Poker Pro John Racener ‘Scam’ Accusations Result in Mug Shot Throwback

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Published on:
Jan/16/2017

For those of you following the Gambling911.com website over this past weekend, the two NFL Divisional Playoffs games drew tons of traffic in addition to us being the first to feature a line on the two upcoming Conference Championship games.  But remarkably, the top trending topic had nothing to do with the NFL.

Instead, a late 2010 piece alluding to poker pro and Hard Rock Casino ambassador John Racener mug shot photos became all the rage.  This was in response to a post that went up on the popular Two Plus Two poker forum Sunday alleging that Racener is part of a scam, something Gambling911.com cannot independently confirm.

ipuntstacks, a member of the forum since 2013 with nearly 200 posts, made the accusation while including his real identity:

So, lets start with me since that will obviously throw a monkey wrench into this story.
My name is Marc Klang. I’m not perfect. I am a 30 year old degenerate, 13 years of gambling, never won in poker. Previous known scum bag – I’ve borrowed and taken forever to repay, welched on sports bets, etc. Always gambling related. I have also been arrested (but never convicted of a crime) 4 times. In the last 2-3 years I’ve started working corporate jobs with good salary and had a pretty stable time. Banned myself from the Hardrock here (no other place has table games) and forced to play in smaller card rooms. I have a positive track record and no problems over the last 2 years minimum playing in the biggest games that run locally and also betting sports w/ the guys in the game. Also have built my credit up so well that the game is now willing to lend me up to 10k or so each game. We play Tuesdays and Fridays and every time I’ve been lent money the entire amount I paid back on the next session.
Villians: Paul Dlugozima, John Racener, Justin Zaki, Fillip Khavin, and some local POS named Anthony “starfish”
So I have had exactly 2 winning poker session in the last year. I keep mentioning that I want to play blackjack but can’t because I’m banned from Hardrock. I have been betting sports w/ Paul Dlugozima (zima421) for a couple months now – and he backs 1 guy in our game, Filip Khavin. (it’s called private game, but played at the card room) it’s a 5/10/25 game, uncapped. They always reply, “buddy whenever you want to play blackjack let me know, we can go to my house and I’ll book it.” Finally I get tired of hearing it, I ask if they’re for real they said yes. I order off amazon 12 decks of cards, a shoe, and the green blackjack felt.
This all starts back in August/September – I haven’t posted about it any where yet, but just can’t sit around any more seeing these guys on TV opening the new poker room and continue to stay slient.

The first time we play I bring about 12k cash. Lose it all. Go Home.
At his point he’s so happy , he’s giving me shots of Louis XIII and like random things at his house as comps. We schedule the next time to play. I go again, this time myself. I win about 10 of first 12 hands, make 10,500 and tell him I’m done. He drives me to the weekly game at derby lane in his new V12 Bentley GT. Tells the game they’re welcome, and I blast off all 10k in hours. On the drive to derby, Paul reveals that he had a partner chopping with him that’s out of town, so he doesn’t even care that he lost – but won’t tell me who it was.
About a week later we schedule the next session. Paul Dlugozima, Justin Zaki and I go out for lunch before. At lunch, Justin ask Paul for 10% - they agree. We go back to Pauls house. I have about 8k cash and a cashiers check for like 12k made out to Paul dlugozima. We start playing and I’m losing, quickly. At this point, Fillip Khavin arrives – this guy is backed by Paul for all poker and I considered him a friend. Well, he’s cheering me on etc. I go broke. I borrow 1k from Justin, 1k from Fil and 4k from Paul (with 10% juice). I take this 6k and start blasting and running it up. When I’m up about 20k, fil starts to lay on the couch. At this point I learn Fil also had 10%. Paul is live chatting to this “partner” on facebook or some other app on his ipad giving him the play by play but doesn’t tell me who it is, only that they’re chopping. Well I run it up huge, and stop when my chips get over 100k. After paying everyone back and getting my buyin back, I’m up 84,000. Paul says he doesn’t have it all here, pays me back all my money plus like 5k more in poker chips I believe. As we’re leaving to go party (and Justin and phil to mourn) Paul mentions he’s going to go gamble bigger at a place called the café and needs to bring money. So not wanting to carry around all of thise cash and chips, I say here take this give me back tomorrow. (this was on a Wednesday) Give him like 25k I think total maybe 30 and me, Justin and fil meet up w/ friends and go drink.
Take Thursday off for Jewish Holiday
Friday – we agree to play. Paul texts me a random address in Tampa to go to , I stop at derby lane, leave my ipad, a jacket and a min buy, so if anyone walks buy the guy running the game can say “crazy marc” is there. I go to the address, and John Racener answers and goes “surprise” I’m the partner. Also, they tell me this guys Anthony “starfish” who I still don’t know his last name or address or who he is also has a piece. I’m like whatever. Paul gives me back what he borrowed. We start playing. At first I’m losing, and losing fast. I had bought in for the entire 84k I was up at one point, and I had a large double down, where if I lost, I would be down to 1400. I win that and it starts to turn around. They are switching dealers, at some points the other guys started playing, jumping in and out etc – looks like they were trying to “change things up”. It doesn’t matter – no matter who sits where, who deals etc I keep winning. I am drinking and doing cocaine this entire timing, playing on repeat the song “ yayo” I hit a big hand, count chips, up another 100k and stop. I tell them I’m going to derby to see my friends , take a break etc finally they say ok, we’ll drive you there. SO we go down the road to derby, Paul stays at John’s house. While at derby for about an hour I’m prop betting w/ racener (and his friend zani) on flops and doing flips etc. I think I beat him out of another 15-20k, all on paper.

