We all know that I enjoy playing some poker. The in-laws are coming to town this weekend, so I wanted to get my poker in before they got here. I have heard about the Monday game for a few months now, but never had the opportunity to play. This week would be different, after a quick email I confirmed the game was on and that there was a spot for me.
The game itself started out as I expected with 2 people going all-in within the first 4 hands and 1 guy buying in for $400 (more than you can buy in for at a casino). By about 12:30 the game was in full swing with 30 players, 3 tables and plenty of money in play. I was up a few bucks when the poker scene in Ashburn was significantly changed.
3 guys dressed in all black and wearing ski masks or bandannas on their face busted through the door yelling for everyone to get down. At first everyone thought it was joke since no one saw a gun and 2 of the guys appeared to be using their hands as the guns. We started diving for the floor when one of them pulled out the first gun and yelled for everyone to hit the floor.
The robbers didn't stay much longer. They saw $380 in cash on the first poker table, grabbed it and ran out the door. I have a feeling that they did not expect to find so many guys playing. A few guys chased after them to try and get a license plate number, but everyone got away. Those of us who stayed in the basement had another brief scare as a commotion started again on the basement stairs, but it was nothing. These were clearly amateurs who missed out on a much bigger score, by my calculations there might have been $10,000 in that basement. With 30 people playing and everyone bringing on average $300, with some bringing much more, the bank was very healthy (one of the reasons I chose this game to play in).
We called the police and spent the next 90 minutes reliving the event for investigators and getting to know some of our fellow players. This game has developed from 1 table of guys who know each other to 3 tables of strangers. I have been playing in Ashburn for about 2 years and only knew about 10 of the people in attendance. Therein lies the problem with success. Our poker game has been growing in size and stature. I have actually met people who have heard of our game in Brambleton. Many of the players in the Monday game were younger (one of the players just finished high school) than our standard group and didn't seem to fit. Only a few weeks ago several of us were talking about how the game was taking on a life of it's own.
No one seems to know who did it. I like to assume the best in people and think that a few of the players were running their mouth in a bar or to their friends about how big this game was. The other option is that someone who was not a regular player or who may have even been in the game that night was in on it. We probably won't ever know, but a lot of speculation has been flying around.
The few of us who host the Brambleton game started talking immediately about the changes we needed to made. The first was to pare down the guest list. At last count more than 100 people were getting a weekly email about where the game would be. That list has been chopped in half and will only include the people who regularly play. We will keep the game limited to the players we know and trust. If someone has been playing in our game for 2 years, chances are pretty good they aren't going to be involved in setting up a robbery.
We will probably avoid having a big (read 30 person) tournament and cash game for a while. There is no reason to put ourselves in a bad spot. Even with a smaller game there is some risk and that means tightening up security. We won't actually be hiring guards, but we will certainly be locking doors and keeping the loitering to a minimum. The constant smoking room that is the back yard will go away and people will have to wait for their cigarette.
Poker will continue in Ashburn, but we will have to be more careful. The games are going to be smaller, with less money to win. Those of us who like the big fields will have to go to a casino to find the bigger games. In the long run the change will probably be a good one.
