I was only a witness to some of the aftermath but one man killed another man on Saturday afternoon at the Taj in Atlantic City after an argument over a seat at a 1/2 NL table.

As relayed to me while playing 15/30/45 two-way game -- I am going to use "white man" and "black man" because that is the way they were identified to me by the eyewitness... both men appeared to be in their 50s... anyway, from what I understand:

Saturday afternoon, black man was playing in a 1/2 NL game and went to the felt. He asked that his seat be held for him while he got money. Many players heard him but the dealer apparently did not. When he returned to the table within 10 minutes, white man is in his seat. White man and black man are apparently Taj regulars and they get into a heated dispute -- for whatever reason the floor determines that white man keeps the seat and black man is fuming.

Within a few minutes, white man leaves his seat and goes outside near the valet area -- maybe to smoke a cigarette. This makes black man even more furious because he lost his seat and now white man is not even playing. Black man goes outside to confront white man.

Details are sketchy but a fight ensues right in the middle of the Taj valet area (a very public area). White man walks with a limp and uses his cane. There is some pushing and at some point black man pulls white man's cane away from him and hits white man with it. White man pulls a large knife out of his jacket and stabs (or slashes) at black man's neck severing his carotid artery. Blood is gushing everywhere and all over both of them. A little more than an hour later, black man is dead and white man is being held on various charges.

I only saw the blood on the ground, many police, EMS and Taj security, and the black man lying on the ground (he appeared alive when I saw him from about 50 feet away). The rest is secondhand information and I apologize if any of it is incorrect.

Unbelievable.

Holy ****!

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/1...ry/125309.html includes picture of blood covered survivor.

I figured they'd let him off with self defense after being attacked with his own cane.

I think going for the throat was a little much.

I guess that article corroborates much of the story I pieced together... thanks for the link... I was told that only the two participants were covered in blood, so the picture could be "white man" -- but maybe it was someone who tried to help...

Edit: The story I was told was mostly from someone who was at the poker table with both of them and coincidently went outside to smoke in time to catch much of the action. He gave a statement to the police, took a couple of hours to get over the shock, and then returned to play poker.

Give the cops and the DA time to process and piece it all together. Selling manslaughter to a jury who hears that the guy was being beaten with his own cane will be tough (if that's what happened). But starting with aggravated manslaughter gives 'em room to plea bargain downward. And the weapons charges are likely to stick, regardless.

This is why messing with strangers at the poker table isn't wise, even if they walk with a cane. You never know what you're gonna run into if you push somebody.

+1 Going the 1st week of May. I stay at the Showboat; play a lot at the Taj.

If someone wants my seat that bad, they may have it. Sorry that took place.

Wow.

I think I shouldn't have posted my story while this thread is just getting going.

~ Rick

Isn't this a a normal day at the Taj? I was going to start playing there a lot because I work next door, but this thread gives me second thoughts.

Tell them to keep my seat reserved - I'll be back in 2-5 years.

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But seriously, what is the world coming too. People getting stabbed over a 1/2 seat? What is next, metal detectors and clothing searches before you can enter the room?

I miss the days where if you took someone outside, it was a fair fight with fists, no knive pullings and no gun shots.

What do you expect? This is AC!

The Taj should have been imploded 20 years ago. Hopefully this incident moves the inevitable slightly closer to reality.

He way over-reacted.

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/54/poker-beats-brags-variance/i-stabbed-someone-during-poker-game-197/

They must've cleaned the place up pretty quickly. I was walking through the valet area of Taj at 9:30 pm yesterday, and there was no hint that anything like that happened there just seven hours earlier.