NGCB Rules for Players in Red Rock Casino Bad Beat Jackpot Case
Many will recall the July 7th controversy at Red Rock Casino in Las Vegas where Avi Shamir was denied the big share of a more than $120,000 Bad Beat Jackpot after his straight flush was beat, because the player with the winning straight flush, Leonard Schreter, exposed his cards before action on the river was complete.
After repeated delays on a decision, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) ruled on the case at their Feb. 7 Board meeting last week. From the Agenda of the meeting provided on the NGCB website, in the case Red Rock Casino Resort Spa v. Avinoam Shamir, the following ruling was provided: “Hearing Examiner Recommends: Agent’s decision awarding payment of $62,126 to Avinoam Shamir be affirmed.”
From the official Disposition (minutes) of the meeting, the recommendation is followed by, “GCB Disposition: Payment awarded, per GCB order.”
Without additional details to go on at this time, it would appear from the Disposition provided by the NGCB that the agent of the Dec. 12 hearing, Chan Lengsavath, had submitted a recommendation that Station pay out the disputed jackpot, and that was the decision that the three-member NGCB affirmed.
It is also apparent from the Disposition that the decision was upheld by Red Rock Casino, as it reads, “payment awarded.”
Background
The decision and the payment come seven months after the initial rollercoaster began for Shamir and Schreter, two regular small-stakes players who happened upon straight flush over straight flush on a warm summer Friday at their local casino in Summerlin.
Initially, the Board ruled in favor of the players to be paid on the grounds that the exposure of the cards did not affect the outcome of the hand. After Station Casinos appealed that decision, a hearing was held on Dec. 12, 2017 to review the evidence. That evidence was compiled and submitted to the NGCB by Lengsavath, along with a recommendation for the Board, which would later rule on the case.
At their first January Board meeting, member Terry Johnson requested additional information regarding the case and the Board thus delayed a ruling. It was also noted at that time that if Station Casinos is unhappy with whatever ruling the Board makes, the company could potentially appeal to the Clark County District Court, making it imperative that the facts of the case are clarified before a ruling be made.
The Payout
There has been some confusion regarding the actual payouts the two players stood to collect, but the Disposition specified the amount of $62,126 to Shamir, which should represent 50 percent of the entire BBJ amount, making the overall jackpot worth $124,252.
Following a typical BBJ payout structure, Schreter would be getting 25% for a little more than $30,000 and the rest would go to some combination of “table share,” divided among the players seated at the table where the jackpot hit, and “room share,” split among all players active in a cash game at Red Rock and other Station Casinos around Las Vegas at the time the jackpot hand took place.
It is important to note, however, that the only payout mentioned in the NGCB Disposition from last week’s meeting was that going to Shamir. Additional details regarding payouts to other players have not been disclosed.
Lead Photo Credit: "kennejima," Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
