You can picture the scene. Tucked somewhere between the glitter and grit of Manhattan, a room wafting smoke with the rhythm of a poker game seemingly like any other: Cards whisper against felt, chips click in steady tempo, and players sit around a table, guarding their hands – and secrets.

Some of the players lured to the table – seduced by celebrity faces and the illusion of fair play – are unaware they have just taken a seat at a game rigged by some members of New York’s mafia – La Cosa Nostra, authorities say.

That illusion was shattered Thursday when gambling and sports rigging schemes linked to the mob led to the arrests of 31 defendants, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat, Damon Jones. The pair, along with others, are “alleged to have participated in a nationwide scheme to rig illegal poker games,” according to US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr.

Investigators described the yearslong probe – dubbed Operation Royal Flush – as a meticulous, evidence-driven effort that exposed a sprawling web of corruption stretching from organized crime to professional sports.

At the heart of each underground poker game was a carefully choreographed ballet of stars, signals and souped-up technology, details outlined by prosecutors show.

“What the victims – the fish – didn’t know is that everybody else at the poker game, from the dealer to the players, including the face cards, were in on the scam,” Nocella said.

Among the defendants in the gambling scheme are members of major American crime families, as w