WestJet Wynn LV deal

WestJet Vacations is offering a
3-night stay at the luxurious
5-Diamond Wynn Las Vegas.
Deal includes air, accommodations & taxes.
Fly from Toronto: July 6,13,15,20 & 22...$694
(per person including taxes)

http://www.westjetvacations.com/content/deals/las-vegas-0163.html?WVID=travelzoo_top20_20080507

Spirit Vegas Deals

Spirit Airlines has some good
all-incl. deals going on right now.

Eg: Fly Non-Stop Detroit to Las Vegas
and stay at Circus Circus for 3 days
for $306 per person incl. all taxes & fees!!
(Price varies by date obviously)

http://www.spiritvacations.com/top_picks.asp?cmpid=EMC-TopPicks#LASALDA

WSOP Final Table Delayed 4 Months

A Comprehensive Look at the WSOP Final Table Delay – Part One
May 06, 2008 by BJ Nemeth

By now, everyone in poker has heard about the new format for this year's WSOP Main Event. The final table will be delayed several months to be shown "nearly live" on ESPN. It's a bold and controversial proposal, surrounded by rumors and wild theories.

This article aims to separate the facts from the fiction. The primary reason for the new change? In a word, ratings. The demographics for televised poker have been dropping in recent years, and that affects everyone in the poker world, from Harrah's and ESPN to PokerStars and Full Tilt to the grinders in the cash games who have fewer fresh fish to feed on. This change is designed to increase the buzz around the final table of the WSOP Main Event in an attempt to put it on par with other major "sports" championships. (While poker isn't actually a sport, the fans watch it in much the same way.) If the TV ratings for poker continue to fall, we face the possibility of losing poker on TV, except for late-night paid-for specials. The proponents of this plan claim that it will reinvigorate televised poker, draw new fans to the game, and potentially create another Moneymaker-style poker boom that would boost the entire industry. (Is there anyone in poker who didn't benefit from the post-Moneymaker boom?)

The detractors of this plan claim that this delay could kill the WSOP — or worse, kill some of the final nine players.

THE NEW SCHEDULE

Event #1 of the World Series of Poker starts at the end of this month, and the first 46 days of the WSOP will proceed on the original schedule. The only change is on the last day of the last event, and it will only directly affect the final nine players. (In last year's field of 6,358, they represented 0.0014% of the total.) When the biggest bubble boy in poker history is eliminated in tenth place on July 14, the remaining nine players will take a 117-day break before returning to play the final table. That's nearly 17 weeks, or about four months. Okay, so ratings are important. But why is the delay so long? Why 4 months? Why not two days, two weeks, or two months? For the answer, let's take a look at the full schedule for the Main Event and ESPN's coverage (all of ESPN's WSOP episodes are two hours each, except for the one-hour Final Table Preview on Nov. 4).

July 3-6: Days 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d of Main Event

July 7: *Off Day* July 8-9: Days 2a, 2b

July 10-14: Days 3-7 (down to final 9 players)

July 22 - Aug. 26: ESPN airs prelim events for 6 wks

Sep 2 - Oct 28: ESPN airs Main Event for 9 wks

Nov. 4: ESPN airs 1 hour final table preview

Nov. 9: Final Table played, 9 players to final 2

Nov. 10: Heads-up for the WSOP Championship

Nov. 11: ESPN shows final table at 9:00 pm ET

Why is the delay is so long? ESPN needs that time to show the prelims and the early days of the Main Event to build the viewing audience for the final table. To maximize the ratings (which, after all, is the primary goal), the early days of the Main Event have to air before the final table to build the storyline and introduce the players. So even if ESPN dropped covering prelims entirely, the delay would still be two and a half months.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE 'NOVEMBER NINE ?

A source at Harrah's referred to the nine final tablists as the "November Nine," and I'm going to use that label to describe these 9 final tablists going forward. It's catchy, clear, and concise, and it's much easier than saying the "nine final tablists in the WSOP Main Event." As a bonus, it not only refers to the players, but the day they'll be returning to play the final table (Nov. 9th). As soon as the final table is set, the November Nine will immediately be paid 9th-place money. (Last year, ninth place paid $525,934; the average over the past four years was $890,798.) The remaining prize pool will be placed in an interest-bearing account, and the interest will be added to the prizepool.

