Two events out of the gate From the “I’m not so sure this is the best idea” files, the Venetian Poker Room has embarked upon Las Vegas’ first live poker tournament series during the COVID-19 pandemic. The DeepStack Showdown kicked off on Monday, September 7 and will run through Sunday, September 27. It features 32… Read more »
Closed businesses = fewer coins in circulation When I was in middle school, around seventh or eighth grade, my family and I took a road trip to South Dakota. I know, it sounds weird, but it was cool: Mount Rushmore, the Black Hills, Wall Drug, the Badlands, and we were even there during the Sturgis… Read more »
Demand must be there first Station Casinos still has not opened some of its Nevada casinos. It may never. In a second quarter earnings call this week, Frank Fertitta III, the CEO of Station’s parent company, Red Rock Resorts, said that it is possible that Fiesta Henderson, the Palms, Fiesta Rancho, and Texas Station might… Read more »
Mask use is mandatory at casinos With COVID-19 cases continuing to escalate in the United States, casino operators appear to be taking at least one safety measure very seriously. Caesars, Las Vegas Sands, and MGM Resorts International have all reportedly told their employees to wear protective face masks or find somewhere else to work. According… Read more »
Casinos allegedly skirting pandemic regulations As COVID-19 cases rise dramatically across the United States, taking proper care to be clean and safe is of the utmost importance. The Culinary Local 226 union in Las Vegas does not believe some casino properties are being responsible in the face of the health crisis and have sued several… Read more »
Time to start taking things seriously Caesars Entertainment is finally doing something it should have done before it reopened its first casino: it has made the waring of protective face masks mandatory for everyone who steps foot inside one of its properties. The company announced the policy change on Wednesday, June 24. It took effect… Read more »
The announcement this week that Caesars Entertainment would provide an 85-tournament slate of events under the “World Series of Poker” banner was met with a mixture of enthusiasm, regret and outrage. Because of some of the restrictions on the events – not by Caesars and the WSOP, mind you, but by current laws and regulations… Read more »
Long-awaited announcement has arrived Nevada locals and tourists yearning for a trip to Las Vegas can finally get excited. On Friday, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak announced via a press release that “pending the evaluation of trends in Nevada’s COVID-19 data,” he will allow the state’s casinos to reopen on June 4. Casinos have been closed… Read more »
If you really want to go back in the history of World Wrestling Entertainment (then known as the World Wrestling Federation before they changed their name so they wouldn’t be confused with a sanctioned sport), legendary wrestler “Hulk” Hogan had a catchphrase of “Hulkamania.” He would often state how “Hulkamania is RUNNING WILD!!” Today, the… Read more »
There’s been a great deal of everyday life that has shut down since the COVID-19 pandemic began and people were put into, to paraphrase The Clash, “the clampdown.” Along with carry-out meals from restaurants and grocery stores, there have been some businesses that have experienced a resurgence, however. One of those, perhaps not surprisingly, is… Read more »
Because of the current COVID-19-induced state of lockdown over much of the world, many have been turning to online poker to pass the time. In the States of America, that’s a bit more difficult than for some other countries. The individual states that have passed online gaming regulations offer a plethora of options, while the… Read more »
And there it is. On Tuesday, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak ordered all “nonessential businesses” in the state to close to the public for 30 days. Most notably for our interests, that means that all Nevada casinos – Las Vegas Strip and all – have now gone dark. Governor lays it all out Sisolak made no… Read more »
Things just keep getting better for poker players in the state of Pennsylvania. It was announced today that FOX Bet and PokerStars will open the doors to the inaugural Pennsylvania Winter Series. The event will tie in with the promotion of the upcoming NFL Super Bowl alongside poker tournaments exclusively for residents of the state… Read more »
Eyebrows were raised throughout the poker community over the weekend when BetMGM sent out an interesting e-mail to its customers. The e-mail, hyping a promotion that began Sunday, strongly implies that partypoker might be launching soon in Nevada. Though many people received the e-mail, poker media maven Kevin Mathers posted it on Twitter for those… Read more »
I am a terrible sports bettor. I’ve probably mentioned that before. Fortunately, I live in a state in which there is no sports betting available and I haven’t felt the desire to jump through the hoops required to bet with an offshore book. Thus, I can safely say that I did not contribute to the… Read more »
The news for online gaming and poker continues to be on the rise. Coming out of nowhere, the state of West Virginia has become the fifth state to authorize online gaming and poker inside its borders. The bill pushing for such activities became law after Governor Jim Justice did not sign the legislation passed by… Read more »
The saga regarding the lawsuit between the Borgata in Atlantic City and poker professional Phil Ivey has been one that has dragged out much longer than anyone figured. Now the Borgata is trying to put an end to the case, getting an assist from the judge in the New Jersey case to sign off on… Read more »
It has taken a long time in coming but, within the next few months (first quarter 2019 at the latest), the state of Pennsylvania will enter into the online gaming arena. Since 2013, there have only been three states that have passed regulations allowing the activity – Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey – and Nevada… Read more »
Midterm elections in the States of America usually aren’t highly important. In most cases, the highest-ranking office that is up for election is the House of Representatives, unless a Senator is facing his constituents at the conclusion of his or her six-year term. In some states, however, there is a Governor’s race that is up… Read more »
The summer of 2018 has seen several states step up to offer sports betting – both live and online – to their constituents. But one thing that some thought would be swept up in the passage of sports betting regulations – the regulation of online casino gaming and poker – has failed to materialize. Rhode… Read more »
As they prepare to drop the ball in New York City, it is appropriate to look back at the year gone by in the poker world. When it comes to politics regarding poker in 2017, for the first time in ages it wasn’t just the States of America that had its issues. Turmoil regarding poker,… Read more »
Since 2013 the three states that passed online gaming and/or poker regulations – Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware – have gone their own ways in trying to be successful in the online gaming industry. Now, the trio of states have made the historic decision to compact between each other. In a press release, Governor Chris… Read more »