I tell them I don’t really want to play, they said no come on, we’ll get you liquor etc. So I had them go out, buy 2 bottles of vevue, some macallan 18, and $600 worth of sushi. I also said have your friend bring an 8ball of blow. We go back to his house. At this time my buddy Patrick is with us, paul , john, starfish, Justin zaki comes too. John’s friend comes w/ the 8 ball also with a bottle of dom and goose. I start drinking everything and doing lines, can barely stand. Still same song on repeat. I win another 107k, same antics as before witih everyone jumping in and out, different dealers, on my left, right etc.
Everyone quits. They offer me a buy out of about 50% right now cash ( 135k I believe) and I go home. I tell them no, I don’t mind losing but I want all my money. So we relax, start shooting basketballs for like 1-5k, beer pong for my 6k to john’s 5k. he beats me twice. So I think I knocked about 15k off the tab. I’m like, ok, want to play 1 last one. John texts everyone, because all that’s left is john me my buddy and his 2 buddies. Well one of his buddies Zani, an Albanian kid was like marc let me buy 10%. I wasn’t too happy about it, but wtf why not. Everyone agrees, we play again. I get down about 55k off the bat, but wind up coming all the way back and winning 207,000 this shoe. So now this zani kid wants me to break him off 20k cash right there. I told him no way, wait until I get paid. John said no, I’ll pay him. Apparently they worked out a deal, I think the rumor is 8k. And john took the entire 20k, off of my tab. He also paid me 10k cash but I was so drunk I marked it down as 20k. so total he took 40k off my number. Me and Patrick uber home at 5am and party into the next day. It finally happened, I win just under 500k.
I let them breathe Saturday and text them all Sunday. -crickets- Monday finally, they text me saying lets all meet at get a way, a restaurant near derby tomorrow to talk. I bring a big ass duffle bag, get there and 6 guys are sitting outside including 1 6foot, 300+ pound guy I never talked to in my life. I walk over to say hi and this guy I never see says “you cheated, you aren’t getting paid, turn around, go home and never talk to anyone again” I start screaming etc asking what’s going on – Paul says this guy Jason is his partner and they know I cheated and they’re not paying me. And they all scurry off.
Anyway after a few days the whole poker gossip circle in town is talking about it, they call me 1 by 1, they apologize. Said that they were listing to the wrong people. But they still believe I cheated using some crazy device. They said they need ot order the device have an investigation etc, but as long as I didn’t cheat they would pay me. I told them they have 2 weeks to investigate, but I want all of my money or nothing, no ****ing buy outs or bull ****. Repeadetly the assure me that they order this device. They agree they’d give Justin some small amount of funds as good faith to bring to WPT Jacksonville for me (never happened) I wind up blowing my whole roll there playing 50/100/200 PLO thinking that I had over 500k coming my way. Up until this point I have considered all of these guys friends, I was on his rail when Racener final tabled and his friends stayed in my 3 comped Bellagio rooms durings the last day in July. I have been betting with Paul for months and have been playing in the same game with Fil and Justin. The only variable is this Starfish guy that I don’t know still don’t know his info except that he plays in the biggest game in town that Paul plays in.
Time passes and they never order the device. Word gets around that I’m in a financial bind and eventually I squeeze out ~9k each from Fil and Justin, 20k from Paul and 4k from Racener. This was never an agreed deal, they wouldn’t negotiate, they decided after 7 weeks of waiting it was take this or never get a dollar. I don’t even have the contact info for the Anthony Starfish guy as he won’t respond to the 1 phone number I do have for him. As far as I’m concerned the entire betting was done through Paul dlugozima. I made the cashier check out to him, I gambled with him, I paid him when I lost etc. It’s not my problem who he sold action to. In my eyes, he still owes the balance of almost 450k. To top it off, Racener had called my employer and stated nefarious things, enough to get me fired so I lost my job as well.
I don’t expect to get another dollar from any of these guys but just wanted everyone to know. In telling this story to several known pros it appears that Racener has developed this reputation of welching on bets. It is clear they never had intentions to pay me, only to keep taking my money as I lose (like usual) I won a single time over the last year for a significant amount and they deicded not to pay me. I still do know what there reason is besides they believe I some how cheated?
They have tried to defend themselves my using my reputation as an excuse. Saying I’m banned from casinos for cheating and that ive cheated before. I am self banned from hardrock for gambling and banned from mgm las vegas for selling comps. That’s it – I’ll suck someone’s dick if they can prove otherwise. I also have never cheated anyone in cards as I wouldn’t have the manual dexterity to so (fat and slow). I guess this is just a warning to the community about these guys and maybe it’ll help someone else from gambling and not getting paid from these guys.
I have every text, video, and tons of different people that can verify the story. I posted a brief one from john's house the night i won 300k there.
Tl;Dr: Previous scumbag rightfully wins over $500,000 gambling against a conglomerate of local poker pros. After using every excuse possible, said group decides they are not paying out any money. After some time they pay out $43k of 500k. Winner warns community of the groups actions to prevent similar future scams.

There was plenty of reaction to Mr. Klang’s post, but another member was quick to point out the irony “when the shoe is on the other foot”, noting that Klang himself had once been accused of shady activities

For his part, Racener maintains an active Twitter account with over 10,000 followers and appears, at least for now, unfazed by what is transpiring in the poker sphere.

“Cleaning out and organizing my closet....Who needs some shoes?,” he last tweeted.

- Ace King, Gambling911.com

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