Showboat to Snowbirds

During the winter, Atlantic City is a tough place to play poker. There's always a game, but in the smaller poker rooms, it can be difficult to find good action.

For poker dealers, it's even tougher to earn tips. Rooms such as the Showboat and Harrah's get much smaller and could have two to five total games running on any given night.

A few Showboat dealers and floor people have decided to not wait out the slow time in Atlantic City and head to a warmer climate. About five employees jumped down to Florida to open a new poker room.

According to a post over on the TwoPlusTwo forum, Rod, Jackie (a floor person), Favio, Don and Sylvia have left the room.

Jackie was a great floor person and didn't take any crap from anyone. I enjoyed having her in the poker room while she was there and I am definitely going to miss her. She was also a good tournament player. Some of those losses will hurt the room.

Good luck to them in Florida. Now, if only we can get some of the Harrah's dealer out of there, we would have something going.

Twittering while I work

I'm a big fan of Twitter and just wanted to let you guys know that you can now catch me on there putting up all the news Atlantic City poker news I could find.

Follow me at @PokerInAC

Did this really happen?

At Harrah's last weekend, there was a game where a woman was trying to play with her husband's chips. The dealer told the player, he wasn't allowed to take his money off the game (the man was first just trying to give her some chips to go play slots).

Then, when she offered to play in the game, the dealers said he couldn't give his chips to another player. TRUE!

So when the dealer was getting off the game, the husband thought he was sly and 'hugged' his wife and slipped chips in her hand, which the dealer saw and pointed out.

Finally, the dealer went up to a floor person (I think, Bruce) and told the floor guy the story. 'Bruce' goes up to the game and asks the table to take a vote as to what should be allowed to happen.

If no one has a problem with her sitting on the game with her husband's chips, then it's ok.

C'mon! What the heck is that?

'Bruce' is apparently from Caesars, which obviously makes sense because the rules for poker don't apply there. Harrah's is getting nearly as bad as Caesar's in this respect.

Too bad for the dealers that follow rules because they aren't popular to most players and are becoming extinct.

Anyone else have any bad stories about inept floor or dealers?

Nicky Hilton in AC?

Nicky Hilton, the least trashy of the hilton sisters, wrote on her Twitter account this weekend that she was headed to Atlantic City for birthday part at Dusk in Caesars.

Yeah, that has nothing to do with poker, but she also wrote that was headed for the poker room.

Anyone catch Ms. Hilton on the tables?

New York man wins Borgata Poker Open

This from the Borgata this afternoon:

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa set a record for the highest participation in a World Poker Tour® (WPT) event with 1,018 participants generating a $3,359,400 prize pool while crowning Olivier Busquet of New York, NY, with the 2009 WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship and $925,514.

The New York native was short-stacked and at a marked disadvantage at the beginning of the exciting heads-up match with Jeremy Brown of Medford, NJ, however Busquet methodically battled back from an almost $16 million chip deficit and clinched the victory as his all-in with trip 4s bested Brown. Jeremy Brown took home $453,519 for second place.

An emotional Busquet commented, “Borgata offers the best structures which gives the most value. I mean, I just won $925,000 on a $3,500 investment.”

The rest of the final table placed as follows:

Kenny “SuperTuan1” Nguyen (Lynwood, IL) finished in 6th place, taking home $156,212.
Keith Crowder (Elkins Park, PA) finished in 5th place for $188,126
Yanick Brodeur (Fleurmont, Canada) finished in 4th place for $216,681
Ivan Mamuzic (Brampton, Ontario) finished in 3rd place for $251,955
This year’s Borgata Poker Open tournament series saw nearly 15,000 participants in the 50 events, and paid out over $8 million to winners. Many poker greats were in the field, such as Gavin Smith, Bernard Lee, Kathy Liebert, JC Tran, Bill Gazes, and David “Chino” Rheem.

“Borgata is always the best trip of the year; always the best tournaments, and the best turn out,” said Josh Brikis, currently 26th in Player of the Year points. “I honestly can’t wait until January (Borgata Winter Open).”

Borgata Poker Open down to three tables

The Borgata blog is the place to keep up-to-date with the latest info on the Borgata Poker Open.

