How many felt the poker freeze?

Just curious how many people out there felt the poker pinch when the government cracked down on online accounts.

I read this article over at MySanAntonio.com (I have no idea if that is the real name or not).

It's not really fair that the government can just freeze up your money. But the problem is that the government is making anything off of it. If it just taxed the heck out of the poker sites, the gov't would be more than pleased about it.

The obvious answer is if the gov't isn't making any money then it doesn't want you to either.

Borgata Bad Beat hit at $198,819

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (May 18, 2009) – Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa announced today a local New Jersey man won $79,528 on Monday, May 18, when Borgata’s Bad Beat Jackpot hit.

At 11:30AM on a $2-$4 Limit Hold’em game, Laurence Harbor, NJ, native Donald McClelland’s quad 5’s lost to Parsippany, NJ native Shawn St. Peter’s straight flush. St. Peter won the hand and the pot. However, it was McClelland who truly won, as he collected forty percent of the $198,819 Bad Beat prize money. St. Peter took home $39,763 for delivering the Bad Beat, while the other eight players at the table took each took home $9,941 for being at the table when the Bad Beat hit.

McClelland’s jackpot hit during Borgata’s $500,000 Guaranteed Deep Stack Tournament, featuring a prize pool over $900,000.

Borgata’s Bad Beat Jackpot has now hit for the eleventh time since December 25, 2008 paying out $1,595,374 in prize money.

Trump Plaza gets rid of e-poker machines

This is an article that appeared in The Press of Atlantic City today.

They were fast, mistake-proof and didn't need to be tipped. But they had no personality. So now they're gone.

Atlantic City's experiment with electronic poker tables proved to be a resounding failure because it seems humans prefer other humans when it comes to dealing the cards.

"I'd rather have a human dealer. It's a friendlier atmosphere," Ira Cohen, a poker player from Brooklyn, N.Y., said Thursday at Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino.

Trump Plaza has removed Atlantic City's only batch of automated poker tables after trying them out for a few months in hopes that they would attract a younger generation of gamblers.

The machines never came close to generating the revenue that Trump executives had anticipated. The goal was $1.8 million in annual revenue, but the best month was only $45,000, according to Jim Rigot, Trump Plaza's general manager.

"For us, that was pretty discouraging, to say the least," he said.

Trump Plaza introduced 14 of the PokerTek Inc. machines last June as the centerpiece of a refurbished gambling area in the casino's East Tower. A dozen tables featured seating for as many as 10 players, while the other two were two-seaters for head-to-head competition.

Electronic poker tables mimic the live games -- except that they don't have betting chips or humans dealing the cards.

Although the machines were faster than human dealers and didn't make mistakes, the new technology just couldn't replace the old-fashioned experience of live poker, Rigot acknowledged.

"Poker players like to play with chips," he said. "They like to have real cards in their hands if given the chance."

When the machines made their debut, Atlantic City dealers represented by the United Auto Workers union feared they were the start of a broader trend of electronic gambling that could eventually cost casino employees their tip-dependent jobs. The dealers declined to comment this week about Trump Plaza removing the PokerTek tables.

Rigot maintained it was never the casino's intention to replace human dealers with machines. He said electronic gambling was simply another attraction to complement the live poker tables and generate more business during the recession.

"We were adding to our product to bring more people to Trump Plaza. We were looking to help the dealers out," Rigot said.

The electronic games automatically shuffle and deal video-style cards that appear on a large display screen in the middle of the table. Each player has a smaller display screen in front of them equipped with touch controls to place their bets, call or fold. Winners are automatically identified after each hand.

Rigot said electronic gambling is more popular in casino markets that don't have live table games. At Pennsylvania's slot parlors, for instance, electronic blackjack games are considered a form of slot gambling and represent a major attraction.

While Atlantic City may not be ready yet for electronic poker, there is a chance it will make a comeback when the economy recovers and people are more willing to spend their money on different types of gambling, Rigot predicted.

