Las Vegas Sun - History

March 29, 2024

March 29, 2024 Currently: ° | Complete forecast

Poker champion’s licensing in trouble

Former world poker champion Bobby Baldwin, who was slated to manage the Golden Nugget, was denied licensing by the State Gaming Control Board Wednesday because he played in illegal card games with unsavory gamblers.

The board, which clearly agonized over its decision, voted 3-0 against Baldwin, meaning he would need unanimous approval from the parent Nevada Gaming Commission next week to be licensed.

An angry Golden Nugget Chairman Steve Wynn, who praised the 34-year-old Baldwin as a "gifted young executive," quickly left the meeting without commenting after the decision, a major blow to the flashy hotel chief.

"We are all feeling some conflict and trying to weigh the facts in your case," board member Patricia Becker said. "This is one application if we got reversed by the commission, I would not be upset."

But the board, in denying licensing, cited Baldwin's associations with eight poker players with criminal records, his failure to provide financial records that would document his income and expenses and his participation in illegal high-stakes poker games in Oklahoma in the early 1970s.

The board zeroed in on Baldwin's friendship with gambler Tracy "Pody" Po, a bookmaker who pleaded guilty to charges relating to his arrest for interstate gambling and racketeering in Oklahoma in 1975. Baldwin acknowledged that he has known Po since 1971 and once took a vacation with him, but was unaware of his racketeering arrest. He said he visited Po in Oklahoma City in 1982 during a trip to see his family, who were then living in Tulsa. He said he did not play poker with Po on that trip.

Asked if he would have gambled illegally then, Baldwin told the board, "Had there been a poker game, I might very well have played in it. At the time, I had no idea I was going to be in the 'casino industry."

Baldwin began in July 1982 as the Nugget's card room manager and is now casino coordinator with wide responsibilities at the downtown resort. He won the World Series of Poker at Binion's Horseshoe Club in 1978, picking up $210,000. Since he worked at the hotel, he said he has only played poker one dozen times in tournaments and side games at the Horseshoe and Nugget.

Repeating testimony from an earlier hearing, Baldwin said he should not be punished for knowing gamblers merely as fellow poker players. Baldwin was arrested for illegal gambling three times in Oklahoma City, but the misdemeanor charges were dismissed. He moved to Texas in 1975 to continue playing poker professionally, a state where private, non-commercial card games are permitted, his attorney, Frank Schreck, said.

"No one is making an excuse that Bobby was involved in poker playing," said Schreck, a former Nevada Gaming Commissioner. "That's part of his (his) past. Now he has chose a totally different career."

Board member Richard Hyte said applicants who were involved in illegal gambling 15 years ago have been denied. While he described the poker whiz as "very intelligent and capable," he cautioned that the state regulators can't just look at one side of the scale.

Hyte said board investigators were unable to trace "substantial" amounts of money that Baldwin used for cash payments in 1981 through 1983.

The board also was concerned about an illegal 21 game on Jan. 4 at a home in Oklahoma City in which two undercover agents said Baldwin participated. Schreck said Baldwin conducted business at the Golden Nugget that day, making it impossible for him to be in Oklahoma City. He provided the board with affidavits from Nugget executives who met with Baldwin and copies of room service orders confirming that he had breakfast both mornings in his Nugget room.

Among the other gamblers that concerned the board was Leroy Dale Hines, a purported associate of late mob boss Meyer Lansky, who is serving a five-year prison term for tax evasion. Baldwin said he had not been aware of Hines' criminal ties. Wynn told the board that he has played poker with Hines and Po was a Golden Nugget customer.

Another poker player, Henry Bowen, has a lengthy arrest record and received the death sentence fo two murders in Oklahoma City. Baldwin, who played cards with Bowen, helped raise money for his defense.

"I feel like we're friends after all of this," Becker told Baldwin. "We have given weight to everything because in black and white in print, you would have never gotten licensed."

Following the denial, Nugget Card Room Manager Eric Drache, a close friend of Baldwin's said, "I wonder what type of person Bobby is expected to play with. Do they have to fill out a job application before they play poker?"

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy

History: Table of contents »