Gossip Column: Gambler Bribes On-Site Agent with Big Macs, Sam Trickett Bluffed His Way to Victory & More
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- PG News September 23, 2018
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6 Mins Read
The world of gambling can be chaotic, confusing and dangerous. While technology may be to blame for some of the troubles the industry faces, but for the large part it’s the people who are responsible for their own situations.
Gambling can have its consequences, it can bring you unbridled fortune, or it can rip apart your life savings, but cheating your way through a casino is never a wise decision. Indiana resident Justin Athey found out the hard way that when one gets caught cheating at a casino, offering burgers for bribe is not a good idea.
But not everyone who gambles is this dumb. Take Sam Trickett for example. What a master bluffer he is! So much as that he bluffed his way to a $30 Million fortune.
However, bluffing doesn’t bode well for everyone, especially if its technology that is goofing up. For even an 18-second long error can cause huge losses, as the bettors on FanDuel`s Sportsbook discovered.
But like we said at the start, humans are more troublesome than machines. Like in the case of high stakes pro Yevgeniy Timoshenko who had to sue his roommate Frank Gu just to get his money back!
Gambler Bribes On-Site Agent with Big Macs
Bribing is never a good thing but bribing to get out gambling-related arrest is unwise and it even worse to use junk food as collateral for the bribe. But that’s exactly what Indiana resident Justin Athey did.
In late July, the 34-year old gambler allegedly got caught cheating at baccarat in the form of late betting at the Hollywood Casino Lawrenceburg. He tried to place a bet after the outcome of the game and while the stakes of the game were low, it was still a crime that he committed.
However, Athey denied the allegations of cheating when an on-site agent with the state’s Gaming Commission confronted him. But when he realised that his attempt at denial is not working, Athey took a dive down the rabbit hole and came out with an innately eccentric means of escaping his impending fate.
A probable cause affidavit filed by the agent with the Indiana Gaming Commission stated, “When I advised Athey that what he had done was considered Cheating at a Gambling Game and that it was a Level 6 Felony, he immediately said that he didn’t mean to do it. He said I wouldn’t try and cheat the casino. Athey asked if he was going to jail; he said I can’t go to jail, I’m here trying to make my house payment. He also said I’ll get you as many free [McDonald’s] Big Macs that you want.”
It seems that the agent wasn’t particularly fond of burgers as Athey was charged on August 7 with the felony. If convicted, Athey could face between six months to about two years in prison.
Whatever Athey’s fate may be, let’s hope that this serves as a lesson to other gamblers to not cheat or bribe. And if you’re still going to bribe, at least think of something better than junk food to offer.
Sam Trickett Bluffed His Way to Victory
The British newspaper Daily Mail recently reported that highstakes crusher Sam Trickett bluffed “his way to £30MILLION fortune”. Is it true?
While the $30 Million figure seems a little absurd, the partypoker pro is not very far off that mark. Trickett himself has claimed to have won £7.6 Million in a single day at the cash tables and the Hendon Mob database states his total live MTT winnings to be around $20.8 Million.
“I’ve won £15 million in tournaments and a lot more in cash games. The most I’ve won in a day is about £7.6m,”Trickett told the tabloid.
But how did he do it you ask? Well, by multitasking!
Who said men can’t multi task ?? #trickettsroom @partypoker pic.twitter.com/DAhUTjJdvA
— Sam Trickett (@Samtrickett1) September 12, 2018
The 32-year old pro stated, “I’ve lost £1 Million in a day a few times. If I thought I was going to lose more than that I’d feel uneasy. So when that happens I tend to quit so I don’t lose more.”
But, it’s obvious that Trickett has won more than he has lost. At least the properties and cars he owns would indicate to his poker success.
“This job means I get to spend a lot of money. I’ve got four properties including my home in Ibiza and I have spent a lot on cars over the years. My Ferrari was custom-made and cost me £275,000. My Range Rover cost £90,000. And I have another one that cost £120,000.” he added.
