A West Virginia man has been accused of choking a poker room dealer.

According to media reports, the alleged choker–a 61-year-old man from Cross Lanes, West Virginia, USA, who was not identified–was at the Tri-State Racetrack and Gaming Center in Nitro, West Virginia, USA, early Wednesday when the incident occurred.

The Center is a combination greyhound racetrack and poker room.

The man was playing poker in the complex’s poker room and became involved in a verbal altercation with the dealer over collecting winnings, media reports said.

The dealer, a 44-year-old man from Chesapeake, Ohio, USA, was also not identified, media reports said.

The dispute then escalated into an attack when the man approached the dealer, put his hands around his neck and began choking him, media reports said.

At that point, another poker room employee got between the pair and separated them, media reports said.

Security then detained the suspect until police arrived, media reports said.

The suspect was charged with battery, media reports said.

The entire incident was recorded by surveillance video cameras, media reports said.

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