USATODAY.com - National poker craze drawing attention of law enforcement

USATODAY.com - National poker craze drawing attention of law enforcement: "National poker craze drawing attention of law enforcement
By Charisse Jones, USA TODAY
NEW YORK — A few evenings a month, Carl Skutsch used to head to the 14th Street Playstation in Manhattan.
Cheryl Hines and Anthony Anderson compete on Bravo's original series Celebrity Poker Showdown. Cheryl Hines and Anthony Anderson compete on Bravo's original series Celebrity Poker Showdown.
By Paul Drinkwater, Bravo/nbcumv.com

Despite its name and the free Oreos and pretzels, there was no electronic game in sight. Instead, Skutsch, a history teacher at the School of Visual Arts here, and a motley crew of investment bankers, cab drivers and retirees gathered in the non-descript office space and played poker — mostly Texas Hold 'Em.

Then in May, the Playstation was shut down, one of several underground poker clubs raided and closed by New York police last year. 'I miss that world,' says Skutsch, 42. 'Every night a lot of the same faces would be around so people knew each other. ... There was a certain respect in the air.'"