Inside the star-studded, mob-run poker games that allegedly steal millions from players

The role of host in these games can be fraught with danger.

“When you’re talking about home games, the phrase ‘absolute power corrupts absolutely’ applies here,” Berkey asserts. “Because you’re under the control of whoever’s hosting the game…they control the dealers, they control the cards, they control the tables, they control the shufflers.”

They are also in charge of the books, and this is often where the drama begins.

These are not casinos with cages, cameras and full surveillance methods for depositing and withdrawing money. Credit is used regularly, both to satisfy players and to avoid problems with large, traceable cash movements.

“People don’t always pay,” Berkey says. “And when that becomes a problem, it’s now the host’s job to make it on the books somehow, otherwise they’ll lose all their customers.”

He joined the mafia, which, in addition to running some poker games, often performed a role for which it is known in popular culture: settling debts.

“Let’s say you have someone losing a lot of money,” says Zach Jensen, a content developer and mafia expert at the company. Mob Museum in Las Vegas. “By getting them to pay, the mob can step in and do it. Extortion, intimidation and violence as well.”

As Jensen explains, the mob may not be anywhere near the size or strength of its former force. It operates way more under the radar today. But it’s still very active in many of its old tricks, and illegal gambling remains a big part of the picture.

In fact, at least one name that appears in Billups’ indictment has roots in the Mafia’s glory days.

“There’s Angelo Ruggiero Jr.’s name listed there,” Jensen says. “His father, Angelo Ruggiero, also known as ‘Quack Quack,’ was a close friend of John Gotti and part of his crew.”