The main event is down to the final three tables. Play will begin Wednesday at 11 a.m., and go down to the final six for the final televised table.

Those six will get their mugs on Fox Sports Net in the future.

Here are the chip counts heading into Day 3 from the WPT live updates.

Also, if you want to see more photos, check out this gallery from The Press of Atlantic City.

Press of AC: Borgata cashes in on lower buy-in poker tournaments

It's good to see The Press of Atlantic City with some poker articles.

Borgata cashes in with lower buy-ins at poker tournament

By SUSAN LULGJURAJ, Staff Writer

The grim economy would seem to make the timing bad for a major poker tournament in this struggling casino market.

However, the WPT Borgata Poker Open Championship has been a success since it started on Sept. 8 with an estimated 15,000 entrants.

The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa's signature poker tournament concludes with a televised final table of the main event Thursday.

The Borgata Poker Tour is a stop on the World Poker Tour and the final table eventually will be seen on Fox Sports Net.

A key to the event's success has been the lower buy-in for the no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event, which started Saturday.

The Open drew 1,018 players for the $3,500 event ($3,300 goes into the prize pool and $200 to the casino).

The buy-in is significantly lower than it is for most major tournaments around the country.

"I think it's very smart for today's economy," said Brigantine resident Joe Simmons, a regular at the Borgata. "It gives everyone a chance to play. The $10,000 buy-in at this point is cool for the World Series (of Poker), but just imagine how small this field would be otherwise."

The prize pool is smaller than at some tournaments but not by much. The large turnout generated a prize pool of $3.4 million with the winner getting $925,514. The top seven will finishers take home six-figure amounts.

"We've built the event for the players," Borgata poker marketing director Ray Stefanelli said. "Rather than spend $25K on an event, they can come here and get the same exact prize pool with a better value."

If you compare the WPT event at the Borgata to a recent WPT event in California, you see how successful Borgata is with its structure.

The winner of the Legends of Poker, which was held at The Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, Calif., received $1.03 million, but there were only 279 entrants and a $2.65 million prize pool.

Poker players enjoy the Borgata's tournament so much they have came from across the country. Some well-known poker players attended the event such as Gavin Smith, Lacey Jones and Kathy Liebert.

However, many of the popular poker players are currently competing in the 2009 European Championships in London.

"Nobody does it better than the Borgata," said poker player Will Failla, of Smithtown, N.Y. "They just make it right. It's really been a great place to play."

The tournaments are filled with many East Coast players, but the Las Vegas players come to the Borgata as well. Some just enjoy the casino so much, they always make sure it's a stop on their schedule during the year.

"They always have a pretty good field," said Smith, 41, who lives in Las Vegas. "The biggest difference is that the field is quite a bit weaker. You get a lot more amateur players willing to pay $3,500."

Borgata's buy-in for the main event has been around $3,000 for the last three big events. The casino holds three major tournaments throughout the year: Borgata Poker Open, Winter Open and Summer Open.

The American stops on the World Poker Tour had buy-ins of at least $10,000 for the main events. Some went as high as $15,000.

The World Series of Poker Circuit events, tournaments at Harrah's properties around the country, have buy-ins around $5,200. The World Series of Poker main event, the one that grabs headlines and is seen on ESPN, has a $10,000 buy-in.
The Borgata's is one of the least expensive tournaments and most popular.

"I think the Borgata is ahead of the curve. I think this is the future of the big events," Failla said. "With the way the economy is, the Borgata is doing the right thing."

E-mail Susan Lulgjuraj:
slulgjuraj@pressofac.com

Harrah's announced WSOP event in Atlantic City

The World Series of Poker announced the events that will occur at Harrah's Resort in Atlantic City from Dec. 4-20.

This is always a nice-sized event at Harrahs with lucrative cash games.

There seem to be several changes for the Atlantic City event. The main event occurs in the middle of the schedule, which is unlike most other tournaments. Usually, the main event (and, you'll notice the lower buy-in) comes near the end of tournament week.

There are also two deep stack tournaments, which means if you get busted from the main event early, there are two enticing touranments left.

