A few more photos have been added to the 2005 World Series of Poker Photo gallery.

The time grows short before the crowds take their place at the Rio's Pavilion. The work crews continue to set up tables and lights, big screens closed circuit TV, sound systems, registration booths, all the things needed to guarantee a smooth and successful run for the historic 2005 World Series of Poker. The spacious, modern facilities at the Rio Resort are in stark contrast to the aging Binion's Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas. Having spent a number of years covering the WSOP at the Horseshoe and remembering trying to crowd more people into Benny's Bullpin than would fit; I, for one, am looking forward to this year's uptown tournament. Of course, I'll miss many of the things that were downtown traditional to the World Series of Poker; but I won't miss the lousy lighting that made good photos an impossibility. I won't miss the crowded corridors that were impossible to navigate, nor will I miss that peculiar odor that had permeated the Horseshoe the last few years. I will miss knowing about the best parking spaces, the shortcut into the coffee shop, secret passageways, lower levels and even the ghosts that are always just out of sight in the old place.

Would the late Benny Binion approve of his WSOP moving to bigger and better digs on the upper end of the Vegas Strip? Probably not, but the WSOP isn't his anymore. Benny would have moved it to a better place, and that place would have been the Horseshoe. He always maintained his downtown property with a spit and polish attitude and continued to make the Horseshoe better without doing damage to it's soul. Whatever it took to get the gamblers into his joint and make them comfortable was his special knack. Benny had a genuine affection for poker players and the World Series of Poker was his gift to everyone that plays the game. Did Benny foresee the WSOP becoming the monster of today? Probably not, in fact, no one predicted the tremendous growth of the industry until it was already well under way. So, how would he have handled the multitudes coming to be a part of poker history when the 2005 WSOP begins Thursday? The same way he always did. He would make sure you were treated with respect, got a fair shake and was as comfortable as possible. I think they should modify the stature of Benny, the one of him on his horse. They should show him holding a WSOP gold bracelet in one hand and a stack of food comps in the other. That's how I remember the founder of the WSOP, bigger than life, and I do miss that memory.

Speaking of food comps, I hear rumors there will be no food comps, player buffets or any dining accommodations for the 2005 WSOP participants. I am assuming the 'suits' made a bottom line decision that continuing the Binion tradition of feeding gamblers wasn't cost effective. Apparently the bean counters (pun intended) couldn't work out an acceptable ROI on the food.

Least I forget, the final twenty-seven players in the $10K main event will return to the downtown Horseshoe for one last time. I'm sure the ghost of poker past will be out in force to see how this one plays out. Benny, Moss, Ungar, Strass, Roberts and a few others will be there playing in their own exclusive poker game and making side bets on the outcome of the live game.

Posted by flipchipro at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The World Series of Poker is three days away if you count the Casino Employee No-Limit Hold'em on Thursday as event #1 (the WSOP says it's event #1). The first WSOP event open to everyone and the first to be filmed by ESPN for national television broadcast will begin on Friday, June 3rd, at high noon in the Pavilion at the Rio Resort. Friday's event #2 will be a $1,500 buy-in No limit Hold'em affair that signals the official start of the 2005 World Series of Poker. Saturday will see another $1,500 Hold'em tournament, only this time it is Pot Limit. The final table of the Friday No-Limit event will begin at 2:00 pm and continue until we have our first 2005 WSOP bracelet winner.

The tournament format will be two days for each event, excepting the final $10K world championship and some special events. Each event will begin at noon and play until the final table is determined. The final table will be played the following day beginning at 2:00 pm and continuing until someone leaves with a coveted WSOP gold championship bracelet. Interested in playing in the televised events or just want to know which WSOP tournaments will be filmed and when they will be broadcast then visit the World Series of Poker TV broadcast schedule.

I stopped by the Rio today and wandered around the Pavilion with camera in hand. The workers were busy setting up the tournament tables, getting the lighting into place and all of the other hundreds of tasks needing to be completed before the 2005 WSOP puts out the welcome sign. Spaces outside the Pavilion, conveniently close to the action, are becoming shops that will offer everything from snacks and drinks to a complete line of WSOP clothing. Today, the corridors outside the Pavilion were empty of people; but, I felt a sense of anticipation of the many thousands of players, fans, media, dealers and tournament officials that will be filling the space come Friday.

