I’ve been watching a lot of poker on TV lately (remember it is the dead of summer here in Las Vegas) and every show has one or two or more dot com multi-millionaires. Often these guys are retired thirty somethings with way too much time and money, people that discovered poker after they became the idle rich. I am not talking about professional players like Barry Greenstein, a retired millionaire software developer, whom has played poker for decades and donates all his winnings to children’s charities. I watch Barry and most of his play is textbook perfect and then I watch the other dot comers and most have reduced poker to a game of chance, spiced with a good helping of ego driven trash talk, “I knew my king would win.” I do enjoy watching the pros play, seeing them use skills developed from thousands of hours of top level competition. Many of the newcomers only bring their money and luck. I'm not complaining about the influx of all this new money: rather quite the opposite, I encourage everyone to play, I love the game and all the characters it attracts. Considering all the bored rich now playing the tournaments I guess that Benny Binion was right when he answered the question, “What does it take to make a good poker player?” His answer, “Money!”

Should you ever lose a pot and need a good excuse here’s a few I have heard:

Top nine reasons I didn’t win the pot.

9. I called just to keep you honest.
8. How could I lay down a pair of sixes?
7. You should have folded.
6. I have to leave anyway.
5. I was playing my rush.
4. I misread my hand.
3. I couldn’t see the flop because the lights got in my eyes.
2. I don’t really play for the money.
1. You didn’t play those pocket aces right.

Posted by flipchipro at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Donald is coming to Vegas. Donald Trump announced yesterday that he has entered into a joint venture with New Frontier owner, Phil Ruffin, and they plan to build a $300 million, sixty-four story ultra plush residential tower in Las Vegas. The building will be constructed on 3.5 acres of the New Frontier Hotel and Casino’s 41 acre property located on the north end of the famous Las Vegas Strip. The building will be the tallest in Nevada eclipsing the forty-nine story $2.4 billion Wynn Resort under construction across the street. Trump said the project will break ground in 2005.

Posted by flipchipro at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is poker any better off now that it’s had over a year of rock solid television and media exposure? Now that it’s the darling of the charity fundraising events? Now that every aspect of the game is on continuous growth curves? The answer, I think, is yes and no.

I read the blogs, the news-clippings and watch the televised tournaments almost daily and the trend is, for the most part, very positive. Poker leagues, home games and people having a good time with a game of cards is defiantly growing by leaps and bounds and generating a lot of attention; so, all this popularity is the problem.

Poker has always been on the back burner, an afterthought for law enforcement and morality prudes alike, and now with the increased exposure it will be tested time and again by (sometimes) well-meaning groups and individuals that just don’t seem to get it. I added “sometimes” because the most dangerous groups and individuals that will oppose poker as the popular sport it’s become are the smart ones that see an opportunity to take center stage by voicing their condemnation of the sport. It doesn’t matter whether they believe it themselves or not. The Attorney General looking for headlines grabbers comes to mind. I don’t think we will see it this election year because the media feeding frenzy is already being served by a buffet crowded with many hot, headline grabbing issues. But just wait a couple of years. Poker’s growing popularity will hit the moral mainstream, especially when the current slate of hot issues has been quashed and is old news. I expect to see more then one person or group organizing and setting out on a crusade to make poker the latest devil that is destroying our society and corrupting our moral values.

From online poker’s imagined connection to funding terrorist groups, gambling abuse and addiction to the ‘horrid’ immorality that runs rampant through our peaceful communities. Well, of course it’s a load of crap; but, I just think its coming and the major reason is the US gaming industry. We can only hope they aren’t another RIAA that decimates diversity, growth, and new technology. Of course, we can also hope for five royal flushes in a row… I think the sun will burn out before either happens. When Indian Gaming took hold a few years back gaming executives were certain that it would be a disaster for Vegas and people would stop coming and leaving their money. A lot of casino dollars was donated to elect Las Vegas friendly, anti-Indian Casino politicians. In the end, the Indian Casinos were built and many of the Nation’s poverty stricken Indians found a source of wealth and independence. The Indian tribes won big and so did the short-sighted Vegas casino moguls. The advent of isolated Indian casinos introduced casino games of chance to the masses and the result has been a major reason for the record growth of the Las Vegas tourist industry. All those new players from the Indian casinos begin coming to Vegas to try their luck at the major leagues of casinos. The very same Indian Casinos that the Las Vegas gaming casino brain trust had opposed have become regional player introduction and training centers that provide a steady flow of tourist to Vegas. Today, right now, poker and internet poker are the coin of the realm and the stakes are high.

