Harrah's on a Saturday Night

Date: Tue, Dec 9, 2008 Live Tournament Women

Saturday night the World Series of Poker Circuit Tour was in full swing at Harrah’s. The room was packed and action was crazy. There were enough $1-$2 and $2-$5 No Limit games to keep everyone happy. Even a $5-$10 NL popped up.

Yet, I was hanging out in the Eden Lounge with a few friends who came down from New York, and one who didn’t gamble. Since table games are out for me, the two of us walked around and hung out in the Lounge and Exhibition (a bar in the middle of the casino floor).

I can’t go into a casino and not play poker.

I’m not addicted, but the people on the casino floor are just too weird.

While in the Eden Lounge, a 65-year-old woman was dancing so hard and so much, I thought she would have a stroke before the end of the night. Worried can’t even begin to describe my feelings.

Horrified.

Frightened.

Frantic.

Eventually, her grinding on a few gentlemen made me burst from the Lounge.

Exhibition wasn’t any better. Perhaps a younger clientele, the amount of foolishness and debauchery was the same.

A Harrah’s employee (he had his nametag on) was working his magic on two women. He danced with the both the entire night, except for the time when he had to go back to work.

First, he danced with the chubby one while the skinnier friend shimmied next to them and rubbed her ass all over his leg. Then, he danced with the skinny chick and even picked her up while the chubby woman yelled, ‘Yeah, get her cowboy.’

I’m sure that wasn’t the last time she said that.

An older woman, probably in her 50s, was dancing with anyone who would let her. She was shaped like an upside down snowman. The big part was her boobs, the medium part was her bulging stomach and the other bump came from her FUPA (email me for what it means if you don’t know). Yet, she had the skinny, skinny legs.

After she was worn out, she sat in the lounge chair next to mine about five feet away.

She pulled out a matchbook from her purse and lit one of the matches.

“You see this,” she said. “I told this guy earlier tonight that I could put fire out with my hand, but he didn’t believe me.”

She takes her index finger and thumb, puts it over the match and turns it out.

“See, I can stop it with my hand. And you know why I do that because I have the power.”

“IT MAKES ME POWERFUL.”

It was 1 a.m. and I looked at my friend and said, “I’m going home.”

I learned Saturday night that people scare me. Sure, I see strange things in the poker room, but usually it’s always the same kind of weirdness and you get used to it after a while. People on the casino floor just have way too much to drink and way too much time to make fools of themselves.

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Pokerlistings: Update at Harrah's

Date: Mon, Dec 8, 2008 Live Tournament Women

Click here for a update of the Harrah's World Series of Poker Circuit Events.

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Harrah's WSOP Circuit Event

Date: Fri, Dec 5, 2008 Live Tournament Women

The event kicked off tonight with the overflow having to fill up the regular poker room. I haven't gone over there, but I got a text message from a regular dealer who said they have to go to four tournament tables in a row on their string.

Thrilling!

I love playing at Harrah's (minus the bad dealers) and I may find myself there again this week.

In other news, Borgata announced its Winter Open events. However, as one of our readers noted, the main event is no longer a WPT event and has been lowered from $10K to just a measly $3K.

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Michael Phelps in Atlantic City

Date: Wed, Dec 3, 2008 Live Tournament Women

This is from the Casino City Times. I'm too lazy to rewrite it so I am just copy and pasting, but most importantly, attributing.

ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey -- As reported by the New York Post: "Once soft-spoken Olympics champ Michael Phelps has turned into a party and poker animal.
"...A source says Phelps spent much of Thanksgiving weekend playing 10-20, no-limit hold-'em at the Borgata in Atlantic City. Although a dealer reports he lost several thousand dollars on Thursday, Phelps was back at the tables Friday.

"Phelps, who won more than $5,000 in a tournament at Caesars in Vegas, has spent his free time hanging with poker legends like Doyle Brunson..."

So, here was the joke.

My boyfriend: Do you know what a $10-$20 no limit game plays like?

Me: No.

Boyfriend: Neither does he.

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Calendar Updated

Date: Tue, Dec 2, 2008 Live Tournament Women

I updated the calendar on the sidebar with the Trump Classic information.

Trump Classic Poker Tournament
Taj Mahal: Atlantic City
December 15,2008-December 31,2008