The 2005 World Series of Poker Photo Gallery is now available with a few of today's pictures. Photos will be added daily throughout the 44 day run of the tournament so visit often. This year LasVegasVegas will provide complete coverage of all the tournament action and our trademark tournament gallery filled with our exclusive photographs of everything WSOP. Dr. Pauly of Tao of Poker will be on the tournament floor everyday providing readers his unique view of the World Series of Poker. Anyone that reads his blogs already knows he is an accomplished writer, gripping author and, best of all, a seasoned poker player. You are guaranteed to be informed and entertained with Pauly covering the 2005 WSOP and you will only find him here.

Posted by flipchipro at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

To start off this week in review check out Double A's latest strategy offerings in his articles pressure points and pressure points revisited then be sure to read EV's stunning article entitled EV's guide to spread limit hold'em. Look no further then litfpitr for the legality of poker in North Carloina . While on the subject of poker legalities, both Pauly and F-Train have posts about the recent poker club raids in New York. (Pauly's being extra cool since it also includes the table of contents from the latest issue of Trukin'). In the comparison and analogy department Stick and Move has a post of Star Wars quotes as they apply to poker and JRJ has a post providing a thoughtful and in depth comparison of poker to chess. In other news some WPBT bounties... Maudie is all bark and no bite and if you get Geek and Proud's bounty the Jopke is on you.

Only a few days remain before the mother of all poker tournaments, the WPBT Vegas Invitational, begins right here in las Vegas next Saturday. I guess I should also mention that another poker tournament will be going on here in Las Vegas, the World Series of Poker gets under way on Friday. The WSOP will debut its' new home at the Rio All-Suite Resort. All of the poker professionals will be here for this one, along with thousands of not-so-pro players. Try to be here for the most exciting poker action in the world and you will be a part of poker history.

Posted by pokerprof at 3:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I had an opportunity to stay at the Rio Resort, the new home of the World Series of Poker. The all-suite hotel is exactly that. The rooms are oversize with a sofa and comfortable chair, table with more chairs and well appointed bathrooms. The floor to ceiling glass wall provides panoramic views of the lights of Las Vegas, and when the heavy drapes are closed outside light and noise levels are almost non-existent, a great benefit since most poker players are nocturnal creatures.

Those lucky enough to be staying so close to the WSOP action will find the Rio a comfortable, full service hotel. A great in-room menu, high speed internet, plenty of work space and laundry/cleaning service.

Not staying at the Rio? Then you may be across the street at Maloof's trendy Palms Hotel and Casino or the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino. Either of these Vegas resorts are first rate and conveniently located adjacent to the Rio. There is usually no shortage of rooms in Vegas, even for a big event like the 2005 World Series of Poker; but, better to be safe so book your accomodations now.

This week's Nines list should help you avoid the pitfalls of a bad hotel. This week's nines...

9. While checking in the desk clerk keeps asking, "What you got in the bag, Dude?"
8. Bell hop loses your luggage on the way to the room.
7. You recognize the Security Guard from America's Most Wanted.
6. Instead of free soap & shampoo you get a fly swatter and mousetrap.
5. The last occupant left their meth lab in the closet.
4. At check out you learn the in-room movie charge is $699.00 not $6.99.
3. Two words: Killer Bees.
2. The only channel on TV only plays old Rush Limbaugh reruns.
1. Chalk outlines on floor!

That's it for today. Tomorrow has the Week in Review and J. Santos' Muck It cartoon.

