In court documents, authorities are alleging that an undercover officer was able to buy “hundreds of dollars” in poker chips prior to the September raid and played on three different times in the Wendy’s Club games. The lawsuit is where the club could potentially face some difficulties. Stating that there was an “air of secrecy” surrounding the club, Fleming said to Katz, “This is a very mouth to mouth, underground operation.” He denied that drugs were there during the games and that the usual clientele – between 10 and 15 people – were “familiar faces.” “The only other place to play is Atlantic City,” Fleming commented to Katz, “And that’s two hours away.” One of the people who was charged in the case, identified as Christopher Fleming by Katz, tells a story that harkens back to the past regarding the underground poker world in New York. Jason states to Katz that, while he was at the location the night of the raid, he was not one of the persons charged.

Six people were arrested in that raid and, in addition to gambling charges, were also charged with criminal possession of marijuana. In the September raid, authorities confiscated slightly more than $8000 in cash, five “plastic bags” of cocaine (no amount given) and more than a pound of marijuana. If I get arrested, it’s not going to bother me because they’ll just charge me with promotion of gambling and it will be a misdemeanor charge.” Although a misdemeanor charge is nothing to sneeze at, Jason recounted that the money made in the operation more than offsets the possibility of conviction. A man identified as the head organizer named Jason said to Katz, “The reward is much greater than the risk. The club has also been targeted by a February lawsuit from the city that is looking to shut it down.ĭespite the heat that authorities are bringing down on them, Katz reports that the organizers are firm in the factor that the games will go on but at different locations. Last September, Katz reports that the club was raided and officers found “more than 20 people playing poker and arrested six people for promoting gambling,” according to court records. On the fourth floor of that location, Wendy’s Club would operate poker games that have been targeted by authorities in the city. Matthew Katz of DNAinfo New York brought attention to the plight of what is called Wendy’s Club, which at the time was located in a West 46th Street building.

According to a New York City media outlet, an underground poker club in the city that harkens back to the storied past of the game has vowed to play on despite being the target of raids by city police and a lawsuit directed at the club.

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