Louisiana Poker Dealer Accused Of Stacking Deck For Accomplice When $160K Bad Beat Was HitPolice Say Investigation Revealed The Outcome Was Rigged |
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Police in Louisiana announced that they have arrested two people accused of rigging a poker room bad-beat jackpot worth $166,000.
On Friday, the Louisiana State Police Bureau of Investigations Gaming Enforcement Division charged 66-year-old poker dealer Ashley Solomon and his alleged accomplice, Dale Foret, 51. Both men are from Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.
Authorities didn’t say which poker room the alleged crime took place at, only that it happened at a “local casino.” The state has a dozen poker rooms. A person familiar with the matter told Card Player that it happened at the Boomtown Casino in New Orleans.
Police said the investigation began on Jan. 19, 2018, when detectives were notified by the casino staff about “several inconsistencies” with the bad-beat promotion, which stood at $166,000 at the time it was hit. The investigation revealed that Solomon “intentionally stacked the deck of cards for a favorable outcome,” according to police. Solomon allegedly conducted two false shuffles. It’s not clear if other players at the table noticed anything nefarious.
The second false shuffle resulted in the bad-beat jackpot being hit, with Foret holding the losing hand that awarded him the lion’s share of the jackpot. Police didn’t say what the poker hands were. Police also didn’t say what Foret was in line to collect, but bad-beat jackpots typically award at least 40 percent to the player who lost with a seemingly unbeatable hand.
Police said the investigation later revealed that Solomon had communicated with Foret prior to and after the poker game. However, none of the jackpot winnings were paid out due to the investigation, according to law enforcement.
“The jackpot will remain available for future players who win at Texas hold’em under proper and approved rules of play,” police said in the news release.
As a result of the investigation, detectives obtained arrest warrants for both individuals just a few days before they were charged. Both individuals were booked into the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on criminal charges of conspiracy to commit theft over $25,000 and attempted theft over $25,000.
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