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Poker pro Greg Raymer does not have an arrest record of any kind, so Friday's shocking revelation that he was nabbed during a hooker sting operation certainly has many in the poker community scratching their heads.
These are the types of stories we would hope to be reserved for the likes of poker’s “Most Hated” Matthew Marafioti, Howard Lederer, Chris Ferguson, Chino Rheem or a Russ Hamilton. But this is a perfect example of the good guys succumbing to sin and missteps caused by thinking with the wrong head.
Raymer was arrested and released on bond Friday for solicitation of a hooker and attempting to engage in an unnatural sex act as defined by North Carolina law. The poker pro was responding to an ad on the website Backpage when he arrived at a Wake Forest hotel room. Raymer was one of eight nabbed during the operation. A high profile attorney was also taken into custody.
The Fossilman, as he is nicknamed, has netted millions of dollars over the years, winning several big name poker tournaments including the granddaddy of them all, the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2004.
During a news conference Friday, Wake Forest police said the hotel staff was kept entirely in the dark regarding the covert operation.
“We kept it covert to the point where they weren’t even aware of what was going on until the next day,” Sgt. Stephen Cashwell said about the hotel officials. “We have people living nearby, and we don’t want them to think this (hotel) is a den of prostitution.”
Just how popular a player is Greg Raymer you might be asking yourselves?
On the TwoPlusTwo.com posting forum, some 830 posts were made in a 36-hour period regarding this subject matter.
Raymer almost became the third big name poker pro to come out of the closet, albeit forcibly, after some sites, including TMZ, revealed he had attempted to solicit a male prostitute. Wake Forest police have since confirmed the sting operation involved solicitation of female hookers.
The sad thing here is that Raymer is married with a family so, while he’s not likely to serve any significant jail time, the ramifications here will go much deeper for certain.
- Jenny Woo, Gambling911.com Senior International Correspondent
