Suspected Craigslist Killer a Poker Player Probably not “good for poker”
Pokerati prides itself on being able to spot trends in poker … and one we see developing: the games in prison are getting juicy! One guy who might end up put in this game, whether he likes it or not, is 23-year-old Philip Markoff, the Boston University med student accused of picking up purveyors of erotic services off of Craigslist, robbing them, and killing at least one of them.
Police have discovered that Markoff apparently liked to keep their panties as souvenirs … and was playing at least semi-frequently at Foxwoods, and therefore they are looking at tilt gambling debts as a possible motive. Markoff was on his way to Foxwoods (with his fiance – poor girl) when he was arrested.
Beyond that, it’s hard to figure out much about his play … but you know how the non-poker media gets when it comes to doing table math:
When Markoff was arrested Monday, he and his fiancée were headed to Foxwoods, and he was carrying a suitcase with more than $1,000 in cash, a police source told the New York Daily News.
Markoff had recently started frequenting the poker tables at the casino, playing as much as $1,000 a hand, the source said, who added that Markoff won $5,300 last week.
Though one would’t think you’d need a whole suitcase to carry just $1k … the numbers they quote most likely make him a 1/2 player, possibly 2/5. That, of course, assumes he’s playing no-limit and not limit … but c’mon, listen to the descriptions of how he liked to prey on the weak and dominate … sounds like no-limit to me.
UPDATE: More of his gambling details here.
Markoff also was active in College Republicans … so clearly not good for the GOP either.
Kevin Mathers says:
April 22nd, 2009 at 12:17pm
Playing poker for $1,000 a hand? Seems like someone doesn’t understand poker too well. So he buys in for 1k, shoves and hopes to win? Seems he would’ve enjoyed BJ more than poker.
DanM says:
April 22nd, 2009 at 4:06pm
yeah, i’m thinking that probably means a 1k pot. Not sure what the buy-in min and maxes are at Foxwoods, hence my uncertainty on whether or not he’s playing 1-2 or 2-5. Am actually thinking it’s more likely 2-5 now. Because while I’ve had 1k sessions in 1-2 … I’m not so sure I’ve seen too many pots that big.
Mean Gene says:
April 23rd, 2009 at 5:08am
So to finance his alleged gambling problem this pre-med student decides that a smart course of action is to…become a serial killer and murder pricey escorts in swanky hotels. And he finds these escorts using Craigslist.
So he’s leaving a paper trail through email communication…he’s going to hotels where they no doubt have some manner of video surveillance…and he’s killing attractive women who will probably be quickly missed and whose deaths will get considerable media coverage. And while I concede I’m no expert here, is it commonplace for escorts to carry large sums of money with them when they go meet a client? Aren’t they there to COLLECT a large sum of money?
It seems to me that his actions and reasoning were completely illogical, insane and immoral. Oh, wait, he was active in the College Republicans. It all makes sense now!
DanM says:
April 23rd, 2009 at 9:00am
Gene, you should offer your consulting services to future killers.
Mean Gene says:
April 23rd, 2009 at 10:46am
Kidnapping–that’s where the money is. With serial murder you’ve got all these BODIES to dispose of and that makes invoicing so much harder.
Brian G. says:
April 25th, 2009 at 10:07pm
He also pet a dog once, which is clesrly not so good for animal rights groups.
He also went to s Bruins game, which is clearly not so good for hockey fans either.
Your last sentence is the dumbest thing I ever read here.