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
(All events are 2-days except where noted. Play will halt at 2 a.m. or when final table is reached, whichever comes first.)
BUY-IN/DATE.... EVENT.... ENTRY FEE
Dec. 15 Mon. 11:15am No Limit Hold’em $300 + $50
Dec. 16 Tues. 11:15am 7-Card Stud $500 + $60
Dec. 17 Wed. 11:15am 7-Card Stud Hi/Low $500 + $60
Dec. 18 Thurs. 11:15am Omaha Hi/Low $500 + $60
Dec. 19 Fri. 11:15am No Limit Hold’em $300 + $50
Dec. 20 Sat. 11:15am No Limit Hold’em $500 + $60
Dec. 21 Sun. 11:15am No Limit Hold’em (Seniors Only) $300 + $50
Dec. 21 Sun.1:15pm No Limit Hold’em (Ladies Only) $260 + $40
Dec. 22 Mon. 11:15am No Limit Hold’em $300 + $50
Dec. 23 Tues. 11:15am No Limit Hold’em $300 + $50
Dec. 24 Wed. 11:15am No Limit Hold’em Turbo (1-Day Event) $300 + $40
Dec. 25 - No event.
Dec. 26 Fri. 11:15pm No Limit Hold’em $1,000 + $80
Dec. 27 Sat. 11:15am Act 2 Super (1-Day Event) $500 + $50
Dec. 28 Sun. 10:15am Last Chance Super (1-Day Event) $500 + $50
Dec. 28 Sun.3:15pm Main Event No Limit Hold’em (3-Day Event) $4,800 + $200
Dec. 29 Mon. 11:15am No Limit Hold’em $300 + $50
Dec. 30 Tues. 11:15am No Limit Hold’em $500 + $60
Dec. 31 Wed. 11:15am No Limit Hold’em Turbo (1-Day Event) $300 + $40

SAVE YOUR SEAT!
Visit ptseats.comto reserve your tournament seat now.

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Graphic: Third Quarter Performances in AC Casinos

Date: Thu, Nov 20, 2008 Live Tournament Women

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A.C. Casinos still taking punches

Date: Mon, Nov 10, 2008 Live Tournament Women

I was playing poker all week and the only place it seemed deader than normal was the Showboat. Caesars was going off because of the bad beat and Harrah's was just busy. However, I guess that doesn't always translate onto the floor.

I could only tell how the poker rooms do.

ATLANTIC CITY - Casinos reported $346.3 million in casino win in October, a 9.9 percent decrease over the same month a year ago.

Results reported to the New Jersey Casino Control Commission Monday show that the 11 casinos won $235.9 million at the slot machines and another $110.3 million at table games in October. Slot revenue fell 12.7 percent while table game revenues declined by 3.3 percent.

Casinos paid $27.7 million in taxes on their gross revenues in October. That money, 8 percent of gross revenue, goes into the Casino Revenue Fund which pays for programs that benefit qualifying senior citizens and people with disabilities. In addition, the casinos incurred another $4.4 million in reinvestment obligations. They are required to reinvest 1.25 percent of gross revenues in projects approved by the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.

For the first 10 months of the year, casinos won $3.9 billion, down 6.6 percent from the same period in 2007. Revenue from slot machines is down 8.6 percent and revenue from table games is down 2 percent for the 10 months.

Win, or casino revenue, is the net amount of money won by casinos. It is not profit.
Copies of individual casino tax returns with detailed information on gaming revenues are available on the Commission web site at www.njccc.gov/casinos/financia/mthrev/

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Bad Beat coming to Borgata?

Date: Sat, Nov 8, 2008 Live Tournament Women

I was on vacation this week and spent a lot of time at the felt. The two things I heard talked about were Caesar's bad beat, which I presume is up to around $260K if it hasn't been hit yet, and Borgata is getting a bad beat jackpot come December 1.

I played at Caesar's once and it's as bad as I remember it to be. The dealers don't run the games and, because everyone is a tough guy in a casino, more than one argument break out.

I'll have more to write later. Just wanted to update the latest information that I heard.

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Borgata Lays Off 400

Date: Fri, Nov 7, 2008 Live Tournament Women

The Borgata laid off 400 employees in the month of the October. Here's an article from The Press of Atlantic City. This is just another example of how poor the economy is. Even the Borgata, one of the better casinos in the industry has to let people go.

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Hilton Poker Room Closing

Date: Sat, Nov 1, 2008 Live Tournament Women

The Hilton poker room is closing and apparently I am really late on this. The bad beat at the Hilton is over 100K and when it hits, the poker room is going to close.

So, all you bad beat chasers, get out there and hit it. The room isn't going to be there much longer and the Hilton is begging for someone to hit it so that they can close the room.

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What I learned from Manny Ramirez

Date: Sat, Nov 1, 2008 Live Tournament Women

I don't talk about my regular job too much because this blog is about poker. But, for those that haven't realized I'm a sports writer and spent much of my time covering different teams. I mostly cover college sports during the season and in the offseason, I do plenty of Phillies work.

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Release: PokerPro Free Roll at Trump Plaza

Date: Fri, Oct 31, 2008 Live Tournament Women

Trump Plaza's 100% PokerPro(R) Poker Room will be hosting a $25,000 Freeroll No-Limit Texas Hold'Em Poker Tournament in December 2008. To qualify for a seat in the $25,000 Freeroll, players must play a minimum of 60 hours of cash/ring games in Trump Plaza's Poker Room between November 1st and November 30th.

