ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- The closing of the Trump Taj Mahal casino on Monday will cost thousands of workers their jobs and bring a final end to Donald Trumps legacy in the seaside resort, but it will also mean the closure of what was once one of the premiere destinations for poker outside Las Vegas.The poker room in the casino on Atlantic Citys boardwalk long ago lost its luster, but in its heyday drew packed crowds of gamblers from around the region and country to dozens of tables around the clock.Around lunchtime Wednesday, the 24 remaining tables were empty. A security guard and two soon-to-be unemployed employees milled about, but there were no dealers, no chips being shuffled, no cards flying through the air.After opening in 1993 when poker was legalized in New Jersey, the Taj became the center of the East Coast poker world, certainly the legal poker world, said Brian Koppelman, who used the mix of locals, tourists and pros as inspiration for scenes in his 1998 film Rounders.It was the place that you could go play without violating any laws and where, if you were someone who wanted to get better at poker and study the best players, you were there, Koppelman said. If you were someone who wanted to hustle people, you could go there and find tourists to hustle.Koppelman, creator of TVs Billions on Showtime along with Rounders writing partner David Levien, said the scene in the film where Matt Damons character plays for more money than he should against poker legend Johnny Chan was inspired by him sitting at a table at the Taj with brash World Series of Poker champion Phil Hellmuth.Koppelman and Levien traveled there for research after deciding to make a film about the New York underground poker scene. When they shot there, none of us slept. We were shooting and then just playing cards.The steady stream of players from the New York and Philadelphia region made the room popular, but it was the U.S. Poker Championship in 1996 that turned it into a destination. Some of the games top players laid down $10,000 in what was the first tournament on the East Coast on the same financial level as the World Series of Poker.When we went there, the Taj Mahal poker room was kind of a mess, said former World Series of Poker tournament director Jack McClelland, who Trump hired to launch the tournament that was broadcast on ESPN. They ran the poker room like you run the blackjack pit. ... It was just a mess.McClelland says the tournament organizers helped to change some of the problems, and he said he enjoyed working for Trump, for whom he plans to vote in November.Connecticuts Foxwoods Casino had already begun splitting up the lucrative New York market, but it was the opening of Atlantic Citys Vegas-style Borgata casino in 2003 that started the end of the Taj poker room. It began drawing most of the citys big action, and the opening of poker rooms in Pennsylvania, Delaware and later Maryland took away most of the rest. The room closed for renovations in February 2015 and didnt reopen until this past May, less than two months before workers at the casino went on strike.Kevin Thompson, 38, was walking through the room on Wednesday, looking for one last game. When that didnt happen, he reminisced with a reporter about the good times. A full room. An attached horse racing and keno lounge. A place where the locals played and staffers treated you like family.There was always something to do. You could always enjoy yourself here, he said. Im going to miss it a lot. Sad, its real sad.---Follow Cornfield at https://www.twitter.com/JoshCornfieldUomo/Donna Scarpe Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 Nere/Bianche . Their 38th instalment is arguably their biggest fight card to date, including three-title fights and a main event which was selected by the fans. 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GREENSNBORO, N.C. -- Lamar Raynard threw for two touchdowns and ran for a third as North Carolina A&T downed Division II St. Augustines 62-0 in a season opener on Saturday.Raynard had 170 yards on 17-of-21 passing for the Aggies. Tarik Cohen ran for two scores.Raynard helped convert two early fumbles by St. Augustines -- the first by quarterback D.J. Johnson during the opening drive -- into touchdowns for a 14-0 edge with six minutes left in the first quarter. Khris Gardin returned a punt 46 yards foor another touchdown and the Aggies scored on their next three possessions to build a 41-0 halftime lead.ddddddddddddaynard left the game early in the second half after the Aggies again capitalized on a Falcons turnover to stretch it to 55-0 on a 19-yard dash by Marquell Cartwright.Johnson threw for 59 yards on 11-of-20 passing and ran for another 73 yards for the Falcons. ' ' '