2010 Deep Stack Extravaganza (DSE) series is currently running the first installment through February 24 at the Venetian Poker Room. Stop by on Friday before the High Noon start time with your $340 buy-in and play in the most popular (and copied) Las Vegas poker tournaments especially designed to give the average bankrolled players the same experience as the high dollar events. More starting chips and longer play at limit levels ensure your poker skills will definitely become a factor.

Registration begins at 9 PM the day before for each daily Noon event. Accumulate points that count towards the four Best Overall Player Awards. Satellites, Super Satellites, and 7 pm second chance tournaments run daily. DSE Tournament players are eligible for a special reduced room rate by calling 1-877-444-5777 for reservations with Group Code CP02L1. Complete details are available by calling The Venetian Poker Room direct at 702.414.7657 or visit www.venetian.com.

Homeland Poker Tour is kicking off its sixth season this week at the Redrock Resort in Las Vegas. Following their format of playing qualifers that sends players to the next levels, the Homeland Poker Tour appeals to the lower limit players that make up the bulk of America's poker players.

The Heartland Series of Tournaments are staged for TV and provide an affordable opportunity to get some facetime on the tube.The Redrock main event will be played over Saturday and Sunday. The $1,000 buy-in main will play two Day 1 flights on Saturday at 10AM and 6PM. Survivors will return on Sunday for the Day 2 start time of 11AM. The final table (approx. 5PM) will be televised live from the Rocks Lounge.

A Celebrity Charity Event benefiting Disabled American Veterans. The event has a $300 Buy-In with $100 Rebuys and a $200 Add-On. The event will be televised. Take the drive to the west side if Las Vegas and play some poker.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Harrison Gimble, 19-year-old poker player from Jupitor, Florida, pocketed $2.2 million in the Seventh PokerStars Caribbean Adventure (PCA). The youngest player to win the PCA, Harrison "gibler321" Gimble, faced Tyler Reiman in the main event heads-up finale. Reimen takes $1.75 million back home to Morton, Illinois.

Barry Shulman, Card Player Magazine owner, keeps his multi-million dollar winning streak alive after taking third place and $1.35 million. Added to his WSOPE cash last October, the 63-year-old Las Vegas poker pro has banked over $2.6 million.

They beat Full Tilt in July with 65,000 players, and in a few days they hope to surpass even that.

The landmark date is Dec. 27 at 11:45 a.m. (Vegas time), the cost is only $1, and $300,000 is guaranteed. First place is guaranteed $50,000. Not bad for a buck.

As of this writing, almost 47,000 players have signed up, so keeping pace looks likely they'll achieve a new record. But even if they just tie at 65,000, that leaves a decent overlay of $235,000. Are they really hoping for 300,000 players, and during Christmas break? Would the server crash under that load?

The tournament ID is 234567890 (easy enough to remember).

We're a sucker for a cheapo tourney, so we'll see you there.

P.S. While looking at the tournaments, we caught a $5,000 freeroll that anyone can sign up to. It's tomorrow, Dec. 24 at 1:15 p.m. (Vegas time) and a whopping 105,000 players are in that one. It's a hyper-turbo tourney, so blinds go up much faster than a regular tournament. Tourney ID is 224296990. We signed up to that one too.

Daniel Christopher Alaei outlasted a poker pro rich field of 328 players to claim his first World Poker Tour title. The high-stakes poker player has won two WSOP bracelets, 2006 and 2009. His best WSOP Main Event finish was 25th in 2007.

The tournament got down to heads-up with Daniel Alaei facing Josh Arieh for the championship, but it was all Alaei on this night. Daniel Alaei received $1,428,430 while Josh Arieh left with $952,290. WSOP Main Event champion Scotty Nguyen finished 5th and pocketed $249,976 for his efforts.

The 41st Annual World Series of Poker for 2010 has released the event schedule and online registration is now open. Players can also register for events at the Rio Resort's Main Cage and if you want to avoid being shut-out, then early registration is highly advised. Use this WSOP direct link to register now for events you wish to play. A complete schedule of all events including structures and details is available with this link.