Posted by flipchipro at 8:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Mirage Poker Showdown is really over. It ended early this morning when the final table of the Professional Poker Tour was played down to one surviving player. The winner of the PPT was Ted Forrest. Ted defeated Randy Jensen in heads up play when Randy went all-in with A,8o and Ted called Randy's $741K bet with pocket 8's. The flop came 7,5,4 leaving Ted in the lead with his pair of 8's and Randy now having another out, any 6 would split the pot. The turn brought the magic six and both players had an 8 high straight with three clubs on the board. The river brought the Jack of clubs and only club between both players was one of Ted's 8's. Ted got the club flush and the Championship. Randy got a liberal dose of disappointment and second place.

Third place in the marathon final table, it didn't end until after midnight, went to David Levi. Ted came into the table this afternoon as the chip leader, having a few thousand more than second place chip count and crowd favorite, 'Captain' Tom Franklin. First out was Blair Rodman receiving $25,000 for sixth place. The next victim was Chris Tsiprailidis leaving the final table in the fifth spot and collecting $30,000. The play continued until David Levi and 'Captain' Tom went heads up. The flop showed Q,Q,Q and 'Captain' Tom goes all-in for his remaining $80K and change. David Levi looks around and announces, "Seat open," before calling and turning up his Q,J for quad Queens. The Captain tosses his cards face down into the muck and leaves the game in fourth place taking $45,000.

Ted became the first to have more than a million in chips, Randy had about a half million and David had less than a quarter of a million. The players tightened up and it was obvious that each of the three wanted to win. The chip counts went back and fourth according to how Lady Luck chose to deal the cards. David and Randy took most of Ted's million in chips and it looked as though Ted was on his way home; then, he made a dramatic comeback, again building his stack to over a million. Time and again Ted tried to eliminate short stacked David Levi, only to have a miracle card appear on the river and David doubling up. Finally, David ran out of miracles and was eliminated in the third spot receiving $60,000. The $100,000 second place money goes home with Randy Jensen.

Ted received $200,000 for the win plus a $25,000 seat in the WPT Season IV Championship at the Bellagio in 2006. This was his second final table in as many days. On Thursday he finished second to Gavin Smith for the WPT Championship and collected $579,386. Not a bad couple of days for Mr. Forrest. We are counting down the days to the WSOP which begins next Friday, June 3rd, at the Rio Resort. The Mirage Poker Showdown Photo Gallery is growing daily and should be completed within a few days. Complete Mirage Poker Showdown/WPT Championship/PPT tournament results can be found at Poker Player Newspaper.

Posted by flipchipro at 3:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The new host for the World Poker Tour was formally introduced this afternoon before the start of the WPT $10,000 Championship final table. The first tournament of the WPT's Season IV began with their latest beauty, Courtney Friel. Courtney was absolutely striking in a red gown. Fans of the World Poker Tour will not be disappointed with Courtney. She is an outgoing, quick witted lady that knows the business and works very well in front of the camera. She has experience behind the camera,as well, and is a capable producer. Courtney has extensive on-camera broadcast experience reporting for national networks and local affiliates, she can be seen starring in national commercials and has done modeling for print magazines.

I had the opportunity to shoot a few photos of Courtney this afternoon and offer them for your pleasure. As evidenced by the pictures, the camera loves her. I'm looking forward to watching Courtney develop into a poker pro over the upcoming Season IV. Additonal photos are available by clicking on the continue reading link below. Photos are added daily to our Mirage Poker Showdown Gallery. Complete tournament results are available at Poker Player Newspaper.

The Professional Poker Tour (PPT) will fire up again today, Friday, at 4:00 pm for the completion of the PPT tournament that began at the start of the Poker Showdown. The six professionals at the final table with seat assignment shown in ( ):

1. Ted Forrest (1)
2. Tom Franklin (6)
3. David Levi (4)
4. Blair Rodman (2)
5. Randy Jensen (5)
6. Chris Tsiprailidis (3)

We will be there for the final day of the final event of the 2005 Mirage Poker Showdown.

More photos of Courtney Friel.

It's a tough job; but yea, someone has to do it.

Posted by flipchipro at 3:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The first tournament of the World Poker Tour Season IV has a winner. Gavin Smith made it official when he defeated Ted Forrest to take the title and become the WPT's latest millionaire. Gavin outlasted the field of 317 to take the top prize and as an added bonus he receives a $25,000 seat in the WPT season ending Championship at the Bellagio in 2006.