In other news, I found this nifty link about online poker tells.

Posted by pokerprof at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, I had a chance to chat with poker’s “Senior Ambassador,” “Oklahoma Johnny” Hale recently, and if this personable elder statesman told fish stories rather then Las Vegas stories I am sure he would have caught Moby Dick and a giant squid on the same fishing trip. I also know that the stories Johnny generously shares are loaded with his wisdom and they’re entertaining to boot.

The conversation begin with Johnny informing me that he is no longer associated with “Card Player Magazine” since the management of the periodical recently offended most of the poker world by throwing its weight around as the only poker print game in town. As I understand it, they have raised their advertising rates by a factor of four so most of the smaller advertisers can no longer afford their rates. We will see if this business move has any impact on the poker print press market. My money says we will soon see some new competition for Card Player. All of that advertising revenue is looking for a new, affordable home.

“Oklahoma Johnny” took the time to tell some great stories about women, lawyers and poker. He gave me a copy of his book, “Gentleman Gambler,” which reads like a good blog, divided into bite sized short stories complete with exaggeration and hyperbole that makes for a great read. I can’t do justice to his story telling, but I will relate one of his stories just the same.

My early days in Vegas:

When I first moved out here, back in the 60’s it was because my first wife, a moral paragon, was fed up with my gambling ways and had asked for a divorce. I quickly agreed it was for the best (by this time we had gotten rich and had a large home where we lived on opposite ends, rarely seeing each other). I told her we didn’t need a lawyer for this, we could divide everything up fair and plain. She agreed but then talked to some of her rich friends and they told her she needed a lawyer, so a lawyer she got. Now, this lawyer said he wanted $4,000 for the divorce paperwork and even though I thought this was a little steep I paid him. I waited a couple of weeks and never heard a word from the lawyer so I called him and the fellow told me that the paper work was done but due to the size of our holdings $4,000 wasn’t enough, now it’s $20,000. I tell him, it’s the same paperwork, and he says yes it is but he still needs the 20 thousand. So I think on it for a second and tell him, “Give me five minutes, I need to make a call” so I quickly hang up. Well, I sit there for about five minutes watching the clock and then call him back. I say, “Well, sir, since I’m now in Vegas I’m going to send ‘Tommy and Jimmy’ out this Friday on an airplane and they will negotiate your fees and try to resolve this,” and then I hung up. I didn’t talk to that lawyer again: but, I got a call the next day from state chairman of the Democratic Party, an acquaintance of the lawyer trying to rip me off. He said that the lawyer had reconsidered and $4,000 was just fine and I should tell ‘Tommy and Jimmie’ to stay in Vegas. Oklahoma Johnny continued to entertain us with his love for lawyers and ended the conversation when he asked me, “If I knew when a lawyer would go to heaven?” Of course I said I didn’t so he answered his own question with, “When there’s no more room in Hell for another lawyer.”

Posted by pokerprof at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Orleans Open/2004 ended Sunday night when the final Championship event was played and Robert Slezak of Omaha, Nebraska outlasted 366 entrants to claim the $131,355 first prize money from the $366,000 prize pool. Richard Roberts of Chandler, Arizona finished second and collected $68,165 while Victor Perches of Las Vegas received $37,275 for third place. The $1060 No-Limit Hold’em Championship contest attracted many poker professionals vying for prize money and bragging rights. Spotted at the tables was Patty Gallagher of San Diego, California fresh from winning $91,120 for her third place finish in the WSOP $5000 Limit Hold’em event. Men “The Master” Nguyen was holding court at another table with his trademark stream of self-promotion chatter while Scotty Nguyen was trying to survive with a short stack. T.J. Cloutier had an early out when his cards failed to survive the flop and he was eliminated. Daniel Negreanu begin building a stack of chips that turned into a mountain and got him to the final table where he finished sixth and collected $13,315 for his efforts. “Oklahoma Johnny” Hale, Poker’s Senior Statesman, was in the room and took the time to tell us some great stories which the Poker Prof will offer in a post. Puggy Pearson was wandering through the crowd visiting with fans and friends.

