06 Dec 2024 Underground poker is an unsanctioned poker game. It does not mean the game must be underground. An underground poker game can be played in private homes, apartments, warehouses and yes building basements. In this topic, we explore the dark side of these underground poker games. How It All Started The underground element was mostly referring to the private nature of the game. Because gambling was illegal in the United States and remains so in most sections to this day, players had to find other venues to play. The underground game was developed when shady businessmen recognized this as a means to earn a quick buck. A game that was not well recognized and was only promoted through word of mouth. To find out about it, you typically had to know someone who had already played there. Depending on the jurisdiction, an unlicensed or unsanctioned game was not necessarily illegal. Some states, such as Texas, allow home or private games without any legal retribution as long as the house does not rake the game. If in any way, shape or form, the house develops an advantage that is rake or hosting a game where the odds are in the house's favor, the game would be considered illegal. Most underground card room hosts worry more about armed robbers than they do with law enforcements but that varies based on how aggressive the local police force is. Another interesting tidbit lies in the state of New York's law. It is apparently illegal to host a gambling game of any kind whether that be a casino or a simple poker game. However, on the flip end, gambling itself was not illegal. So most people in underground games were not breaking the law by playing them. The only people breaking the law, according to the state of New York, were the staff. New York Poker Scene The Mayfair was one of New York City's oldest underground clubs, which has since been closed. The Mayfair began as a bridge and backgammon club at about 1940 but when poker became popular, the club ceased holding its regular games and converted to poker. Professional poker players like Eric Seidel and Howard Letterer became regulars in the late 1980s and the Mayfair grew in prominence. In 1988, the Mayfair moved to a larger, subterranean space on East 25th Street where writer-director Brian Kopelman observed unique individuals like Joe Bagels, who would inspire the John Turturro character of Joey Knish in the 1998 New York-based poker movie, Rounders. The Mayfair wasn't the only place to play in town. In truth, most gaming clubs were merely places for guys to socialize and drink a few cocktails. With the inflow of Eastern European immigrants into the United States, particularly in New York City, this gradually altered. Eastern European males enjoyed playing cards for money while eating traditional prepared dishes. As a result, local goulash establishments became hotbeds of poker activity. The card-playing god, Stu Unger, got his start in places such as this as his family owned a goulash restaurant, which eventually became a haven for high-stakes poker players. Over a wild four-year period from 2003 until 2007, the New York scene blew up. Almost overnight, poker clubs seemed to be opening all over town. They would occupy sprawling loft spaces and load up to 15 or more felted top tables. Even though they were supposed to be secret joints, they had evocative, market-savvy names such as PlayStation, Straddle, Diamond Club, Brooklyn Players, and The Aquarium. Clubs were getting written up in newspapers and celebrities were spotted at the tables, but nobody seemed to care. People looked at poker as something very innocuous. Sadly, most clubs died down when the love of poker turned into a love for money. The friendly atmosphere vanished and was replaced with hardcore gamblers and crooked hosts. The Reality of Private Poker Games The image of underground poker games portrayed in the movies was far from reality. These underground games were portrayed in the movies as an expensive occasion complete with vodka martinis and stunning females in magnificent clothes. The entire crew dressed up in tuxedos and treated the players like princes. The reality of an underground poker game was something quite different. The underground game was nothing to be admired whether it was a low-stakes game in a bad area of town or a high-stakes cash game in a posh Manhattan area. The majority of the locations were along dark alleyways with unsavory individuals strewn about. To get to the entrance via the door, you normally needed a password of some type. When you first go in, it's generally simply a regular room with a few poker tables scattered about. There was no bar, no chandeliers, and no hot girls wandering the halls. Instead, you were hardly greeted at all, you were frisked for weapons, and then led to a dark, musty corner to play a game that you mostly cannot win. It wasn't a special type of poker that was being played - it was mostly just a rigged game. The tables were colluding in droves, and the house couldn't care less. If you're wondering why, it's because the house was on it. Not only did the house employ proposition players to sit in on the games and play with house money, but they were also given priority seating at the table to guarantee maximum activity. That's right - the house players were generally assigned to the seat adjacent to the dealer and told to raise every hand no matter what. Tremendous rakes resulted from the big action, and that was all that mattered to the host. Most places did not even provide free drinks or food. So why would people go to play in such games? Well firstly, they do an incredible job of attracting terrible players. Additionally, players that were new to the game were scared to try their luck at a real casino, felt more comfortable coming to a game like this at someone's house or outside of the hustle and bustle of a busy card room. Secondly, these games were usually at the top of the food chain when it comes to convenience. You don't usually see these games popping up just down the street from major card rooms. You'll usually see them in smaller towns where the closest card rooms could be hours away if not further. They create an easy-to-get-to place for poker enthusiasts to get their fix without having to jump on a plane and head to Las Vegas. End of an Era However, few players came out unscathed from underground poker clubs. Most people would lose large amounts of money and return to their boring lives with their heads bowed only to go more in debt. The house, on the other hand, made out like a bandit, easily making thousands of dollars every night from the rake. The underground games of New York almost fell just as fast as they gained popularity. As the 90s approached and Rudy Giuliani came into office, the underground games were being raided by police. Until then, the cops had generally ignored them. They were aware of their existence but chose to ignore them. But when the underground clubs were affected by the criminal element, that came to an end. Some robbers would barge in and demand money from players and casino employees. The scene reached its conclusion in November 2007 when a club on 5th Avenue and 28th Street was held up by robbers in ski masks. Players watched helplessly as the thugs beat a cashier and stole their money. Things would have gone smoothly and remained unreported if one of the nervous thieves had not dropped his gun and accidentally shot a player. Once that occurred, the city could no longer turn a blind eye. The police force brought down the hammer with their raids, arresting club owners and staff and seizing thousands of dollars from players. It is believed that the city of New York took in over $15 million in a course of one year in confiscated money from players and club owners. But where illicit gambling is concerned, you really never know what will happen or where it will go. New places are always opening and the old ones are always closing. New poker games are running in many cities around the world and it will be until poker is fully legalized and recognized as a legitimate activity. Even then, some players will surely prefer a game in the club rather than in the casino so this part of the poker industry isn't going away soon.