"It's not to say that we may not resurrect it in the future," he said.

Cohen, the poker player at Trump Plaza, said he has no interest in electronic gambling. He urged Trump Plaza to open a live poker room now that the automated tables are gone.

"I don't play them. I have mixed feelings about the machines," Cohen said. "I would rather have people."

For now, Trump Plaza has closed most of the East Tower's gaming space, including the area where the electronic poker tables once dominated. A black curtain has been drawn across the entrance, with a sign attached saying, "Please pardon our appearance while we make changes to serve you better."

Rigot said the East Tower's 14,000 square feet of casino space will be transformed into a multifunctional room for special events, gaming tournaments and perhaps even a nightclub on weekends.

E-mail Donald Wittkowski: DWittkowski@pressofac.com

Our indulgence worth the wait?

This from The Press of Atlantic City.
---------------------------------------------

12:39 p.m. Update - ATLANTIC CITY — After flirting with Atlantic City for more than two years, Pinnacle Entertainment Inc. said today that its proposed casino project is all but dead and it now wants to sell the oceanfront land.
“One day, hopefully, someone shows up and gives us a good price,” Dan Lee, Pinnacle’s chairman and chief executive officer, said of the property during a conference call with analysts.
Pinnacle imploded the old Sands Casino Hotel in fall 2006 to create space for a proposed $1.5 billion, Las Vegas-style casino that was supposed to be among a new generation of Atlantic City megaresorts. However, Pinnacle put the project on hold months ago because of the recession and global credit crisis.
Lee’s comments today all but dashed any hope that Pinnacle would resurrect the project when the economy recovers and the frozen credit markets finally thaw out.
“Obviously, with 20-20 hindsight, I wish we didn’t buy the land in Atlantic City,” he said.
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Wow. So, Pinnacle gets rid of the Sands and all the people it employed just to waste the space that is it's now occupying. It would be amazing if companies like this were able to face consequences for doing this to the people who worked there, but in the end there are only going to be angry people, still looking for work while Pinnacle continues to ruin lives.

Remind me never to support this company in any sense.

Here are the casinos Pinnacle owns:
Lumiere Place Casino and Hotels in St. Louis
L'Auberge du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles, Louisiana
Belterra Casino Resort and Spa in Indiana
Boomtown Casino in New Orleans
Boomtown Casino in Reno
Boomtown Casino in Shreveport, La.
Casino Magic Properties in Argentina

That is also a list of casinos I will never visit in my lifetime.

Thanks for nothing Pinnacle. Really, thanks a lot. You take thousands of jobs away and then leave when the going gets tough. That's the exact type of company people want to support.

Release: Biggest bad beat hit at Borgara

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

largest bad beat jackpot in ac history hits at borgata

Local Ocean City Man Wins $122,487.00 in Record-Setting Prize

Atlantic City, NJ (February 11, 2009) – Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa announced today an Ocean City, NJ man won $122,487.00 in the largest Bad Beat jackpot in Atlantic City history.

Winner Michael Richard may have lost the pot of around $800.00, as his quad 7’s were beaten by William Stewart’s quad 10’s. However, in a game where luck plays as much a part as skill, he walked away with $122,487.00 as the Borgata Bad Beat Jackpot winner, taking home his large share of the record-setting $306,225.00 jackpot.

On Tuesday evening around 9PM in the Borgata Poker Room nine players were dealt a hand in a $2-$5 No Limit Hold’em game. William Stewart of Brigantine, NJ, was dealt 10c 10d, while Michael Richard was dealt 7c 7s. The flop came out with 10s 7h 2s and both players went all-in. The turn showed a 10h. The river was a 7d.

In addition to winning the hand, William Stewart also took home an additional $61,245.00. The remaining seven players at the table each took home $17,499.00.

