There are establishments across town licensed to offer poker games. These businesses operate under strict guidelines that are set up to regulate gambling in the state, but also to keep players safe.

"A man walked in brandishing a pistol a loaded pistol of all things and he just was pointing it at all of us."

This man, who wants to remain anonymous for safety purposes, reflects on a time when he was caught in a sticky situation during a late game, luckily the man with the gun backed down.

"We were all just flabbergasted and relieved."

'Late games' are illegal, private poker games.

"Now it's not unlawful for maybe a group of four five people to sit down in their basement and have a card game," says Tom Oberweiser, Eastern District Supervisor of the Gambling Investigation Bureau.

Oberweiser has bigger concerns.

"We are worried about someone who's operating a game whether it's after hours or without a license."

"Anytime there's an opportunity to make money people will take advantage of that and you know go do things that are kind of under the table," says Christian Berger, Co-Owner of the Billings River Club.

Not only do these games take profit from licensed establishments and avoid paying taxes to the state, some can quickly get out of hand.

"Some of them get really angry. Tear the cards up, throw them on the table and walk out."

This is why it's usually a tight knit group of players.

"But not really friends in a way because you might always be trying to get their bankroll."

There's lots of money to be made off of these so-called "friends." In a $5-$10 limit game the betting is as follows:

Pre-flop the betting limit is $5
On the flop the limit is $5
On the turn you can bet $10
And on the river the limit is also $10.
A cap of three raises is standard, so on a single hand of $5-$10 Hold'em you can bet up to $120. With ten players that's $1,200 a game, about $24,000 an hour and $168,000 a night. For one table! But in the end the host is the ultimate winner because they get five percent of what crosses the table. In our example that's a max profit of almost $9,000.

"A lot of pots warrant more money than the state allows."

There's a lot of money to earn and a lot of money to lose.

"I would be going home looking to unhook the telephone and lay on the couch and hope no one came around."

But the following weekend he'd be right back at it, enjoying the perks.

"Lobster tail, they'd cook you T-bone steak, all the whiskey you want, all the beer you want."

It's a lavish lifestyle that can take many turns leading to major consequences.

Coming up Wednesday we'll take a look at what law enforcement is doing to regulate illegal gambling in the state.