The second chance tournament closed out this year’s Orleans Open and the room packed up and moved back to the first floor poker room shortly after the final and was dealt. The 2004 Open drew record crowds and all the events were a sell out. This annual multi-event tournament features low entry fees allowing all poker players to compete in a big-time event with the same professional poker stars that are commonly seen on televised poker. As in the past, the Orleans Open was well run by Orleans management including Garrett Okahara, Director of Poker; Bryan Gurden, Tournament Director; Robert Tagliaferria, Dealer Coordinator; Tom Reese, Tournament Supervisor and all the floor staff and dealers that made the 2004 event a success and a lot of fun for all. The complete results of the daily events are now available and the Photo Gallery is complete. Start planning now for the 2005 Orleans Open. The results and photo gallery for the event are complete.

Posted by flipchipro at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Poker is becoming a trend in charity, and a successful one, so when I got a phone call from Janet Taylor in Texas about a poker charity fund-raiser for a 4 year old who needs a serious operation I knew I had to do what I could to help. She has set up a paypal account to accept donations for the e-mail address amarillodartassociation@hotmail.com or they can be mailed to "Amarillo Dart Association Fundraiser" P. O. Box 1282, Amarillo, TX 79105. She also sent me the scoop on the charity benefit, which follows exactly as I received it. Personally, I think charity is one of the medicinal uses for poker that will really help to build grass roots support and acceptance in the long haul. Right now, even with the media attention, I think the overall legal status is very borderline.

From the mother:

Alec Drerup was born 12-7-99 and suffered a brachial plexus injury at birth. He had full left arm paralysis and has been in physical and occupational therapy since he was 10 days old. He has endured 3 surgeries at the Texas Childrens Hospital in Houston. During his first surgery at 4 months of age we were told the nerves to the hand and wrist were severed from the spinal cord. Since then 2 other surgeries have been done to restore his left arm (excluding the hand and wrist) all in preparation for a procedure called the "Gracilis Surgery, in hopes of restoring feeling and movement to the hand and wrist. The Gracilis surgery will require several trips to Houston over the course of 12 months. One of those trips will be for an EMG (nerve sensory) test and evaluation. Another we will meet with the entire surgical team to discuss all surgical procedures and what we should prepare for as far as recovery is concerned. Surgery is scheduled the following morning. All we currently know about the Gracilis surgery is that it is lengthy (approx 12 to 25 hrs). They will transplant nerves, tendons and muscles from various places on Alec's body into his left arm, running the length of the arm tying into the nerve cloister on his left side, continuing across his chest or throat, tying into his right side nerve cloister that attached to his spinal cord. Alec will be sedated in ICU for 5 to 15 days. He will be released directly from ICU. Another trip will be for the removal of the skin graft from his surgery. After the surgery, Alec will have to be refrained from activity for several weeks (difficult for a 4-year old).

From Janet Taylor:

The Amarillo Dart Association ("ADA") is an unincorporated nonprofit association that promotes league play of steel-tip darts. The ADA regularly organizes and holds fundraisers for entities or individuals in need. Alec's parents need financial help with expenses not covered by insurance as well as the cost of travel, hotel, and meals. Since Alec's medical needs are not life threatening, agencies that could otherwise assist, funnel their aid to those whose needs are more immediate. To assist the ADA in raising funds to help cover out-of-pocket expenses for Alec's surgery, the ADA has organized a Texas Hold 'Em Poker tournament which is being held on Sunday, August 15, 2004, starting at 1 p.m., at Rocco's Martini Bar on Olsen near Paramount in Amarillo, Texas. Poker players are being requested to donate $20 to play in the tournament. The ADA and the Drerup family would gratefully appreciate any donation you would be willing to make via the PayPal account mentioned above.

WE ARE REQUESTING A $20 DONATION PER PLAYER.

We will have the wrap-up for the Orleans Open final event tomorrow and later in the week some stories from one of the poker legends, "Oklahoma Johnny" Hale who I begged for an interview with bumped into. We do have the photos for the Orleans Open updated with the final day including some shots of T.J. (on page 5).

