It is been an odd stretch for pro poker players and just what appears to be an epidemic of hubris making the rounds we saw pro poker blogger Jay Newnum get probation for fishing into a dealer’s tip box and extracting nearly $700 with chopsticks at Foxwoods during their Mega Stack Challenge tournament series, and now comes news that pro player Christian Lusardi has been arrested in connection with $2.7 million in counterfeit chips at the Borgata during their Winter Open series amongst them: first.

But that is the just the tip for the iceberg in the utter weirdness division, because this story that is latest has all of the makings of good movie plot.

Not A Straight Flush

All accounts were frozen with 27 players remaining out of an original 4,814, each of whom had paid a $560 buy-in after play was terminated in Event #1 at Borgata just over a week ago after the discovery of counterfeit chips having been introduced into the action. The next thing, of course, ended up being to learn from whence came said fake chips, and even though you might think the endless surveillance cameras that permeate any casino were the break in this case, the latter emerged from a much more strange source: clogged sewer pipes.

Turns out of the problem was discovered when some Harrah’s Resort casino workers had to learn what was causing a sewer that is massive; and what did they come upon, but $2.7 million in fake Borgata chips, evidently flushed down the toilet. We assume not all at once, but nonetheless, pretty impressive that a casino’s sewer system can even accept that much roughage, isn’t it?

It all began to unravel when hotel guests called in with complaints of leaky pipes water that is dripping their rooms. The supply of the pipe clog was traced to professional player Christian Lusardi, 42; the Fayetteville, new york player had been staying in the originating room, according to detectives.

Caught, Arrested and Charged

Lusardi had very long taken off from Harrah’s after their royal flush, but ended up being discovered and arrested by New Jersey State Police midday on Friday at a local Super 8 Motel in Atlantic City; no word on how the authorities managed to check out Lusardi’s paper or should we say, chip trail to get their man. He is been charged with rigging a publicly exhibited contest, just for starters. It’s perhaps not yet clear if Lusardi acted alone, or if other accomplices has been involved as well. The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has been an element of the investigative process additionally, of course.

It will take a complete lot to surprise casino execs, but Borgata’s senior vice president Joe Lupo says this example did the trick for him.

‘This is the first-time we’ve had anything like this happen within our 10 years in business, also it’s the first time I’ve seen this within my 27 years in gaming,’ said Lupo.

‘The research by the DGE and the State Police is ongoing and Borgata remains under your order the DGE issued week that is last’ added Lupo. ‘Borgata will continue to work well with the DGE and hawaii Police until this matter is concluded and an order that is final issued by the DGE concerning the resolution of Event I.’

The implications and how this is handled by both Borgata and law enforcement are complex indeed, as the fake potato chips obviously affected the upshot of the big event up until the ultimate three tables were frozen. Authorities now say that Lusardi included chips that are counterfeit his stacks more often than once during the occasion; he ended up winning $6,814 an amount we’re pretty sure he won’t be keeping.

Not surprisingly given their side, Lusardi was a hefty chip frontrunner early within the tourney, with 519,000 in his piles at the start of Day Two; that alone granted him a $2,000 bonus, based on news reports.

Besides the pipe-clogging chips which was the tip that is first of play Borgata employees additionally found another $800,000 worth of fake chips had been introduced into play in the occasion. At that point, regulators put the kibosh on the event and shut it straight down.

Apparently, this is not Lusardi’s first fall from gambling grace: right back in 2008, he had been one of a dozen charged with illegal gambling operations and liquor sales in his hometown of Fayetteville. Along with cards and potato chips, news reports said $12,000 in cash was found in his home.

Perhaps this story can most useful be summed by Ryan Messick, a player who was eliminated from the Borgata occasion in early stages.

‘ The fact that this guy flushed the chips down the toilet, that just has to be the thing that is stupidest i have ever heard,’ noted Messick. ‘ There ended up being no method he had beenn’t going to be learned.’

Meanwhile, the culprit will have enough time to contemplate clogged toilets; he was taken up to the Atlantic County Justice center as he couldn’t meet the $300,000 bail requirement.