As Dan has informed me, my gambling has become a problem. However, the compulsive gambling that I’ve been accused of takes place nowhere near a casino. And quite honestly, in this game of roulette, I’m betting on the house.

Pokery Domains I own… And, yes, would consider selling

*** Oklahoma Poker ***
REDRIVERROUNDUP.COM/.NET - I don’t think Winstar abandoned this one after the rebranding. I’m thinking they never thought to buy it.
WINSTARBLOG.COM - Not bad. I actually know the guy who bought WinstarPoker.com,.net, etc. He’s somewhat to blame for my addiction.
OKIEPOKER.COM
OKPOKERBLOG.COM,.NET
CHEROKEEPOKERBLOG.COM,.NET
CHOCTAWBLOG.COM,.NET
CHOCTAWLIVE.COM,.NET
INDIANPOKERBLOG.COM,.NET
INDIANPOKERNEWS.COM,.NET

*** WSOP/Harrahs ***
THENOVEMBERNINE.NET,.CO.UK,.INFO,.ORG,.TV - Not sure why somebody doesn’t buy all versions of the domain. Didn’t they learn anything from the WSOP.com ownership battles?
THENOVEMBER9.NET,.CO.UK,.INFO,.ORG,.TV
THENOVNINE.COM,.NET,.INFO
THENOV9.COM,.NET,.INFO

More…

Just when you think you know a guy comes this story from Florida, about David “Chino” Rheem, who’ll start play 7th in chips. The article mentions his prior record, including his failure to appear in court on a misdemeanor charge of trespassing back in 2003. While it’s doubtful he’ll be arrested, did Harrah’s include in its contingency plan the need to provide lawyers for any of the players?

Yesterday afternoon, 1,197 people started with $10,000 and a dream, to win the Main Event of the World Series of Poker. By the time play ended after 1am this morning, only 643 get to return on July 8th for day 2a. Mark Garner was the day 1a chip leader with 194,900. Other notable names near the top: Brandon Adams, Kido Pham, Chau Giang, Tim West, Darren “Gigabet” Dicken, Hasan Habib and Ray Romano. You can find chip counts of all the survivors of day 1a here.

The talk among those in the poker media appears to be Harrah’s concern on the number of entrants who’ve registered so far for the Main Event. They may have finally crawled over the 5,000 figure this morning, but with talk of day 1d being “sold out”, and the “green box conspiracy”, it may be doubtful that they reach last year’s 6,358 figure. Today’s figure will be interesting because of the 4th of July holiday if they can match the 1,545 that played on day 1b last year. If not, expect the discussion will begin anew on whether the final table delay played a part in the decrease, and what measures that Caesars’ will undertake for the 2009 Series (ie. raising the buyin, moving it overseas, etc.).

One thing for certain, I think the players won’t be tortured with the vocal stylings of Wayne Newton with the UNLV marching band. Expect other Harrah’s properties entertainers to kick off the festivities for the other day 1’s.

12:10pm UPDATE: Pauly reports that as of 11:00am, just over 1,100 signed up for day 1b.

More updates during the day, stay tuned…

Let me start out by saying that the Ante Up for Africa tournament is a stellar effort to raise money for Darfur refugees and awareness of the mass atrocities taking place in Africa and around the world. The ENOUGH and Not On Our Watch projects are doing wonderful things, and I hope this tournament raises a great deal of money for the causes.

The tournament was held in the Brasilia room here at the Rio. That’s all I know. How many players? Didn’t have time to count because the media was given 15 minutes for photos before we were kicked out. Names of all the celebrities and poker pros? Again, not enough time to write them down. Hopefully, a press release will be issued with all of the information at some point.

Good news? Mekhi Phifer was playing in the tournament.

Bad news? I’m not sure where to begin.

Blanket statement: The media aspect of this day was handled poorly. Very poorly.

More…

I use the phrase “last minute” loosely, because it’s possible this changed occurred back in 2007 and I just missed it … but Change100 points out there’s been a change in how the WSOP calculates its Player of the Year. It used to be that HORSE and the main event didn’t count — the intent being to create a “triple crown” for anyone who might manage to win all three in their lifetime … main event, POY, and $50k HORSE.

But now, according to the official WSOP website, POY points come from all open events (meaning seniors, ladies, and casino employees don’t count) except the main event. I suppose it’s not a bad change — maybe it is, who knows, will reserve judgment for now — but I know I heard some complaints about the old system before from Greg Raymer and others … the beef being that making the final table in HORSE hurts you a lot in the Player of the Year race because you missed out on so many other POY events in that five days.

Again, click here to see where the 2008 HORSE-friendly race stands, and thanks to Change100 for pointing out what I’ve been missing.

UPDATE: Change informs me that the change was made last week.

OPINION OF THE MOMENT: OK, I like it … why shouldn’t this big event count towards Player of the Year? Fuck, it probably should count double. And it doesn’t take away from the Triple Crown concept … in fact, facilitates it greatly, as winning the HORSE Championship and any other bracelet in the same year would take one a long way towards knocking out two of the three triple-crown prongs in one WSOP swoop. I wonder how much, if at all, the added excitement Harrah’s must’ve seen around the June 7 Belmont Stakes factored into a decision that makes a WSOP Triple Crown a slightly more realistic possibility.

