Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch
A spot check by Illinois Liquor Control agents at a golf clubhouse in Cahokia over the weekend led to the arrest of 21 people who were playing the popular Texas hold 'em poker game, police said.
Illinois State Police also seized about $4,500 in the raid on the Prairies Golf Course, 300 Tri-Centennial Drive.
Liquor Control agents had entered the building to conduct a compliance check and observed the gambling.
A liquor control agent contacted members of the state police Selective Enforcement Team, who made the arrests about 9 p.m. Saturday, authorities said.
"We've worked closely for several months with the state liquor commissioner to provide security for the (liquor) agents because they sometimes go into dangerous areas," said state police spokesman Ralph Timmins. "Our officers were working nearby that evening and responded to the gambling report."
About half the suspects in the poker game were from the Metro East area, and the rest from the Missouri side of the St. Louis area.
Police said they also seized "an extensive amount" of poker chips from the club.
In the past couple of years, Texas hold 'em has exploded nationwide in popularity, spawning amateur games at taverns and on college campuses and making celebrities on the World Poker Tour.
The game also has surged in popularity on the Internet, and is featured regularly on cable television.
Prairies Golf Course manager Matthew Mueller, 37, of Cahokia, was charged with keeping a house of gambling in Saturday's case. He later was released on bond.
The other suspects were charged with gambling, also a misdemeanor, and released.