Texas Police Bust Poker Club

The management of B-N-B poker supply in Brownsville, Texas tried to dupe their patrons into believing that the poker games being held there were legal, and they succeeded. Unfortunately for B-N-B, the local police were not fooled, as the store was raided Tuesday night.

Even though a newspaper article hanging on the wall said that the state Attorney General ruled that poker tournaments are legal if players do not risk money for a prize, B-N-B still charged a fee for play. Customers paid five dollars an hour to play in poker tournaments where money, could, in fact, be won or lost.

Six people were arrested in the bust and eleven players were ticketed.

Among the arrested were owners William Taliancich and Cresencio Fragoso Jr., charged with keeping a gambling place and gambling promotion, along with four dealers.

Brownsville police had actually been investigating B-N-B for some time after they had learned about the tournaments. It was not until Tuesday, however, that they struck.

“We’re not going to tolerate this type of conduct in the city of Brownsville,” Police Chief Carlos Garcia said. “I know people might say this is a victim-less crime, that it’s their money they’re betting. But the bottom line is that it’s against Texas state laws and we’re going to enforce them.”

The owners allegedly made anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 a night running the poker activities.

Originally published August 10, 2005