Limiting POY points to only open events also seems right, so all contenders theoretically have the same chance.

According to Seth Palansky, Harrah’s Communications Director, the buzz is definitely all about the $50K H.O.R.S.E. event coming up on Wednesday, and pre-registration is up. Technically, I don’t know what that means because official numbers are not being released, but that might be a good sign. Seth isn’t sure if he’d bet on the number going up much from last year…

2006 $50K H.O.R.S.E. - 143 players, $6,864,000 prize pool
2007 $50K H.O.R.S.E. - 148 players, $7,104,000 prize pool

My personal estimation is that the number will rise again. According to the pros I’ve been asking, they all think the number will go up, but no one is willing to give a number. It might be a bit pie-in-the-sky, but with the increased realization that the $50K H.O.R.S.E. is the real gauge of a world champion poker player, along with the wicked prize pool and a greater number of players becoming skilled in mixed games, I’m predicting 175. (Flame away if you must.)

Semi-related … do you know how much the WSOP spent on media food and water last year? Reportedly $440,000. Yeow! That means collectively, we sandwich-eating, water-and-Pepsi-product-slugging hacks grossed more than Tom won en route to becoming POY.

The key word in that sentence, of course, is “gross.”

Event #18 is the No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball w/Rebuys tournament. The field was small with only 85 competitors, but those few people managed to rebuy 272 times and create a $1,036,035 prize pool to be divided between the top 14 finishers.

Today, the third day of the event, the final table is underway. Check out this line-up:

Seat 1: Jeffrey Lisandro (Salerno, Italy) 461,000
Seat 2: Mike Matusow (Las Vegas, Nevada) 520,000
Seat 3: Tom Schneider (Scottsdale, Arizona) 162,000
Seat 4: Erick Lindgren (Las Vegas, Nevada) 1,104,000
Seat 5: Barry Greenstein (Rancho Palos Verdes, California) 541,000
Seat 6: Tony ‘G’ Guoga (Melbourne, Australia) 394,000
Seat 7: David Benyamine (Las Vegas, Nevada) 410,000

Here’s the kicker. Hardly anyone can see it.

The table is being held on a table NEXT to the ESPN stage. The rail is insane, four- or five-people deep, and those people are frustrated because they can’t see anything. Throw in the official WSOP media, ESPN cameras and crew, and floor staff, there’s nothing to see. Some members of the media tried to go up to the Milwaukee’s Best Lounge so we could watch from above, though that is rather uncomfortable as well, and snap a photo or two, but security instructed us to leave. Immediately.

Why, I asked of some fellow media folk, is the ESPN stage empty with no other final tables running today? Why can’t move this stellar final table over there with more room for the media and lots of room for fans to take seats and watch? WHY? The Poker Shrink informed me that ESPN does not take out insurance on the stage and lounge areas if there is no final table scheduled there. There is no insurance on the area today, and evidently, no one can make a phone call to get it.

Therefore, the players are stuck in a very small space, their friends and family are having a tough time seeing the table, and those against the rail have fans breathing down their necks. The fans are annoyed that they can’t see the best final table of the WSOP so far. The non-official media is pissed at being treated rudely by the floor staff and security team - being shooed from the area and given NO explanation, leeway, or assistance.

After a few weeks of virtually no missteps on the part of Harrah’s and the WSOP, this may be one that they hear about from the players and the media.

Boston Celtics vs. LA Lakers … apparently people are pretty excited about this upcoming NBA finals. And while quite a few poker players have been known to place some sports bets, they’re gonna have to leave the Rio to do so this year…

Harrah’s Chairman and CEO Gary Loveman owns 2.4 percent of the Celtics, and that may or may not be a conflict of interest. The directive reportedly comes straight from David Stern the NBA, and thus no Harrah’s properties will be taking bets on the NBA finals. Talk about a hit for Harrah’s, the Rio, Caesar’s Palace, Paris, Bally’s, Imperial Palace, Flamingo, Bills, Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, Harrah’s Reno, Harrah’s Laughlin … perhaps a mini-boon for Bellagio.

The Palms and Silverton also won’t be taking bets on the NBA finals, as their owners also have ownership stakes in other NBA teams. I find this pretty darn interesting … because if the NBA can remove betting on the finals at these casinos, why wouldn’t they want to maintain the same level of “integrity” throughout the regular season?

Took a little trip over to the Rio today to check out the set up. Good things so far.

The Amazon Room was empty except for the ESPN crew setting up the stage, Harrah’s employees finalizing the set-up of the room, and a few cash game players wandering in. The Rio seemed to be trying to get the cash game players to the Amazon Room before they close the casino poker room for the WSOP.

The satellites were getting going around noon in their separate room (where the poker kitchen and media room were in 2007), and a handful of players were sauntering in. Greg Raymer was roaming around the hallways, already being stopped by the few tourists who walked down to see if the WSOP had begun.

