Poker Cheating at Charity Events...That's Bad!

Cheating Charity Poker...Bad!

Have you ever wondered about people cheating in poker games that are run by and for charities? Does it happen? Are there people out there who would actually do this, especially if their cheating would affect monies earmarked for helping those people who are suffering and depend on charities to make ends meet and get by?

Well, I hadn't thought about this until I read an article about an Indianapolis charity poker room being under state investigation. That certainly got my attention.

A poker room run by the Northside Knights of Columbus that generated some $4 million in player rakes but only showed a profit of $150,000 is being investigated by Indiana State officials, who were apparently tipped off by an angry player who'd been barred from playing there.

The first question is why was that player barred. Was it for cheating? Or was it for being drunk or some other disorderly conduct? According to some newspaper accounts, the state is investigating only minor issues such as not properly displaying rules signs and allowing players to tip the dealers, which is prohibited by charity gaming regulations dictated by Indiana law.

However, most people, me included, do not buy that this is some kind of investigation into minimal violations of gaming law, especially with the knowledge that just last year another charity poker room in neighboring Fort Wayne was cited for giving only a small percentage of its revenues to the charities it represented.

I don't know exactly what's going on at the Northside Knights charity poker room, but I do know this: someone is cheating. It could be the players, the organizers or both.

I'm gonna say it's probably both!