Our good pals at the Hard Rock wanna remind you that they have their $20,000 guarantee tourney tomorrow. They probably don’t want me to tell you that they had to add money to the prize pool the last time they ran this tourney to make the guarantee … but that’s good for you. There were about 60 players, and something like 9 got paid. (I got 12th-ish.)

Decent structure, too. 12k chips for $250 ($225+25) … with a $100 rebuy or add-on for 5k chips. (I didn’t take it. My starting table was soft.) Seriously, it’s not a huge tourney, but it’s a good one, with good payout possibilities. Starts at 6 pm. Details here.

And, of course, they’re always happy to spread 1/2 NLH/PLO … and they usually have enough people interested in dipping their toes into 4-card hold’em waters to make it happen. Just ask them to put your name on the list for the Pokerati game and they’ll be sure to accommodate. You can always text “pokerati” to 25287 and you’ll get a text whenever this game is running. I won’t be able to make it this week, but next week I’m back in action, so you probably need some practice.

UPDATE: Tournament didn’t make. Not sure where the fine print may or may not come in for “guarantees”.

The Hard Rock Poker Lounge is getting its weekend poker orgy underway — this is the “relaunch” of the poker room there … under new management, with new ideas, and more action than usual …

They’ve got a full slate this weekend — beyond just the free food, splashed pots, a 20k guarantee Friday tourney and stuff like that … they’ve got a whole slate of events, including a Sharon Osborne celebrity charity event (Trash Talk Championship of the World they are calling it), a party for the launch of Victory poker. Currently filming (for ESPN 360, I believe, is a $100/$200 NLH cash game. $50k buy-in … with Antonio Esfandiari, Andrew Robl and others on the table … we’ll have some more names for you. And I think that’s The Maven waiting in the wings for a seat.

Click here for a rundown of all they’ve got going on.

Of course the game next table over is what really interests me — $1/$2 NLH/PLO … just an option to run-it-2x today, not automatic. But in my jaded opinion, that’s where the real poker is going on. The plan is to keep this game running throughout the weekend — as Super Bowl raffle is currently my 2010 bankroll plan.

More TK throughout the weekend … but here’s a glimpse of surprisingly early Friday night action taking off at the Hard Rock’s big poker weekend:

The Poker Beat is back … (attempting) to make sense of all that is going on in the poker world. In this episode, BJ, Huff, and I discuss (at length) PokerStars’ record-setting 149,000 player $1 tourney; the opening of the Aria poker room (and what this may or may not mean over at the Bellagio); the ridiculousness of 17 $1k rebuy tourneys at Bellagio’s upcoming 5-star Classic; everything that is the PCA; PokerStars getting in bed with the Venetian for the new NAPT; and over at Full Tilt, all things Isildur … and, of course, the second red-pro suspension of Brian Townsend.

on PokerRoad

The Poker Beat
Huff, Nemeth, Michalski
1/07/10

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

BTW, a little breaking-ish news on this episode — and perhaps an indication of the perceived threat of the NAPT-Venetian, which just so happens to coincide with the LAPC, the usual early-year destination for the LA-LV poker masses … anyone who buys into the $10k WPT-LAPC main event at the Commerce before February 19 now will receive a seat in the televised $200k WPT Invitational. Neato!

@JessWelman has more info over at PokerNewsDaily about the new Aria poker room … and specifically some details about their highest-stakes salon/fishbowl:

Fans of Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio will be happy to hear there is an equivalent in the Aria poker room and it has already been put to use. Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, David Benyamine, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, and Patrik Antonius were all spotted playing in the secluded VIP lounge on Thursday evening, the day after the casino opened. While the room is semi-private, ogling railbirds can get a peek at their favorite high-stakes players through the glass front door. According to one of the employees at Aria, Phil Ivey is currently in talks to loan his name to the room in the same fashion that Bobby Baldwin did at the Bellagio, so news of big games being played in “Phil’s Room” could be on the horizon.

Two questions come to mind:

1. Is there enough room for two “Big Games” in this town?
2. Big-name players supporting poker rooms or poker rooms supporting big-name players?
3. What’s MGM/Mirage’s vision for poker across its competing properties?
4. When are they gonna put this highest-stakes shit on 24-hour webcam?

OK, that’s four. But hey, CityCenter is big … and so far, just a few days old, it raises more questions about Las Vegas’ future than it answers.

Here’s a better look at the new Aria poker room in CityCenter … with Aria photos and info coming from Flipchip at LasVegasVegas:

photo: Flipchip/LasVegasVegas

24 tables.

Games being spread in the opening days:

1/3 NLH
2/5 NLH
5/10 NLH
4/8 Mixed (Badugi, 2-7, Razz, Stud 8, O8)
100/200 PLO

Photo: Flipchip/LasVegasVegas

NOTE: According to @LasVegasMichael, while this room was absolutely packed throughout the evening, the games totally died by morning, with only two 1/2 tables, and some heads-up 2/5 going on shortly after sunrise this morn.

Perhaps to be expected on an overall slow Vegas weekend, in a room without a loyal following yet, with most of the players being just passersby?

