A professional poker player and his wife were found dead Friday in their home near Oakland, California, USA, and authorites are investigating the deaths as homicides.

According to media reports, Ernest Scherer Jr., 60, and his wife, Charlene Abendroth, 57, were found dead Friday morning shortly before 1 a.m. in their home at the Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton, California, USA, near Oakland.

“The deaths are being investigated as homicides,” said Sgt. J.D. Nelson of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department.

A homicide is a killing, and may or may not be a murder. Some homicides are murders, while other homicides are suicides or accidents.

When Scherer’s daughter was unable to reach her parents by telephone, she contacted someone at the country club who went to the Scherers’ home, found the bodies and called authorities, media reports said.

According to tournament records, Scherer has finished in the money in six poker tournaments in his career, winning a total of $25,108.

His biggest win came at last year’s World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, where he finished in 18th place in an Omaha tourney and won $7,775.

At that same WSOP, he finished in 47th place in another Omaha tournament and won $3,956, and in 142nd place in a no-limit Texas hold ‘em tourney and won $3,792.

Scherer’s son, Ernest Scherer III, 29, of Los Angeles, is also a professional poker player, and a much better one than his father was.

According to tournament records, Scherer’s son has finished in the money in 23 poker tournaments in his career, winning a total of $298,847.

Among his biggest wins was at the 2006 WSOP, where he finished in eighth place in a limit Texas hold ‘em tournament and won $34,362.

He also moneyed at two other ‘06 WSOP events.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)