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From Page Six of all places:April 27, 2005 -- POKER might seem squeaky clean on TV five nights a week, but the new book "Aces and Kings," by Brooklyn's Michael Kaplan and Brad Reagan, documents how bite-sized mobster Tony "The Ant" Spilotro shook down poker legends Amarillo Slim Preston, Puggy Pearson and Chip Reese during his murderous reign in Las Vegas. The FBI this week arrested a group of Chicago mobsters in connection with the long unsolved 1986 offing of Spilotro, who was played by Joe Pesci in the movie "Casino." The book also reveals that Howard "The Poker Professor" Lederer was once accused of running a bookmaking operation tied to the Genovese and Gambino crime families. Lederer and fellow poker star Erik Seidel got their start at the Mayfair Club, once housed in the Gramercy Park Hotel. There's also a chapter about how Lower East Side poker prodigy Stu Ungar won three world championships before killing himself with cocaine. http://www.nypost.com/gossip/23482.htm

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I saw Howard Lederer on an episode of Airline on A&E. He was wearing a way too tight vintage Denver Nuggets shirt and he was looking like he was homeless. Must have had a tough night at the cash game.

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How is this interesting gossip? That Howard was once accused of running a bookmaking operation? People in the spotlight or high in thier fields are always being accused of something. Proving it however is one of those things that gets tricky, especially if the accused is innocent.

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I wish I knew how to get a bookmaking opporation started, it would be like printing money!
find some gamblers, agree to take their bets. Presto, you're a bookie.
Just make sure you have enough to cover yourself in case they win. And, uh, get good at math to handle the odds. Oh yeah, don't deal with anyone with a nickname, Tommy "the tooth" Minendez or Joey "Bag 'a Donuts"
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The hard part would be being honest enough where people trust you with the bets, while being scary enough that they're afraid to not pay up when they lose. It'd be a difficult balance to strike.

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As Katy Lederer (Howard's sister and a very good writer) details in her book, 'Poker Face,' Howard did indeed help run a bookmaking and sportsbetting operation in Vegas. It was his bread and butter for quite a while, until it was squeezed by law enforcement and shut down.As for Mob ties, let's do the math, shall we? Bookmaking operation + Vegas = probable Mob involvement.I don't think Howard was mobbed up (lol), but there was obviously something going on there for law enforcement to come in and close the place down.Shane

