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Poker raid nets ex-chief of police
Published: 2005-04-28
 Apr. 28, 2005
Poker raid nets ex-chief of police
By ANSLEE WILLETT and R. SCOTT RAPPOLD THE GAZETTE
PALMER LAKE - A former Monument police chief and a Palmer Lake Town Council member were among 23 people arrested Tuesday in a gambling raid at a Mexican restaurant.
Al Karn, 69, and Tricia Flake, 34, were served summonses on suspicion of professional gambling, a misdemeanor, in connection with Texas Hold ’em poker at Guadala-Jarra in Palmer Lake.
“It was an unfortunate event, and everybody there was good citizens in the community,” Flake said Wednesday. “If any one of us had known it was illegal or even borderline, none of us would have even been there.”
“It’s a real crock,” said Karn, who retired as chief in 1998 and then served a term on the Monument Town Council. “We’re talking about a $15 buy-in. That’s supposed to be professional gambling?”
“If I wanted to do something illegal, I would have gotten a bigger game than that,” Karn said.
Also arrested was restaurant owner Jeff Hulsmann, 48, who is heading the fundraising effort to fill Palmer Lake.
Another arrest is pending.
Hulsmann denied breaking the law, saying he merely allowed customers to play poker at his restaurant.
“The restaurant took no money,” said Hulsmann, who also owns O-Malley’s Steak Pub. “We don’t think it’s illegal.”
Mark Wilson, director of the Colorado Division of Gaming, said the Tuesday-night card games in the restaurant’s bar were illegal because players paid $15 to play.
Texas Hold ’em and other poker games have exploded in popularity among amateur card players and at bars during the past few years.
“They’ve become more common since the craze of televised poker tournaments,” said Don Burmania, a spokesman for the Division of Gaming. “Although the games are commonplace, this type of arrest is not common.”
Card games are allowed at bars, even those in which money is at stake, if the players have a relationship beyond gambling and the money goes to the winner with no one taking a cut for running the game.
All those arrested are accused of a misdemeanor except Hulsmann. He is accused of a felony because he operated an establishment where liquor is served and illegal gambling was taking place, authorities said.
The Colorado Liquor Enforcement Division will determine whether Hulsmann’s license should be revoked or suspended.
The 23 people arrested ranged in age from 19 to 69. They came from Palmer Lake, Monument and Colorado Springs.
Hulsmann was jailed Tuesday and posted a $1,000 bond. The others were served summonses to appear in court.
The arrests came after a monthlong investigation headed by the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Metro Vice, Narcotics and Intelligence Unit, which includes El Paso County sheriff’s deputies.
The investigation began after a Palmer Lake official told Town Marshal Dale Smith she saw people gambling at Guadala-Jarra.
Smith said the rumor on the streets was if gamblers didn’t want to go to casino towns, they could head to Palmer Lake instead.
Authorities said people drove from as far away as 150 miles to play at the restaurant and that the games were advertised on a poker Web site.
“Patrons entering the establishment were approached and asked if they wanted to play,” Colorado Springs police Lt. Tish Olszewski said.
Hulsmann said the card games began in December after customers asked if they could use the restaurant.
“The games have gotten bigger. People have brought friends up,” he said. “They are just a bunch of guys who want to play poker. The restaurant has nothing to do with that.”
The arrests were made about 7:45 p.m. Tuesday after police served a search warrant at the restaurant and officers found people playing Texas Hold ’em at three tables, Olszewski said.
Hulsmann said no one told him the games might be illegal and he should put a stop to it.
“Everybody who walks in here sees the games,” he said. “They have blown this so far out of proportion. They went to a home game to make their big sting of the month.”
Matt Cook, state liquor enforcement director, called the case one of the most flagrant investigators have seen.
“This was professional gambling. . . . This was not just a group of friends getting together,” Cook said.
Karn, the former police chief, said authorities should have just told Hulsmann what they were doing was considered illegal.
He was playing for the third week in a row — and doing well.
“That’s one thing that irritates me: I was leading the table when they broke it up,” he said.
CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0366 or
awillett@gazette.com
LEGAL GAMBLING
The Colorado Division of Gaming gets daily calls from people asking what kind of gambling is legal.
Gambling is legal in Colorado at casinos, charitable bingo and raffles, and horse and dog tracks. Social gambling also is legal.
For gambling to be considered social gambling, the people involved must have a relationship outside of gambling and all the money in the game must be awarded in prizes, meaning no one can take a cut for running the game.
Pools on sporting events are legal at workplaces because they’re considered social gambling: the people know each other and all of the money goes to a winner or winners.
More information: www.revenue. state.co.us/Gaming/home.asp
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The NBC National Heads Up Championship is here
Published: 2005-04-28
 Poker creeps into the Network consciousness: The NBC National Heads Up Championship is here.
April 28, 2005
John Caldwell
When I first heard NBC was doing a made for TV poker event, it perked my ears up. Even if it was poorly done, it would still be a good step for poker. The fact that a network was willing to shoot it meant that a network was willing to air it, and unless it was an unmitigated disaster, poker would creep a little more into the mainstream.
But it strikes me that NBC actually thought about this, and created an event, rather than just set up cameras at an existing tournament. Having six or eight heads up matches going at once was a really smart way to do it. OK, Johnny Chan is taking time to make a decision...fine, cut to Annie Duke's match. Annie folded? Fine, cut to Phil Ivey's match, and so on. One would have to assume that this was a nightmare to direct (worse than golf), but I am eager to see the end result this Sunday.
This Sunday at 1pm (check your local listings), NBC will air its first episode of the "National Heads Up Championship", which will run for six weeks in a row, sometimes on Sundays, sometimes on Saturdays. It may be interesting to note that a couple of the airings lead directly into major horse races. I can see some NBC exec going, "hmmm...gamblers like poker AND horses....Win Win!"
The heads up format, and the fact that multiple matches were being held at the same time seems like perfect television fodder. The names participating in this competition are as big as any event out there. The event includes Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Daniel, Moneymaker, Annie, and my personal favorite Rene Angelil, who is mostly known for being Celine Dion's husband/manager. It is mostly poker pros, but James Woods, and Lakers owner Jerry Buss played in the event also.
This marks yet another moment in time for the mainstream penetration of poker. I am interested to see how NBC handles it, and hopefully the commentary, and the coverage is as poker friendly as it will be TV friendly.
If you don't want to know who won this, don't read this next paragraph. The winner was Phil Hellmuth, and the only reason I mention this is that I find it interesting that Phil, who has not had a lot of luck in televised events these past two years suddenly comes out of hibernation, and wins the highest profile TV event yet (yes the WSOP, and WPT are bigger poker events, but cable is cable). Phil's stock will once again rise, and let's face it...somebody up there likes Phil.
The commentary is provided by Matt Vasgersian, with none other than Mr Kotter himself, Gabe Kaplan chiming in expert commentary. There someone called a "sideline" reporter (boy, this is network TV) named Lindsay Czarniak.
For more information on this event, feel free to go to headsuppokerchamp.com and let's hope this comes out good...
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