Phil Ivey to Relocate Big Game Action?
RE: Aria, Newest Las Vegas Poker Room (2)
@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.
steve hall says:
December 22nd, 2009 at 7:17pm
Any space for tournament action there?.Poker room manager Adam was part of the Bellagio tournament staff for years and it seems Jack at the Bellagio has lost the plot.
DanM says:
December 22nd, 2009 at 7:25pm
i haven’t been yet, steve … but i hear there is no special tournament space. perhaps there’s a special room somewhere, a la fontana, that will serve that purpose? i’ll see if i can’t find out sometime before february-ish.
interesting insight about the personnel. think you might be on to something.
Kevin Mathers says:
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:11pm
The most recent example of Jack losing the plot:
April’s Bellagio series currently consists of 18 rebuy events and the $25,000 WPT World Championship.
DanM says:
December 22nd, 2009 at 11:15pm
I’m not following Kevin … where do the rebuys fit in?
Kevin Mathers says:
December 23rd, 2009 at 5:33am
In reference to Hall’s reference about Jack losing the plot:
Every tournament at the Five Star World Poker Classic at the Bellagio (March 30-April 24) is a 1k rebuy event (mostly NL Holdem, with the rest PLO), except for the $25,000 WPT World Championship. Even the supersatellites and nightly tournaments are rebuy events.
Steve L says:
January 4th, 2010 at 3:44am
I know this is a (semi) old post and not to be naive, but what does the phrase “lost the plot” mean?
DanM says:
January 4th, 2010 at 5:04am
You’ll have to forgive Steve H … he’s a Brit who talks funny and writes even funnier. I think he’s implying that one guy is on his way out.
Joseph Ewens says:
January 5th, 2010 at 3:31am
As a fellow Brit, I can tell you that ‘lost the plot’ just means, ‘doesn’t know what he’s doing’.
Kendall Weddington says:
January 6th, 2010 at 8:43am
I just read a really interesting interview about Phil Ivey at: http://www.ebmpublishing.com. The interview was very well written and really showed his (Phil) humility. Great article!