The last hand saw Ted Forrest call all-in with A-J in the pocket. Gavin showed the Hilton Sisters (pocket queens). The flop came K-10-9, the turn was a 5 and the river brought a 4 and the championship when Gavin's queens held up.

Gavin also takes home, in addition to the $25K seat, a cool $1,128,278 in cash. Second place finisher, Ted Forrest, had to settle for the second place money amounting to $579,386.

In 3rd was Chris Bell who ran into seriously tough luck, having Gavin Smith double through him when a three outer hit; then Ted Forrest hit when Chris had Ted dominated (Chris' A-K vs. Ted Forrest's A-7). The Final blow came when Chris moved all in with a pair of 8's and Gavin Smith called with an A-Q that hit. Chris left in third place taking $289,693.

Thang Pham was crippled when his bluff was called by Forrests' flopped set and finished off in 4th by Ted Forrest when A-9 dominated Pham's A-5. This sent the chip leader going into today packing with an extra $182,964 for his 4th place finish.

Gene Todd was the 5th place finisher when his Gavin Smith moved all--in on the turn and Todd elected to call. Todd had two pair, Gavin Smith had a full house. The river brough no help and Gene Todd walks away with $137,223.

The 6th place finisher was the short stack coming into today, Mark Ellerbe. Pham's pocket 5's flopped a set which became a full-house on the turn to eliminate Ellerbe who takes home $106,729 for his efforts.

Photos of all the action at the Mirage Poker Showdown including the WPT Championship are in the World Poker Tour Photo Gallery for complete tournament results visit the Mirage Poker Showdown results and for the Championship event visit the World Poker Tour season 4 results.

Posted by flipchipro at 5:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We have a final table set for Thursday's WPT Championship. The Season IV inaugural event, a $10,000 No Limit Hold'em tournament, completed day 3 shortly before 1:00 am this morning. The surviving six players that will be seated at tomorrow's television table follows, the list is ordered by descending chip count with seat assignment shown in ().

Thang Pham (6) $1,760,000
Christopher Bell (4) $1,417,000
Ted Forrest (1) $1,370,000
Eugene Todd (3) $763,000
Gavin Smith (5) $687,000
Mark Ellerbe (2) $353,000

Going out on the TV table bubble was Alan Smurfit of Dublin, Ireland. Alan had A,K of clubs and Thang Pham had pocket Queens. The flop came 9,8,K, giving Alan the lead. The turn was a 10 and the river brought the Jack giving Thang the straight and Alan the bubble and seventh place. He collected $76,235 on his way out. The money bubble boy turned out to be a bubble girl when Kathy Leibert was eliminated in 29th. Usually this would be one away from the bubble; but Richard Tatalovich and Phil Laak split the 27th place money when both were eliminated by Jean-Robert Bellande on the same hand. Richard had pocket Kings and Phil had pocket Aces, both made a set but Jean-Robert caught runner, runner to make a straight with his suited 8,10. Tatalovich and Laak each received $9,148. The next bubble was for today's final table and David Kutcher was the boy going out in 10th. He received $36,594 in prize money.

The rail was crowded with spectators thoughout the day watching this exciting WPT Championship. Many of the players that had earlier been eliminated from the contest strolled throught he room, stopping to chat with fans, sign autographs and watch the play. The group was typical of WPT events with a party atmosphere pervading and a lot of cheering and yelling combined with moaning and groaning.

The list of player outs included Thor Hansen leaving in the 26th spot to collect $18,296, David Levi going in 24th for another $18,296, start of day chip leader Robert Mizrachi out in 20th for $18,296, Asher Derei left in 17th for $24,395, "Captain" Tom Franklin goes in 18th taking $24,395 and Jean-Robert Bellande was 15th collecting $30,494. Complete tournament results are available at Poker Player Newspaper. We are adding tournament photos daily so stop by the Mirage Poker Showdown Photo Gallery.