The ARIA poker room, at CityCenter, along with the rest of the casino around it, is now open for business. Here’s a picture of last night’s festivities, celebrating the addition of 4,000 more hotel rooms to the relatively unoccupied Strip:

photo: Scott Harrison

The AP reports some guy named “Daniel” was the first person to sign up for action — putting his name on an interest list for 1/2 no-limit hold’em two hours before ARIA opened for business at midnight.

Now that all the multibillion-dollar pomp and circumstance is over (ha) … low-stakes Vegas pokerers may want to head to the Hard Rock, where we’ve got a Pokerati 1/2 game (nlh/plo round of each, w/ automatic run-it-twice) getting underway tonight at 7 pm. #MoreFireworks

UPDATE: The Pokerati Hard Rock game made a full table … even has a very brief wait for seats, but broke by 11 pm. Everyone was headed to Aria … where there supposedly “like 37 tables!” all full with a $1/$3 waiting list some 30something deep. I guess people really like new shiny things.

RE-UPDATE: Here’s more on the Aria, with specifics about their poker room, from Gaming Today:

The entire race and sports books is located in its own wing near the north entrance of ARIA, which also features the casino’s poker room.

Poker Room Manager Adam Altwies has created a beautiful room with 24 tables, 18 of them located on the main floor, with five in a high-limit alcove and one reserved for an exclusive VIP room.

The room is designed so players have plenty of elbow room, with comfortable chairs and food and beverage service available.

A nice touch is the Genesis-Bravo reservation system, which allows the poker room to summons the guest through a text message to his cell phone, rather than using some of the pager-type systems.

This (long) weekend’s #WPBT festivities are coming to a close … and as I type the poker bloggers are gathered for Sunday football at Lagasse’s Stadium in the Palazzo. There some of them are experiencing, for the first time, what many say is the future of gambling: handheld, semi-portable real-money action.

A new-ish device, “eDeck”, lets you gamble Blackberry/iPhone-style theoretically from anywhere, but currently within the confines of three Las Vegas casinos — the Venetian, Palazzo, and M Resort. Global Gaming Business Magazine named it Best Table Game Product or Innovation for 2009. And none other than Doyle Brunson has been pimping it:

More…

Everybody likes a sneak peak into high-roller hotel rooms … and this YouTube vid gives more than a glimpse of the Bruce Willis and Marilyn Monroe suites at Planet Hollywood. PHo’s poker room is under new management, btw, that seems to be working hard to bring good, friendly customer-servicey low-stakes action ever since their previous management team turned out to be a bunch of (alleged) crooks:

Back in the day, you know, like 2007, rooms like these — with amazing views, foosball, and a bidet — were reserved for people willing to pay a few thousand a night or gamble with 10s of thousands. Now, as 2009 comes to a (bittersweet?) close, such suites are being given away for free to semi-famous YouTube bloggers who know a guy who knows a guy who once worked at Best Buy and sold stereo equipment to a previous high-roller with leftover comp points.

Economy prediction: Bargain luxe + favors will be hot in 2010, too.

It’s been conventional wisdom around LV for nearly two years that as goes the fate of CityCenter, so goes the fate of Las Vegas. The multibillion-dollar project and biggest construction endeavor since the Pyramids (and maybe the Great Wall of China?) has had its shaky ups and downs … Five workers have died building it, and the project almost was abandoned under bankruptcy until Dubai World bailed out MGM/Mirage, which saw a 10 percent drop in stock price Friday after Wall Street learned of Dubai’s own $60 billion debt problems. But the stock price did rebound …

The artistically bent glass-and-steel center-Strip monstrosity begins opening in phases tomorrow, with the Aria casino putting cards in the air on Dec. 16.

Your very quick look at the newest poker room in Las Vegas — at what’s supposed to be the crown jewel of the MGM/Mirage gambling empire — comes at 1:37. Cheesy (but apt) poker metaphor at 1:54.

Annie Duke’s Celebrity Apprentice friendmate Brande Roderick is apparently sticking with the poker thing in some capacity. A series of $100 tourneys at Binion’s over the next few months include a chance to qualify for a Tournament of Champions … and the winner of that gets to spend the Super Bowl with the business-savvy Playboy bunny:

This one isn’t for a special occasion or tournament or anything … just pretty standard 5th-floor parking at the Venetian on any given Wednesday:

This player is not nearly as creative as he thinks he is.

You know that glorious feeling of having a cocky opponent check-raise into your top set with a nut flush draw? “Meet the Monster” … distinctly poker music by Five Finger Death Punch. The band kicks off their new tour at Wasted Space in the Las Vegas Hard Rock tonight … like not even a 25-second walk from a relatively tame 1/2 No-Limit Hold’em game:

Definitely a good tune for either your tournament or cash game iPod.

That’s been the buzz amongst dealers and floor staff at both Planet Hollywood and Harrah’s Hotel … and now the LVRJ is semi-confirming. Technically, Harrah’s is just seeking purchase of P-Ho’s $860 million debt, but financial analysts say this could likely be a way for them to acquire the whole property.

Planet Hollywood, of course, earned the distinction for being the Worst Poker Room in Las Vegas in 2007 (according to Pokerati.com), and last month saw its poker room management removed in handcuffs — arrested for allegedly skimming money via fake Bad Beat and High Hand jackpots.

