2005 WSOP + Ghosts of Poker Past

2005 WSOP + Ghosts of Poker Past from Las Vegas and Poker Blog 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.

World Series spotlight will be on defending champ

World Series spotlight will be on defending champ from www.mysanantonio.com Greg Raymer has no idea how to beat the estimated tournament field of 6,000-plus players in next month's World Series of Poker Main Event, but he does know how to whip 2,576. That's how many opponents he had to storm though en route to last year's Main Event championship, and that qualifies him as the pre-eminent expert in mega-tournament play in my book. "There's no way around it, you gotta make a lot of good decisions," Raymer said. "You have to get your money in when it's good to do so, and you have to avoid being unlucky." The good decisions come easy for Raymer. He's been crushing the poker games at his local Foxwoods casino in Connecticut for years and knows how to play the game. Raymer thrives on aggression and likes to keep the pressure on his opponents. He's prone to attack the table if he believes he has the best hand or knows his opponents don't. "I'm more active and play more hands than the average player," Raymer said. "I believe in seeing more flops and taking a few more risks. If I do bluff, it's not because I've folded three-straight hands and I'm telling myself it's time to bluff. It's because I don't think you have enough of a hand to call." The ESPN cameras proved that Raymer only put his money on the line in the most opportunistic circumstances. He was an underdog only twice — both times at the final table — when he turned his cards over, and even then it didn't matter since he was dominating in chips. Early in the tournament, the four times he went all-in and would have been knocked out if he hadn't won the hand, he was over an 80 percent favorite in three of them. One of Raymer's key hands came in the first two hours, when he put in all his chips with pocket eights after a flop of J-8-3 against pocket kings. Any king on the turn or river would have sent him packing. There is no formula for avoiding the bad luck. That's the great equalizer. "Sometimes you can get your money in good and lose anyway," Raymer said. "Even the greatest players are going down if they hit a full house and lose to a bigger one. I don't think there are too many players that can get away from something like that. You are just going to lose." Raymer did it all in dominating fashion and has enjoyed life since his victory. After Uncle Sam and financial backers got their cuts of his $5 million prize, he was allowed to keep about $1.7 million, which was enough to quit his job as a patent attorney. He's been spending his days traveling the globe as a spokesperson for pokerstars.com and playing in many of the big buy-in tournaments the past year. He also does speaking engagements and has a book in the works. As for this year's Main Event? Don't count Raymer out for a repeat championship, but the sheer numbers in the field will make it difficult for him, or any other well-known pro, to win. "I'm looking forward to trying to win it again, but statistically it's very unlikely," Raymer said. "I've been there before, so I know I'm not going to choke or make any stupid mistakes. I didn't have that problem last year, and I have no reason to believe I would this year." And, yes, Raymer will be playing with his signature reflective lizard man glasses that he made famous at the final table last year. "That would be like Elvis not swiveling his hips," Raymer said. "That's my signature. I feel obligated to wear them."

KELOLAND.COM: News for Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa

KELOLAND.COM: News for Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa by Andy Harvey for KELOLAND TV Deadwood isn't bluffing about wanting to attract visitors and figures poker can be a big part of it. In fact, the gaming town now wants to ante-up to win a spot on the world poker tournament's map. Move over slot machines, there's a new game in town. Deadwood Gaming Association President Mike Rodman said, "There's a lot of people who come here just for the thrill of playing poker in Deadwood." It's a game of precision that's increasing in popularity. Poker Dealer Joe Russell said, "A lot of them now have seen poker on tv. A lot of them play online." Now, Deadwood gaming officials are interested in a piece of the pot. Rodman said, "We've had interest from some of the larger poker tournaments that go on around the country coming here to Deadwood." But in order to get those tournaments, gaming officials want to charge participants more than $100.00 to enter. While there are no laws regarding entry fees, one does set a $100.00 bet limit in town. So the Deadwood Gaming Association went to the state for permission. Rodman said, "And so what we want to clarify is that we can charge a higher entry fee than a $100.00 for a tournament and have bigger jackpots and bigger prizes by doing that." Poker may be the fastest growing game in Deadwood, but slot machines reign supreme by bringing in the most cash. But if the state deals a good hand by allowing higher entry fees, poker could become the game of choice and revenue. The state gaming commission plans to hold a hearing in June on possibly increasing poker tournament entry fees.

World Series of Poker set to kick off at new venue

World Series of Poker set to kick off at new venue News 4 Local News Harrah's is getting ready for the World Series of Poker to start this week at a new venue, the Rio hotel-casino in Las Vegas. For 35 years, the event was held at the downtown Binion's Horseshoe. But Harrah's bought the rights to the tournament when it bought the casino and sold it to MTR Gaming. Play begins Thursday and runs through July 15th.