The November Nine will be encouraged to stick around the next day (July 15) for a photo shoot, but according to WSOP Communications Director Seth Palansky, "Nothing is mandatory." The Player Release Form for all Main Event entrants is the same form used in prior years, and the November Nine will have no additional responsibilities forced upon them. There are no "reality TV" scenarios, and if the players don't want any ESPN cameras following them home, that is their choice. While the final nine are the ones most inconvenienced by the new schedule, they also have the potential to gain the most. WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack said, "We think the effect on those [final nine] players will be overwhelmingly positive, and we think it's going to do a lot to further mainstream this game."

They'll likely pick up at least 15 minutes of fame in their hometowns/home states/home countries, and receive some broad attention from the mainstream media as a group. Because anyone can win (a chip and a chair), even the player with the fewest chips will likely receive more media exposure than last year's third-place finisher. The potential to win poker's biggest prize, even as the underdog, is a compelling story that the mainstream media can run with. Finishing third in something that has already happened is not.

The delay also gives the November Nine an advantage in sponsor negotiations. Rather than signing a sponsor agreement late at night while exhausted and euphoric, players can negotiate contracts that are examined by a lawyer, and pursue additional sponsors outside of the usual online poker sites, since WSOP rules now allow players to wear multiple logos. (Last year, Robert Williamson III sported at least five different sponsor logos.) Also, if the ratings increase as expected, the November Nine should be able to earn more from their sponsorships. Some of the non-professional players are expected to hire poker coaches to help them improve their game during the delay, and all nine will undoubtedly be watching ESPN's coverage to get a feel for their opponents. Most people see this as a negative, saying that it disrupts the natural flow of the tournament, allowing players to dramatically improve their skills and potentially change the outcome. Others hope that it will improve the overall play at the final table, making it more entertaining and skill-based than years past. Regardless, 117 days is not enough time to turn Richie Cunningham into Allen Cunningham. When it's time to resume play in November, each player will receive an all-expenses paid trip for two back to the Rio in Las Vegas for the final table.

Check back tomorrow for part two, as we explore how the final table will differ this year, and what some of the issues are that are fueling some of the criticism toward this big change in the World Series of Poker.

Poker After Dark

The repeats are getting pretty
thick, with more on the way.

The only good news is that there will
be a few new shows intermixed with
more repeats. Keep an eye for:


Week of May 12 - New Show
(Love at First Raise)
Jennifer Harman, Marco Traniello,
Jennifer Tilly, Phil Laak,
Erica Schoenberg, David Benyamine

Week of May 19 - New Show
(Commentators Week)
Mark Gregorich, Chad Brown,
Oliver “Ali” Nejad, Robert Williamson,
Phil Gordon, Howard Lederer

Full Tilt Tournament Hand

click to enlarge

As a testiment to how g-didi
continues to run, here's a
screen shot of how she was
eliminated from the final table
of a 90 player Bounty Tournament
on Full Tilt last night.


She is "Devosleeps" in the
bottom seat, 2 under the gun.
Four way all-in preflop
with pocket Aces.

Vegas

Random Notes from Las Vegas

* Trucks spewing dirty diesel fumes drive

up and down the strip with the sole purpose

of advertising strippers, hookers & casino shows.

* People here put $4000 rims on a $1000 car.
(As opposed to back home where they

put a $4000 STEREO in a $1000 car)

* Cigarettes $2.49 -$3.79 per pack

* Gas $ 3.45 a gallon (approx. $0.90 cents a Litre !)
Shocked to see $1.20/L when I got back.

* Gas Station Sale: 12 bottles of Corona $5.99,
bottles of "fine" wine $3.99 each.

* Oasis Motel where Stu Ungar died,
rooms available for $33 / night.
Room #16 is currently occupied.

* Food is cheaper down south,
Junk food is WAY cheaper, is there a
connection to the larger % of overweight people ?

Vegas Monday

Stayed out of trouble the entire trip

and did not require their services.

Sunday late

1:30am
Headed back to the Sahara for a nap.
Didnt want to admit the trip was coming
to an end, but long travel day ahead.