Thanks, Shrink, for the tip!

ALT HED: WSOP-Ho?

Those following @Pokerati may recall an unusual situation I faced in a 1/2 game at the Golden Nugget last weekend — when this guy, “The Duke”, bought in for $100,000 … which he pulled from purple velvet Crown Royal baggies stuffed in a tattered violin case.

I had been trying to place him … was he related to the suit-wearing longhair we media types know as “the devil” (whom I had once sent into a tirade by stacking him at the Golden Nugget). No, no, not related (fingers crossed) … maybe he’s a performer in one a show around town? That would explain why he was playing in this game, but not why he would have $100k in cash (including some in out-of-circulation $500 and $1,000 bills). His business card says “Have Gun, Will Travel”, and lists his title as “Soldier of Fortune”.

Anyhow, it just hit me where I had seen him before, or at least why he looked so familiar. I was playing against not a real hitman, but quasi-legendary humorist Alibaster K. Abthernabther!

In the end, I’d get only about .009 percent of his stack, despite seeing AA, KK, KK, AK, and 77 twice (and flopping two sets) in our first three orbits … and then having him request a seat change and moving directly to my right. Turns out Mr. 50,000 Big Blinds was a ridiculously tight player … saw him (correctly) lay down a set of 4s to a $10 bet into a $25 pot, and chop the only all-in he faced with AKs vs. AKs.

I guess he liked to just sit there in front of money he knew he wasn’t going to lose?

The Antiscouse writes in seeking some info that I figure should share with all of you, too … because really, what more do Pokeratizens wanna know beyond the latest law, politics, tournament results where should I play and eat when coming to Las Vegas?

Headed your way for the weekend, was hoping at the last second to get your recommendations on 1) tournaments and 2) sushi places to take guest/client. As for tournaments, playing one Friday somewhere during the day, not sure where yet- thoughts? Used to play the Caesars noon $330, didn’t like it last time so thought I’d branch out.

A slightly embellished version of my response to The Antiscouse:

1) Tournaments (Friday day)

Venetian $150 nooner
7,500 starting chips and 30-minute levels. It’s actually a daily event that usually draws 75-or-so runners throughout the week, but on Fridays it has been running closer to 150 players with first-place payouts around $8k.

Since you don’t dig the Caesar’s $330, you might also wanna check out the Bellagio daily events, and if you’re willing to go up against a smaller field with fewer prize payouts, the Hard Rock is in the last few days of their inaugual MegaStacks series — where all the events have been turned into $340s.

For a complete and semi-regularly updated list of Las Vegas daily and weekly tournaments + special events, go here.

2) Sushi

Nobu (at Hard Rock) is my personal favorite. Tasty. Sexy. Fun.

Simon (at Palms Place) is also one of my favorite restaurants in town … though it’s not pure sushi … it’s like Asian fusion with homegrown American steaks and stuff, and it’s away from the casino, which may be more appealing to me than you and your client.

Sushi Roku in Caesar’s Forum Shoppes is great food … but the price-to-portions ratio makes you feel like you’re at more of a French restaurant, and the long walk through a shopping mall to get there may be unappealing to smokers.

The sneaky, ooh, wouldn’t have thought of that place … Koi at Planet Hollywood.

UPDATE: 143 runners at Venetian today — Tagg finished 22nd (18 got paid). Hopefully better results TK for sushi.

Oops, I might have been a bit premature when I said the Hard Rock’s August deep-stack tourney was off to a decent start.

Despite 100ish players for the first event ($340), and 50ish for the first $550 … event #3 — last Sunday’s $550 — was canceled because they didn’t have enough players. And while results are coming in sporadically, The Poker Atlas reports a pretty small turnout for at least one mid-week event:

Event #6 Results
Wednesday, August 12th at 12:00 PM
$340 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Tournament

1st – Kelly Kellner, Calgary, AB – $3,650
2nd – Krzysztof Bernat, Chicago, IL – $2,200
3rd – Sonja Jurkovich, Las Vegas, NV – $1,425

Tomorrow is their first “big” event — a $1k+70. Should be interesting to see what happens … if anything.

Everyone says the same thing about the Hard Rock Poker Lounge — beautiful room, but not much action … some like the loud music and smoke-and-leathery bar just a turn-and-a-river away, others don’t … But it does seem like things have been picking up. And with the new tower at Hard Rock opening earlier this month — I dunno, it just seems the right wheels are in motion to make it a Top 5ish player on the LV poker scene eventually, if not soon.

The void they’re currently trying to fill is the bargain-price deep-stack tournaments — of which there were almost none in August. Hence the “Mega Stack Poker Showdown in Las Vegas” … an 18-event series that started on Friday and plays through Aug 25 … with $340, $550, and $1,070 buy-ins … and starting stacks from 12,500 to 20,000.

The Poker Atlas has early results … from the looks of it Event #1 ($340) drew about 100 runners, and the first $550 event got 50ish. Not bad. Semi-respectable … and look, even Hollywood Dave got paid!

