Monday, May 31, 2010

Almost through Memorial Day with bad beat still intact at Taj

Just got word from the Taj Mahal that the bad beat poker jackpot is at $580K, which sets a new Atlantic City record. The room was bombarded all weekend with nearly all 70 of the poker tables filled with those trying to collect bad beat winnings.

With the Memorial Day weekend getaways nearly over, no one was lucky enough to hit that large sum.

To make more money, the Taj should start a pool as to when the bad beat is going to hit.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

How much do you want it?

As of 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, the bad beat is at $548,000-plus at the Taj Mahal.

I want in.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Taj bad beat jackpot not yet hit - you still have time

The Taj Mahal bad beat jackpot is up to $526,967 as of 11 a.m. Friday morning.

If this sucker is not hit by tonight, I may head over there myself and check it out.

Who's going this weekend?

Harrington Raceway to start table games today

Here's an article from The Press of Atlantic City. Delaware's Harrington Raceway will begin table games this morning at 10 a.m.

Harrington is the first of the racetrack casinos in Delaware to introduce table games. According to reports, Harrington has a 10-table poker room. Rake is 10 percent up to $5 with a $1 bad beat drop.

Delaware Park (June 19) and Dover Downs are expected to follow soon and some things might be different there. I've heard Delaware Park's rake is 10 percent up for $4. Still, a $1/hand is probably cheaper than gas and tolls heading to AC for Delaware and Maryland players.

The question becomes, how is thing going to effect Atlantic City - and especially the poker rooms since that's what we focus on here. It will take some time to tell.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Last chance to qualify for WSOP at Harrah's

Still trying to get into the WSOP Main Event that beings July 5, Harrah;s Resorts in Atlantic City is running "Last Chance" satellites to win a seat into the Main Event starting May 28.

Harrah's will run daily $58+$12 satellites for three seats into the super satellite, which awards two seats into the Main Event.

The super satellites are June 5, 12 and 19. You can buy straight into the event for $512+$44.

Check here for more information from Harrah's.

You still have a shot at the bad beat

Just a friendly reminder, the Taj Mahal bad beat is at $516,753 as of 1:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon.

Anyone trying to take a shot?

By the way, the Borgata is at $196,227.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Borgata announces Summer Poker Open Schedule

The Borgata released its Summer Poker Open schedule, which runs June 11-30 (But it's not summer yet!).

The Borgata doesn't always have the same schedule for every open. They tweak it based on what the trends are and the customers want. In the last Open, they did away with straight 7-card stud and threw it mixed games. The old-time favorite did make a return this time either. The only time you will see a stud game is during the game HOSE game on June 22.

The tournament now has three Deep Stack events, including a turbo (June 15).

The main event, which starts June 25, is now a $2,000+$20 buy-in, which is a $1,000 less than the Spring Poker Open.

Click here for more information regarding on-site registration and for room rates. Click here for the main event schedule.

We have crossed the 500K threshold

For just the second time in Atlantic City poker history, a bad beat jackpot is at least a half-million dollars.

That's A LOT of scratch.

As of noon on Wednesday, the bad beat at the Taj Mahal is $505,879, growing more than $10,000 since yesterday.

Any one who has gone to play, I would love to hear your trip reports. Either email me or throw them in the comments.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Stu Ungar memorabilia (with your Taj bad beat update)

I still collect baseball cards. That might make you want to stop reading, but I fully admit my enjoyable hobby. Occasionally, I'll pick up other types of trading cards and recently 2010 Razor Poker caught my interest.

For the first time that I can recall, Stu Ungar memorabilia cards are included in this set. It's a piece of a jacket he wore in a tournament. In addition, there is a one cut signature in the whole set. Ungar is considered one of the greatest natural poker geniuses.

A box costs roughly $65, depending on where you purchase it from, which includes five packs and one card per pack. Every card in the box is autographed or one of the Ungar memorabilia cards.

Click here and here for the sell sheets for the product.

TAJ BAD BEAT UPDATE: As of 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, the Taj Bad Beat jackpot is up to $494,335.

I knew people playing their last night and I still heard complaints about bad games. I quote: "Every nit is in town trying to hit this thing."

Monday, May 24, 2010

Taj Mahal bad beat still up there

As of 11 a.m. Monday morning (I have to keep putting the time), the Taj Mahal bad beat jackpot is at $483,816, which is the largest in that casino's history.

The biggest in Atlantic City history was hit at Caesars in January for $553,958.

Will the Taj get closer to the record or will someone finally end the madness?

Press of AC article on Annie Duke

Just wanted to link you guys to the article from The Press of Atlantic City on Annie Duke.

It was a pretty good read. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Poker pro Annie Duke hit Harrah's for satellite tournament

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Taj Bad Beat tops 470K

MT is at the Taj Mahal and has texted me.

As of 9:27 p.m. on Sunday night, the Taj Mahal bad beat jackpot is at $470,015.

He said last night every table was full. The midnight tournament was held in that side room next to the bathroom (Anyone playing in that tourney at this time is crazy). Surprisingly, he said there were a few stud games going last night as well.

The part that struck me interesting was his actual game. Taj has been known to do this, but he was playing his $1-$2 NL hold 'em on a stud game, which meant they could only fit nine people on the game. Additionally, the table was all the way in the back of the room behind the pit, so whenever the game fell a player or two short, they wouldn't get a new player for some time.