While I don't normally agree with Harrah's policies, I actually like this. Those who are buying right into the main event usually have a decent amount of money to spend. This other tournaments will keep the big fish sticking around the casino.

The only thing Harrah's needs to do is market this tournament well. That's something Harrah's officials haven't done well yet. The WSOPC returns to Atlantic City in March for an event at Caesars.

Here's the entire schedule for the WSOPC at Harrah's in Atlantic City.

Fri 12/4 – Event #1: $300 + $40 No Limit Hold’em (2 day event)
Sat 12/5 – Event #2: $500 + $60 No Limit Hold’em (2 day event)
Sun 12/6 – Event #3: $300 + $40 No Limit Hold’em (2 day event)
Mon 12/7 – Event #4: $200 + $30 No Limit Hold’em (1 day event)
Tue 12/8 – Event #5: $500 + $60 No Limit Hold’em (2 day event)
Wed 12/9 - Event #6: $200 + $30 No Limit Hold’em (1 day event)
Thu 12/10 – Event #7: $300 + $40 No Limit Hold’em (2 day event)
Fri 12/11 – Event #8: $1,000 + $80 No Limit Hold’em (2 day event)
Sat 12/12 – Event #9: $300 + $40 Ladies No Limit Hold’em (1 day event)
Sun 12/13 – Event #10 Main Event: $4,900 + $250 No Limit Hold’em (3 day event)
Mon 12/14 – Event #11: $200 + $30 No Limit Hold’em (1 day event)
Tue 12/15 – Event #12: $1,500 + $100 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (3 day event)
Wed 12/16 – Event #13: $200 + $30 No Limit Hold’em (1 day event)
Thu 12/17 – Event #14: $300 + $40 No Limit Hold’em (2 day event)
Fri 12/18 – Event #15: $2,000 + $150 Deep Stack No Limit Hold’em (3 day event)
Sat 12/19 – Event #16: $300 + $40 No Limit Hold’em (2 day event)
Sun 12/20 – Event #17: $1035 + $65 2010 WSOP Satellite (1 day event)

Join Martin Truex Jr. on the felt

NASCAR racer Martin Truex Jr., is holding a charity poker tournament at the Tropicana on Sept. 23 to raise aid for children in need.

The Hook 'Em and Hold 'Em Foundation Poker Tournament has a $200 entry fee.

Other drivers joining Truex in the event will be Greg Biffle, and Ryan Newman.

Truex has made an appearance at the Tropicana before. In January of 2007, he held an event that coincided with the Motorsports convention at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

Truex is from the area. He grew up in Stafford Township and started racing cars as a kid. He currently races on the Sprint Cup.
First place for the event pays $5,000, second $2,500 and third $1,000.

The winner also receives the “Ultimate Fan Experience Grand Prize Package” for NASCAR race in Dover, Del., on Sept. 27:
*Private 15-minute meet-and-greet with driver Martin Truex Jr.
*Personal pit tour day of event
*2 NASCAR Sprint Cup Garage Passes
*2 NASCAR Sprint Cup Suite Passes
*VIP Race Experience Package

A look at the other side from Borgata ladies tournament

We know the story of a man winning the ladies No-Limit Hold 'Em event at the Borgata, but rather than focus on him, Nicole Rowe's local newspaper focused on her success at the table and battle with breast cancer.

I enjoyed this story just because it humanizes the woman.

However, the story here offers opinion rather than fact when it states that Rowe has no hard feelings to Abraham Kirotki. Apparently, this newspaper didn't read the article on Philly.com.

New in this article was The Borgata donated $5,000 to a cancer foundation. According to the story in Philly.com, Kirotki plans to donate his winnings to charities, including a breast cancer foundation.

Good came out of this story by highlighting the terrible disease.

I wish Rowe the best for her future and for the sake of family and women every where, I hope she beats this disease.

From the Atlantic City Poker Happenings blog, good luck Nicole and beat this damn thing.

Poker Pro Magazine hosts its first tournament

Poker Pro magazine is hosting its first poker event at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.

The Poker Pro Magazine 2009 Poker Classic will be held on Oct. 16 and 17, highlighted by a $30,000 guaranteed main event.