The tired is kicking in, sitting on the
hotel bed, couldnt help but laugh
hysterically at this woman on CNN,
mother of " Texas Polygamy Kids"
who had the most perfect UNI-BROW
that I've ever seen. The hair-doo
makes it just that much more priceless.
Things seem so much more funny when
you havent slept much.

Havent laughed that hard in a while







Woke up 4:30 am, shower, coffee, and checkout.
Headed to Car Rental Center (all car rentals are at
same place several miles away from airport) to
return P/T Crapper. Leave yourself good
20-25 minutes to catch the free shuttle from the
car rental building to the airport.
Made our flight out at 6:15am
and were on our way home.

Sunday Night

It would be wrong to visit Margaritaville and
order beer, so I ordered a Red Bull Margarita
and Gina had some fruity margarita that I cant
remember the name of.. Off to see the Lizard
Margarita ?, Who's to Blame Margarita ??
She was disappointed that the margarita
came in a regular glass, not a margarita glass.
Was very yummy though.

The Nacho plate ($10.95) was all I expected
and more, lots of real melted cheese, ground beef,
jalapeno peppers and sour cream. (Not sure
the picture shows how massive this thing was).
Two hungry people had a tough time finishing it,
and we didn’t. Cool atmosphere, giant 7ft
margaritas by the bar, flying bridge fishing boats
turned into tables, good music & great margaritas,
although a little pricey ($8ea)

Wandered next door to the FLAMINGO poker room.
No waiting, seated immediately. Up to 6 tables
of $1/2. Best action of the trip. Wish I found this
room earlier in the week. Very soft play, a few
very loose donkeys. All tourists, no locals.
Great drink service in the poker room itself
(lousy out on the floor).

Playing with "2006 World Series of Poker"
cards. They looked so well used that they
may have been actually used in the 2006 WSOP.

I did get a Crown Royal & Coke that
actually had real Crown Royal and
Coca-Cola in it. The dirty ol' Flamingo
got it right but Bellagio didn’t…go figure ?

One memorable hand comes to mind.

Seat 7 (JJ) open raises to $15.
Me Seat 10 (QQ) calls the $15.
Seat 4 (KK) moves all in for $95.
Seat 7 (JJ) calls.
Me Seat 10 (QQ) Folds.
Board comes rainbow and raggy.
KK Doubles up.
(Seat 5 says he folded 88 as well)

I really enjoyed playing in this room.
The main floor of the Flamingo was
really smoky, but since the poker room
is at the far end by itself, the smoke wasn’t
much of a factor. Played until the game
started to thin out.

Vegas Sunday Eve

Getting hungry, we went up the strip to the FLAMINGO Casino. I had heard good things about JIMMY BUFFETS MARGARITAVILLE and the ridiculously huge Nacho Plate.

Vegas Sunday

I really like the MGM poker room.
"Mike" the poker room manager always

got us seated quickly, no waiting, very friendly

dealers who work quickly, have good control

of the game and are very competent overall.

Good action at the tables I played at.

Decent play overall with enough weak players

to make it worthwhile.

Unfortunately I wasn’t running well enough
to take all their money. I was playing well,
my reads were really good, the cards were
just not working for me.

I was on the wrong side of 'set over set' 3 times
during this session. Was able to fold 2 of them
because of good reads (thank you Joe Navarro
– see Caesars Palace entry) and on the 3rd one,
I only had to pay $60 on the river to see the guy
had made a set of 9’s on the turn to beat my
flopped set of three 7’s.

I also flopped the King high flush
vs. an Ace high flush vs. a flopped straight.
Flopped straight raises, Ace high flush

moves all in, I folded. Flopped straight calls

and goes broke.

This is pretty much how I’ve been running

at holdem since the beginning of March,

but thankfully my reads and instincts have

saved me from destruction for the most part.

A little tip if heading to MGM, park across

the street at the TROPICANA (or NYNY),

either self park or valet, then walk across

the bridge which will bring you directly

into the poker room. If you park at the MGM
self park lot, you’re in for a very very long walk.

