Jan 19, 2014
Weekly Flop: Smith avoids Jail, Tomas trashes Atlantis, Ivey allegedly Broke
By RTR Dennis
Justin 'BoostedJ' Smith got good news from the judge, though he'll pay a steep fine... A famous high stakes poker pro recently singled out Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan as those who've joined the broke club... WSOP bracelet winner Tomas Junek is having a long chat with the Bahamas police after destroying a TV in his hotel. Find out more on these stories in the Weekly Flop.
BoostedJ avoids Jail, but not Punishment
When a high stakes poker ring with Russian mob ties was busted last spring, one of the biggest names to be indicted was Justin 'BoostedJ' Smith. Aside from earning $2,149,387 in live tournaments and millions more in online tourneys, Smith has also made lots of money in live cash games. Given his fame and fortune, much of the poker community were interested to see how Smith's case would go.
Originally facing three charges, Smith pleaded guilty to participating in an illegal sports gambling business. For his crime, Judge Jesse M. Furman gave Smith two years of probation, three months of home confinement, and 200 hours of community service. In addition to this, he'll also have to pay a hefty $500,000 fine.
But it doesn't seem like the $500k fine nor three-month home confinement sentence have Smith feeling down. This is especially true when you consider that he was facing hard prison time. Following his sentencing, the poker pro tweeted "Was granted the birthday wish I was hoping for."
Tomas Junek detained after destroying TV during 2014 PCA
If you go to the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure next year and are looking for a party, make sure to stop by the Czech players' room. A group of Czechs threw a drunken party that got out of control since it ended with a smashed TV and people hanging from the balcony.
Witnesses saw a figure hanging from a 17th-story balcony at the Atlantis Resort. This was only a precursor to what hotel management would later find when they discovered a smashed plasma screen TV in the bathtub. Since WSOP champ Tomas Junek was found guilty of the latter, he was turned over to the Bahamas police.
The 25-year-old has been fined $6,000 and is being detained in the Bahamas until this legal matter is settled. Apparently, the near-suicidal act of hanging from a 17th-story balcony is okay, but smashing the television is definitely illegal. Junek, who earned $661,715 for winning the 2012 WSOP $1,500 NL Hold'em tournament, was also banned from playing in the 2014 PCA Main Event.
Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan Supposedly Broke
Anybody who's followed high stakes poker pro Dan Bilzerian over the past couple of years knows that he's never afraid to say anything controversial. And during a recent interview with CardPlayer, 'Blitz' dropped a very strong hint that both Phil Ivey and Tom Dwan are broke. Talking about how many poker pros are bad at managing their money, Bilzerian said:
If you look at Tom Dwan, he went broke; Phil Ivey just went broke. All these really talented guys who made a bunch of money end up pissing it all away. There is not a long list of professional poker players who don’t go broke. It’s crazy.
It truly would be crazy if both Ivey and Dwan are broke. After all, both of these guys have made a fortune on the tables, with Ivey especially earning some huge scores. Plus, Bilzerian may not have all of the facts on this subject, given that he mostly plays with rich fish who wouldn't last 5 minutes against the world's top players. But then again, Ivey does have a craps addiction and Dwan just recently lost his Full Tilt sponsorship, so who knows...