The WPT final table action begins tomorrow, Thursday at 4:00 pm in the convention area of the Mirage. Seating for the television audience is limited and on a first come basis so be there early. Big screens and seating are set up in the waiting area outside the television production set.

Another tournament was played today at the Mirage, the WPT Battle of Champions. The event was won by Tuan Le when he defeated Eli Elezra this evening for the Championship. Tuan Le received another $25,000 buy-in for the WPT Season Championship at the Bellagio. That's two $25K buy-ins for Tuan, he received the first when he won the WPT $25K Season III Championship, so he now has a seat for the 2006 and 2007 Championships. Congratulations to Tuan Le.

Posted by flipchipro at 2:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

[UPDATE: I just added 20 new photo to the WPT gallery including one of Paul Phillips in the infamous JOPKE hat]
The second day of the 2005 World Poker Tour Season IV opener was played today with the 153 survivors from the 317 players that paid the $10,000 buy-in and lasted through day one. Chip leaders for today's start were John Phan with $152,475, followed by Asher Derei at $144,725 and Barry Shulman in the third spot with $139,350. Shulman was the only one of the top three chip leaders to head for the gate today, both Phan and Derei remain with chips and a chair for the third day of play on Wednesday.

All of the Hollywood reps are out of the contest. Jennifer Tilley went back to her hotel after Eskimo Clark called her all-in and cracked her pocket rockets. Spidey man hit the silk at about the same time leaving with his girlfriend, Jennifer Meyer, who was also bumped from the party. The closest player left to a Hollywood style entertainer is Phil "Unabomber" Laak; who came back from the dead and doubled through Scott Fischman resulting in Scott's play money being reduced to pocket change. Eric Seidel then took Scott's change, and ironically, on the last hand of the day Eric Seidel went all-in with pocket nines only to be called by Phil Laak holding pocket Queens. The flop brought 6,K,J, no help for Eric. The turn was a Queen giving Phil a set and Eric needing a 10 for a winning straight; but, it wasn't to be, the river was a deuce and Phil scooped another hugh pot while Eric headed for the door.

The play today offered some great poker and exciting drama from the green felt tables. The agony of defeat was repeated one hundred and five times today as the field was cut to 48 players scheduled to return on Wednesday at noon to do it all again. The second day chip leader is Robert Mizrachi with $348,000 in tournament chips. Robert is the brother of Michael Mizrachi, the winner of the International Heads-Up Championship held last week at the Mirage Poker Showdown. Michael received $203,700 for his win.

Sitting in second with $318,600 is Canadian Gavin Smith, a previous Poker Showdown winner. Gavin Smith won the Mirage Poker Showdown's event #9, a $2,000 buy-in No Limit Hold'em tournament, and pocketed $145,680 plus he received the $10,000 buy-in for the seat in the current event. Gavin played tough throughout the day without the drastic up and downs of some of the players; slowly adding chips to his lead until play stopped at the end of level 10. A more dramatic scene was played out by Jean-Robert Bellande. Jean-Robert is often referred to as "Action Bob" because of his style of no-fear, in-your-face play and some of the best table trash talk out there. One of his peers remarked, "Jean-Robert is trash talk with results." Jean-Robert began today with just under $80K in chips and at one point he was down to less than $20K. He then made a dramatic comeback and finished out the day with $149,800. Give Jean-Robert that many chips and he can be damn dangerous.

The lone female in the male dominated field is Kathy Leibert. Kathy begin the second day of play with just over $36K and played hard all day to end with $74,100 in chips going into tomorrow's action. Given her ability to play a short stack and come from behind Kathy is always a threat. The short stack of the day is Billy Duarte with $33,200. Some of the known players and their chip counts include David Slansky $65,000, David Levi $69,400, "Captain" Tom Franklin $137,100, Ted Forrest $159,600, Jean "Prince" Gaspard $180,100 and Toto Leonadis $258,200.

The third day of play will see the field cut down to the final six players taking their seats at the WPT TV table on Thursday. The competition will be fierce for an opportunity to be on millions of televisions around the world when the WPT Series broadcast this tournament on the Travel Channel. The replacement host for the departed Shana Hiat has been selected and will be introduced to the media on Thursday. The name being passed about is Courtney Friel.