Vegas Sunday Afternoon

Headed over to the BELLAGIO to check out
the $25k WORLD POKER TOUR Championship.
Got to see lots of big name pros.
Gus Hanson, Phil Ivey, Joe Hachem,
Antonio Esfandiari, Phil Laak, Andy Bloch,
Dan Harrington, T.J. Cloutier, Alex Brenes,
David The Dragon Pham, Howard Lederer,
Jenn Harmon, Marco Traniello, Gavin Smith,
Men the Master Nguyen, Scotty Nguyen,
Mike Matusow, Ted Forest, Allan Cunningham,
Brandon Cantu and others.

Sorry, no pictures to share with you,
the WPT is super strict about photos
for some reason.

Won a whopping $0.42 at the Bellagio slots.
They seem to be very very tight. As I
remember, they quickly ate my $20
the last time I was there, so I think
they’re just tight-ass slots.

Ordered a Crown Royal while sitting
at the slots. Took a very long time, and
what I got, was NOT Crown Royal. It was
nasty gut rot whisky. Not even sure if you
can buy such low quality swill in Canada.
Shame on you Bellagio !

The urge to play poker was overwhelming
so we drove back over to the MGM GRAND
around 5pm.

Vegas Sunday

Check out this dessert bar

at the Gold Coast buffet.

This is one of 3 sides to it !

Sunday Morning

SUNDAY April 20th

Up at the crack of noon, guzzled some

coffee and ate the last of my protein bars,

which was enough to get the cob webs out.

Off to the GOLD COAST Casino for some food.

Made it in time for the Sunday Brunch Buffet.

Used an ACG 2 for 1 coupon.

Came to $9.64 for both of us !

Really wide selection. Breakfast staples like

omelets, pancakes, bacon, eggs benedict,

hearty lunch choices, pepper steak, pizza,

tacos, enchiladas, lasagna, smoked salmon,

crawfish (tasty !), clams, fruit and salad bar.

Really good food, Excellent Value.

Food: B+ Service: C

The Gold Coast casino itself was quite clean,

newer looking (newer than I expected anyway),

very easy parking, and not that smoky at all.

Good location, close to the Rio and The Palms.

Vegas Keno

Felt like sitting for a short while after eating,

so we grabbed a free beverage courtesy of

the Palace Station and put a $1 down on Keno.

Nice comfy chairs and not smoky compared to

the rest of the casino. I totally whiffed until

the very last number. Draw 20 numbers and

I only hit one...lol

Casino was quite busy and plenty smoky.

I was very temped by lots of action on their

low limit craps tables, but the smoke made

my eyes burn and I knew I wouldn’t be able

to stick around long enough to ride out a bad run.

Palace Stations poker room did have a bit

of action: 3 limit tables (2/4 &3/6) and

a $1/2 NL. Didnt check it out too closely.

Vegas Saturday

Headed over to the PALACE STATION Casino

for something to eat. We thought it would be

safe since OJ SIMPSON was arrested and

wasn’t staying there any more. Checked out

the Grand Café since that was about our only

option there.

There were about 30 members of a biker gang

inside. Undeterred, we sat down and ordered

a late night breakfast. $8.99 each.

No coupons, feels weird paying full price.

Place was really busy, service was accordingly

slow. Food was ok, nothing special.

Probably wouldn’t go back.

Vegas Signs

I saw 2 funny signs today.

First is pictured above.

You need a sign to tell the police to arrest

people stealing shit from a construction site ?

Second one, we had stopped by Walgreens

to pick up some water and snacks.

There was a 1ft x 2ft sign at the check-out counter

that read: " To purchase Cigarettes, we will

ask for identification if you look under 40 "

I thought they were hassling people up here

who look under 25...lol

I tried to take a picture of it, but the clerk and

security guard said no photography inside

the store please. Still feels strange seeing

armed guards at the front entrance of drug

stores and at the Dollar store.

Saturday

SATURDAY April 19th

Made our way downtown just after 1pm to

Fremont Street to pick up our FSE Coupon book

at the Oxygen Bar (used coupon in ACG).

Then to the FREMONT HOTEL’s Paradise Buffet.

Used 2 for 1 coupon from FSE booklet.

Paid $11.85 for 2 Champagne Brunch’s !

Ate here on last trip, so the very dark lighting

wasn’t a surprise. Food was good quality,

reasonably hot, decent selection. Bacon, eggs,

French toast, pancakes, made to order omelets,

fresh fruit, shrimp, crab, smoked salmon, sushi,

carved prime rib, lamb and of course, uber-cheap

champagne (sparlking white wine/ginger ale).