Stan Strickland, Director of Poker Operations at Borgata commented, “What’s unique about this situation is that the Bad Beat Jackpot hit on a $2-$5 No Limit game; that’s not common. Just goes to prove that anything is possible. We are looking forward to the next Bad Beat.”

About Bad Beat
The Bad Beat shall apply to the game of Texas Hold’Em only. “Bad Beat” means a high ranking poker hand that is beat by a higher ranking hand (e.g., Four Deuces losing to Four Nines). In order for a hand to be eligible to qualify for a Bad Beat, the pot must meet a minimum of $20. A minimum of four players must be seated and dealt in at the beginning of the hand in order to qualify for the Bad Beat. To qualify for the Bad Beat Jackpot, a player must have four Deuces or better beaten. If the winning or losing player has made a Four-of-a-Kind, that player must have a pocket pair to qualify (example: if a player has four Eights, he/she must have a pocket pair of Eights with two Eights on the board). Both the winning and losing hands must use both of their hole cards to create the highest possible hand.

About Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
Borgata is a joint venture of Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) and MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM). Located at Renaissance Pointe in Atlantic City, it features 2,000 guest rooms and suites; 161,000 square feet of gaming; 182 gaming tables; 4,100 slot machines; an 85-table poker room; 11 retail boutiques; 6 acclaimed fine dining restaurants by renowned chefs; 6 casual dining options; a 54,000 square foot spa; 70,000 square feet of event space; 4 signature nightlife experiences; and parking for 7,100 cars. The resort also features Atlantic City’s first non-gaming, cosmopolitan hotel experience, The Water Club, A Signature Hotel by Borgata, with 800 guest rooms and suites; food and beverage by renowned chef Geoffrey Zakarian; a 36,000 square foot spa; 18,000 square feet of meeting space; 6 designer retail boutiques; and 5 heated indoor and outdoor pools.

For more information on Borgata or to obtain a copy of this press release, please visit www.theborgata.com or use AOL keyword: borgata. Additional news and information on Boyd Gaming can be found at www.boydgaming.com; additional information on MGM MIRAGE can be found at www.mgmmirage.com.

UPDATE: Man Barricades Himself Taj Mahal Office

According to The Press of Atlantic City, a man has barricaded himself in one of the offices at the Taj Mahal. It's unknown what the situation is, but there are a few guesses.

1. He was just looking for a place to smoke without being harassed.

2. He was looking for the money he lost while gambling.

3. He got laid off and didn't want to leave his office.

4. They can't get enough of the Taj since it's been redone and just wants to stay there forever.

I'm sure there are more. What's your guess?

Update: All is safe at the Trump Taj Mahal again. Here's the updated news from The Press:

An armed man barricaded inside an office of the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort overnight was taken into custody at 8:15 a.m. today.

The incident began at 8:50 p.m. Thursday when officers, unaware that he was armed, took the man to security office within the casino. He was wanted on larceny charges. The man was threatening to kill himself.

The casino is still operating as usual.

I knew this was coming - Revel scales back project

PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY:
Revel scales back work on $2 billion Atlantic City casino
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI Staff Writer, 609-272-7258
Published: Wednesday, January 28, 2009

2:48 p.m. Update - ATLANTIC CITY — Revel Entertainment Group laid off about 400 workers today and halted work on the interior of its proposed $2 billion casino hotel while it searches for funding to complete the megaresort.

Kevin DeSanctis, Revel’s chief executive officer, said exterior construction will continue on the 46-story hotel tower, the parking garage and structural steel for the casino and other parts of the project.

By halting work on the interior, Revel hopes to space out the construction with the financing it currently has on hand. DeSanctis would not say how much Revel and its investment partner Morgan Stanley have spent so far or would need to complete the casino.

Revel had planned to open what would be Atlantic City’s 12th casino in the summer of 2010, but the timetable will be delayed for probably a few months or perhaps more depending on how long it takes the company to secure the financing, DeSanctis said.