Dang! Are home games becoming targets?

[Stan'sHero]

I work in this city and live 'bout 25 min. from there. Here's the news clipping:

Late-night card game ends in shooting
Hickory, NC
BY JOSH YODER
Record Staff Writer
Sunday, May 14, 2006




HICKORY -- One man was seriously injured in a shooting early Saturday.
Carl Edward Merritt, 66, was shot twice in the abdomen during an attempted robbery at the home of his friend, James Edward Farrer, Hickory police said.
Police Lt. Gary Lee gave the following account of the shooting:
About 3 a.m., Merritt, Farrer and two friends were playing cards in a storage building behind Farrer’s residence on Ninth Avenue Drive, SE, when three masked men entered and demanded money.
One of the men then pulled out a gun and fired several times, hitting Merritt. Merritt, who was also armed, fired back, possibly hitting one of the suspects. The attackers fled.
Merritt was taken to Frye Regional Medical Center, where he underwent surgery. He remained in the hospital Saturday afternoon in fair condition.
Also on Saturday afternoon, investigators questioned a man who was treated for a gunshot wound at an Iredell County hospital, Lee said. No arrests had been made as of press time. Police continue to investigate.

jyoder@hickoryrecord.com | 322-4510 x5410 or 304-6917


Jeeze. Four older dudes playing poker out in the workshop gets held up. Is this just a "sign 'o the times" or are home games becoming targets? Or both?

[BigKyle]

That's lousy news. I have now heard about poker game robberies in Greensboro, Charlotte, and Hickory. Definitely not something I want to see.

[_GUN_]

"One of the men then pulled out a gun and fired several times, hitting Merritt. Merritt, who was also armed, fired back, possibly hitting one of the suspects."

If you're playing in a game with stakes high enough to where you need to keep a gun handy, it might be time to cut down on promoting your home game.

That is not a sign of the times at all. There are so many of these stories dating back to the 1950s. When Brunson, Sailor Roberts, and Amarillo Slim toured the rounders circuit, they got robbed all the time.

[ink_junkie]

There does seem to be more and more news of this happening. I don't worry about it much as we're usually under $1K, but I think if i had a bigger game I'd definitely worry a more about security. Although we're in pretty good shape--the area we live in is often referred to as Blue Valley because of all the cops that live here. Sometimes that's not a bad thing!

[Wedge Rock]

I don't think this is a new occurrence...it harkens back to the old wild west days...

I just think its getting more press because of the popularity of poker.

[HanahanStan]

Man that Sux
Can't even have a game without worrying about some idiot trying to steal your #%^%

[rfarris2000]

Not to downplay what happened but I'm thinking there is probably more to this story than what is being reported. I'm willing to bet that this was a pretty high stakes game.

[Jambine]

Originally Posted by Stan'sHero

.... Jeeze. Four older dudes playing poker out in the workshop gets held up. Is this just a "sign 'o the times" or are home games becoming targets? Or both?

I know we have talked about this before, but it does seem to be happening more often. Word gets out on a game and it becomes a target. You really MUST know who you're inviting into a game (discretion is everything).

[Colquhoun]

Getting so common that soon you'll hear that during a robbery, a poker game broke out...

[legend]

I bet no one tries to rob Peterod's home game. Free Advice if you are ever in a home game that gets robbed...give up the money, you can always get more. You have only one life, but thousands of dollars will pass through your hands.

If they try to steal the Paulsons, draw your gun and shoot to kill.