Posted by flipchipro at 1:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The first day of the WPT $10,000 buy-in No Limit Hold'em Championship got under way at noon today, Monday. The event marks the kick off of the WPT Season IV. A packed tournament area at The Mirage with 317 entrants seated provided plenty of excitement for the many fans crowding the rails. The room was filled with the who's who of professional poker. Pro players at every table make this a fun tournament to cover. First day action is fast and furious with half the field gone in just a few hours. Many of the well known including WPT head man, Lyle Berman, will be absent from the tables tomorrow. Included in the exodus is former WPT Champion Martin deKnijff, the lovely Connie Kim, nine WSOP bracelet man Johnny Chan, Joe Awada, colorful Freddy Deeb, Chris Bigler, Chip Jett, Richard Brodie, John Esposito and two time 2005 Poker Showdown winner Paul Darden. Continuing thru the first day carnage we find more casualities...Mike Matusow, Michael "The Grinder" Mazrachi, Scotty Nguyen, Tuan Le, Chip Reese and WSOP Champion Carlos Mortensen. Those keeping track of the golden boy of poker, Daniel Negreanu; he left early in the afternoon after coming out on the short end of a heads-up with Action Bob, Jean Robert Bellande. Those keeping track of the latest foot-in-mouth player, Antonio Esfandiari; he was eliminated late in the day.

The chip leader going into the second day will be John Phan with $153,000 in play money. Included in the surviving second day field will be Phil "Unabomber" Laak, Jennifer Tilley, Captain Tom Franklin, Hasan Habib, David Slansky, David Williams, Eskimo Clark, Eric Seidel, Scott Fischman, Jean Robert Bellande, and Jesus...well, the Chris "Jesus" Ferguson variety.

The second day of the WPT Championship event will have the cards in the air at high noon on Tuesday with about 155 players. The exact number will not be available until a complete chip certification and player roster is compiled. The tournament collected a prize pool of $3,074,900 and will pay 27 places. First place will see the making of another WPT millionaire with the winner receiving $1,128,278 and a $25,500 seat in the WPT Season IV Championship at the Bellagio. Second place goes home with $579,386, third gets $289,693, fourth $182,964, fifth $137,223 and sixth takes $106,729. The six players making the final TV table will be playing for a combined $2,424,273 in prize money.

Photos of all the action at the Mirage Poker Showdown including the WPT Championship are being added daily so visit the Photo Gallery often and for complete tournament results click on over to Poker Player Newspaper. Additional photos of today's first-day action are available in the continue reading link below.

Additional WPT Championship First Day Photos.

Don't forget to visit the Photo Gallery for many more tournament action photos.

Posted by flipchipro at 12:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

[Update: A little self promotion, I just noticed we're the topic of today's post over at the new poker.com blog... very cool, it looks like poker.com is taking the correct approach and reaching out.]

With the WPBT event a little over a week away G-Rob and Dr. Pauly have some excellent posts up on the subject. Be sure to read the Doctor's 10 things you need to know list. Badblood's article on poker technology 'A fair Deal' is up over at Poker Player Online. Head on over to read Hdouble's Matrix movie poker wisdom post then check out Linda's Poker Works site re-design. Dick over at Buy It In Vegas has his solution for getting a WSOP seat in every event and Bill Rini has posted the most thoughtful and insightful look at how to improve online poker I've seen yet.
Finally, I noticed a lot of hubbub over the recent All-In magazine's Antonio Esfandiari article; well, Paul Phillips has weighed in on the topic with hearsay from The Magician that the article was ghost written and went to press unapproved.

My two cents on things to do while in Vegas for the Blogger Tournament...

Good Deals
Check out hotel room specials. If you plan to be playing in your hotel's poker room ask the poker room manager for a special rate on your room.

Comps
Almost every poker room has some food comps available, but you usually have to ask. Generally they track your action and provide comps accordingly. Playing the slots or pit table games are another way to score some free food; but again, you have to ask. Most of the hotels now track you via a player's card so get one right after you check-in or if you are playing at a casino other than where you are staying get a card there before you play.

