Day 1 of the Detox Poker Series got off to an encouraging start Friday when day 1a of the first event, $350 NL Holdem $100,000 Guarantee drew a field of 206 entrants. Any players who busted out are able to enter again today if they wish, so the guarantee should be cleared easily. Play concluded when nine players remained, with Kevin Kramer of New York, NY holding the lead with 354,500 in chips. The most recognizable name to make it to Sunday is Victory Poker pro Keith Gipson, 7th in chips with 39,000 chips. Notable names who cashed: Chris Tryba ($750), Jason Newitt ($750) and Donkdown’s Bryan Micon($550). The full list of results can be found here.

The 5pm Detox Poker Series event, $350 Omaha 8 or Better, drew a field of 57 as they played down to the final six players making the money. Here’s how the final table will be seated with blinds of 1,500/2,500, limits of 2,500/5000:

Seat 1: Steve Kaufman 40,500
Seat 2: Frankie O’Dell 41,000
Seat 3: Mitch Schock 86,500
Seat 4: Peter Mauro 12,000
Seat 5: Joe Worrell 54,500
Seat 6: Jason Reading 50,000

Saturday at 1pm is day 1b of the $335 NL Holdem event, with 127 players needed to reach the $100,000 guarantee. At 5pm, it’s event #3, $350 HORSE with a few dozen player expected for some mixed-game action.
Check out www.detoxpoker.com for updates/video/chat/etc.

Just a reminder that the Matt Savage-run Detox Poker Series starts this afternoon at the Hard Rock Hotel Poker Lounge in Las Vegas. Two tournaments kick off today: Event #1 is day 1a of the $350 NL Holdem $100,000 Guarantee tournament. They need 333 players total to hit the guarantee.

Event #2 starts at 5pm, it’s day 1 of the $350 Omaha 8 or Better tournament. More information on these events can be found over at www.detoxpoker.com where you can find structures, live video and chat when available.

Be sure to check out Pokerati every day for daily reports during the series, and follow @detoxpoker on Twitter.

One of the important hedlines never written during the WSOP:

Florida Is the New France

(Apologies for not sharing this important insight with you readers. Just busy, ya know?)

It was the place a lot of WSOP dealers were saying they were headed after the Series … and some of them were already there, forgoing a summer in Vegas to set up shop near the beach early. These Pokerati card-carrying dealers began reporting near-immediately that indeed, the games were “sick”, and as a dealer it was nice to finally find a place where dealing actually paid well again.

All this because Florida passed a law legalizing poker some five years ago, and now, after a few revisions to the relevant statute, with betting limits and tourney buy-ins uncapped officially as of July 1 (and poker rooms now allowed to be open 24/7) the state has finally put itself in a position to realize the game’s potential — for them and for poker.

Also says something about the WPT’s continued effort to reclaim significance in the poker world. Can only imagine the WSOP will have a big circuit event there soon, too. In fact, might be willing to bet we’ll see one of those before we ever see an NAPT-Florida.

Below is the World Poker Tour press release about their partnership to put branded poker rooms throughout multiple Seminole casinos, and host a big televised $10k event at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida in late April/early May of next year. Early read is that this could become one of the big US tournaments of the year.

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The Detox Poker Series is right around the corner, starting Friday Aug. 13 with a $100k Guarantee for a $350 buy-in with two day ones, re-entry allowed. The spankin’-new small-stakes/big-action festival comes at a whispery time around the home room to the Pokerati NLH/PLO game … with a new crew of top-level casino brass combing through the Hard Rock’s books while walking through various gaming areas with tape measures … raising uncomfortable questions about the fate of the $12 million, two-year-old poker lounge that has seen its ups and downs without yet fully realizing its potential.

Of course that’s kinda the point of bringing in an internationally renowned tourney director. Or at least it was initially. Kinda still works, but for different reasons …

First things first … Savage has guaranteed the guarantees — $350k worth. This is despite a misleading tweet just two weeks ago from @hardrockpoker saying there’d be $1 million in guaranteed prize pools. [/shaking head] It coulda just been a hyperbolic typo, but an amusingly ironic one then considering the Hard Rock’s image problems after a few overpromises that these tourneys were to help put to rest. But according to Matt himself on 2+2, he’s got the $350k locked up by contract no matter how few players show.

