Holbrook poker club seeks to reopen

Having lost town permission to host charity poker games, the South Shore Poker Club could no longer allow patrons to play for cash, as they do at charity poker rooms in Massachusetts. State law allows charitable organizations to hold three casino nights a year.

The new club - which would adopt a different name but retain “South Shore Poker Club’’ on its incorporation papers, according to the club’s attorney - would sell drinks and charge a membership fee. Members could play cards on a casual basis, but not in advertised tournaments, and not for money, said the attorney, Matthew J. Fogelman. It would be a membership organization like the Elks, not a poker club, he said.

According to that model, players would no longer be lured to Holbrook by the thousands in prize money tournaments offer. The website www.easternpokertour.com lists tournaments this month in Dedham, Foxborough, and Lakeville, at clubs such as the Lions and American Legion. According to the site, the Lakeville event offers $2,000 in total payouts, and a tournament at the Elks Lodge in Natick offers $10,000.

Poker rooms came under state scrutiny last year when an inquiry by the attorney general’s office into a poker room at the former dog track in Raynham led the operation to close voluntarily. It had tables for poker, blackjack, and roulette, and was giving part of the proceeds to a list of charities.

At a hearing last week, Holbrook Selectman Kevin Sheehan asked South Shore Poker Club manager Paul Anastasio whether, once granted a liquor license, he plans to push to host charity poker tournaments again. In response, Anastasio said the police chief made it clear he would not approve the necessary permits.

Police Chief William Marble told the Globe during a break in the hearing that he stopped approving the permits because Anastasio “always had his own people’’ running the events, whereas the law requires the charities to run them.

“A lot of money was going into that building,’’ the chief said. “How much was going to the charities, and how much was going to Paul, nobody really knows.’’ Although the charities liked the convenience of someone else doing the work, and they did have a presence, he said, “there was a lot of cash.’’

Asked about the issue after the hearing, Anastasio told the Globe that representatives of the charities were always present.

During the hearing, the police chief said he believed Anastasio had purchased the poker tables and equipment, rather than renting them, which would prohibit him from attending the poker events. An invoice dated July 12, 2011, from Eastern Poker LLC, provided to the Globe by the town administrator, billed the club for “remainder of loan for equipment purchase.’’

Anastasio said he never completed the lease-to-own agreement and did not own the tables.

The police chief’s refusal to sign permits also followed the July stabbing of a 52-year-old patron who had left the club. Three teenagers from Dorchester, Norwood, and Roslindale were charged with the crime.

Although Holbrook officials have questioned Anastasio’s actions and his intentions for the new club, some selectmen praised his generosity to the community. At the hearing, Selectman Matthew Moore said no other organization in town donates as much to local causes. He said the town owes it to the club to “make whatever they plant grow.’’

Selectman Brinsley Fuller said the club’s charitable giving is clear, but he remains unconvinced that the club is completely nonprofit.

“[Not] for nothing, you’re in it for something,’’ he said, later adding, “I don’t know why you wouldn’t just say that you’re a for-profit organization.’’

Timothy Gordon, board chairman, said the club had not outlined a charitable purpose.

Town Administrator William Phelan tried to press Anastasio to directly say that people would still be playing poker at the club. Anastasio said there would be no “organized, advertised events,’’ prompting Phelan to repeat the question, to which the manager replied, “That’s not the primary focus, no.’’

“You answered the question,’’ Phelan said.

Anastasio told selectmen the club would probably have one poker table, not 20 as in the past. His attorney said the club would have billiards, darts, and an emphasis on sports, with 11 flat-screen televisions.

Any food would have to be catered, since the fourth-floor space, in an industrial building at 27 Maple Ave., has no kitchen.

Phelan also alleged that before the club first opened, it delayed sending an abutter notice to a church and then tried to cover up its actions. In response, Fogelman said he didn’t represent the club at the time and would never allow that.

The selectmen continued the hearing to Jan. 24 at 7:30 at Town Hall.

Jennette Barnes can be reached at jennettebarnes@yahoo.com.