While that is normally annoying, it would have worked out if for the other players on the game if the bad beat got hit on the game, which it almost did.

One card away - again.

Limped hand. Flop came A-3-4 of spades. All-in, all-in.

One guy turns over 2-5 spades, the other turns over pocket 4. They needed the four of hearts for their payday.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Stars at Harrah's tonight

MT went to Harrah's tonight after taking a break from the Taj Mahal, where the bad beat is up to 441K (as of Friday afternoon).

He said Annie Duke was playing in the poker room, but left around the time he got there, which was around 9 p.m. Accoring to Duke's twitter, she was hitting the low-limit tables.

"Just had a great time playing $2/4 limit hold'em in Harrah's poker room," Duke tweeted. "Lost every hand but most fun I have had playing poker in a while."

MT also said that Allan Meltzer was playing an action-filled $5/$5 no-limit at Harrah's. Meltzer appeared on Season 6 of GSN's High Stakes Poker.

Get to play with Annie Duke this weekend

Harrah's Resort is having its super satellite this weekend and famed poker player Annie Duke will be around for the next two days and players will get an opportunity to play with her.

She will open with remarks for the 6 p.m. satellite (though, I'm not sure she will make it on time from her flight) and host a question and answer session at 8 p.m. in the Harrah's poker room.

On Saturday starting at 11 a.m., Duke will play in cash games in Harrah's poker room. That means any regular folk who play Saturday morning (that does not include me) will get a chance to watch her up close.

This is a rare appearance for Duke on the East Coast. She is based out of Los Angeles and has four kids to raise, so she doesn't get the opportunity to come out.

If you follow Annie Duke on Twitter, you would have seen she almost didn't make it for tonight's events. Around 10 a.m., she wrote: "I may be totally screwed. My flight to Philly is oversold and I think they might not have a seat for me. FML. I have to be to Philly by 6."

Luckily for poker fans, just a few minutes later she wrote: "I got literally the last seat on the plane. Two people got screwd (sic) because there weren't enough volunteers. How do you oversell a plane?" 

Here's the complete Harrah's schedule for the WSOP satellite events.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Bad beat means bad games?

MT was at the Taj last night, trying to get a little taste of the bad beat jackpot, which is above 430K on Thursday. The fun part was the two text messages MT sent me saying two times his table was one card away from the bad beat on the flop. So, with two cards to come, the entire table held their breath hoping, praying and willing to get paid the massive sum.

Obviously, it didn't happen.

One thing MT did note was just how boring the games were. Most of the no limit games were full of nits and there was not a lot of action.

I remember when the Bad Beat got ridiculously high at Caesars, the action was still crazy. Caesars has an action-filled room by nature.

The Taj is a good mix. Even as MT walked the room last night looking for a better game, he just couldn't find any.

"There were no big pots on any game," MT said. "Some people had stacks, but you never saw that money moving around."

Perhaps that is just the norm for a Wednesday night, but it should make a poker player question. Hitting a huge jackpot as the one the Taj has going right now would be amazing, but there is still is poker to be played. So, is it worth going to a poker room where the action isn't good?

Monday, May 17, 2010

Taj bad beat getting up there

As of Monday morning, the Taj Mahal poker bad beat jackpot is up to $405,169.

When Caesars was up there, I remember what a madhouse. Being the Taj Mahal it's probably only crazier.

Anyone hit the Taj Mahal this weekend? Got any stories on the craziness of the room?

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Tropicana changes bad beat requirments

When Caesars’ bad beat jackpot went off $553,958 in January, Atlantic City was in fervor over the heights of the highest bad beat jackpot pay out in the city. It literally took hours for players to get a seat on the games at Caesars while the jackpot grew and people wanted a shot at that money.

Other casinos in the area took notice and have changed the rules to the jackpot in order to grow the jackpot.

Recently, the Tropicana changed the minimum required hand from quad deuces to quad eights. Even though the jackpot recently hit under those requirements, it seems as though the Trop is trying to cash in on the excitement a large bad beat brings in.

Though this isn’t a terrible idea, there are different thoughts here poker players can have.

1. With the requirement so high, why bother playing there when the bad beat could hit at the other casinos with a lesser requirement?

2. Players who dislike the bad beat may enjoy playing at the Tropicana more often because the bad beat has less of an outcome on the hands with bad beat chasers staying out of hands pre-flop.

What do you think of new minimum requirement? Will it change you mind on playing at the Tropicana?

Monday, May 10, 2010

Borgata Deep Stack starts Sunday

Borgata's ever-popular $500,000 Deep Stack Poker Tournament is back. The tourney has a $1.2 million prize pool and begins Sunday and will run through May 19.

Buy in: $1,500 +$150

There will be a $330+$50 qualifier Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Two big bad beats in Atlantic City

At last check, the bad beat at the Taj Mahal is over 315K and Caesars is at 202K.

George Stephanopoulos living it up in Atlantic City

George Stephanopoulos recently spent some time at Harrah's in Atlantic City playing against some of the top poker pros. Even though he is the anchor of Good Morning America, Stephanopoulos wanted something else.

As part of the Living the Dream series, Stephanopoulos went to Atlantic City and played poker with Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth Jr., and other pros.

You can see a video of the segment here.
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