Event #1 Results
Friday, August 7th at 12:00 PM
$340 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Tournament

1st – Robert Tannira, Nevada – $7750
2nd – Joshua Rose, Florida – $3650
3rd – Roberto Betbase, Argentina – $3200
4th – Mark McPherson – $3150
5th – Stephen Seffense – $3150
6th – Jeffery Ditanna – $3107
7th – Dave Stann – $1083
8th – Christopher Hughes – $947
9th – Steven Hiltz – $676
10th – Rosh Wave – $350

The “main event” (planned for four days) is somehow connected to the World Poker Showdown and Canadian Poker Tour (it’s their championship?) … a $2,650 buy-in with 50k starting chips.

I’m headed out to play a little cash action … gonna go check out the Hard Rock — where the poker ops there have apparently taken a lesson from the Vegas nightclubs and have started to “own one night.”

They’re calling it Trash Talk Tuesdays, and indeed, have heard a teensy little buzz about it around town. Follow me on twitter for updates. My plan is to play tight and not get caught up in twittering.

As you can tell, this will be a big game for me — essentially $2/$5/$10 NLH that I hear grows even bigger as the night goes on. I’m a little nervous — am pretty sure it’s poor game selection to risk a third of your bankroll in a potentially wild, unfamiliar game playing at higher stakes than you’re used to. But sheesh, they’ve even got a bonus for playing the hammer! Go Dream Team money …

From Hard Rock Poker Lounge:

Trash Talk Tuesdays
Bad Sportsmanship Encouraged – ornery dealers, slow rollers & grown men crying…
Buy-in: $300-$3000
Mandatory “Hard Rock Straddle” on the button
Blinds: $2-$5
Seven Deuce Bounty

Warning: If you’re a whiny little baby who can’t take a joke about ginormously fat and disgusting your mother is, then this event is not for you. So stop reading this and MOVE ON!

More about this game from 2+2 here and Doc W (who took the picture from that game above) here.

UPDATE: You can see my results on twitter … but in a nutshell, this game plays WAAY bigger than 2/5 or even 5/10. Got my ass handed to me (twice) before dropping down to “Wacky 1-2″ … which is essentially the same game with 1/2 blinds and a forced $4 straddle.

Here’s a list of the 59 poker rooms that, as of right now, have signed on to officially embrace the 2009 TDA rules:

Aces & 8`s Poker
Amelia Belle Casino – Amelia, LA
APT Poker Room – Galaxy Starworld Hotel & Casino, Macau
Asian Poker Tour – asianpt.com
Avenue Card Club, Hove, UK
Aviation Club – Paris, FR
Bay 101 – San Jose, CA
Bay Mills Resort & Casino – Brimley, Michigan
Beau Rivage – Biloxi, MS
Big Slick Poker Tour – Prince George, BC
Binion`s Horseshoe – Las Vegas, NV
BLACK LIONS POKER CLUB, BUFFALO NY
Borgata – Atlantic City, NJ
Caesars Palace LV
Canterbury Park – Shakopee, MN
Card Player Cruises – At Sea in the World
Casino Del Mar, La Concha Resort – San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Casino Oostende, Belgium
Cherokee – Tulsa, OK
Club 52 at Melbourne Greyhound Park – Melbourne, FL
Colorado Central Station – Blackhawk, Co
Commerce – Commerce, CA
Crystal Crown Casino, Sunny Beach, Bulgaria
Daytona Beach Kennel Club & Poker Room
Derby Lane Poker Room- St. Petersburg, FL
Diamond Jo Casino – Dubuque, IA
Eureka Resort and Spa – Mesquite, NV
Federação de Poker do ES (FePES) Vitória-ES, Brasil
Firelake Grand Casino – Shawnee, OK
Fortune Rooms, Northern Ireland
Foxwoods Resort and Casino – Ledyard, CT
Golden Gates/Blackhawk, Co
Golden Nugget – Las Vegas, NV
Grand Sierra – Reno, NV
Grey Eagle Casino – Calgary AB Canada
Hollywood Casino – Lawrenceburg, IN
Hollywood Park Casino – Inglewood, CA
Horseshoe – Tunica, MS
Horseshoe Casino – Bossier City, LA
International Club – London,UK
LUCKY CHANCES CASINO – San Francisco Bay Area
Mandalay Bay – Las Vegas, NV
Mirage Resort Casino – Las Vegas, NV
Northern Stars Poker Tour – Manitoba, Canada
Ocean`s 11 Casino San Diego County, Oceanside, CA
Orchard Farms Poker Room – USA
Peppermill – Reno, NV
Red Rock Resort Casino and Spa – Las Vegas, NV
Ringo`s Little Vegas – Spokane Valley, WA
Rio – Las Vegas, NV
Spirit Mountain Casino – Grand Ronde, OR
Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino – Lemoore, CA
The Casino at Portmaso – St. Julian Portomaso PTM01, Malta
The Poker Room @ Seabrook Greyhound Park – Seabrook, NH
The Silks Poker Room @ Tampa Bay Downs – Tampa, FL
Tri State Casino – Cross Lanes, WV
Venetian – Las Vegas, NV
VFW Post 194 – Salisbury, MD
Wynn Casino – Las Vegas, NV

Lisa in San Francisco, who may or may not be aware of the millions of hands just dealt in the Amazon room this summer, writes in:

I can’t find this anywhere—do you by chance know what the average number of poker hands dealt in Las Vegas on any given day is?