While the poker kitchen itself wasn’t open for business, I could see that it is in a building where the poker tent was in 2007. It seems like a much sturdier structure than that tent - more like a shed, a really large shed. Don’t know what’s on the menu, though, since it was closed. BUT, there are numerous other food options set up at different points in the hallways. Besides the full bar (yum!), there was a Pizza Hut stand that offered its signature pizzas, along with salads, sandwiches, and fruit bowls. Directly across was a Java Coast coffee stand with a Krispy Kreme donut oven ($2 per donut!).

Best of all, there was a huge sign for a sushi and noodle kitchen! Set-up is not complete, but the thought of having some great sushi available makes this Cali girl quite happy.

It seems that the Harrah’s/WSOP folks have listened to space and food complaints and made some very positive steps in the right direction. Good times and food ahead!

(On the way to the car, Eskimo Clark was on his way in - alive and kickin’ and presumably lookin’ for backers! Some things never change…)

Yo, Scott, the super-secret package has arrived. Dude, thanks so much for sending being dead money in the eyes of Harrah’s. I feel handicapped in a good way. Go Batfaces.

A lot of us WSOP media veterans (this will be Pokerati’s 5th year in attendance, which I think is longer than any other blog) see the World Series as Christmas season for poker. Think about it … right now we’re at about Thanksgiving, and a month from now, the hardcore holidays begin — with the Gaming Expo and main event … and then time to celebrate a new poker year. (Will be a bit different this year, however, without a new champion to ring it in.) It really is pretty impressive when you realize that the WSOP is just another poker brand … and yet poker players all over the world get excited about it. The clicks and shuffles of chips begin this week, and that ever-pokery rattle and hum in the Amazon room won’t stop for nearly 1,100 hours.

What’s new for Pokerati this go-round is that we’re already here. Usually about this time, my personal scramble to get out of Dallas is just beginning, and I’m hoping to arrive before Event #10 while steering clear of the New Mexico and Arizona Highway 5-0. But having crossed the Hoover Dam nearly six months ago … I’m here … yippee. Not sure what to do with myself. I guess I’ll start by reading the official WSOP preview press release — which you can do, too, by clicking below:

More…

This is a little bit of old news, but I just watched it for the first time, and thought some of you who also might not have seen it yet would be interested in Daniel Negreanu’s very thorough and sober analysis of the WSOP’s delayed main event final table:

In it he reminds even yours truly about how close the World Series was to going out of business in 2004. He’s right, of course, even though I had completely forgotten about that.

It’s a done deal.

The 2008 World Series of Poker main event will end on July 14 with nine final table players remaining. They will return to play on November 9, and the final two will play it out on November 10, and these two days will be condensed into two hours of programming to air on ESPN November 11 from 9pm - 11pm EST.

LAS VEGAS – May 1, 2008 – The World Series of Poker® (WSOP) Presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light today announced a groundbreaking change that will more closely align the televised presentation of the world’s largest, richest and most prestigious poker tournament with other premier sports broadcasts.

The last nine players of the $10,000 World Championship of No-Limit Texas Hold’em, known as the Main Event, will compete on November 9-10 instead of the originally scheduled date of July 16.

“Our intent is to provide an even bigger stage for our players,” said Jeffrey Pollack, Commissioner of the World Series of Poker. “Now fans and viewers will ask ‘who will win’ our coveted championship bracelet instead of seeing ‘who won.’ The excitement and interest surrounding our final nine players will be unprecedented.”

More…

With a WSOP conference call on the schedule for tomorrow at 11am PST, I didn’t think much of it. I thought we might discuss media restrictions for the 2008 WSOP, other changes put into place since last year, etc.

Then a scoop came my way that Pollack will announce that delayed main event final table. If you recall, I was vehemently opposed willing to listen to both sides of the discussions here and here and here and… you get the picture.

It seems ESPN leaked the info before Harrah’s could have the conference call. USA Today has a story on it today.

Please excuse me while I figure out how to adjust to change and embrace this idea. Don’t wait up.

I can only speculate on all the stuff that is going on at the WSOP regarding the discussion of changing the final table format, but here are my thoughts on what has already been discussed.

Given the same payout structure, would you rather make a final table last year or this year? If you say last year, STOP! PROCEED DIRECTLY TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST. Think about this. How many people outside of poker know Jerry Yang? Answer = 0. How many people outside of poker know the guy who finished 7th? 0! Did someone actually come in 7th? I don’t remember.

Can you imagine making the final table under this potential change? Many people outside of poker will recognize all the players that make the final table. Before the final table takes place, all players are the same. In essence, all of them are winners, and why shouldn’t they be? They beat 6,000 players. This is amazing. It really is too bad that we only have one winner out of 6,000. A final table at the main event is one of the most impressive accomplishments in poker.

More…

Check it out — Cali Jen’s article on PokerWorks about the WSOP final table that may or may not be delayed, complete with documented references.