Posted by pokerprof at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I’m beginning to wonder how long before HDouble will be on a WPT episode, given his winning playing abilities. It’s also worth checking out Pokerati who is following the “War on Poker” in Minnesota. Monte Christo has a great post on the top 10 barriers to being a winning poker player and just won a missive prize of his own, congrats! Maudie has a post on the pain of having aces cracked… ouch! To wrap this up, AlCantHang finally asked me a question (and yes, I whined for it), but he sure picked a doosey! I wonder if he’ll post up the entire answer.

Posted by pokerprof at 8:03 PM | Permalink

Anyone know what this is about? I found a brief news article, but neither side was talking to the press. This reeks of an ill conceived publicity stunt by Full Tilt Poker, of course, I could be wrong.

UPDATE: I just "got it" when I saw an ad for this on SpikeTV network. Basically I no longer consider it ill conceived, but a master stroke! You can't run ads for an on-line poker site anymore but you can run ads for your [insert cause here] (in this case Poker in the Olympics) site that is backed by your on line poker site. Genius! Sheer bloody genius!

Posted by pokerprof at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Hot damn, the weekend is finally here; although, for us Las Vegas residents everyday is like Saturday night. Most of us joke about moving away from Vegas as soon as we have saved enough money for a ticket out of town; but, I really can’t imagine living anywhere else. The addiction here is not the gambling; instead it is the nature of the city itself. Twenty-four hours of everything. Non stop action. A never ending holiday atmosphere. Hundreds of thousands of visitors every day. I can order prime rib twenty-four hours a day and it cost me less than a fast food joint meal. Always something to do, something to see, something to eat and, of course, something to bet on in Vegas. Las Vegas is continually reinventing itself. Las Vegas history is very short lived and usually ends in a theatrically staged implosion. Las Vegas prefers to invest in the future with new billion dollar joints coming on-line every few months. The only thing we tend to retain is the layout of the city. If you look closely at the design of Las Vegas you will see it is one giant vacuum cleaner sucking up all that money.

I have listed some excuses you may use to justify a trip to Vegas. Try these out on your boss or spouse or whomever and come on down for a visit. I’m not so sure this much fun is legal.

The Top 9 list of excuses for a Vegas trip.

9. I need to cash in some dollar tokens from the last trip.
8. I have to see the all new Fremont Street Experience.
7. They’re giving away free hats at the Plaza.
6. I get high from the cigarette smoke in the casinos.
5. The Star Trek convention (music lovers should insert Elvis for Star Trek).
4. I found some all you can eat Circus Circus buffet passes.
3. The art & culture museums.
2. I have to ride the new monorail.
1. Free Booze!

Posted by flipchipro at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Orleans Open/2004 Tournament is winding down with the final regular event, $125 No-Limit Hold’em, played on Thursday, 07/22/04. Scott Fischman, a two event winner in the 2004 WSOP, remained in the action with a large stack when the field was down to three short tables. I caught Susie Isaac looking sharp and looking on from the rail. Prof has updated the photo gallery and has added the results for all the tournament action thru yesterday.

The first of the three Championship Events begins today when $340 Hi-Lo Omaha kicks off at High Noon. Saturday’s Championship event will be $550 Limit Hold’em starting at 12 Noon and the final Championship event to determine this year’s Orleans Open/2004 Champion, $1060 No-Limit Hold’em, will be played on Sunday, 07/25/04, starting at Noon. The popular Second Chance evening satellites, limited to 300 entrants, will continue through Sunday with registration open at 5:00 pm and starting at 7:00 pm. The Orleans Open/2004 has enjoyed great crowds throughout the 17 day run this year and tournament management is up to its’ usual high standards.

Fellow Blogger, Call, Raise or Muck It Poker Blog, played in the 7-Card Stud Hi-Lo event on Wednesday and finished on the bubble. This guy has more bad beat stories than Tricky Dick Nixon; but, if you are up to another one then read his tournament play-by-play. You may also read his posting about a recent trip to New Mexico and the visit with our sometimes cartoonist, J. Santos. I forgot to warn them that Santos is living proof that man can survive on alcohol alone.