Guys dominate local poker circuit in numbers

Guys dominate local poker circuit in numbers by ANDREA PANTELIC for Up & Coming Weekly Smoke rises, beer bottles perspire and anticipation builds this evening at CrossRoads Sports Bar & Billiards. People file in and mingle and playfully size each other up. It's 30 minutes till game time. The bar on Ramsey Street has hosted poker nights on Thursdays and Sundays since May 5. At 7 p.m. the bustle peaks as three dozen poker players and on-lookers seat themselves at three felt-covered tables on the right half of the bar. The left half is busy with APA league pool players. High energy '80s rock music rains from ceiling speakers and overlaps nervous chatter. This is not an Old West saloon or dark "hole-in-the-wall." There are no shady dealings in some back room. They are young and old, male and female. They are all shapes, hairstyles and ethnicities. Heavy equipment operator Mark Shannon goes to different bars several times a week, wherever he can find a game. The 38-year-old has only played poker for a month and goes by the alias RedskinsFan tonight. "I stumbled across it on ESPN one night when I was bored. I guess I got bitten by the bug," he said. They clink their chips together, continue to trash talk, smoke, chew sunflower seeds, and examine each other for facial twitches that reveal the strength of their poker hand. One tries to twirl a chip gracefully between his fingers like he sees the pros do on television. "I like Daniel Negreneu," says Michael Timal, a 23-year-old student. "Kid Poker," snaps Jonathan Wisenbaker, a 22-year-old soldier from Kansas, who is proud to be a poker player "before the craze." They are waiting for Shannon to make a move. He peers at his cards: Queen and four of clubs. He flicks them forward in disgust. CrossRoads is one of at least 16 local bars and restaurants that participate in a local online-based poker tour and owner Flea Weatherly said it has been great way to attract new customers. World Bar-Tavern-Restaurant Poker (www.WorldBTRPoker.com) and World Tavern Poker (www.WorldTavernPoker.com) are locally owned businesses that sell their services to Cape Fear area bars and restaurants that want to add poker nights to their lineup. Players sign up online an hour prior to a game and accumulate points towards rankings and a seat to a World Series of Poker event. The poker of choice is Texas Hold 'Em, which involves each player being dealt two cards, face down, and five community cards face up, with the player with the best combination of five cards winning the hand. The game is "no limit" which means you can go "all in" and bet all of your chips at any time. Each player has their own strategies that will carry them "all the way" to a seat at a nationally televised event. Captain Rob Abbey, 37th Signal Battalion, said many players don't count the number of "outs" they have and make foolish decisions. His strategy is to win a big hand immediately and then sit back and play "tight" until few players remain. Paratrooper Joe Plewniak said cash games are a lot more interesting but playing for fun at local bars is good practice. "You get to pick up tells," he said, referring to unconscious movements players make that indicate a bluff or a genuinely good hand. He said people play more cautiously when real money is at stake. "Here, nobody respects a raise, nobody respects an all-in. You get people coming here thinking they are king s---, and it is fun when they bust out." Of the three dozen players and on-lookers, males heavily outnumber females. Student Timal has a theory: "It's because enough women haven't been introduced to it yet. When they do, they become sharks." A sliver of sunlight slices across green table felt as the sun set outside. As the game progresses, the remaining males vocalize their suspicions of the females, suggesting the females are better players and are more experienced than they claim to be. Firefighter Jackie Voisard has an opposite perspective: "Guys are d---s until you get them off the table." So who's the best player in the group? "That's our resident Phil Ivey," the players agree. They point to 39-year-old Bryan Nelson, a "self-employed" local star who plays online regularly. His nickname is that of professional poker player Phil Ivey, known as the Tiger Woods of poker. Adding a poker night can be a hit or miss endeavor for an establishment, and an over saturation of these nights may already exist. Most host a combination of two - Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays are the most popular nights. Many of the players at CrossRoads were at Drifters in Spring Lake the night before. Drifters manager Monnie Spicer has mixed feelings towards the game's ability to draw a crowd. He said business has increased a little bit but similar interactive offerings exist that are less expensive to host. "Some take it seriously and are really intense," said Spicer. "Some just want to socialize and they don't care because there is no money involved. We cater to them and have our bouncer serving them drinks like he's a waiter, but sometimes they are not really appreciative and become overbearing because they don't want to be bothered while they are playing." Matthew Lane, 23, plays online and in person at Jester's Pub, Big Harry's Tavern, Drifters and CrossRoads. How does he have time for work? "I do nothing. I got out of the Army a few weeks ago," he said. At 11 p.m., nearby Ruby Tuesday isn't taking To Go orders anymore. Players refuse food and bathroom breaks. For a while no one speaks and faces are solemn. By midnight, the jukebox is silent. The bar is empty and most of the pool players have gone home. At least a dozen local bars are considering the addition of a poker night, realizing it could mean more business or just something new. Right now a belief exists that if you host it, they will come.