With all of the references to the possible changes to the 2008 WSOP main event final table, I asked Harrah’s for a confirmation, denial, or even a “no comment.”

I received an official statement from a “Harrah’e Entertainment, Inc. spokesperson.”

We have heard those rumors as well but we don’t stoke rumors. If there was news to announce we would certainly share it publicly. We announced the schedule back in December and nothing has changed to it – 55 bracelet events over 47 days from May 30 to July 16.

So I’m kinda surprised to see so many people so bothered by proposed changes to the WSOP main event. I know folks like TBR are a little concerned that a new schedule would require him to take more time away from making babies/the law donuts, but I gotta say … bitch all you want, as imperfect as it may be in v 1.0, this delayed final table concept is great — nay, brilliant! — and here’s why:

Better Sponsor Deals for Players
In three months a player has time to get their business affairs in order and sell their bodies if they wish. Currently, the only deals offered up are by online-poker-site thugs hovering around the final few tables with bags of cash and swag. And while some more experienced players might recognize the off-table opportunities that go along with guaranteed television exposure while it is all taking shape, do you really want to be making business decisions while in the middle of a big tourney?

Say someone like TBR were to make the final table … he has ins with Whataburger, but there’s simply no way he’d be able to hook anything up with a non-poker company in two days. With the extra time, however, he might be able to convince them (in theory at least) that doughy poker players are the perfect people to market the 24-hr drive-thru to. Boom: Whataburger hat, extra cash. If Lacey Jones were to make it, her peeps would have plenty of time to work something up with Revlon, for example. These sorts of deals simply aren’t possible in the current set-up.

More…

Have done a little semi-investigative drinking digging, and here are a few more quasi-confirmed “facts” regarding a major potential schedule change mid-main event:

• No decision is final yet, but on the big pro-con list, the left side of the board has it all but locked up.
• Television ratings are the driving force behind this idea.
• It was essential, however, that the integrity of the game be protected and blind structures unaltered, no matter what ESPN says.
• “Plausibly live” is the buzzphrase for what they’re trying to create. (Pokerati applauds the linguistic choice, btw, and would like to suggest “presumably non-rigged” as well.)
• The final table will be played over two days — from the final 9 to 2, and then heads-up the next day. Very Sangy.
• Timing will be carefully coordinated so most people will be watching to see who will win, not how one wins (the Olympics broadcast model)
• All final tableists will be paid 9th place money in July and will have their return trips to Vegas comped.

In what could well be the biggest change to the main event since playing outside on Fremont Street with a sheet of heavy plastic to hold down the flop … the WSOP reportedly has serious intention of playing the 2008 $10k NLH Championship down to a final table in July, then reconvening three months later as these nine new millionaires play down to a winner. The intent being lots of build-up to a near-live final table on ESPN.

This unconfirmed decision came with careful consideration from what I can tell — many months of discussion, multitable input, and committeeizing. Harrah’s/WSOP authorities were well aware of potential grumbling as they sorted through the logistical details. More TK on this, you can be sure. Reliable sources tell Pokerati that one hold-up was what to do if someone dies or becomes incapacitated/incarcerated in the off-tourney interim … and though this, too, isn’t confirmed, I think they decided to go with blinding off the stack instead of letting poker players designate a substitute in their wills.

Scoop props: Wicked Chops

There’ve been some slight adjustments to the WSOP sked — not removing any tourneys, just shuffling a few around the $50k HORSE event and the $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw to accommodate TV/filming issues.

World Series of Poker® Announces Changes in 2008 Schedule

LAS VEGAS – February 18, 2008 – Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:HET) said today it is swapping dates for two events at the 2008 World Series of Poker Presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light.

The $50,000 buy-in World Championship HORSE event, originally scheduled to start at noon on Sunday, June 22, is now set to begin at 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 25. The $2,500 buy-in 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball contest originally scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. June 25 is now set to start at noon on June 22.

The changes were made to enable ESPN to film extensive coverage of the HORSE World Championship. ESPN is expected to begin airing of its coverage of 2008 WSOP action in July.

The 39th edition of the WSOP will run from May 30 through July 16, 2008, and will include 55 bracelet tournaments. Buy-ins for open events will range from $1,000 to $50,000. The buy-in for the Main Event – the No-Limit Hold’Em World Championship – will remain at $10,000. The full event schedule is at www.worldseriesofpoker.com.

In poker’s version of retiring a jersey number, the WSOP has officially given the $50k HORSE event some honorary name cachet by making it forever (?) the Chip Reese championship event.

From Harrah’s:

World Series of Poker® To Award Trophy To $50,000 Event Champion
In Memory of Poker Great ‘Chip’ Reese

LAS VEGAS – December 12, 2007 – Future winners of the $50,000 buy-in event at the World Series of Poker – currently the HORSE World Championship – will receive a trophy named after the late David “Chip” Reese, according to Jeffrey Pollack, Commissioner of the World Series of Poker Presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light.