Players will be competing over 51 days in 57 Gold Bracelet events, the same as 2009, during the May 28 - July 17, 2010 WSOP. The first open bracelet event will be The Player's Championship $50,000 buy-in 5-day contest that features eight variations of poker and begins on Friday May 28, 2010. Players will be competing for millions in cash, a coveted bracelet, and the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy.

Other notable highlights for 2010 is the adoption of limits on play time. Player comfort will be enhanced with play days limited to 10 levels of play per day until the winner is crowned. Bracelet events will begin at 12 Noon and 5 PM. Another welcomed change is no food tent, instead, the Miranda Ballroom will be converted into a food court with an expanded menu of popular food items. And finally, the entire convention facility at the Rio will be dedicated to the 2010 WSOP to provide more room, more tables (over 350 anticipated) and improved media access to the World's Biggest Poker Show.

The Ladies World Championship and the Seniors Championship continues. The 4th Annual Up For Africa Celebrity Charity tournament returns with an all-star gathering of poker pros and celebrities.

After four years of waiting the Aria Hotel and Casino is finally open to the public. We headed over to the property and made for the poker room to check out the latest option for poker players. The 24 table room appears to be designed with the poker player's comfort and convenience in mind. Located close to self parking and valet makes this room easy to get into and out. Restrooms are a few short steps down a side corridor.

The color scheme is pleasing and room lighting is subdued while the playing surface is brightly illuminated for ease of following the action. An enclosed high limit room is located within the poker room. Even in the Aria's poker room there is artwork in the form of oversize playing card cascading down from the ceiling to the floor.

The Aria poker room offers $1-3, $2-5, and $5-10 No-Limit Hold'em. Other limits and games will be spread depending on demand. While we were there a lively $100-200 Pot-Limit Omaha game was in progress in the high-limit room. Poker professional Thor Hansen was seen hanging out at the room. Stop in and try the all new, luxurious Aria poker room.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Think your bad beat story belongs in the book? This might not be as bad as the time you went all-in within ten minutes of hitting town and came in third after two one-outers caught a miraculous river and chopped up your entire play bank; but, it's the biggest money bad beat. The spiral down lasted a year and cost Terrance Watanabe $127 million. The 52 years old Watanabe spent most of 2007 at Harrah's Caesars Palace and Rio casinos drinking and gambling and losing enough money to buy a couple of hundred condos at CityCenter.

When his sister finally came to town and rescued Mr. Wanatabe from himself he had gone through almost 127 million dollars. Apparently, he still has millions but not nearly as many. He's paid close to $112 million to Harrah's, but, has now decided to renege on the remaining $14.7 million in markers. The law here in Las Vegas considers unpaid markers to be the same as a bad check and if you don't pay you might be spending a few years in Nevada in a comped small room far away from the bright lights of the strip. In Mr. Watanabe's case the stay could drag out to 28 years.

In his defense, Mr. Wanatabe filed a civil suit in Clark County District that seeks to place some of the responsibility for his record setting loss on Harrah's. He is claiming he was supplied with alcohol, drugs, and encouraged to gamble in a drunken state for hours on end. Unfortunately for Mr. Watanabe, this line of reasoning hasn't worked well with Nevada juries. After all, the casino didn't make you drink the booze. His trial on the criminal charges is set for Summer 2010.

Read a detailed account of Mr. Watanabe's bad beat story according to Alexandra Berzon for the Wall Street Journal.

Next time you're in Las Vegas thinking about to go on tilt because some soccermom commandeered a case deuce to beat your quads!...just remember Mr. Watanabe's Vegas story.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Scotty Nguyen, 1998 WSOP World Champion, was seen playing in the Five Diamond World Poker Classic Tuesday afternoon at the Bellagio Resort. A number of other poker professionals was in the crowd of 63 entrance for the $1,500 Limit Omaha Eight or Better event.

Stop by the Bellagio and try your luck in the daily satellites for a cheap seat into one of the Five Diamond tournament events.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

The Bellagio's holiday poker tournament, Five Diamond World Poker Classic, is up and running at the luxurious Bellagio Resort on the Las Vegas strip. Satellites and the first event begin Friday, November 27, and continues with daily events through the final table of the Doyle Brunson Classic championship event on December 19.