While Trickett is living the ‘dream life’, he is also aware of the pitfalls of his chosen profession, “When you make a lot of money you get people trying to latch on to you. You don’t know who is genuine”.
FanDuel Sportsbook Glitch Results in Erroneous In-Game Wagering
The new FanDuel-operated sportsbook recently opened at The Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, New Jersey and experienced a shaky start. Whilst bettors experienced frustration due to some malfunctions, the sportsbook had still received decent traffic with nearly $3.5 Million wagered in the first nine days of operation.
But irritation among bettors grew after they were unable to cash winning tickets following an extra-inning major league baseball game that concluded after the cages had closed.
But tensions reached a breaking point on September 16, when the Denver Broncos trailed the Oakland Raiders 19-17 with less than a minute to go in the game, and the sportsbook’s in-game wagering offered bettors +340 (i.e., $100 to win $340) for Denver to win. Within a couple of plays, the Broncos completed a pass to move within field goal position with just 26 seconds left, thereby greatly improving their chances to win with a game-ending field goal.
At this time a “pricing error” which drastically affected the in-game wagering took place. While the bet for Denver to win had become – 600 (i.e., $600 to win $100), the sportsbook instead was offering bettors the chance to bet on a Broncos victory at +75000 — that is, $100 to win $75,000 or 750-to-1.
Even though the erroneous price was available for just 18 seconds before being corrected, that was time enough for bettors to make the wager at the unbelievable price. Denver won in the end, but when those who had made the bet went to collect their winnings they were told their tickets would not be honoured
News12 New Jersey reported that Anthony Prince, one of the bettors, had “bet $110 at +75000, meaning he would have been due more than $82,000. But Prince was told by a FanDuel employee there had been a technical glitch and the sportsbook was not obligated to pay out tickets when such glitches occurred.”
In later statement made by FanDuel, the sportsbook operator explained that “a small number of bets were made at the erroneous price over an 18-second period,” and that they had instead “honoured all such bets on the Broncos to win the game at the accurate market price in accordance with our house rules and industry practice, which specifically address such obvious pricing errors.”
“Above all else, sports betting is supposed to be fun,”the statement continued, “a lot of our customers are new to sports betting and… not familiar” with industry rules and how such pricing errors are handled, FanDuel declared “this one’s on the house.”
“We are paying out these erroneous tickets and wish the lucky customers well,”said FanDuel. “Going forward, we are working with the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement to improve our processes and procedures.”
Former WPT Champion Settles Money Dispute Out of Court With Former Roommate
No one likes the idea of getting embroiled in an unwarranted lawsuit and if it’s your friend who’s at the other side of the fence, it can be even more difficult. Or so it seems for former Word Poker Tour (WPT) champion and high stakes pro Yevgeniy Timoshenko.
Last we heard, New York resident Timoshenko was going all guns blazing against his former friend and roommate Frank Gu who he alleged, owed him nearly $90,000 and was refusing to pay. Right before the hearing, however, Timoshenko has reportedly withdrawn the case, and reached an out of court settlement with Gu.
The duo grabbed attention in March 2017, when Timoshenko sued Gu for $90,000, on the ground that Gu had not paid $16,000 in rent and was still to return the $50,000 he had loaned him for investing in penny stocks.
But that’s not all! Timoshenko has also shouted foul, claiming that while he was traveling abroad for a poker tournament, $10,000 in cash went missing from his room. According to Timoshenko, Gu was responsible for the missing cash, and that Gu had ‘mishandled’ his money by allowing a stranger to stay in his room.
Gu obviously had denied Timoshenko’s allegations in the lawsuit. The two were all ready for a face off but then the lawsuit fizzled down even before being heard in the federal court. Just days before the scheduled trial on September 25, the two men have come to an out-of-court settlement. Based on Timoshenko’s request, the federal judge ordered dismissal of the lawsuit earlier this week.
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- KeywordsTags: World of Gambling, Sam Trickett, Yevgeniy Timoshenko, Justin Athey, World Poker Tour, Gossip Column, WPT