On Friday, the first event has a small buy-in of $200+$30 at 7:15 p.m. The rounds are 25 minutes long.

Saturday's main event begins at 1:15 p.m. with a $500+$60 buy-in and 40-minute rounds.

Both tournaments begin with a $20,000-chip stack.

Poker Pro also has a bounty on the magazine's editor-in-chief. Knock out John "Johnny Quads" Wenzel and get a free night in the Taj's Chairman Tower.

"This is our first event, so we are going to make it a good one," said the magazine's editor-in-chief, John Wenzel in a press release. "And this is the first of many. Watch for more events from us in coming months."

Too add more to the so-called pot. If you book your seat with PTseats.com, you will be entered in a random drawing and could win a gourmet dinner for two and a room in the Chairman Tower.

In addition, if you buy your seat at PTseats.com, you qualify for an $85 room rate, but you have to book by Oct. 10.

Man wins ladies poker tournament at the Borgata

A 65-year-old man beat out a field of 260 women to win the Borgata Poker Open's Ladies No Limit Hold 'Em tournament on Saturday.

Abraham Korotki of Ventnor City, N.J., took down the $20,982 first place prize and Nicole Rowe, 40, took second.

She isn't happy about it, according to this story on Philly.com.

"When you're a woman and you play poker, 99 percent of the time you're at a table with nine men," Rowe told Philly.com. "Why he have to ruin it for us? Why would he do this?"

Korotki said he was donating the winnings to three charities and the reason he played was because he was bounced from an earlier tournament too quickly.

By law, Korotki has a right to play in the tournament. 'Ladies only' is merely a suggestion, not a requirement.

Rowe also suggested to chop the pot when it went heads up, but Korotki didn't want to. According to the article, he wanted to win the tournament, it wasn't about the money. The proposal would have split the money down the middle, but Korotki had a chip lead at that point.

Should have Korotki played? Probably not.

Should have Borgata officials reminded him they wanted it to be a ladies-only event? Probably.

Rowe was diagnosed with breast cancer and will have a mastectomy at the end of the month. She plans to use the money from her winnings to support herself at home following the operation.

I wish Rowe all the best, but I'm rather annoyed with her victim attitude. Korotki didn't ruin it for anyone. Apparently, the Borgata didn't receive any complaints from the other women in the tournament.

Additionally, the outcome would have been different if Kortoki was not in tournament, meaning Rowe might not have even cashed.

I say this all as a woman.

Play your game and knock everyone else out of the way.

She should be proud of the fact she did so well instead of complaining.

Getting back into the flow

As I get back into the swing of things, I'll update the sidebar with useful information.

Check back to this post to see the latest updates. I'll keep the updates to one post as to not clog the main feed.

Latest Update:

9/15: Borgata daily poker tournaments. Note that the Borgata daily tournament will resume on Sept. 24 when the Borgata Poker Open concludes. In the meantime, if you want to see what's gong on at the BPO, check out the borgata blog.

9/17: Martin Truex Jr., charity poker tournament info added to the calendar. Tourney is Sept. 23.

I've been a bad girl

For those who come to the blog often, you have noticed that I have neglected my blogging duties. the truth is for some time I lost the poker edge.

Far too many times I would go into casinos and deal with players who doesn't understandc courtesy and, even, ethics.

I watched players blatantly showing cards to their neighbor before they even had a chance to act. Then, because the person was a good tipper, the dealer looked the other way. It was difficult to deal with at the time.

I stepped away from the felt for several months to see what the time away would do for me.

I still love poker. I still love what it could be, but I've learned that poker in its current state in Atlantic City is in a world of hurt.

But it's not going anywhere.

Poker is going to stay here because no one cares about the rules. Not players, not dealers and not the floor people.

I'm in the minority in my poker beliefs, which is sad because all I want is a well-run game with no collusion. I really didn't think it was too much to ask, but it is.

However, enough of that. I'm here to say I'm back and I'll be blogging away like I once did.

Just do you know, I'm not crying about any of it because I've learned every situation has its advantages. So every time you show a card to your neighbor, I see it too. And every time you telegraph your hand to your friend, I pick that up too.

Maybe I can't read your text message to your buddy across the table, but I can read you.

Trust me.