The Water Cooler: Poker News for the Weekend of January 23, 2011

by Bodog Poker | Jan 24 2011

A lot of poker news falls through the cracks during the weekend and that’s why Bodog Poker’s Deke Marston scourts the internet and puts together the brief that keeps you on top of things

Oklahoma

The World Series of Poker Circuit event at the Choctaw Resort and Casino continued to provide thrills for locals with two Texas boys dominating the final table of the penultimate event, the $555 No Limit Hold ‘Em tournament where first prize ended up with over $40,000.  Observers noted that it was definitely a Friday night sort of thing, with fans of Justin Gardenhire and Nic Johnson watching the final table, cheering and booing in equal measure as cocktail waitresses struggled to keep up with their demands. Johnson was eliminated in third place in a dramatic hand and Gardenhire himself took home the first place prize of $40b616 and a new WSOPC ring.

It might have been less dramatic, but stalwart WSOPC workhorse Mark “Pegasus” Smith came close to earning his fifth World Series of Poker ring, pulling him ahead of Men Nguyen and Chris Reslock in the race to dominate the standings.  Unfortunately, he ran came in second in a field of 448 players to Robert Castoire in the $345 No Limit Hold ‘Em Circuit event. Observers report that Castoire was not as happy as he should have been  and when asked about that, he said that he really wanted his friend the Pegasus to get his fifth ring.  That said, poker is poker and rings have to be earned, not given away.

Indiana

We talked about the Parnell Poker palace a couple of weeks ago, the Fort Wayne joint  where people got to play poker and other casino games to raise money for the White’s School of the Arts, but it looks like both the Palace and its owner/operator Ralph T. White or on the outs with the business permanently closed and White on probation. Charity gaming operations are perfectly legal in Indiana as long as the staff work on a volunteer basis, but the Parnell Poekr Palace was paying its employees under the table and documents prove that the heads of White’s School of the Arts was part of the scheme.

Even the testimonial from the youth who benefitted by White’s school didn’t keep the man out of trouble and Judge John Surbeck gave white a sentence of four years for “corrupt business influence” and a year and a half for “unlawful charity game contracting” to be served concurrently — but suspended, with two years of active probation.

After the sentencing, the state prosecutor said they were very satisfied with the outcome as it proves that the Indiana would not take lightly any instance of a charity organization being a front of an illegal gambling operation.

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