Beyond that … expect an extra-partytime atmosphere around typical Savage series stuff (deep structures, quality dealers, friendly intelligent floor, good internet coverage, etc.) to liven up the joint: He’s in charge of providing ultra-improved tournament action while the Hard Rock promises to provide good music and a guaranteed flow of nipple-friendly eye-candy stumbling past the poker room.

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We had lots of fun in our special Tuesday running of “the ‘Ati game” (as called by a few locals who seldom read this site) … even though the well-bankrolled blogger drunks never even made it! Lesson learned … you can’t rely on the Drinky when it comes to making specific, time-based plans. Fortunately there were Poker Beat listeners who we’re ready to take their seats and jump into the fray. Game on again tonight, starting at 8 pm.

“At every [World] Series, you know you’re eventually going to get at least one great run of cards. After three weeks of grinding, mine finally came playing 1/2 in Dan’s stupid Pokerati game at the Hard Rock.”

— Donkeybomber,
on the importance of looking snazzy when you happen to start running good

We also got a special guest (the kind I can get a comp dinner) in DonkeyBomber … who decided to try to turn his WSOP around by playing a little low-stakes, drinks-flowing half-and-half … out of position against yours truly. I had him, too, in his first big hand, having flopped a set of Aces (playing them differently than he taught me), turned full-of-jacks (setting up a nice trap), only to see the one-outer on the river giving him quads. Asshole, why don’t you stick to your own damn games, Mr. “High Stakes” Pro with the Pants.

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Special running of Pokerati action tonight, Tuesday, at the Hard Rock. That’s in addition to the usual Thursday fare. Should be a blogtastic 1/2 NL/PLO good time, with Joe Speaker, Bad Blood, and The Mark in town, specifically for PLO at the WSOP and beyond … hoping to draw a few Brits as well, you know, in case we end up playing through Honduras vs. Chile.

Though we haven’t run this game on a Tuesday in forever, the list usually starts taking shape at 7:30 … with cards in the air about 8.

Also don’t forget, for a different kinda wild, Wednesday night is the PokerNews Half-Kill game, bringing hardcore $4/$8 limit and higher to the Hard Rock.

You can find/follow many of the players in both these games on twitter (do a search for “hard rock”) and get updates from the poker room about what’s running @HardRockPoker.

Holy fugk, I can already tell … this summer in Las Vegas is going to be an absolute mosh pit of poker … where are my steel-tipped boots I never had?

I knew the Hard Rock’s High Stakes Cash Game was in the works but wasn’t sure what would come of it — as the first thing required for a game of this size is players! I’ve sent my overseers @HardRockPoker a message inquiring who they know will be there. Will pass on info when I find out.

This Friday
June 4th at 7PM

Hard Rock Poker Lounge
Las Vegas

Come play the high stakes cash game
on the first Friday of each month.
Buy-in is $20,000 to $50,000.
Blinds are $25 and $50.

Also wonder if this game will have $50 splash pots like we’ve got in our 1/2 NL/PLO to stimulate action, lol. (Remember, if The Maven makes a huge raise on a hold’em splash pot, you should probably call with J-10 or better … and if you don’t know the answer in the song game, your best bet is either Britney Spears or Cheap Trick.)

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Nice! Used to be people thought of Pokerati only as a place for news, analysis, and mistakes … but now they’re thinking about us, well, maybe for the exact same reasons (lol?) when it comes to quality low-stakes Vegas poker.

Check out PokerNews’s pimp-out for our version of 1/2 NL/PLO @HardRockPoker here. (Still can’t get the Hard Rock, however, to get behind the rule I’m pushing to allow me personally to use three hole cards instead of two in Omaha. Assholes. They also denied my suggestion to have at least two of our regular dealers pitch the cards topless.)

Anyhow, It seems PokerNews wants to cut in on ride along with our action, and thus they’ve added their own special games to the Hard Rock poker menu:

Wednesday night, PokerNews will host the PokerNews half-kill cash game, which will run weekly throughout the WSOP. This will be a limit hold’em game with a half-kill, with stakes at the behest of the players. Like all the games at the Hard Rock, it’s not limited to Wednesday nights and can be played upon request. Players who log the most PokerNews half-kill hours at the Hard Rock will receive a brand new iPad.