“A true gentleman and the youngest person admitted to the Poker Hall of Fame, Chip Reese was recognized by his peers as the most successful player in the biggest mixed cash games of all time,” Pollack said. “But he was also a great tournament player with three WSOP bracelets, including one for his historic victory in the inaugural $50,000 buy-in HORSE tournament in 2006.

“As a tribute to this great player who embodied the very best of our game, next year’s $50,000 HORSE World Championship will be played in Chip’s honor and memory,” Pollack said. “And the winner will receive the ‘David “Chip” Reese Award,’ as well as a WSOP bracelet, to commemorate their achievement.”

More information about the World Series of Poker is available at the Web site www.worldseriesofpoker.com.

Hmm, attaching a name to a specific tournament … interesting concept.

Click here to download your own tourney-by-tourney line-up for the 2008 World Series of Poker.

The official word:

LAS VEGAS – December 11, 2007 – Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:HET) said today the 2008 World Series of Poker Presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light and televised exclusively on ESPN will – for the first time ever – begin and end with $10,000 buy-in World Championship events and feature a total of eight $10,000 championships.

In addition, the 55-event schedule for 2008 includes a total of eight $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournaments, which traditionally draw the largest fields except for the Main Event. The WSOP has also added a second start day for the first of the $1,500 no-limit competitions to accommodate the expected number of entrants.

“This is our most exciting schedule yet,” said Jeffrey Pollack, commissioner of the WSOP. “Both amateur and professional poker players will have new opportunities to compete for a WSOP bracelet and can choose from the widest variety of games and buy-ins ever offered in one poker tournament and certainly at the WSOP.

“We’re holding steady at 55 events this year,” said Pollack. “But, we’ve mixed it up a bit to keep it interesting for our players and fans.”

The 2008 WSOP starts May 30 with the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Pot-Limit Hold’Em and ends July 16 with the Final Table of the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em – best known as the WSOP Main Event.

The six other $10,000 buy-in events – all World Championship competitions – include: Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’Em; Seven-Card Stud; Limit Hold’Em; Omaha Hi-Low Split Eight or Better; Pot-Limit Omaha; and a new Mixed Event. The Mixed Event will feature eight variations of poker: Limit and No-Limit Hold’Em; Omaha Hi-Low and Pot-Limit Omaha; Seven Card Stud; Razz; Seven Card Hi-Low Split; and 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball.

More…

Harrah’s writes in with the WSOP parent-company’s thoughts and condolences:

WSOP’s Statement on Passing of Poker Legend ‘Chip’ Reese

LAS VEGAS – December 4, 2007 – Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. and the World Series of Poker® issued the following statement today to express condolences to the family, friends and fans of poker great David “Chip” Reese, who died today following a brief illness.

“Many consider Chip the greatest cash-game player who ever lived, but he was also a World Series of Poker legend,” said WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. “His victory in the inaugural $50,000 buy-in HORSE championship in 2006 won him his third WSOP bracelet.and made him a part of WSOP lore forever.

“On behalf of the WSOP and Harrah’s Entertainment, I want to extend to his family our deepest sympathies,” Pollack said.

Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. is the world’s largest provider of branded casino entertainment. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, nearly 70 years ago, Harrah’s has grown through development of new properties, expansions and acquisitions, and now owns or manages casinos on four continents. The Company’s properties operate primarily under the Harrah’s, Caesars and Horseshoe brand names; Harrah’s also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos. Harrah’s Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership. For more information, please visit www.harrahs.com.

There was a story last week (that Tom and I discussed on the next episode of Beyond the Table) about the threat of lead contamination from poker chips. Considering the potential PR disaster for Harrah’s that could result from an Amazon Room full of players dropping dead from poisonous betting units, the WSOP has issued a statement reassuring us that they are looking into the matter and taking it semi-seriously:

Last week’s report by an Arizona television station concerning the lead content of casino gaming chips has resulted in several follow-up stories in the poker media.
Some stories were accompanied by illustrations of official World Series of Poker chips.

We bought new chips for the 2005 WSOP and supplemented that purchase in 2006 to replace missing chips taken as souvenirs the previous year. When we learned of the TV story, we contacted the chip manufacturer, which informed us of its position that when used for their intended purposes, the chips pose no health risk to the public.

We have taken steps to learn more about this matter as quickly as possible. Among other things, we have advised regulators in the jurisdictions where we do business of the TV report and expressed our willingness to work with them to resolve any issues arising from this matter if it’s determined that an issue actually exists.

Our top priority is the safety and welfare of our employees and guests. We are committed to resolving questions about this issue as quickly as possible, and we will communicate accurate information as soon as it is available. Should any corrective action be appropriate, we will take those steps immediately.

They still don’t know when each event’s gonna be … but Harrah’s has released the general time frame for the 2008 World Series of Poker. So keep your calendars clear May 30-July 17, as Poker Christmas is right around the corner. Click below for official details.

More…

Remember that shooting at Caesar’s Palace last month, near the elevators? Here’s the video:

They’re still deciding whether or not it was gang-related, but based on this dude’s aim, patience, selective aggression, all that stuff … I’ll take the Centurions over the Crips any day.