Posted by flipchipro at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I get quite a bit of e-mail about poker and gambling with most being positive. Occasional I get an inquiry such as I've addressed here concerning the worries of the negative aspects of the game of poker, namely addiction and moral corruption. I have posted the recent e-mail (with permission and the names removed) along with my response. I would greatly appreciate reader comments and advice on this subject.

The E-mail from “Concerned Wife”:

“Looking for some advice and information resources. My teenage son plays Texas Hold 'Em with his friends about twice a week. The typical buy in is $20. He wins 90% of the time by my rough calculation.
My wife is concerned about 2 things- his becoming addicted to gambling, and taking advantage of less experienced players. My son has assured me that he would stop playing after losing $40 on any given night. He is a full time college student with a full time summer job and a very cocky attitude. He often watches WSOP on tv [sic].”

The PokerProf’s Response:

I am not sure you have anything to worry about here. Your son is exhibiting typical behavior for his age group and considering the recent spectacular rise in the popularity of poker, I’m surprised he only plays a couple of times a week. Please realize that I'm not an expert on the subject of addiction and therefore cannot offer any solutions, only opinions, which will hopefully give your wife some peace of mind. Poker is a game (sport) that can be mastered and through study combined with practice it becomes a vocation for some. When the casual, recreational poker player moves up to the professional ranks the game becomes work, very hard work. When you are playing you are at your job and to do your job well requires a dedication to develop and practice many skills. You indicated your son has a nine to one win ratio among his peers and that would indicate he has developed a very respectable understanding of the basic game. He also has set a stop loss to control his play bankroll, another indication of a serious, mature approach to the game. Probably, no matter how much you may nag him, he is not going to walk away from the game; so, you may want to consider becoming involved in his efforts and provide him with some good instructional poker books and encourage him to study and become a student of the game.

Your wife indicated that she is concerned he may become addicted to gambling (I am assuming as a result of playing poker). If your son has an addictive personality (does he smoke, drink, do drugs or anything to excess?) and begins to spend all of his time and resources playing whatever games of chance he can find (i.e. Lotteries, slot machines, most casino games-craps, blackjack, and sport’s bets) then you would, as the responsible parent, address this apparent addiction problem through professional evaluation and therapy. You can monitor his spending habits, college attendance and grades for early indications of gambling trouble. You did not mention if your son plays poker on-line, not a problem unto itself unless he spends an inordinate amount of his time in front of the computer plugged into casinos. His mother is concerned that he takes advantage of less experienced players and she considers this to be a problem. Isn’t this what sports is all about? Professional sports figures are dedicated to becoming the very best at what they do and through their skills they beat the competition. Bobby Bonds takes advantage of pitchers, Lance Armstrong takes advantage of other riders and Doyle Brunson takes advantage of poker players. No worry here, you need to quickly move this fear from the negative to the positive side of the page and be very happy he has the ability to take advantage of other players since this is an undeniable attribute of a winner.

To sum up our thoughts about your perceived problem, I don’t think you really have any justifiable concerns at this point. In fact, I think you are quite lucky to have a son that goes to college full time, works full time at his summer job and has learned enough about the game of poker to hold his own with his peers. And that cocky attitude? At his age I would be concerned if he didn’t an ‘attitude.’ If he continues to pursue his poker abilities he will fine tune that attitude to his advantage (Watch Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, and Men Nyugen on televised poker). Watching the WSOP on TV is definitely not a problem and actually serves a couple of purposes. First, as with most televised sports it is entertaining; but, most important is the opportunity to have an inside look at how the pros play, very much like sitting in a classroom at school. Although you did not make mention of the moral aspects of playing poker it is implied that you consider poker to be morally corrupting. We believe that poker is a wonderful past time and I am most happy it has finally come out of the dark, smoke filled closet to center stage. The players that go on to become professionals will have a very bright future, a respectable vocation and a most lucrative occupation. Poker is the only casino game the IRS classifies as a game of skill instead of random chance. It is the only casino endeavor where a player can legally and consistently win (Yes, I know there exist a very minute group of practicing blackjack card counters that can win). Many of our readers have considerable experience and expertise in all aspects of the game of poker and they also have kids so I'm appealing to them to help out here and share their expertise through their comments about this often controversial subject.

Posted by pokerprof at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The 2004 Orleans Open Poker Tournament results are up and the event photos are updated, enjoy.