The Freeroll will be held in Trump Plaza's poker room located in the East Tower and will begin at 10 AM onDecember 13th. Each player will begin with $12,500 in virtual chips. In the event that more than 110 players qualify for a seat in the tournament, there will be two rounds played on December 13th at 10 AM and 2 PM, with the final round to be held on December 14th at 10 AM. The first place prize is $10,000.

"By holding this tournament, Trump Plaza is rewarding their loyal players and providing incentive for newcomers to visit their poker room," said Randy Kiefer, PokerPro's Account Manager for Atlantic City. "The atmosphere is like no other in Atlantic City; once players are introduced to Trump Plaza's poker room, they are sure to become regulars."

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Borgata Poker Scams Artists Plead Not Guilty

Date: Thu, Oct 30, 2008 Live Tournament Women

Maybe they think they did nothing wrong or perhaps they can get away with scamming people out of lots of money. Maybe it's a good thing that they try to get out of this mess. Personally, I find it stupid that anyone would leave the safer confines of a regulated poker room and go up to someone's room.

Here's the latest article from The Press of Atlantic City regarding the idiots who went up to this room and how the defendants have pled not guilty. Good for them.

MAYSLANDING — The last of four defendants indicted earlier this month for allegedly organizing a high-tech gambling scheme at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa pleaded not guilty to the charges at an arraignment hearing Thursday.

James Harrison, 42, of Duluth, Minn., is accused of renting a room at the Borgata to host private, high-stakes games of Chinese poker, backgammon and chess along with Joseph Ingargiola, 51, of Las Vegas; Stephen Phillips, 53, of Las Vegas; and Steven Forte, 52, of Las Vegas , authorities say.

They rigged a nearby room with surveillance equipment and computers to cheat a high-roller out of tens of thousands of dollars, according to the indictment.

But shortly before the victim was to arrive, State Police searched the two hotel rooms, arrested the four men and seized the equipment.

The men were indicted by an Atlantic County grand jury Oct. 2 on charges of second-degree attempted theft by deception, state Attorney General Anne Milgram said.

Harrison’s attorney, James Leonard Jr., waived a reading of the indictment Thursday and entered a not guilty plea on his behalf before Superior Court Judge Michael Connor.

Ingargiola, Phillips and Forte all pleaded not guilty to the charges at an arraignment hearing on Monday. Ingargiola is represented by Jerry Elashmawi. Phillips is represented by Joseph Levin. Forte is represented by Stephen Funk.

Second-degree crimes carry a maximum sentence of 10 years in state prison and a $150,000 fine. Each of the defendants was released on bail after the June 7, 2007, arrests.

The indictment alleges the four men plotted to cheat a man, identified only as "J.H.," who was invited to participate in a tournament involving the high-stakes games in a Borgata hotel room. The four men allegedly rigged a second room with hidden surveillance cameras, audio equipment, computers and other high-tech devices that would be used to cheat the victim out of more than $75,000, according to the indictment.

The defendants allegedly intended to use the equipment to secretly monitor the games from the second room. The victim was to play an opponent who was part of the alleged scheme. The defendants allegedly planned to use marked playing cards for the Chinese poker so they could identify the victim's cards and transmit instructions to the opposing player, who would be wearing a concealed earpiece.

They also intended to use the equipment to monitor the games of backgammon and chess so computer programs could be used to calculate the countermoves that offered the best odds of winning, authorities said.

Deputy Attorney General Kerry DiJoseph of the Division of Criminal Justice Major Crimes Bureau - Casino Prosecution Unit, is handling the case for the state.

The attorneys are scheduled to appear in court Nov. 17 without their clients for a management conference, Connor said. The defendants and their attorneys will all appear in court together Dec. 1, he said.

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More Casino News: MGM Plans on Hold

Date: Wed, Oct 29, 2008 Live Tournament Women

There is more news coming out of atlantic City today about its potentional casinos. Now, MGM has decided to be its plans on hold because of sagging economy. Can't say I blame them because reports from a few people I know in the business have said the last couple of week have been horrendous.

Poker rooms have had few tables going and ones that are going, are short. Not fun times.

Here is the article from The Press of Atlantic City.

By DONALD WITTKOWSKI, Staff Writer, 609-272-7258
Published: Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Gaming giant MGM Mirage Resorts Inc. said today it is halting plans for a $5 billion casino complex in Atlantic City until the sagging economy picks up.

The announcement comes as no surprise and reiterates what the company told The Press of Atlantic City in August. At that time, MGM said it would postpone the start of construction at least until 2009.

MGM did not state how long it would delay the project in today’s announcement, which was made as part of the company’s report on third quarter earnings.

“We continue to believe Atlantic City represents an important market for further development,” Terry Lanni, MGM’s chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “We intend to resume development at such time as economic conditions and capital markets are sufficiently improved to enable us to go forward on a reasonable basis.”

MGM planned to build an estimated $4.5 billion to $5 billion megaresort in the Marina District next to Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, which it co-owns with Boyd Gaming Corp.

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