So difficult to find!

Yeesh, I’m not even sure where to begin. 50 poker rooms in Vegas (not counting the Amazon or Brasilia) … 365 days in a year …

I’m gonna say definitely more than 10,000 and less than 500 billion. We should be able to narrow that window of possibility down a little bit, I’d think.

UPDATE: Lisa gives us more info to work with, some of which comes from Harrah’s, even though their main event numbers seem to be slightly off … and we may or may not gotta presume by Amazon they mean Rio, with Brasilia, Miranda, Buzio’s, etc. factored in:

I do know that the number of hands dealt in this year’s WSOP Amazon room (Main Event only) was approximately 722,000 hands. That’s to get from 6,494 players to 9.

I also found another stat from UNLV Research Center: 10.9M is the max no. of hands that can be dealt in Nevada in a single day = 457,500 x 24 (not all tables are open that long)
(assuming all tables are working at full tilt 24 hours)

photo: Flipchip / LasVegasVegas

That’s the word we’re hearing … Excalibur has apparently contacted their previously laid-off dealers and offered them their jobs back — with a return to live, non-electronic play on July 15. Not sure yet whether this a sign of a rebounding Vegas economy or players just not taking to the PokerTek PokerPro tables, despite their offering some of the lowest stakes in town and the ability to play Pot-Limit Omaha at the flip of a switch.

Thanks @Bundas1971 for the tip!

More details here.

Pokerati player Jerry Randack is making a run at the Venetian HORSE final table today.

First off, some props to some Pokerati peeps scoring in the Venetian Deeps Stacks. Today, Team Pokerati player Jerry Randack made it to Day 2 in the $500+50 HORSE. We’re trying to follow him on twitter today, but, you know … some people don’t quite get how that works yet.

Also, big kudos to La Sengphet and Chui Kim from Dallas. La took part in a three-way chop in a $300+30 last week that paid her $24k. Chui followed that up the next day with a 4th place finish for $17k.

The Venetian tournaments are setting record numbers — with field sizes ranging from 500+ players to more than 800 in both $300 and $500 NLHs. Not sure yet on the HORSE event …

Meanwhile, the competing smaller buy-in skill-based tourneys across Las Vegas Blvd. at Caesar’s — the MegaStacks — are seeing very different results. According to one of our spies on the ground, answering the question of how it’s going over there:

Horrible. They canceled their $1k on Sunday because of lack of entrants. A player at Venetian said he went over their first, and they had 9 entries as of 11:30, one of whom was Jerry Yang. I saw Yang sit down in the Venetian tourney as a late entry at about 1:15.

NOTE: Bellagio has also affected the non-WSOP summer tourney landscape, re-upping their nightly tourney buy-in to $1,000.

Just talked to one of my dealer sources — a reliable one, with decades worth of experience, not the sort who just likes to bitch after blowing a night’s worth of tips playing video poker … and she tells me, “In the six years I have been dealing here [at the WSOP] this is by far the worst.” She says she knows the economy is bad, “but this year they stiff you all the time. More of them.”

The worst game for dealers is supposedly 7-card stud (no relation to previous post), where she is regularly making $2-$3 a down (a half-hour shift).

Her best down so far has been $57. “But that only happened once.”

The tables that provide the best, or at least most reliable tips: $2/$5 no-limit, and $5/$10 PLO. “But never the highest stakes [$25/$50] PLO. Those guys never tip.”

Pokerati preferred players cashing all over the place … Jen’s dark-horse pick for WSOP metal, Whit Blanton, took in some side-action at the Hard Rock Poker Lounge — one of the many places around town picking up the World Series overflow — and hit his second royal flush ever:

My analysis of the situation: Cool. Well-flopped Nice runner-runner.

The TI Poker Room will be hosting a tournament to give away a seat in the $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event.  To qualify players must log as few as 20 hours of live play in the TI Poker Room (play must be in jackpot dropped games and you must be logged in with your Treasure Island Players Card).  Qualifying period for the tournament starts at 12:01AM on Monday, May 25th and ends at 11:59PM on Sunday, June 28th. Tournament date TBD.

Players who qualify with 20 hours of play will receive 2,000 tournament chips and will earn 1,000 in extra tournament chips for each additional 10 hours of qualifying play.  Another 5,000 in tournament chips is available for a $50 Staff Appreciation Fee on the day of the tournament.  For more info contact the TI Poker Room at (702) 894-7291.

Treasure Island Las Vegas
3300 S. Las Vegas Blvd.,
Las Vegas, Nevada 89109
702-894-7111

Las Vegas, NV: The Orleans Hotel & Casino will host the 2009 Orleans Poker Open from May 9th – 19th.  The 2009 Orleans Open is highlighted by two Championship Events, the $540 Omaha Hi-Lo Championship on Saturday, May 16th and the $540 No Limit Hold’em Championship on Sunday, May 17th.