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As Katy Lederer (Howard's sister and a very good writer) details in her book, 'Poker Face,' Howard did indeed help run a bookmaking and sportsbetting operation in Vegas. It was his bread and butter for quite a while, until it was squeezed by law enforcement and shut down.As for Mob ties, let's do the math, shall we?  Bookmaking operation + Vegas = probable Mob involvement.I don't think Howard was mobbed up (lol), but there was obviously something going on there for law enforcement to come in and close the place down.Shane
What I got from the book was that he didn't help run anything. He ran the operation, pretty much. It was a Lederer family project, which seems slightly creepy. Various snippets of things I've read about Howard Lederer make me think that if you knew more about him, you might be put off a bit. Anything I'd write here would be pure speculation, so I'll skip it, but I do think that the public who now see poker as a fully legitimized "sport" should be slightly more skeptical of the pseudo-celebrities that now comprise it.
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As Katy Lederer (Howard's sister and a very good writer) details in her book, 'Poker Face,' Howard did indeed help run a bookmaking and sportsbetting operation in Vegas. It was his bread and butter for quite a while, until it was squeezed by law enforcement and shut down.As for Mob ties, let's do the math, shall we?  Bookmaking operation + Vegas = probable Mob involvement.I don't think Howard was mobbed up (lol), but there was obviously something going on there for law enforcement to come in and close the place down.Shane
What I got from the book was that he didn't help run anything. He ran the operation, pretty much. It was a Lederer family project, which seems slightly creepy. Various snippets of things I've read about Howard Lederer make me think that if you knew more about him, you might be put off a bit. Anything I'd write here would be pure speculation, so I'll skip it, but I do think that the public who now see poker as a fully legitimized "sport" should be slightly more skeptical of the pseudo-celebrities that now comprise it.
Poker heroworship is so bizzare, unless you have a love of criminals and dengenerates, which I of course do...
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As Katy Lederer (Howard's sister and a very good writer) details in her book, 'Poker Face,' Howard did indeed help run a bookmaking and sportsbetting operation in Vegas. It was his bread and butter for quite a while, until it was squeezed by law enforcement and shut down.As for Mob ties, let's do the math, shall we?  Bookmaking operation + Vegas = probable Mob involvement.I don't think Howard was mobbed up (lol), but there was obviously something going on there for law enforcement to come in and close the place down.Shane
What I got from the book was that he didn't help run anything. He ran the operation, pretty much. It was a Lederer family project, which seems slightly creepy. Various snippets of things I've read about Howard Lederer make me think that if you knew more about him, you might be put off a bit. Anything I'd write here would be pure speculation, so I'll skip it, but I do think that the public who now see poker as a fully legitimized "sport" should be slightly more skeptical of the pseudo-celebrities that now comprise it.
Are you saying that some poker players aren't saints? :shock: That that they just might have done some back room illegal activities to make money, no way.I've heard Eskimo Clark has sold 10% of himself in tournies to 15 different people then made sure he didn't make the money, not all of these guys are honest Abe's. Who cares what Howard did 15 years ago, did it affect you? Gossip Queens.
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Until Howard tries to hire an undercover cop to knock off his agent, he's alright in my books.[hockey fans will get it]
LOL.....thats beautiful :clap:
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Howard is a Phish Phan, he is a peaceful guy!
actualy, he's a dead head, not that the lot of people here would know the difference
I was talking to him on Fulltilt and he has been to 40 Phish shows. I asked him if he was a phan, and he replied yes. How many shows Howard? 40.Most Phans in his age bracket are heads so I'm not suprised there. He seems like a good guy.
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Otnemem wrote:Anything I'd write here would be pure speculation, so I'll skip it, but I do think that the public who now see poker as a fully legitimized "sport" should be slightly more skeptical of the pseudo-celebrities that now comprise it.There are criminals in every profession. How many Hollywood celebs use to be in prison or did drugs. For that matter, how many are involved in illegal stuff as we speak and are caught up in speed or herion. Why should the "public" be skeptial about poker players? They have skeletons in there closet and so do you. How many priests are child molesters. Should everyone be "skeptical" about the Catholic church? (in my opinion, YES!, but you don't see that happening do you)George W. Bush rigged 2 elections, YES! TWO ELECTIONS, and he lied about the "weapons of masss destruction". But do you see him being impeached? NO. But we will impeach a president for getting a blow job. Yea, he lied about getting some head to the american people. BURN HIM!!!!The current president lied and because of his lie, thousands of people are dead or are in danger of dying!!! It goes to show that the Republicans are the ones in charge of this country. The Democrats are only around to make it "seem" like there is another choice and this country is Democratic. Don't get me wrong, I love this country. I'm American!!! First and foremost. When asked about my ethnicity, I say I was born here as well as my parents and there parents and there parents. But, I also know that the Government doesn't give two shits about me. They just want me to keep payin taxes. So i know i'm on my own if we get nuked and therefore i can't trust someone who will let me twist in the wind.Bottom line, there are shady people everywhere and every walk of life. Don't try to throw dirt at Poker players.

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Howard is a Phish Phan, he is a peaceful guy!
actualy, he's a dead head, not that the lot of people here would know the difference
I was talking to him on Fulltilt and he has been to 40 Phish shows. I asked him if he was a phan, and he replied yes. How many shows Howard? 40.Most Phans in his age bracket are heads so I'm not suprised there. He seems like a good guy.
I knew he went to over 100 dead shows. Damn, 40 phish shows, nice
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