Sundays will be all about sit-n-go’s with PokerNews’ Sit-n-Go Sunday at the Hard Rock. Unlike the PokerNews half-kill, which will reward stamina, Sit-n-Go Sunday will reward results. Players with the most impressive sit-n-go results over the course of the WSOP will also be rewarded with an iPad.

IPads, plural? Great, now I get to listen to my players bitching about “why don’t we get an iPad?” Just friggin zip it, Rex. I give all of you one every time I get it in drawing to two outs for a chop.

You’ll be hearing about more Hard Rock action here throughout the WSOP, as well as a whole litany of special World Series promotions. I’m still trying to learn what they all are … but the coolest one that I know off the top of my head: they’ll be spreading rake-free satellites before each WSOP event. Boo-yah, no?

Also, for you mixed-game posers specialists, Scott Fischman hosts his 7-game mix there regularly. I’d like to play, but I’m scared …

Hard Rock will be running shuttles between their joint on Harmon and the Rio throughout the summer.

As the California State Poker Championship rages on at the Commerce (with cool trophies, gotta say), tournament director Matt Savage’s return to Vegas for an LV Poker Series at the Hard Rock has taken final shape. The series itself will now be called the Detox Poker Series. And Event #12 will be Pokerati NL/PLO.

click to view the whole schedule

It’s a $230 no-limit hold’em / pot-limit omaha event, with a single $200 rebuy. Gee, sounds like a typical night for yours truly at the Pokerati game.

Takes place at 5 pm on Wednesday, August 18.

The 1 pm that day, btw, is a $230 NL … with no rebuys but a $50,000 guarantee. (A Matt Savage guarantee, mind you, not an old-way Hard Rock guarantee … seriously, the new bosses there really seem to have turned things around, and intend to prove their stuff during the WSOP.)

The Pokerati NL/PLO event will qualify for CardPlayer Player of the Year standings, too. (As will all the events in the Detox Poker Series.)

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World Team Poker is the next “big event” in Las Vegas … gets underway at the Golden Nugget with a party tonight (of course) and cards in the air on Wednesday. The WTP will be the third big-dollar, made-for-TV attempt to bring team poker to Las Vegas (fourth if you include one that was canceled the weekend of) … and like all the rest, as the WTP teams came together, the usual on-camera stars lined up to get their airtime register. We can tell there is a definitive desire for team poker somewhere — why else would the pros keep showing up? — and everyone who ever plays in these events reports having an absolute blast. But for some reason or another, they often tend to falter.

Will the WTP be a matter of someone finally getting it right, or is there something inherent to the game itself that makes team tournament poker a concept that just can’t stick?

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PLO can be a wicked temptress and a sexy bitch.

Supposedly the Pokerati Game made on its own this past Tuesday around midnight, with @MattCWaldron duking it out into the wee hours with an unusually drinky Rex the Bald PLOcal. Not sure how the stacks ended up, but from what I hear it was some of the most vigorous song-game action the room had seen in a long time. (The Hard Rock background music tends to shift to nuevo-hip hop and variety metal during late hours, and then late-late pre-sunrise it’s a lot of classic rock.)

At last week’s game, I was pretty unhappy because things were going well until I put myself in my first difficult spot of the night. After I failed to hit my 4-outer running it twice, @JaKatkin tweeted:

And @pokerati’s implosion has begun.
10:47 PM May 6th via TweetDeck

Asshole! Katkin clearly had a read on me, as he sat to my left watching my stack dwindle post-tweet to zero, at which point I rebought and re-lost yet again. (How did he know!?!)

That was also the first week we played with officially published rules. However my one copy I had at the table got ruined when a drunk (but good player … think he mighta been a Mavenite) spilled my glass of champagne all over the nicely printed document en route to his seat in the game.

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Looks to be yet another fun night of 1/2 NLH/PLO round of each at the Hard Rock this evening. The Maven has been showing up on Thursdays with a few students lately. Apparently they think the Pokerati tables are easy pickins a ripe training ground or something? Though aggressive, the Mavenites aren’t really a threat once you figure out the whole of his poker training is basically push and re-push with any two cards. (Jk David … you’d never do that with Queens or better, right?)

