Caught Out: Poker Cheat Exposed
Poker Expert Lenard Adams Charged with Deceiving Inexperienced Poker Player, Not First Controversy on Record
In a recent unfortunate incident, a college student named Kevin found himself in a nasty poker scam at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. He encountered a professional poker player named Lenard "Lucky" Adams on January 10, who proposed an intriguing deal. Adams promised Kevin a 50/50 bet and, win or lose, advocated staking him in a private poker game.
According to Poker News, Kevin partook in the bet, unaware that he would never see his stake or the promised game. As Kevin bitterly recounted to the poker media, "I started to realize that there was no game." Adams allegedly presented acounterfeited money order from Hard Rock, supposedly showcasing a $2 million credit. After making the deal, Adams started pestering Kevin for more money, leading the student to suspect a scam.
As Kevin exited the casino, his pockets emptied of most of his bankroll, he regretted not noticing the deception earlier. Coincidentally, Adams appeared on the Hustler Casino Live stream in October 2021, fueling speculation that he had the promised funds. However, it is unfortunate that Adams had been barred from the show due to his shady past.
Distraught, Kevin decided to retire from poker, commenting to Poker News: "I guess I'm just not cut out for this world."
Repeat Offender
Lenard Adams has likely duped numerous victims through similar scams, but only a few cases have surfaced, possibly because his victims feel embarrassed about being swindled. In the spring of 2023, another such incident was reported by "dcdan" on the Poker Fraud Alert forums*. The victim, a young poker player, met Adams and was led to believe that Adams would stake him in a high-stakes, four-handed, private cash game at Aria. The scam artist and "dcdan" would split any winnings.
The two played pit games and, when Adams ran out of funds, he requested $7,000 from "dcdan". The young player obliged, but Adams swiftly disappeared with the money and blocked the victim's number and Instagram.
A Troubled Background
As mentioned, Lenard Adams has a murky past. In 2017, he was embroiled in a series of scandals in Northwest Indiana, where he was accused of raping, kidnapping, fraud, intimidation, and theft. He allegedly swindled at least four women, extorting "at least" $67,000 in cash, jewelry, electronics, and more through a scheme pretending to be a neurosurgeon in need of funds for charity donations.
Although charges were dropped for many of the crimes, Adams received four consecutive 18-month sentences in 2019. He was placed on three years' probation and three years in a work release program and ordered to pay $14,127 in restitution to three of the four women. However, court records and other evidence pertaining to these charges were not available in the search results.
In the spring of 2023, Lenard Adams was involved in another scam, as reported on the Poker Fraud Alert forums, where he promised to stake a young poker player in a high-stakes game at Aria. This incident appears to be similar to his encounter with Kevin at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida, and the general news of Lenard Adams' shady dealings continues to surface, including his past crimes and convictions for fraud, intimidation, and theft.
Although Lenard Adams has received legal consequences for his past actions, it seems that he may continue to engage in illegal activities, particularly within the Casino-and-Gambling and Crime-and-Justice spheres, making it important for authorities to take measures to prevent further Casino-Games-related crimes associated with him.
