Like the many stories of Johnny Hughes and Doyle Brunson concerning the "old school" brand of floating poker games, this one is scary. Gone are the days where the players were strapped while facing a three-bet from the button. But, would something like that prevented the tragic death of a part-time New Jersey rounder a few days ago?

Frank DeSena has been described by many on the 2+2 website and through out this article on the NY Times (hat tip to F-Train for the links) as the friendly guy who didn't have a care in the world and didn't let the game's emotional and monetary swings get to him. As the reports show, three robbers entered the newer poker room and one of them dropped his shotgun, resulting in a fatal blow to a gentleman that defined how one should approach a live game.

Will the politicians see this as a rally cry to get poker rooms legalized, thus bulk up security and the safety of a fair deal? Or what more likely to happen, is government officials will see the evils of gambling and come crashing down even harder on quasi-legal card rooms that are peppered across the US. What is sure to happen are more poker players who seek a live game without access to a regulated casino are going to think twice before filling their need to chase a flush draw and be more worried about losing just their bankroll at these games.