By the way, how awesome is YouTube for people who want to leak stuff to the press?

I sent Harrah’s an email this past year asking them to add a circuit event in New Orleans since (please use a Texas accent) we have so many darned Texans that play poker. They responded with a thank you and a we’ll consider your request. Now, I certainly won’t claim that I had any part in Harrah’s announcement today but I will rejoice that they have expanded their WSOP circuit schedule. Which includes a fall tournament in New Orleans.

The schedule for the 2007-08 WSOP Circuit includes:

Property Dates*
Grand Casino Tunica Aug. 29-Sept. 13, 2007
Caesars Indiana Oct. 17-Nov. 2, 2007
Harvey’s Tahoe Nov. 3-13, 2007
Harrah’s New Orleans Nov. 26-Dec. 5, 2007
Harrah’s Atlantic City Dec. 8-18, 2007
Grand Casino Tunica Jan. 3-22, 2008
Harrah’s Rincon San Diego North Jan. 27-Feb. 7, 2008
Horseshoe Council Bluffs Feb. 18-27, 2008
Caesars Atlantic City Mar. 5-15, 2008
Caesars Indiana Apr. 2-16, 2008
Caesars Palace Las Vegas April 20-May 1, 2008
Harrah’s New Orleans May 9-21, 2008

LAS VEGAS–This post woulda been much more timely and sensible had it appeared a week ago, but hey, sometimes what happens in Vegas takes a little while before it becomes public. Anyhow, the last day of the World Series is the point where all unofficial media outlets have to take a back seat in terms of coverage. Understandable considering that, for the first time in nearly seven weeks, all eyes are focussed on a single table … and it just won’t be possible for all interested parties to sit ringside until Brobdingnagian dominance forces Harrah’s to make structural changes to the TV stage.

So that left most of us doing what you were doing … following some rather exciting coverage of a relatively unexciting, straightforward final table on PokerNews while listening to play-by-play on Bluff Radio (which was being piped into the media room) while watching live-camera coverage on a flat-screen monitor.

The media room, anytime there was an all-in and a call. CardPlayer decides not to run with the hedline: ESPN blogger violates Rio chair-standing policy

Actually, large-scale LCD screens were sprinkled throughout the hallways and the Amazon itself, so we could watch the overhead cam pretty much anywhere we went. We just couldn’t camp out for more than a few minutes near the real action. But that was fine by me, because we’ll all get to see The Jerry Yang Show soon enough on TV, and the World Series really is about so much more than just poker. As it turned out, there was lots of fun stuff going on away from the table that provided a little insight into how the poker industry really works …

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After many talks and rumors, Harrah’s finally announced today a $1 Billion expansion of Caesar’s Palace.

According to Harrah’s Release:

Octavius Tower

The heart of the Caesars Palace expansion is the Octavius Tower, located along Flamingo Road on the southeast corner of the Caesars property. The new Octavius Tower will include:

665-room, 23-story hotel tower rising 350 feet;
594 hotel guest rooms (floor plans from 600 square feet);
19 1 1/2-bay suites;
41 two- or three-bay suites;
4 four-bay suites;
3 five-bay suites;
1 six-bay suite; and
3 lavish pool villa suites.
Named for the great-nephew of Julius Caesar, who later changed his name to Augustus, the $375 million Octavius Tower will adjoin and resemble the resort’s Augustus Tower that opened in August 2005 with a new hotel registration lobby and VIP check-in lounges. In addition to convenient access from the hotel lobby and VIP reception areas, Octavius guests also will enjoy panoramic views and direct entry to swimming pools and gardens.

In addition to the new Octavius Tower, the resort’s existing 512-room Forum Tower will undergo a major refurbishment. A regal new front entrance and expanded valet parking will open to expansive new casino interior decor, inviting guests to a remodeled buffet restaurant, redesigned Cypress Street Marketplace casual restaurant and enlarged Race & Sports Book.

Wow, doesn’t this sound exciting? Not sure if they will offer any of the round beds with mirrors on the ceiling that Caesars had in the older days but I’m sure the new rooms will be nice. Perhaps this is to get ready for the WSOP relocation? If so, I may actually miss the Tilted Kilt (even though they don’t serve dessert).

LAS VEGAS–EF Hutton one of my MySpace friends whom I didn’t even know I knew reportedly had $32,000 stolen from his room at the Rio. It wasn’t like it was just lying around the nightstand … it was locked away in a safe:

The way this clearly appears to be a targeted break-in makes you gotta wonder if other high-stakes poker players haven’t been followed back to their rooms. Fortunately, you can always rely on the Rio (and Harrah’s) to make things right. They’ve offered Hutton a $750 settlement. Sounds fair, no?

Click below for the details straight from the victim’s MySpace blog.

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LAS VEGAS–Details are sparse, but just woke up to a text message from a mostly reliable source:

12:45 am — Harrahs corp is on fire!
12:45 am — Just drove by on the 215 and there is a big fire in the front courtyard
1:04 am — Where you at? Im here at the rio

Very interesting. Many possibilities and so many bad beats in play …

(I went home early, driving down the 215 a little after midnight actually. Swear I didn’t do it.)

