The role of the host in these games can be quite complicated.
«When talking about home games, the phrase ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’ applies here,» Berkey says. «Because you are completely in the hands of whoever organizes the game… They have control of the dealers, the decks, the tables and the shuffling machines.»
They are also in charge of the books, and that is often where the drama begins.
These are not casinos with cages, cameras and fully monitored methods of depositing and withdrawing money. Credit is used regularly, both to appease players and to avoid problems with traceable movements of large sums of cash.
«People don’t always pay,» Berkey says. «And when that becomes a problem, it’s now the host’s job to stick to the books somehow, otherwise they’ll lose all their clientele.»
Enter the mafia, who, in addition to running some of the poker games, often play a role they are well known for in popular culture: paying off debts.
«Let’s say there’s someone who loses a lot of money,» says Zach Jensen, content developer and mafia expert at Las Vegas Mob Museum. «To get them to pay, the mafia can intervene and do that. Also extortion, intimidation and violence.»
As Jensen explains it, the mafia may not be anywhere near the size or power it once was. Currently it operates in a more discreet manner. But he’s still very active in many of his old tricks, and illegal gambling is still a big part of the picture.
In fact, at least one name that appears in the indictment against Billups has its roots in the glory days of the mob.
«There’s an Angelo Ruggiero Jr. on the list,» Jensen says. «His father, Angelo Ruggiero, also known as ‘Quack Quack,’ was a close friend of John Gotti and part of his team.»
