Poker Pro Craig Besatta king qrgeron Charged with Detroit Murder

Detroit police suspect poker pro Craig Bergeron shot and killed a man in his 30s Monday night and then fled the scene in a white SUV.

The alleged killer, 34, was apprehended and arrested Tuesday evening. He was booked in the Wayne County Jail and will likely face a murder charge.

Brief Details About Poker Player's Alleged Crime

Bergeron, according to a press release from the Detroit Police Department, is suspected to have fatally shot Tommy "Mike" Ireland, 37, on Detroit's east side. Police were dispatched to the crime scene at 8:40 p.m. Monday where the unresponsive victim was discovered. Further details are not available at this time.

The Michigan native has a lengthy history of success in poker, although he hasn't been spotted in the tournament circuit much the past five years or so. Bergeron is a hybrid online and live poker player with results in both arenas. He has over $1.3 million in live tournament cashes, according to The Hendon Mob. That includes a 2011 World Series of Poker Circuit (WSOPC) ring win in a $560 no-limit hold'em event.

Bergeron's last live cash came in 2019 when he finished 25th in the Mid-States Poker Tour (MSPT) Michigan State Poker Championship for $8,608. His career-best score of $312,853 occurred in 2010 when he took fourth place in the European Poker Tour (EPT) Deauville Main Event.

The Circuit ring winner is also known as a top online poker player during the poker boom era. He played under the screen name "hu4rollz" in the pre-Black Friday days and was featured in an April 15, 2011 Business Insider story.

Loved ones gathered Thursday night at a candlelight vigil to remember the victim, who was described by family to have "loved everybody."

"It’s chaos out here. It’s chaos. Nobody should go through burying anybody, especially off of senseless crime — senseless," Richard Castro, Ireland's cousin, told 7 News Detroit. "It’s senseless man. When I say Tommy was a good man, he was a good man, bro. He wasn’t one of them. He was one of the other ones."

Ashley Ireland, the victim's sister, told reporters that the family doesn't know Bergeron. The alleged murderer, who is from Saline, Michigan, is said to have assaulted someone else before being arrested. He has yet to be arraigned and charged.

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