LAS VEGAS–While cleaning out some computer files I came across a text document created on May 27, 2007:

Predictions for the World Series

2) Harrah’s will have done it right, oh yeah!

3) There will be some SNAFU

3) A lot of people will be going broke. (This could hurt attendance.)

Phil Hellmuth will win his 11th bracelet. Phil Ivey will win his 8th.

Year of the European.

Main Event over-under stands at 4001.

It will rain at least one day in Las Vegas this summer.

Hmm. Genius I know. Some right, some not, some nowhere to be found. No precipitation here yet — all in Texas apparently. But we did have a mini land hurricane.

ALT HED: The Nostradamus of Poker

LAS VEGAS–Will be an interesting final table in the $1,500 Razz event. Not just because Men the Master should be sobered up by 3 pm (pacific) today when cards go in the air; and not just because German poker lass Katja Thater is showing she really knows her shiznit … The big question mark buzzing over lots of heads right now is about Eskimo Clark — who made the final table, despite collapsing twice en route, stopping tournament play while he received medical attention. Oh, and O’Neil Longson is going for his second razz bracelet in three years.

From Bodog Beat:

Paul “Eskimo” Clark collapsed at an earlier event while in the heat out in the “poker sauna”. The incident was attributed mostly to poor health triggered by the conditions in the tent. However, today in the air-conditioned Amazon Room during the $1,500 Razz event, the same convulsions put him on the floor again. Twice.

After both episodes (one of which involved Clark County Fire and Rescue), Eskimo was helped back into his chair to keep playing pursuant to his request to do so (he actually was gripping the bumper of the table, not wanting to leave). At the time, poker players around him were visibly upset at the decision to let him continue, but at time of publish he seems cognizant and well - although no one is sure for how long he will remain so. Whatever the issues are, he is also playing a mean game of Razz. He is currently second in chips with only 12 players remaining. Hopefully, he will remain well enough to play in the final table tomorrow.

When I walked up on it all, paramedics were making their way through the Amazon Room to tend to Eskimo, who had just suffered his second collapse of the day (third of the Series). With play temporarily suspended, players and fans were texting fiercely and making calls, presumably about more than just chip counts. “I don’t know why,” said one rubbernecker on the rail. “He just started twitching and shaking.”

Meanwhile, floor supervisors were keeping an eye on the tournament area as people got moved back. They were discussing rules and plans as it pertained to handling his chips. “That’s what we’ve gotta do. But still call Jack, he needs to know.”

It wasn’t mayhem per se. But there clearly was a frantic buzz inside the ropes. Rio security and Clark County medical were all professional and methodical as they moved (through) the masses. So were the dealers and tourney staff charged with protecting both players and chips. It’s times like these — with both money and actual lives on the line — that certain people’s jobs really matter, no?

At least a few folks in the media believe that, I know. And not to make it about media coverage — because really, it’s not, or at least it shouldn’t be. But there were those who were clearly aware that something newsworthy was happening and kicking into gear while others, just like old times, were physically trying to stand in our way. I suppose the difference is between those who see the WSOP as a public sporting event, and those who see it as a casino marketing event. If I coulda taken any picture, it would’ve been of a wife taking a souvenir photo of her smiling husband posing with a gracious Jennifer Harman, as Paul “Eskimo” Clark lay on the ground semi-conscious (but in the money!) about 12 feet away.

For different unofficial perspectives, check out Wicked Chops and The Poker Biz.

LAS VEGAS–Local Attorney Bob Nersesian submitted an interesting letter to the editor in today’s Las Vegas Review–Journal regarding “advantage gamblers” being banned from playing in the WSOP (as was the case with Richard Brodie before Jeffrey Pollack pulled some strings to allow him to play):

Advantage gamblers are professional gamblers who legally play games with an edge over the casino.

Think Dustin Hoffman in Rainman.

While it’s quite common for a Casino to bar these types of players from their table games, it is completely ridiculous that Harrah’s ostracizes them from the World Series of Poker as well. I’m thinking the same thing…how can a game, argued to be a sport of skill in western civilization, ban these players that possess the very craft that separates the amateurs from the pros? This is one of the many formulas that made Stu Ungar…Stu Ungar.

In poker when bad things happen we say “that’s poker” but in this case we’ll use the infamous line “that’s Harrah’s.”

FYI – Pokerati is having technical problems, feel free to send me an email here with your comment as I would love to hear some opinions on this matter. We’ll be sure to add them when our wounds are healed.

LAS VEGAS–Perhaps connected to the push for mainstream sponsorships, perhaps not … the $1k Ladies NLH event going on right now has more than just money and a bracelet at stake. Both Corum Watches and the Los Angeles Sparks (of the WNBA) have added something to the prize pool. Click below to read the press release. Then try to come up with a funny twist on the phrase “overlay.”

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LAS VEGAS–I’m Michele Lewis, reporting for PokerNews.com: OK, not really, but I play one on TV.

