all playing Monopoly, I figured a true raid was not coming, because Dallas police have shown they don’t usually ring the doorbell when fighting poker … and knew at this point, even if cops did come in, with all the chips picked up and cards put away, they hardly had enough evidence to write a ticket for any particular person. Still, just in case a SWAT team did burst through the walls with all its machine-gun-wielding glass-smashing glory, I moved toward the big windows so I could get an up-close view of the spectacle and improve my odds of sustaining a shrapnel injury that could set me up sweetly for a bankroll-building lawsuit!
Alas, no heavy artillery … all it took was some major candlepower to break up this game.
Buy-in: $200
Cash out: $430
Net: +$230
STRATEGY NOTE: Before management unlocked the doors and asked us all to leave together, the guy who erased the white boards instructed us on what to say if we got stopped and asked any questions: “Just tell them you were at a private meeting that ended at 2:30. That’s all you need to say.” He then reiterated that the shutdown was just precautionary and said, “Be careful leaving tonight, and please don’t let this stop you from coming back.” Oh, you can bet I’ll return. After all, as someone who wouldn’t mind getting ticketed for the sake of research, the declaration that “police are outside” provided me tell after tell on what real fear looks like on many of the players!
Jimmy says:
December 17th, 2006 at 11:49pm
Why would anyone tell the cops they are on the way to play poker if they got stopped? Asking for trouble.
Use common sense!
anonymous asshole says:
December 18th, 2006 at 12:48am
So how far North? North, North, North Dallas or just Addy/North Dallas area. Extremely curious…An inquiring mind would like to know. I havne’t been out to play in a few months now after 3 bad beats in a row at 2 different clubs 🙂
AA
Joe says:
December 18th, 2006 at 11:09am
Dan any way you can give any clues as to the place. Don’t have to Name it just give as many clues as you can so we can figure out what place?
Dallas is Dead says:
December 18th, 2006 at 3:07pm
If you knew which place, would that stop you from going? If so, you would go to another fly by night startup room and sit and wait to they kick in the doors, right? So what possible difference could it make?
There are plenty of rooms still open in this city, the 1-2NL variety of rooms, with $80 to $200 buyins, will continue to popup and get shut down as they have done for years now. The owners get scared when a cop drives by and shuts it down, next week reopens somewhere else with a new bad beat jackpot!! Yippie
Find a well run room that has good 2-5nl with money on table, stick with it, say a prayer that you don’t lose your room. Who gives a shit about a ticket anyway, half of you go out..get drunk at bars and get behind the wheel of car and god help all of us, so why would you give a shit about a ticket that is less than a DWI?
That is the scared “plano” mentality; worried about getting a jaywalking ticket or any other minor infraction that might keep you from getting your next precious 9-5 at eds, but drive drunk almost every weekend. Funny…and sad at the same time. 🙁
Get in your cars..drive to a tent..give all your rake and extra $1 to the indians that don’t pay jackpots. That is what you can do to help dallas poker.
Woody2 says:
December 18th, 2006 at 3:33pm
“North, North, North Dallas”
Take two “Norths” out of that, and you might have your place. PURE speculation, but the games, “uniforms,” and description of the building all fit.
DanM says:
December 18th, 2006 at 3:56pm
Wait a minute, Woodrow, when you say “PURE” speculation, are you trying to imply Caesar’s Palace? Very clever!
Anyone who would like to know the real real room referenced above is welcome to ask me and I will tell (off-blog). Except for Officer Friendly. Sorry, dude — Pokerati legal policy — I can’t tell you or any of your cronies unless you are two municipalities removed from your jurisdiction.
Uncle Ray says:
December 19th, 2006 at 8:43am
Dan, when I’m visiting next, you just MUST get me to stay long enough to go with you. We just don’t have that kind of excitement in North, North,….North Dallas(Chicago). Actually, I think I know the place. North, North, North Dallas! Are you playing at Grandma’s house?
DanM says:
December 19th, 2006 at 9:22am
Uncle Ray, done and done. You know your brother (Hi Dad!) actually lives pretty close to Choctaw now, so that might be worth a visit. But hardly as exciting as the real underground goodness, I know.
Ah, [sigh,] it makes me long for the days of the Rounder Club. How fun was that when I coulda brought you in to a beautiful place for $35 to compete in a 100-player tourney. Those were the days …
Joe says:
December 19th, 2006 at 11:48am
OK I got it North, North, North Dallas.
I have used some High level math equations and Quantum physics and also some Algebraic geometry and come to figure out that each “NORTH” relates to about 17.65 miles. So that would put the room at one mile north of the Texas border. Why would a Texas police car about two guys on there way to winstar I just don’t get it?
Thank God I watch NUMBERS on Friday nights at 9pm on TV or I would never have figured this all out!!