Gambling News by Gambling Headquarters

City police and federal law enforcement drew a royal flush Saturday when they bet the house on a raid that folded an underground poker game. Six months after learning that high-stakes, invitation only Texas Hold 'Em games might be occurring in Warren, local police - with the help of federal authorities - raided a Woodland Street N.E. building early Saturday morning, finding and taking a large amount of cash and poker-related items. ''We received information about some gambling going on over time, so we conducted an investigation,'' said Warren police detective Jeffrey Hoolihan, who led the investigation. Hoolihan said the investigation is continuing. It's unclear at this point what charges may be filed. No one was arrested Saturday. That investigation brought police and the FBI to Cox Contracting Inc., 715 Woodland St. N.E., where they found some 13 players bellied up to two tables, some drinking beers and playing Texas Hold 'Em, a version of poker that has gained immense popularity in recent years due in part to television coverage of high money tournaments across the United States. The owner of Cox Construction did not return a message seeking comment. Warren Municipal Judge Thomas Gysegem signed the warrant Thursday. The raid happened at 1:05 a.m. Saturday.

According to the office of Attorney General Jim Petro, Texas Hold 'em is considered a game of chance, defined by Ohio law as a ''game in which a player gives anything of value in the hope of gain, the outcome of which is determined largely by chance.'' The good news for many players is that home games are perfectly legal as long as the house doesn't take a cut and any money bet is paid out to the winners.

The bad news in this case, police say, is that the operator was taking a cut of the money bet and charging a buy-in for players to participate.

According to police, the buy-in to participate was $100 between 7 and 9 p.m. and $200 after 9 p.m. Police believe the invitation-only game was dealt held on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and one day during the week, and, since May, between 50 and 60 different players participated.

Police seized two tables, a number of chips and cards, more than $15,000 in cash and other gambling-related items, Hoolihan said.