Posted by pokerprof at 1:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The results of events to date of the Orleans Open/2004 Poker Tournament are currently being set into a searchable database so you can easily find yourself and your friends that finished in the money. We are adding more photos to the gallery and will continue to cover and photograph the tournament which runs through this Sunday, July 25th. The final championship event, $1060 No-limit Hold’em, will begin at noon on Sunday and play will continue until one player has all the chips. The Orleans Open poker tournament is an annual event that has enjoyed a large turnout of players and fans alike. The lower entry fees allow everyone to play. The Orleans Hotel and Casino is located just off the Las Vegas Strip at 4500 W. Tropicana Avenue and you may call the poker room direct for tournament details at 1.702.365.7150 or 1.888.675.3267.

Posted by flipchipro at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The company said they have to have approximately 15 million riders a year to break even. Las Vegas currently gets about thirty million visitors a year so at least half of you have to ride the monorail. Another pitch I can make is your $3 fare is for a good cause since the private business that owns the system was granted charity status. That’s right, they don’t pay taxes. Rumors are also being floated around town that salaries paid to some of the company officials exceed $400K per year. Of course, we can’t confirm or deny this since all of the politicians and government officials or under an apparent gag order (self-imposed?) and the monorail company officials simply look into the camera with a Cheshire grin while stating that they will not discuss any salary information.

OK fine, we'll do some quick arithmetic for those 15 million riders, let’s see now, approximately 150 people per train with a train every nine minutes until midnight then times about 365 days in a year should equal something close to break even, so if we borrow a few million and carry a one…; well, anyway, you can do the math. Oh yea, I did forget to factor in that extra leap year day and I shouldn’t forget about all that clean air I am going to get to breathe. Clean air has got to be worth something.

To sum all this up, here is my adapted version of the Monorail Simpsons Song (with apologies to Matt Groening)

Broadbent: Well, sir, there's nothing on earth
Like a genuine,
Bona fide,
Electrified,
Four-car
Monorail! ...
What'd I say?
Sen. Harry Reid: Monorail!
Broadbent: What's it called?
Las Vegas Commissioners: Monorail!
Broadbent: That's right! Monorail!
[crowd chants "Monorail" softly and rhythmically]
PokerProf: I hear those things are awfully small...
Broadbent: Not to worry there's room for all.
Safety Inspector: Is there a chance the track could bend?
Broadbent: Not on your life, my kick backed friend.
Mayor Goodman: What about a drunken slob?
Broadbent: Why worry with your cushy job.
Flipchip: Were you sent here by the man?
Broadbent: Oh goodness no, just Uncle Sam
PokerProf: Your a charity, so the salaries you have to tell.
Broadbent: No problem good sir, when it's a cold day in Hell.
PokerProf: I hope it won't cost the taxpayers much.
Broadbent: Only if you consider $650 million such.
I swear it's Vegas' only choice...
Throw up your wallets and raise your voice!
All: [singing] Monorail!
Broadbent: What's it called?
All: Monorail!
Broadbent: once again...
All: Monorail!
Flipchip: But Downtown street's are still all cracked and broken...
Broadbent: Sorry, but the mob has spoken!
All: [singing] Monorail!
Monorail!
Monorail!
[big finish]
Monorail!

Posted by flipchipro at 9:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Posted by pokerprof at 1:15 AM | Permalink

Interesting news this week from the epicenter of the gambling universe, Las Vegas. The merger of Harrah’s Entertainment and Caesars Entertainment will produce a monstrously powerful $9.4 billion empire. This deal follows closely on the heels of the recently completed mega merger ($6.9 billion) of MGM Mirage properties and Mandalay Resorts. The Las Vegas strip will be almost entirely controlled by two companies, sorta like our two party system controlling the country. The casino employees will certainly have to walk the straight and narrow or risk being shut out of the industry. A quick analysis of the mergers indicates that the overall effect will be to benefit the Vegas economy. These companies have properties all over the country and can now data mine the customer base and offer something for everyone with Las Vegas being the ultimate destination and winner. Poker rooms are opening all over town with the Imperial Palace having recently revived their poker room. Additional poker rooms will soon open at Bally’s, the MGM, Caesars and Wynn’s new joint.

The monorail train system opened this week to much hoopla and