NEW YORK (AP) – An upscale Manhattan poker room suffered a double dose of bad luck Friday.

First, the place was stormed and looted by armed robbers. Then, when police arrived, they arrested a man they believed to be the manager of the operation.

The robbery happened at about 12:30 a.m. when gunmen stormed an upper East Side joint called “The National CardRoom,” which had been hosting late-night games of no-limit Texas Hold ’em poker, police said.

The thieves stole cash from the poker room’s bank and demanded all the players’ money, police said. About 70 patrons were present at the time of the robbery, police said.

The gunmen remained at large Saturday, but police charged Edgar Concepcion, 29, with promoting gambling and possessing bookmaking supplies.

Playing poker for money is legal in New York, but it is against the law to organize such games for profit.

The NYPD cracked down on clandestine poker clubs throughout the city in 2005, including The National CardRoom, arresting dozens of people and confiscating thousands of dollars.

Yankees $25-million-a-year third baseman, Alex Rodriguez, reportedly had played at one of the clubs.

Attempts to reach Concepcion or his family on Saturday were not immediately successful. It was unclear whether he had a listed telephone number.