Friday, June 03, 2011

California Cop Busted For Bet-Capping on Blackjack Tables at Sycuan Casino!

A Chula Vista police officer was in custody Friday for allegedly cheating while gambling at an East County gaming house, officials announced Friday.

Jesus A. Salazar, 30, a cop in the San Diego suburb of Chula Vista, was taken into custody last night at the Sycuan Casino and then to the San Diego county jail on what is being called a misdemeanor charge of cheating at gambling. He is being held, however, on the not so misdemeanor bail of $10,000.

According to reports, Salazar, a nine-year veteran on the force, was capping his bets (adding chips) while playing blackjack. It is not clear if he was doing this after he already won hands or when he was in a good position to win hands, such as made-twenty against a dealer upcard of seven. I also do not know what denomination chips the alleged caps involve but Would surely think either $5 reds or $25 greens. $100 black chips don't get that much action at Sycuan and would immediate attract a lot of casino eyes. I imagine that Salazar had gotten away with his cheating move several times before being caught.

In any event, ten grand is a helluva high bail for a bet-capping charge at a Native American casino. I guess they want to make an example out of him.

Phil Ivy's Refusal To Play in 2011 WSOP--Is It in Defense of Poker Cheat Victims or Ruse to Keep His Image Shining?

Actually it's both, but I don't think Phil Cares as much about the poker bot-cheating victims and multi-account cheat victims who got cheated on Full Tilt Poker as much as he says he does. I think that he wants to keep his online poker golden-boy image as sparkling as his World Series of Poker image, and what better way to do that than sacrifice his appearance at this year's WSOP tournaments in the name of standing up for Full Tilt's online poker cheat victims?

If you didn't read Phil's statement on his Facebook page, here it is:

"For many years, I have been proud to call myself a poker player. This great sport has taken me to places I only imagined going and I have been blessed with much success. It is therefore with deep regret that I believe I am compelled to release the following statement.

I am deeply disappointed and embarrassed that Full Tilt players have not been paid money they are owed. I am equally embarrassed that as a result many players cannot compete in tournaments and have suffered economic harm.

I am not playing in the World Series of Poker as I do not believe it is fair that I compete when others cannot. I am doing everything I can to seek a solution to the problem as quickly as possible.

My name and reputation have been dragged through the mud, through the inactivity and indecision of others and on behalf of all poker players I refuse to remain silent any longer. I have electronically filed a lawsuit against Tiltware related to the unsettled player accounts. As I am sure the public can imagine, this was not an easy decision for me.

I wholeheartedly refuse to accept non-action as to repayment of players funds and I am angered that people who have supported me throughout my career have been treated so poorly.

I sincerely hope this statement will ignite those capable of resolving the problems into immediate action and would like to clarify that until a solution is reached that cements the security of all players, both US and International, I will, as I have for the last six weeks, dedicate the entirety of my time and efforts to finding a solution for those who have been wronged by the painfully slow process of repayment"

Well, I will tell you one thing: We will surely see Phil back in next year's 2012 WSOP...unless some new online poker site he gets involved in gets hit with a cheating scandal and doesn't react quick to reimburse its victims!