Losing a poker pot shouldn't be cause for launching a physical attack on the winner, but every so often, that's what happens. Add the Delaware Park poker room in Wilmington, Delaware to the list of casino venues where a fight quickly turned physical, and in a major way. Of the two men involved in a brief brawl, one was arrested on second-degree felony and criminal-mischief charges, while his victim was sent to the hospital with what a Delaware State Police report described as "severe injuries".
Few details beyond the basics of the fight and the name of the person facing charges have been released. That person is Tavon White, 28, of Newark, who was uninjured in the brief fight, which ended when the two combatants crashed into a poker table, which overturned, and at that point others in the room were able to separate the two men.
By the time police responded to the initial call at about 2:30 am, the fighting had long since ceased, but after examining the other man's injuries and hearing reports from others on the scene, White was taken into custody. He was arraigned the following day, with bond on the two charges set at $10,500. Witnesses to the actual fight reported White as the instigator and that the fight's physical part began with him repeatedly punching the other man in the face.
The identity of the injured player, who won the pot from White that started the argument and fight, was not released.
Delaware Park's poker room used to have as many as 40 tables, easily making it the state's largest, though it has contracted since the pandemic into a 25-table operation. That said, the action at the cash-game-only room generally includes only a small handful of tables. That somewhat mirrors the online-poker fortunes of the state, which have dwindled into insignificance in recent years, and which are currently unavailable as the state switches online partners from 888 to Rush Street.