The starting chip amounts shown below include the 2,500 extra chips for the $10 Staff Bonus.  All 12:00 noon events have 45 minute blind levels, 7:00PM events have 20 minute blind levels. Satellites begin on Saturday, Mat 9th at 5:00pm. 

More…

The Hard Rock Poker Lounge weekly poker tournament schedule features daily events at 1:00pm and 7:00pm. The poker room also hosts a weekly $5,000 Freeroll Tournament at 4:00pm on Saturday for players who log 20 hours of live play on their Rockstar Club Card between Sunday and Friday. Play 30 hours and receive 1,000 bonus chips with an additional 500 chips at 35 and 40 hours. Freeroll players can also buy a $20 Staff Bonus for 1,500 additional chips. For more info call the Hard Rock Las Vegas Poker Lounge at 702-693-5874.

Hard Rock Poker Lounge Tournament Schedule:

Monday
1:00 PM – $45 Buy-in No-Limit Texas Hold’em Tournament
4,000 starting chips, $5 Bonus for 1,000 additional chips, Play 1 hour of live poker on your Rock Star Card from 8am – 1pm for 1,000 Bonus chips. 20 minute blind levels.

7:00 PM – $50 Buy-in No-Limit Texas Hold’em Tournament
4,000 starting chips, $10 add-on for 2,000 additional chips, earn 500 extra chips per hour (Between 1pm and 7pm) max 2,000 extra chips. 20 minute blind levels.

More…

The poker room at the Wynn offers up two daily tournaments at 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM.  The 2:00 PM tournament has a $120 buy-in ($100+20) for 4,000 chips and 30 minutes blind rounds. There is an optional $100/4,000 chip re-buy during the first three levels. The 7:00 PM daily event is a $160 buy-in ($140+20), no re-buys, no add-on, with 10,000 starting chips and 30 minute blind levels. For more information contact the Wynn Poker Room at 702-770-7654.

More…

Man, I tell ya … ads these days … it’s like sometimes they know exactly who’s reading ‘em and what they’re looking for:

A good reminder for people who spend a lot of time staring at the river: dontbebroke.com.

Hardly a shocker to see on an everyday Nissan Altima in the Venetian parking lot … but this isn’t even in the Poker Room VIP parking area … just a regular ole spot:

LAS VEGAS, NV:  Every Day at 10:00am the Red Rock Casino Poker Room holds a $100 buy-in ($85+10+5) No-Limit Texas Hold’em Tournament with 20 minute levels and 5,000 in starting chips. For more information on Red Rock Poker Tournaments contact the poker room at 702-797-7760.

More…

The Silverton Poker Room will be holding the $25,000 Silverton Invitational on Saturday, June 27, 2009.  Invitations will be earned by playing live poker or by participating in daily tournaments starting on April 6 — a total of 50 invitations will be available for this event. Thirty invitations are reserved for live action poker players and 20 invitations are reserved for players who participate in daily tournaments.

More…

Jon in Las Vegas sends along an iPhone pic from the Venetian poker room — voted Best in Vegas by you, the Pokerati readers, in 2008 — where big deep stacks action is getting underway:

Will they be able to hold on for 2009?

Las Vegas, NV: The next Venetian Deep Stack Extravaganza for 2009 will run Wednesday, April 1st thru Saturday, April 25th.

The Venetian’s 2009 DSE II schedule of events:

Wednesday, April 1 – Super Satellites
$275 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 4,000 starting chips.

Thursday, April 2 at 12 Noon
$330 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 10,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (12,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Friday, April 3 at 12 Noon
$330 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 10,000 starting chips, 2,000 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (12,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Saturday, April 4 at 12 Noon
$550 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 12,500 starting chips, 2,500 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (15,000 starting chips total) 40 minute rounds.

Sunday, April 5 at 12 Noon
$1,070 buy-in, No-Limit Hold’em, 12,500 starting chips, 2,500 additional chips for optional $10 Staff Bonus (15,000 starting chips total) 60 minute rounds.

More…

We’ve called him the Bernie Madoff of Poker, but really, that moniker may no longer be apropos … because Bernie’s in jail. Now he’s more like the OJ Simpson of Poker … a man who most believe has so far gotten away with a shameful crime. Sure, no one has died yet, but honestly, it’s only a matter of time, isn’t it? Folks are still being protective of names, but I keep hearing stories of people who were ripped off by Russ Hamilton the way Mike Matusow claims he was … playing heads-up matches, losing, having Hamilton ship the money back to them, losing again, repeat … pay him off in cash. The results have been mortgaged houses, broken marriages, dangerous drug binges, and near-nervous breakdowns. We are talking very real lives here being very really fucked up … and all accuse the same man, who has thus far dodged criminal prosecution.

What makes it worse for these folks is that they haven’t gotten any refunds from Ultimate Bet — because either they paid off their “debts” in cash, or they too have been flagged for further investigation because of the large money transfers between them and Hamilton. So with that in mind, and some $60 million that would otherwise be in the Poker Economy unaccounted for … it’s always interesting to know what this man who has been convicted of nothing (and, sadly, charged with nothing) is up to.