Must Visit attractions
Almost too many to list. Boulder Damn, Forum Shops, Top of the Stratosphere Tower, Fremont Street Experience, Bellagio Fountains, Mirage Volcano and white tigers, the shark reef at Mandalay Bay, the new Wynn, at least one showroom show, The sinking ship show at the TI, the MGM world's largest hotel and for the very adventurous, a summer Death Valley tour. of course, don't forget why you came to Las Vegas, the poker. The biggest show in poker, the WSOP, will be going wide open at the Rio Resort so you have an opportunity to OD on poker.

More attractions you may not be aware of
The Boulder Strip, Mount Charleston, Imperial Palace Auto Colection, Binion's Poker Hall of Fame wall, the Golden Nugget's largest golden nugget in the world, world's largest Harley Store and The Liberace Museum. Almost everywhere you look there is something worth checking out.

Best late night snacks
Las Vegas is twenty-four hours of everything so you can find whatever you want to eat around the clock. One of our favorites is the Carnegie Deli at the Mirage and, yes, it is the same as the original in NY, NY. Wanting something more upscale and expensive then try Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

Don't forget that summer in Las Vegas is very hot, hotter than anything many of you have experienced. We are already into triple digit temperatures so plan accordingly. Our sun is very intense with a high UV factor so wear sun protection and push the water.

Posted by pokerprof at 3:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The $3,000 buy-in No Limit Hold'em tournament ended early this afternoon when final table chip leader, Terry Fleischer of Las Vegas, lost most of his chips in two hands to the eventual winner, Francois Safieddine of Denver, Colorado. Francois doubled through Terry when he put Francois all-in and his pair of fives finished second. Suddenly, Francois had twice as many chips. A few hands later an almost identical situation between the two and again, Francois doubled up. The overwhelming chip lead allowed Francois to play an aggressive game that made short work of the opponents. The final table was completed in less than two hours. Francois received $222,900 plus a $10,200 seat in the WPT championship. Second place money, $111,450, was taken by Mike Appel of Boston, Massachusetts.

The tournament area was full of satellites this afternoon. A $1,500 buy-in Super Satellite began at noon with 183 entrants seated in the No limit Hold'em event. The final twenty-six players received a $10,200 seat in WPT Championship event that begins on Monday and goes for four days. A $530 buy-in Super-Satellite got started at 5:00 pm this afternoon. Single table satellites are a continuous process with one going off as soon as enough players sign up to fill a table. Buy-ins for the SNG's range from $175 up to $1100 and today most offered a seat in tomorrow's Super Satellite or the higher dollar ones giving a seat in the WPT Championship. Cecilia Mortensen was playing and winning, having downed the other nine to win her SNG and then she immediately sat down in another satellite. The Mirage is the center of full time poker action, and will remain so right up to the start of the Championship event on Monday.

I cruised the tournament area watching the exchange of cash and chips for tickets into the satellites. Players standing in line with money in hand for the magic ticket on the golden poker express. The ride of a lifetime chasing the elusive and fleeting dream of fame and great fortune. Winning the satellite and taking your seat in the main event, Lady Luck giving you a thumbs-up with your all-ins, then sending you to the show. The WPT television table with bright lights, hair and make-up girls to make you look better than you ever have and cards out of your dreams. Just knowing that millions are watching your every move and tomorrow you may be one of the recognized golden players of tournament poker makes it all worthwhile. Fans crowding around just to get a look at you and pleading for an autograph. Then, the really big one, your photo hanging in the Poker Hall of Fame along side all of those legends of the game. Possible? Of course, much better than the lottery; but certainly a crap shoot. You have to win a hell of a lot of all-ins. It's guaranteed that someone will win and maybe it will be you. If you can't dream it, then you probably can't do it.

I am thinking about entering one of the satellites and cast my fate on the green felt. Perhaps you are also thinking about playing in a satellite; so, I have listed the ways to know you are in a bad satellite. This week's Nines...