The Pokerati Game — which started off mostly as a bunch of media donks and an uber-tight dude named Jackson — also seems to be becoming (as I’d like it to be) something of a must-play for out-of-towners … awesome 1/2 action that you simply can’t find anywhere else in Vegas. Seriously. Go ahead and try. It’s not the same game … And that doesn’t even get into all the promotional perks the Hard Rock has been feeding us.

Three tourists I know today are already gonna be there, which of course draws the vulturey locals who claim to “make a living” playing 1/2, but haven’t yet found enough success to be playing 2/5 or bigger. These Vegas grinders, I gotta say, are an interesting group … they don’t say much other than to call floor, appear to live for comps and free coffee, and may or may not have rent riding on an all-in with top set against the nut flush draw and a wrap … Run it twice!

Anyhow, after playing sporadically beta testing @HardRockPoker for about six months, and running into / working through all the nitty situational question marks that spring up, we’ve finalized and formalized the rules. So now, anytime the game gets going — as it did on its own Tuesday around midnight! — everyone can be on the same page about how we play Pokerati half-and-half at the Hard Rock.

Click here for an updated PDF of Pokerati Game rules suitable for posting on your bedroom wall. Or click below to see more immediately how we play it:

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Matt Savage, host of the new Las Vegas Poker Series at the Hard Rock, served as tournament director in the 2007 movie Lucky You. Don’t hold that against him.

Storied tournament director Matt Savage is stepping back into Las Vegas poker events — for the first time since 2004 — bringing the Las Vegas Poker Series to my weekly donk-stomping grounds at the Hard Rock, August 13-22.

The LVPS will feature low buy-in events ($230-$550), most of which count toward CardPlayer Player of the Year standings … with the Savage-tested deep structures (as opposed to deep stacks) that just about all players except Allen Kessler vigorously applaud. Also a money leaderboard of some sort is in play, though I’m not yet sure if this is about crowning an overall champion or qualifying for a player-appreciation freeroll … more TK as the schedule and other PR info gets released.

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The Best Low-stakes Game in Vegas* (according to Pokerati.com!) needs help making a better logo for the tables.

The Pokerati Game at the Hard Rock — 1/2 NLH/PLO, starting Thursdays at 7 pm — is really starting to catch on. People are coming in and sporadically asking about it throughout the week, and I’ve had players from the Bike, the Commerce, and the Borgata all inquire about when their hometown poker room is gonna start spreading it — half-and-half the way we like to play it.

Last week was a particularly fun game, thanks to Dan R, a longtime Pokerati reader from Dallas who happened to be in town for an annual Vegas get-together with friends from Chicago who happened to play NLH/PLO round-of-each in their home game.

They wanted to play bigger at 2/5, but I insisted on keeping it small. (I have my reasons. Will explain later.) They all bought in for the $400 max, and several busts and rebuys later, the stacks were unusually big. Once they ordered their second round of Patron, the Vegas vultures uber-nitty low-stakes locals began to swarm, filling up the interest list. We almost made two tables — were just one or two players short. Oh well, maybe soon …

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OK, that subhed might be geographically presumptuous and/or mathematically hard to prove. But hey, that’s how it goes in PLO! So allow me to do a little live poker pimping …

As twitter followers know, I’ve been hosting a new-ish game at the Hard Rock here in Las Vegas. 1/2 no-limit hold’em/pot-limit omaha. While there are plenty of 4-8 mixed games around town, there are, perhaps surprisingly, few if any low-stakes half-and-half games — and none where players have the option of running it twice. So in an effort to create what Dan personally wants to play top-quality action that serious amateurs, local grinders, and late-night drunks can’t find elsewhere in LV, you can now help your poker evolve by playing:

What: The Pokerati Game: 1/2 NLH/PLO (round of each)
When: Thursdays 7pm-? or upon request
Where: Hard Rock Poker Lounge
Buy-in: $100 min/$400 max
Who plays: Nitty locals, Euro-tourists, Action Junkies, Poker media geeks, loose-aggressive douchebags, off-duty Vegas dealers, disciples of Isildur1

We know you all know hold’em, but if Omaha’s not yet your game, check out this video of how gloriously painful PLO can be:

That comes from F Train’s assessment of poker’s #2 game. And across the pond, where they play it more frequently, our ole Betfair pal Marcus Bateman has his own strategy thoughts on the situational EV of running it twice.

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