Micon from Neverwin spotted him recently playing 2/5 NL at Red Rock:

Elsewhere around town, reliable sources tell us Hamilton recently played a bar freeroll at one of the pubs at Flamingo and Jones. (Still seeking confirmation on the bar’s name.) No buy-in and no prizes beyond bar tabs and food coupons. Supposedly playing with him in this same event (about six weeks ago?): Layne Flack.

No word on whether either of them made the final table.

More Matusow on Hamilton’s impact here. (Scroll halfway down.)

UPDATE: The bar where Flack and Hamilton were spotted playing a freeroll is Torino’s.

Pauly is a better faster writer than I am — so it’s always good to have him in town to make me work less. Read his detailed recap of Dream Team Poker weekend here and his less-detailed first impressions here.

Likewise, over at Wicked Chops, they’ve got the Hottie Beat covered … and PokerListings has manhandled the actual tournament action.

Tao of Pokerati Dream Team teammate Shaniac has some great music to listen to while you’re waiting for more.

Meanwhile, Team Aced did their thing to keep Aced.com in the public eye as a potentially legitimate newfangled online poker room with celeb-pro representative Jamie Gold, LV poker-room man Houston Waldie, and Gold-girlfriend Ashley Nataupsky — who is still alive for the individual championship — locking up the team title earlier today.

The vibe on Day 2 (final three tables) was quite distinct from Day 1 (field of 444 playing down to 27). From an informed source on the ground at Caesar’s:

It was great. People really had to watch the standings when making plays. They might have had pot odds on a few calls, but people were laying down hands to hold. It turned into one big last longer prop bet.

The Bellagio is gearing up for the start of the 7th Annual Five Star World Poker Classic running March 31 thru April 25.  The Five Star is highlighted by the $25,000 buy-in WPT Championship beginning Saturday, April 18.

Complete schedule below:

More…

The Wynn Las Vegas Poker Room is hosting $50,000 worth of Free-Roll Tournaments coming up in April.   To gain entry to one of the four weekly $12,500 Free-Roll Tournaments players must log at least 12 hours of live poker during the qualifying periods.  You can earn extra starting chips by playing more hours in the poker room, 12 to 16 hours of Live play start with 4,000 in chips, 16 to 20 hours get 5,000 in chips and 20 hours or more start with a 6,000 chip stack. For more information call the Wynn Poker Room at 702-770-7654 or visit wynnpoker.com.

Tournament Dates & Qualifying Periods

Monday, April 6th at 12:00pm – Qualify between March 30 – April 5
Monday, April 13th at 12:00pm – Qualify between April 6 – April 12
Monday, April 20th at 12:00pm – Qualify between April 13 – April 19
Monday, April 27 at 12:00pm – Qualify between April 20 – April 26

April Free-Roll Payout Structure:

1st Place: $5,000
2nd Place: $2,000
3rd Place: $1,2 00
4th Place: $1,000
5th Place: $800
6th Place: $600
7th Place: $500
8th Place: $400
9th Place: $300
10th Place: $200
11th – 15th Place: $100

The M Resort & Casino’s 12-table poker room that opened on March 1st began hosting daily No-Limit Hold’em tournaments last week.  They start at 10 am with a $55 buy-in ($50+5), 3,000 starting chips, 30 minute levels, and have a $1,500 guaranteed prize pool.

For more info contact the M Poker Room at 702-797-1777.

Photo: © Erik Kabik

From our sources at the Hard Rock, the ever-important details about Paris Hilton’s poker action:

She did the tournament Friday night at 11 p.m. as part of her weekend-long birthday celebration. She was with about 20 friends and had a special section reserved for her, however, the room was not closed and other players cycled in on her table. There was about 50 people in the un-advertised tournament. A DJ was brought in for her and the room had a great party atmosphere and vibe that evening. The buy-in was $100 and she was knocked out in about 45 minutes.

Just got back from Bellagio — not my usual stomping grounds — and noticed that starting tomorrow, March 10, they’re offering something different there on Tuesdays … a lower cost, above-average-stack 2 pm tourney. For a long time, this was a standard $500 weekday event … $500 for 10k in chips. But now it only costs $300, and you get 6k in chips.

They also have 1/2 NLH there now. Apparently they’ve had it for a few months … News to me, though. I still thought their smallest game was a raucous 2/5 populated with monster stacks. Silly me.

Tom Dwan doesn’t slowroll, and you shouldn’t either.

My latest Bluff column is now up online … in this episode I call out the Scandis for potentially causing a violent international incident:

Without a doubt, for low stakes players MGM cash games can be a test of nerves…. Little did I know it would be a test of my sanity, not to mention my criminal intent.

The villain in this story is a slowroller, so I’m sure most will understand. Before the night was over he had an entire table plotting revenge. The plan was to gang-tackle him in an elevator, beat him senseless, take his money, then beat him some more, and then, just to let him know we weren’t really crooks, roll up the cash and wedge it in his facial orifices. Or at least that’s what one of us was thinking… that’ll teach him proper etiquette!

Interesting article about how the Golden Nugget is pushing forward with expansion — new tower and all — despite economic woes. I had forgotten GN was a Texas-run joint … no wonder it’s one of my favorite places in town. And though it’s my preferred downtown cash game venue, when someone recently asked me to put together a list of the 10 best most noteworthy poker rooms in Vegas, it didn’t make the cut. (Would come in #11 or 12.)