Left very satisfied.

Went across the street to the GOLDEN NUGGET

and were a bit surprised to see how busy the

floor was for around 2:30pm on a Saturday

afternoon.

Poker room had 6 tables going, half were limit,

the other half were $1/2 NL (no max). We were both

seated within minuts, by friendly floor manager

"Houston", to a very beatable $1/2 game. Half of

the table were 60 yrs + soft, passive rocks who

played quite predictably. This is what I come to

Vegas for. A game where I can consistently raise

and take it, or confidently fold 2 pair because

these guys let you know exactly what they have.

The $3/6 limit game appeared very juicy,

I watched for a bit while stretching my legs.

I don’t really enjoy limit holdem and its not my

strongest game, but I’m pretty sure I could

pull atleast 3-4 BB/hr if not more …the pots were

that big and the play was just that bad.

Sitting directly across from me on the next table

over was MONTEL WILLIAMS, the tv talk show

host. He’s a regular at the Nugget, hosting

"Montels", $88 and $1080 sit & go tournaments

to promote and raise money for his multiple

sclerosis charity. From what I watched,

Montel played a pretty straight forward

textbook game (he said he’s read 50 poker books),

aggressively raising when in a pot, and rarely

playing from out of position. He was wearing

the same psychedelic skin tight shirt he

wore at the World Series. Even if its lucky....

its still an ugly shirt.

Friday Eve

View from Parking Garage Roof of Caesars

In need of a poker fix, we head north

to the middle strip to CAESARS PALACE

around 6pm.

We were seated at $1/2 tables immediately.

The place was pretty hoppin. Plenty of

Limit games going. A $2/5 NL and a $2/5

Pot Limit Omaha Hi game were also running

throughout the night. Tournament was just

about to start when we got there.

Play at the tables was average, definitely

an opportunity to make some money for

skilled players.

Drink service was horrible.

Minimum ½ hour wait, sometimes an

entire hour ! (Servers are unionized,

not that friendly).

Overall, I played well but just couldn’t get

anything going card wise. Played 7 ½ hrs

and finished down about $120.

My table got broken down and I was moved

to g-didi’s table who was running really cold,

not just cold but gross.

A few examples:

She got it all in with AA vs. QQ and villain

spiked a queen. Got it all in with KK vs. 88

and villain spiked an 8. Had AA vs. 99.

Villain hits 9 on turn & 9 on river for Quads.

Folded on the river, pretty sure her opponent

had atleast one nine. Spirit nearly broken,

she quit the game and headed to the casino floor.

The gambling gods must have taken a little pity

on her, because she won $78 on slots

while waiting for me.

Got to see some poker celebs in the

poker room. The WSOP Academy ($2000 seminar)

was running a tournament for their students.

Pros there included Annie Duke, Andy Bloch,

Phil Gordon and more.

Joe Navarro, former FBI interrogator

and WSOPA instructor who’s written a couple

of the best books on poker tells and body

language hung out at my table for a bit,

talking to the dealer in between hands.

Washrooms outside the poker room

were nasty later in the evening. Mostly due

to drunk patrons of the PURE nightclub

across from the poker room.

Friday Silverton

Lions and Giraffe at Bass Pro Shops

Checking out all the stuffed wildlife worked

up an appetite. Used a 2 for 1 coupon (ACG)

for the Silverton Buffet. Total $21 for 2.

Nice atmosphere, vegas lounge music,

great service on refills and food was HOT.

Great steaks, fresh and tasty Alaskan King

Crab legs, fried coconut shrimp, pulled BBQ

beef, corn on the cob, sushi, spring rolls,

stuffed crab, smoked salmon, carved turkey/

beef/lamb, pastas, salads, lots of desserts,

self serve wine. Food: A- Service: B+

(lowered because of cold reception people,

servers were great though).

Used $10 free slot play coupon (ACG).

Must have played 20-25 minutes on it

then hit a big bonus, cashed out +$18.75.

(Almost free buffets for us)

Silverton poker room had a single

2/4 limit table that included at least

one off-duty dealer sitting in.