Check it out, the Fresh Princess talking to Thor Hansen about Omaha Hi Lo and $5k 7-stud and, briefly, the WPT’s single-dimensional approach to poker. But the best part is the second half, where they rehash the terror of the “Poker SuperStructure” (Jeff Pollack’s words, not mine) … which succumbed to a fierce Vegas windstorm.

It really was funny/scary. Early in the $1,500 Omaha Hi Lo, Jim Meehan (seated at Michele’s table) was setting an over-under on when the hardwall tent would fall. It was kinda sorta a joke at first, but as the windspeeds picked up and things began shaking almost violently, a few folks were starting to wonder if the WSOP didn’t have a Great White situation developing, not to mention a chip-counting nightmare. Shortly before dinner break, things began snapping, and power on the flat-panel tournament info boards went out. That’s when the highest level suits were called in. And to their credit, they relocated the overflow tables inside the brick-and-mortar poker room (the players and dealers, not the tables themselves).

Just in time … A gaggle of us were at the Masquerade bar at the other end of the Rio celebrating Tom’s bracelet when word came in via text message: One of the walls gave way. Wow. Serious disaster averted. Though Thor suggests maybe not so much.

By the way, these winds, which reached 65 mph in Las Vegas, happen to be fanning wildfires, including one just on the other side of the Red Rock Mountains, the range that marks the Western edge of the Las Vegas metropolitan area.

A few more fun WSOP graphs for your geometric contemplation:

The question I am asked more so than any other in recent weeks is an estimate on the size of the main event field. Pokerati is sticking to its over/under of 4,001 — though we acknowledge that there are all sorts of mitigating factors that could come into play and seriously alter the differential between projection and reality, one way or the other.

This first one shows the growth of the main event over the decades, with the blue orbs representing the size of the prize pool.

The Main Event: Bubble Fixin’ to Burst?

This next one shows the amount Harrah’s took out of the prize pools in 2006. I’ll be honest, I expected this to be more troublesome, and to be showing a disturbing trend since the casino behemoth took over the WSOP. But that’s simply hasn’t been the case. The following graph is posted on a logarithmic axis … not sure what that really means, but it makes things fit a little better … so take that into account when assessing what that main-event spike really represents.

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Anyone who’s covered the entirety of any World Series in the poker-boom era knows that the Main Event is pretty much an altogether separate entity than the dozens of events leading up to it. The security is different, media is different, and even the fans are different. I think this funky little graph of the 2006 WSOP — where the bubbles represent the size of the prize pools in each event — illustrates the concept pretty well. Click the image below to enlarge:

x axis = event number
y axis = number of players
bubble = prize pool

What’s interesting is that, obviously, the number of online qualifiers has everything to do with the size of the ME. Last year, they represented 6,600 of the 8,800 entrants. But with the preliminary events, there were relatively very few getting in via online satellite. So I can’t imagine these lesser planets will change much at all this go-round.

For comparison’s sake, below is the same data charted for 1985 and 1975.

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Just when Bob Daily thought his resignation from Harrahs was final, DG Holdings Ltd (United Kingdom) and their online gaming division pulled him back in.

Robert Daily stated:

“After my resignation, DGH approached me to join their group as a board member to provide leadership to their online gaming platform – especially poker – and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I have made many great friends within the poker industry and I look forward to working with them in the future from a different perspective.”

Bob was appointed as the 2006 WSOP Tournament Director and again for 2007.

For the past few months, Pauly (TaoPoker) and I have been discussing the possibility of a sweet WSOP prop bet. We haven’t ironed out the details yet but it would involve Dan dressing in drag to register for the Ladies Event at the WSOP. Known in the Amazon Room for his pink shirt and girly glasses, he should have no problem getting a seat, no?

Joe Sebok is fond of WSOP costumes maybe he will join in the action…

Lest we forget that poker is going on in places other than Texas, Harrah’s has revised its payout structure for WSOP bracelet events. Donkey Bomber was just bitching about the the disappointment of his buddy Mike Wattel’s $300k payday (for 6th place in the WPT Championship) … and less than a week later the WSOP steps forth with a pro-friendly plan to differentiate itself from its biggest brand-name competition.

I know the pros like to say they are always trying to win, but really … they are trying to get the max return on their investment of time and money. So if you have, say, an 80 percent chance of winning $100k and a 5 percent chance of winning $1 million, what’s the better prize to go for? This is simple Deal or No Deal math, even according to Sklansky. Making the payouts a little less top-heavy hass gotta change at least a few players’ near-bubble strategy, no?

Harrah’s explanation of how the new payout system would have applied to last year’s main event field:

Overall, 846 players last year would have won substantially more money – in some case, more than double – what they collected in 2006. The top 27 players would have received less, however.

For example, the 2006 Main Event would have paid $22,266 for 873rd through 775th places, up from $14,605 or $15,512. Places 82 through 73 would have paid $126,173, up from $66,010. First place would have paid $10,028,715, down from $12 million, while s