Author: admin

It was a raucous night in late August in the Lucky Chances poker room in northern California. There were several players at the final table, but one received plenty of cheers from everyone in the room. Regulars, visitors, and staff members alike were all cheering on retiree John Mokhtari as he kept battling at the final table.

The 75-year-old from Manteca, Calif., was playing in the PokerStars Moneymaker Tour and not only was a nice cash prize on the line for a buy-in of $86. After reaching the final four, the players agreed to make a deal. Each took home just under $12,000, with Mokhtari taking home $11,100 – a nice payday for such a small buy-in.

But it was Mokhtari who took home the ultimate prize with a roomful of supporters cheering him on. For his win, he earned a $30,000 PokerStars Players NL Hold’em Championship (PSPC) Platinum Pass for January’s PokerStars Caribbean Adventure. The package includes a $25,000 buy-in to the tournament, six nights’ accommodation at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, and travel expenses.

Getting to that point wasn’t easy. The tournament at Lucky Chances featured 1,072 entries, and Mokhtari was among the shortest stacks on Day 2. His 19,000 chips equaled only six big blinds. However, he was able to double up a few times quickly and got on a big roll.

“I was very excited,” he says of winning the pass and the cash. “That was the biggest win I’ve ever had. I had a lot of people behind me. It seems like everybody in Lucky Chances was cheering for me – from the management to the people who play there.”

A lifetime of cards

Mokhtari grew up in Iran and moved to the U.S. in 1965. His parents sent him to live with relatives and study business in America, but he soon decided he was more interested in just jumping into work life. He lived in Washington D.C. initially but moved to California a year later. Mokhtari spent his career running used car dealerships and still owns them today.

“I was studying business management, and I became manager of a company,” he says. “So I said, ‘I’m already manager of a company, why do I need to keep studying?’”

Even back in Iran, Mokhtari had always loved playing poker. He started playing the game at age 15 but learned some hard lessons about the game early. After amassing quite a few bucks for a teenager, a few poker players cheated him in a game and he lost much of his cash. He continued to play but learned to spot a crooked game. That loss still motivates him some today.

“I had a few thousand dollars in the bank, and some neighbors found out about it,” he says. “And they cheated me playing poker.

“I’ve still been playing poker since then and always been trying to get my money back,” he adds laughing. “I love the action, I love the moments when you’re up and down. I love talking with other people. It’s a very enjoyable game.”

Before his retirement, Mokhtari played once or twice a week. Now he hits the tables as many as five times a week playing cash games and tournaments.

Poker in paradise

When he lands in the Bahamas for the tournament at the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, it will be a nice getaway for Mokhtari. He and his wife plan to enjoy a bit of time by the white, sandy beaches of Paradise Island.

“We’ve already got our tickets, and getting there early to relax,” he says.

While some beach time is on the menu, Mokhtari is also planning to bring his poker face on the trip as well and will have a shot at a much bigger score. The PSPC is a completely rake-free tournament with $9 million contributed to the prize pool, including $1 million added to the first-place payout. A deep run on such a massive poker stage would certainly be nice.

Opponents may know him as a bit of tight player, but he’s also not afraid to mix it up occasionally and make big calls when he has to.

“I’m going to use what I know,” he says. “Every time I play poker I add it to my experience and remember the mistakes I’ve made for the future and try to do better. Some people say I’m a tight player, but if I feel a guy is bluffing I may call with Ace-high.”

In the tournament, Mokhtari also feels he got a bit lucky and hopes that streak continues at the PCA.

“Sometimes when you get lucky, it helps you win four or five hands in a row,” he says. “And I want to use that luck.”

The post 75-Year-Old Local Favorite John Mokhtari Ships A Platinum Pass To The Bahamas appeared first on .

The Arkansas Supreme Court made the wise decision this week to uphold democracy and keep a referendum on gambling expansion on the November midterm election ballot.

It doesn’t really matter if you agree the Hot Springs horse track and West Memphis dog track with electronic gambling should be turned into full-fledged casinos. Or, if you think two more casino licenses should be issued in the state’s Jefferson and Pope counties.

This issue is about whether or not voters should have the right to decide the state’s fate in terms of gambling expansion. The state’s highest court is now saying they should.

An attack on democracy

Arkansas anti-gambling zealots, made up mostly of conservative family and religious organizations, argue gambling has a negative effect on the communities it inhabits.

They claim places with casinos have higher divorce rates, higher bankruptcy rates, more crime, and more people addicted to gambling, putting a further strain on social services.

However, these groups haven’t provided much proof of this. Nor have they used whatever proof they have to campaign against gambling expansion in the Natural State.

Instead, they filed a pair of lawsuits claiming the wording of the question in the referendum is misleading and ambiguous. The groups’ goal was to get the question removed from the ballot altogether.

In other words, instead of convincing voters to say no to casino expansion in Arkansas, they tried to circumvent the referendum process to stop voters from having a say at all.

It was a bold tactic that turned out to be more of an attack on democracy than casino gambling. In the end, it failed.

Leaving casinos up to voters

Like several US states, in order to expand gambling in Arkansas, the state constitution needs to change. Of course, that can’t happen without a referendum. Ultimately, that means it’s up to voters to decide the future scope and size of the local gambling industry.

Putting decisions of this magnitude in the hands of the people they affect is the right thing to do. The people of Arkansas should have the right to decide how many casinos there are. If they don’t want them, so be it. If they do, the state shouldn’t be able to stand in the way on moral, or any other, grounds.

Even more states are moving towards this model. A question on the Florida ballot in November will ask if future gambling expansion questions should go to referendum. On the surface, this will make it more difficult for casinos to move in. However, it also puts such decisions where they truly belong — in the hands of voters. Plus, it makes sure no casino will ever go where it isn’t wanted.

Keeping the money at home

Gambling expansion proponents in Arkansas say turning two gaming facilities into casinos and opening up two more will create:

• Up to 6,000 jobs
• $5.8 billion in GDP growth over the next decade
• Close to $40 million a year in state and local tax revenue.

For them, its a question of keeping the money in Arkansas, or letting it continue to move to Mississippi. That’s where they say an estimated 30 percent of Arkansas residents go to gamble. In fact, the Mississippi Gaming Commission says approximately 1.149 million people from Arkansas visited Mississippi casinos over the past year.

Gambling expansion proponents are confident Arkansas will vote to keep the money at home. However, they must also be thankful the courts have ensured voters’ ability to decide for themselves. After all, it’s the democratic thing to do.

Photo by  Joseph Sohm / Shutterstock.com

The post Arkansas Court Rightfully Leaves Casino Decision Up To Voters appeared first on Play USA.