And lastly, speaking more generally about downtown and economy … though I haven’t seen any numbers, I was on Fremont St. on a recent Saturday night, and it was busier and more packed than I have ever seen it. Ever. And yet the Strip, different hotels and the street itself … noticeably quieter than in months and years past.

Take that for whatever it’s worth.

While I was away from the web space for a family visit in St. Louis, the guy who robbed the Sahara poker room on the Las Vegas Strip likely spent the holidays hoping no one recognized his mug from the photos released by LV Metro Police.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, he did use a firearm when robbing the Sahara on December 19th and escaped on foot. He was described as follows:

The gunman was described as white and about 20 to 30 years old with a thin mustache and thin build. He was wearing blue jeans, a brown cap, a brown or green hooded sweatshirt with lettering down the left side and a yellow ballcap, authorities said.

Yikes, if Metro has ever been in a poker room, they know that description alone will get them nowhere, as it sounds like two-thirds of players in any given room!

Does anyone say “stick-up” anymore?

Regardless, Poker Grump reported tonight that the Sahara looked as if it had been robbed, as the poker room was closed with police tape keeping patrons out. And he was right, as a local news outlet reported that there was an armed robbery at the poker room just before 6pm.

Obviously, the robbers did not know that there is a 7pm tournament there each night, so there may not have been much money in the poker kitty more than an hour before. Curious to know if anyone witnessed it, as this seems a bit brazen…to commit a robbery in a casino in Las Vegas on a Friday night.

The 4-card hold’em action took place last night, as seen here:

One of the cool things about poker at Excalibur is that it’s the one place where you can find 50-cent/1-dollar action in Las Vegas … and being played on electronic tables, there’s no dealer tipping. Another cool thing … you can change the game being dealt with relative ease. And that’s what they did last night when Lyle Berman showed up (with David Sklansky and a few others) to play $1/$2 Pot Limit Omaha.

($100 min buy-in, $500 max)

Berman (left), if you recall, wrote the chapter in Super/System about PLO. He also happens to be Chairman of the Board of PokerTek — makers of the PokerPro electronic tables at Excalibur.

Supposedly poker is dying (a slow and painful death). Poker rooms are closing, dealers can’t get jobs, and one of the top tournament directors in the world is running a relatively rinky dink room in Vegas. (No offense to my dealer friends at the Rio.) But hey, the basic laws of biology say that without death there can be no life … and low-stakes, locals-friendly poker seems to be getting some new life at the Gold Coast. At least that’s the plan, as seen in this pic taken there tonight:

Beyond just changing the decor, Binion’s is trying to make itself the go-to place for low-stakes grinders with good comps and a noticeable rake reduction. From AC’s Las Vegas Advisor:

The place that was poker before poker was cool has opened a new room. Binion’s has opened a 10-table room that advertises a max rake of $3 on all games, a comp rate of $2-per-hour, tableside food service, and special room rates for players. The room is located near the front of the casino on the old Mint (west) side.

I knew the Binion’s poker room was getting an overhaul, but are they done already?

Apparently so, according to PokerGrump.

AllVegasPoker also has some new reviews and pics. The tournament room doesn’t look any different. But the new cash game area … looks plausibly impressive. For Dallas underground rounders, think Stagecoach meets the Carrousel:

Photo: AVP

Binion’s, as you may recall, won an Honorable Mention (4th Place) in Pokerati’s Best Poker Room in Vegas (just barely losing to Bellagio), and that was before they spruced the place up. Of course the lack of spruce has always had something to do with it’s appeal …

Almost forgot to tell you … the Paris poker room has closed. Life is a little rough for dealers in this town, as the entire casino biz is downsizing. As for me, I bid farewell to the rinky-dink Paris room with fond memories — as it was the only room in Vegas where I never lost. (I think I never lost at Stardust, either, but only played there twice.) Played the 1/2 NLH at Paris five times or so, and always won … a couple times won big … and thus it sparked the theory in my mind that the key to finding soft action in Vegas was bad parking.

Seriously, I haven’t tested it with scientific analysis yet … but it seems the better the parking, the worse my results. (The Wynn, and the Rio are prime examples.) I surmise it has something to do with bad parking keeping the locals away, who are generally better players than tourists — or at least strong enough to never give me their entire stack on a bluff, removing the implied odds I love to have when making a questionable call.

Also out of business is a restaurant that is near-and-dear to many poker players’ hearts: Antonio’s, in the Rio. Always a reliable upper-middle-class Italian dining experience during the WSOP, Antonio’s was the place where Jay Greenspan introduced me to the wonders of Lagavulin scotch, and Tom Schneider introduced me to the joys of gambling for the bill via 1-to1,000.

I remember our first “medium-big game” like it was yesterday … he had two numbers to choose from, and he stared me down looking for reads — I threw off the reverse tell to make him think I picked 724, when in reality the number was 725. Ahh, not paying making Tom pay made the lasagna I had just finished taste even better … and thus I always loved that 1-to-1,000 stadium, winning the next two matches I would play there, and never losing.