Poker Genius
Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 41

Thread: Gemini Cleveland Closed?

  1. #1
    Headhunter is offline Tuna

    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Columbus, OH
    Posts
    195

    Gemini Cleveland Closed?

    I saw this story about the Cleveland Gemini getting closed yesterday. Is this the beginning of the end of poker clubs in Ohio, or merely the beginning of the legal showdown to finally determine their legality?


    Here's a copy of the story as well as the link (mods -- if inappropriate to copy/paste the entire story, please edit) from cleveland.com


    Private Berea club featuring poker folds - for now | cleveland.com


    Private Berea club featuring poker folds - for now
    By Amanda Garrett, The Plain Dealer
    March 21, 2010, 1:49AM

    BEREA -- The Gemini Players Club -- a members-only gathering spot for poker, darts and billiards players -- closed abruptly Saturday after Berea officials accused it of breaking state gambling laws by charging an entrance fee.

    The club's owner, Jim Marcum, said he expects to reopen within days, contending that the entrance fee is legal and that city officials signed off on it before giving him permits to open the club in January.

    Marcum, who said he has charged an entrance fee at his other club in Columbus since 2007 without incident, maintained that Gemini might run afoul of the law if it made money from poker games, but he said it doesn't. All money wagered is returned to the players, he said, and the club survives on membership dues and entrance fees.

    Berea Mayor Cyril Kleem said Saturday that he doesn't know what the Berea Planning Commission was thinking at the time permits were issued, "but we want all businesses in the city to follow the law."

    On Friday, Berea police delivered a letter from city Law Director Gregory Sponseller to the Gemini club, saying the city had "received information and reports that show that the Gemini Club is profiting from games of chance."

    The letter specifically mentions entrance fees.

    Any gambling activities at the club after 12:01 a.m. Saturday "will be considered criminal acts by any player, dealer, operator" or any other person involved, the letter said.

    Sponseller did not return messages left at his home and offices Saturday. But he told the News Sun newspaper last month that the Gemini club appeared to have found a loophole in state law as long as the club didn't profit from the game.

    The dust-up over the Berea club comes a month after Garfield Heights officials prevented an unrelated poker club from opening in that suburb. Officials there said the operators hadn't secured proper zoning for an occupancy permit.

    Marcum, who said he is a poker enthusiast himself, declined to say Saturday how many members belong to the club, but indications are it was drawing crowds. Within six weeks of its opening, the Nautica Charity Poker Festival in Cleveland's Flats was raising a mere $20,000 per week, a little more than half its average.

    Kleem said Saturday that he was surprised to get only about seven phone calls or e-mails complaining about the Gemini club compared with about 10 compliments.

    Among the complaints, however, was a March 8 e-mail from more than 20 charities that have used Nautica poker games to raise money. Kleem said the none of the complaints, including that one, prompted the city's investigation.

    "We understood from the beginning this was an unusual business," Kleem said. "We just wanted to see how it operated."

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Columbus, OH
    Posts
    2,459
    Blog Entries
    15
    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Fight it Jim! Don't let them take away my plo with people who don't know the rules and super-soft 2-5 game!!!
    "It's Friday night and I'm spending it watching Cory grind a $26 7game tournament"

    PM for coaching information

  3. #3
    erminator06's Avatar
    erminator06 is offline Dolphin

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Columbus, OH
    Biggest Live $ Win
    $6,006
    Biggest Online $ Win
    $6,916
    Biggest Live # Win
    64
    Biggest Online # Win
    1,533
    Posts
    419
    this is a BAD beat!!!! hopefully it doesnt effect the columbus clubs at all

  4. #4
    DevilFish73's Avatar
    DevilFish73 is offline Super Moderator
    12/08 $75 x 45 SNG challenge winner

    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    USA
    Biggest Live $ Win
    $10,000
    Biggest Online $ Win
    $9,433.13
    Biggest Live # Win
    526
    Biggest Online # Win
    1,421
    Posts
    4,200
    I'm afraid the end is near.. And the timing shouldn't surprise anyone. Not only will the casinos kill these businesses when they open but they are the ones pushing the local politics as seen below to shut them down. Sad news for local grinders..


    Quote Originally Posted by Headhunter View Post
    I saw this story about the Cleveland Gemini getting closed yesterday. Is this the beginning of the end of poker clubs in Ohio, or merely the beginning of the legal showdown to finally determine their legality?


    Here's a copy of the story as well as the link (mods -- if inappropriate to copy/paste the entire story, please edit) from cleveland.com


    Private Berea club featuring poker folds - for now | cleveland.com


    Private Berea club featuring poker folds - for now
    By Amanda Garrett, The Plain Dealer
    March 21, 2010, 1:49AM

    BEREA -- The Gemini Players Club -- a members-only gathering spot for poker, darts and billiards players -- closed abruptly Saturday after Berea officials accused it of breaking state gambling laws by charging an entrance fee.

    The club's owner, Jim Marcum, said he expects to reopen within days, contending that the entrance fee is legal and that city officials signed off on it before giving him permits to open the club in January.

    Marcum, who said he has charged an entrance fee at his other club in Columbus since 2007 without incident, maintained that Gemini might run afoul of the law if it made money from poker games, but he said it doesn't. All money wagered is returned to the players, he said, and the club survives on membership dues and entrance fees.