This is the big holiday tournament that stages daily events with buy-ins ranging from a low $500 + $40 to the $15,000 + $400 Championship Event hosted by poker legend, Doyle Brunson. Super Satellites for the $15K championship go with a $1,500 + $90 buy-in beginning December 12. While most of the events are No-Limit Hold'em, players will also have Pot-Limit Omaha nwith and without rebuys and Limit Omaha Eight or Better. Seniors 50-years-old or better will have their own $1,500 + $90 three day event on December 6.

Stop by the Bellagio and enjoy the holiday spirit flowing throughout the resort and then put a little poker into your festivities. What better gift for yourself than to win one of the events and cart away a huge pile of cash.

An all new Venetian daily poker tournament schedule will go into effect November 24th. The new schedule follows:

A 12:00 PM event Sunday through Friday with a $130 + $15 buy-in and an optional $5 bonus buy for an additional 1,500 chips. Players begin with 6,000 (7,500 with the $5 option) and blind levels last 30 minutes.

A 7:00 PM event Sunday through Saturday with a $100 + $15 buy-in and an optional $5 bonus buy for an additional 2,500 chips. Players begin with 5,000 (7,500 with the option) and blind levels last 20 minutes.

A 12:00 PM event on Saturdays with a $300 + $30 buy-in and an optional $10 bonus buy for an additional 2,000 chips. Players begin with 10,000 (12,000 with the option) and blind levels last 40 minutes.

Satellites for the Noon event on Saturday run 8:00 AM through 11:00 AM with a $80 buy-in for 2,000 in chips and 15 minute blind levels.

Check out all the poker tournaments in Las Vegas using the Pokerprof's Poker Tournament Schedule. The most accurate and up-to-date tournament directory on the Internet is easily searched to help you plan your play for any day and time. Best of all it's totally free.

Poker bloggers, Falstaff and Special K, have taken to the Internet airways with the all new Gambling Tales Podcast. They already have their first installment in the can and available for listening. Listen to the premier edition of the show at http://www.gtpodcast.com. It's 40 minutes of easy listening with an interesting analysis of the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table followed by an interview with "A-list" poker blogger and math whiz, Bad Blood. The show concludes with a bit of early gambling history.

Upcoming shows will feature Dr. Pauly, Lee Jones, and internationally acclaimed gambling expert Dr. David Schwartz, author of the definitive history of gambling tome, Roll the Bones. New shows will be broadcast every two weeks.

RSS Feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/GamblingTalesPodcast

Available on iTunes at: http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=339814710.

The Venetian Deep Stack Tournament IV continues through Nov. 25.

And now, all tournament players in the Deep Stack Extravaganza will get access to a free buffet. That's pretty impressive, as The Venetian doesn't have a regular buffet. Chow down between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and show your tournament entry receipt.

Remaining no-limit tourneys (all begin at noon):

Tuesday, 11/17 $340
Wednesday, 11/18 $340
Thursday, 11/19 $340
Friday, 11/20 $340
Saturday, 11/21 $550
Sunday, 11/22 $275 (super satellite)
Monday, 11/23 $2500 (main event, day 1)
Tuesday, 11/24 $2500 (main event, day 2)
Wednesday, 11/25 $2500 (main event, day 3)

Sit-n-go satellites run throughout the day beginning at 8 a.m., with lammers awarded that can be used for any tournament, even for the next Deep Stack.

After four years of success running the world's best known poker tournaments, Jeffrey Pollack, resigned his position as Commissioner of the World Series of Poker on Thursday and will leave the Harrah's organization at the close of business today. Pollack is generally credited with taking the WSOP from the confines of Binion's in downtown Las Vegas to the Rio Resort's huge convention facilities.

Additionally, Jeffrey Pollack, negotiated lucrative sponsorship contracts with national and international corporations. He also worked closely with ESPN Sports TV to provide the world a ringside seat at the WSOP poker events and is credited with creating the 4 month break between the summer tournament and the Main Event's November final table.

Jeffrey Pollack said he has no definite plans for the future, but will pursue other interests and business opportunities. Harrah's stated they have no immediate plans to fill the Commissioner of the WSOP position.