[The Ocho]

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Illegal? Well what aspect? Playing in the game isn't. Owning the room in which the games is occuring is. Dealing the game may or may not be.

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It's not illegal to play? Well, OK. If this is true (which it very well may be), then it sucks that people are getting hassled.

However, if you are playing in a game that is apparently not supposed to be happening (as evidenced by the illegality of owning a poker room and the numerous police raids of various clubs) then you shouldn't be surprised that the cops are hassling you. It seems odd to me that so many people seem to be in such an uproar over something like this. It's unfortunate that the cops don't understand or care about the fairly subtle nuances and grey areas of gambling laws in NYC. But I would figure most players would have figured this out by now, and adjusted their attitudes accordingly. When you step in that room, you are taking a risk of being nailed by the cops and having your money seized. That seems to be the reality of the situation, like it or not. If you don't like that risk, don't take it.