    Berea Mayor Cyril Kleem said Saturday that he doesn't know what the Berea Planning Commission was thinking at the time permits were issued, "but we want all businesses in the city to follow the law."

    On Friday, Berea police delivered a letter from city Law Director Gregory Sponseller to the Gemini club, saying the city had "received information and reports that show that the Gemini Club is profiting from games of chance."

    The letter specifically mentions entrance fees.

    Any gambling activities at the club after 12:01 a.m. Saturday "will be considered criminal acts by any player, dealer, operator" or any other person involved, the letter said.

    Sponseller did not return messages left at his home and offices Saturday. But he told the News Sun newspaper last month that the Gemini club appeared to have found a loophole in state law as long as the club didn't profit from the game.

    The dust-up over the Berea club comes a month after Garfield Heights officials prevented an unrelated poker club from opening in that suburb. Officials there said the operators hadn't secured proper zoning for an occupancy permit.

    Marcum, who said he is a poker enthusiast himself, declined to say Saturday how many members belong to the club, but indications are it was drawing crowds. Within six weeks of its opening, the Nautica Charity Poker Festival in Cleveland's Flats was raising a mere $20,000 per week, a little more than half its average.

    Kleem said Saturday that he was surprised to get only about seven phone calls or e-mails complaining about the Gemini club compared with about 10 compliments.

    Among the complaints, however, was a March 8 e-mail from more than 20 charities that have used Nautica poker games to raise money. Kleem said the none of the complaints, including that one, prompted the city's investigation.

    "We understood from the beginning this was an unusual business," Kleem said. "We just wanted to see how it operated."

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    cleveland
    Biggest Live $ Win
    $4400
    Biggest Online $ Win
    $5200
    Biggest Live # Win
    93
    Biggest Online # Win
    856
    Posts
    118
    I live 10 minutes from the Gemini club in Berea. A friend of mine talked with Jim yesterday and he stated he closed the club on his own until he culd meet with Berea city officials on Tuesday. He fully expects to re-open Wednesday. I need him to re-open because the play there is super soft

  6. #6
    Headhunter is offline Tuna

    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Columbus, OH
    Posts
    195
    Quote Originally Posted by DevilFish73 View Post
    I'm afraid the end is near.. And the timing shouldn't surprise anyone. Not only will the casinos kill these businesses when they open but they are the ones pushing the local politics as seen below to shut them down. Sad news for local grinders..
    Do you think the push to shut them down really came from Penn Gaming (or the other casino)? I assumed it came from Nautica Poker Charity.

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Columbus, OH
    Posts
    2,459
    Blog Entries
    15
    It definately came from nautica. Half the people at cleveland gemini were nautica players thrilled to be in a game where they weren't getting raked $30/hour or whatever it is at nautica.
    "It's Friday night and I'm spending it watching Cory grind a $26 7game tournament"

    PM for coaching information

  8. #8
    DevilFish73's Avatar
    DevilFish73 is offline Super Moderator
    12/08 $75 x 45 SNG challenge winner

    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    USA
    Biggest Live $ Win
    $10,000
    Biggest Online $ Win
    $9,433.13
    Biggest Live # Win
    526
    Biggest Online # Win
    1,421
    Posts
    4,200
    I am sure it is a combination.. The casinos will spend big money to shut these down.. And why wouldn't they want to eliminate the competition. Jim won't be able to fight big money lobbyist at the state house and local authorities..


    Quote Originally Posted by FearToxin90 View Post
    It definately came from nautica. Half the people at cleveland gemini were nautica players thrilled to be in a game where they weren't getting raked $30/hour or whatever it is at nautica.

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    cleveland
    Biggest Live $ Win
    $4400
    Biggest Online $ Win
    $5200
    Biggest Live # Win
    93
    Biggest Online # Win
    856
    Posts
    118
    Nautica has changed their format. they have dumped the seat Fee, they now rake 10% of every pot up to $60, max rake is $6.

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Columbus, OH
    Posts
    2,459
    Blog Entries
    15
    Quote Originally Posted by DevilFish73 View Post
    I am sure it is a combination.. The casinos will spend big money to shut these down.. And why wouldn't they want to eliminate the competition. Jim won't be able to fight big money lobbyist at the state house and local authorities..
    I definitely agree with you. But I still have a little bit of hope. Casinos really don't like poker that much because poker is the game that makes the least $/squarefoot of floorspace, so they may not be as motivated to fight it. And Jim does have some pretty good lawyers of his own. We'll have to wait and see though.
    "It's Friday night and I'm spending it watching Cory grind a $26 7game tournament"

    PM for coaching information

Page 1 of 5 123 ... LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Gemini - Cleveland (Berea)
    By CSuave in forum Poker Room
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 01-22-2010, 01:29 PM
  2. HASTILY MADE CLEVELAND TOURISM VIDEO
    By ThrillCory90 in forum Multimedia
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 07-31-2009, 03:03 AM
  3. Shaq in Cleveland=Championship
    By ThrillCory90 in forum Lounge
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 07-13-2009, 02:22 PM
  4. CSC: closed for Fathers day
    By cane3791 in forum Live Tournaments
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 06-21-2009, 03:01 PM
  5. ME chip leader from Cleveland
    By stackinsideways in forum Live Tournaments
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 07-11-2008, 11:39 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •