Two plead guilty to bookmaking out of Borgata poker room

Two more defendants have pleaded guilty to gambling charges in a mob-linked, multimillion-dollar bookmaking operation that was run out of the high-stakes poker room of one of Atlantic City's casinos.
Nicholas Caltabiano, 25, of Brigantine, and Matthew Zambanini, 29, of Hockessin, Del., have admitted they worked as agents for the betting ring, according to a statement released yesterday by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office.

Each faces a maximum of 364 days in county jail for his role in what State Police have dubbed "Operation High Roller."

Authorities allege that during a 20-month period the gambling operation generated about $60 million in bets while operating out of the poker lounge at the Borgata Casino Hotel & Spa.

The casino cooperated with the State Police investigation which included wiretaps, surveillance videos and informant testimony. The investigation ended with a series of arrests in November 2007.

Caltabiano and Zambanini entered their pleas during brief hearings before Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Michael Donio on Tuesday. To date, 17 defendants in the case, including the reputed leaders of the operation, have entered guilty pleas.

Jack Buscemi Jr., 51, of Mullica Hill, and Andrew Micali, 33, of Ventnor, each face up to five years in state prison based on their pleas to money-laundering and loansharking charges.

Buscemi was described as the boss of the betting ring while Micali ran the day-to-day operations.

Anthony Nicodemo, 37, a reputed South Philadelphia-based mob soldier, faces up to three years after pleading guilty to gambling and money-laundering charges.

Authorities said Nicodemo had a supervisor role in the operation.

Most of the other defendants have pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of promoting gambling that carries a maximum of just under one year in the county jail.

Poker Tournament - BILOXI , MS

BILOXI, MS (WLOX) - Some of America's top professional poker players are competing in Biloxi's World Poker Tour Championship at Beau Rivage.

When the tournament began, 283 players were at the tables. By Saturday, six players will be competing for a top prize of a million dollars.

"The winner also gets a $25,000 seat at the world championship in Las Vegas," said Director of Poker Operations Ken Lambert.

Saturday's final event will be nationally televised. It represents great publicity for the coast's casino industry.

"It's big recognition for Beau Rivage and Biloxi," said Lambert.

The final event takes place Saturday at 4pm inside Beau Rivage's grand ball room. The public is invited to come and watch six players compete for a million dollars.

Women's Charity "Queens of Heart" Tournament Heightens Awareness With Harrah's World Series of Poker

Lisa Tenner, President of Tenner & Associates, Inc., today announced the transition of the "Queens of Heart" Tournament to Harrah's World Series of Poker.

Co-founded in 2005, "Queens of Heart" was created to raise awareness around key women's charities through poker -- specifically, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) -- a vehicle with a promotional "good health for everyone" message.

After producing "Queens of Heart" in cooperation with the 2006, 2007 and 2008 WSOP, and raising over one hundred thousand dollars for various charities, a mutual decision was made for Harrah's to produce the event in-house.

"I am honored that the incredible success, charity and awareness for good health that Tenner & Associates, Inc. brought to the World Series of Poker on behalf of 'Queens of Heart' is a win-win for all concerned," stated Ms. Tenner. "I am very appreciative of the efforts of all of the women that have participated on the 'Queens of Heart' team over the years and helped push its success and to this level of recognition."

Tenner & Associates is a branding and marketing company that understands the importance of building a 'cause-marketing' brand. From 'Queens' inception, it understood that the WSOP would aid in elevating awareness and annual fundraising efforts.

"I am proud that the 'Queens of Heart' is a part of the history, tradition, and the future of the WSOP," said Ms. Tenner in closing.



Contact:
Contact:

Lisa Tenner
Tenner & Associates, Inc.
121 Quail Run Road
Henderson, NV 89014-2129
Landline 702.454.9561
Mobile 702.496.3286
Fax 702.792.5748

Aces High for Poker Players With MansionPoker's $2,500,000 Tournament

MansionPoker.com is inviting poker players to take part in a fantastic tournament that offers a guaranteed prize pool of $2,500,000!
MansionPoker.com never shys away from big incentives and big money for its players, and the magnificent $2,500,000 GP Tournament certainly has that extra star quality.
The preliminary satellites for the tournament commenced at the beginning of January 2009, while the main event begins in earnest on 8 March 2009. A buy-in amount of $1500+$80 allows players to enter the tournament and pit their wits against each other for adrenaline-fuelled poker.
MansionPoker.com also continues to offer a fantastic 100% new member bonus of up to $500. New members simply download the easy to use software and play any Real Money games to qualify.
Look out too for the lucrative Refer-A-Friend scheme. Members get $75 for each new player they introduce - and each new friend receives $25 so everyone's a winner.

Daniel Negreanu on Poker

When playing poker, soft playing is same as cheating

What I'm about to say may surprise you. You might be a cheater and not even know it.

If you are in a poker game for money and are taking it easy on one of your buddies, you are cheating yourself, your friend and every other player in the game. I realize that's a bold statement, but it's absolutely true.

In the poker world, we have a term for this type of play. It's called soft playing. When two friends, spouses, relatives or flat out cheaters don't bet against each other, they're soft playing.

Soft playing destroys the integrity of the game of poker and it's wrong.

I realize that many players have no idea that this behavior is so unethical. More often than not, soft playing (not to be confused with slow playing) is done innocently with no harm intended. Perhaps a gentleman doesn't want to take a lady's last $20. Or, one player doesn't want to raise his friend because his friend is losing too much money.

Well, if you are so concerned with your buddy losing money, or if you're trying to get a date by not betting against a beautiful woman, try taking them both out to dinner after the game. The poker table is no place for compassion and kindness. I'm sort of kidding, but I think you get the idea.

The unintended by-product of soft playing a friend is how it affects the action for the rest of the players at the table. For example, let's say that you and a pal both make the final table of a No Limit Texas Hold 'em tournament that pays the top five finishers. There are six players remaining and you and your buddy are still hanging in. Remember, the next player out gets nothing. Everyone at the table wants to see someone get knocked out so that they can finish in the money.

How do you think the other players at the table would feel if you are soft playing your friend? By not playing hard against him, you are absolutely cheating the other players at the table. That may not have been your intention, but ignorance of the rule won't get you off the hook when you get caught. Soft playing in a tournament can result in severe penalties, including disqualification to both you and your friend.

Poker is not a team sport. It's every man for himself. It's perfectly OK to root for your buddies and hope they do well, but when it's time to play the game, you have to give it your all. All by yourself, that is.

Soft playing is, more often than not, totally innocent. But you need to be aware that there are snakes out there, and it's important that you spot them before they team up against you.

If you're playing online and you smell something fishy, e-mail customer support and have them investigate. At reputable poker sites, a representative will look into your claim by reviewing the hand(s) in question, as well as the betting history of the suspected cheaters. If suspicious betting behavior is detected, the crooks will be banned from the site and you will likely receive a refund for the money you lost due to player collusion.

If you see something strange in a live game, notify the floor man immediately and ask him to investigate.

Bonita greyhound track to stage its biggest poker tourney ever

The Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track, 10601 Bonita Beach Road, will stage its largest poker tournament ever on Saturday, Jan. 24 with a guaranteed $25,000 payout to the winner.

The No Limit Texas Hold’em tournament will start at noon. in the Poker Room on the first mezzanine.

The Buy-In is $550 and each player will start with $10,000 in chips.

The tournament will seat 100 players.

"The response has been good and we have only a few seats remaining," said Cindy Fra, Poker Room manager.

The Poker Room is open from noon to midnight daily and throughout January a Royal Flush pays $5,000.

For more information, call 992-2411.

Ford to focus on return of video poker

COLUMBIA — The never dull and often controversial Sen. Robert Ford will run for governor in 2010 on a platform centered on bringing back video poker, the Charleston Democrat told The Post and Courier on Tuesday.

Sen. Robert Ford told The Post and Courier on Tuesday that he plans to run for governor in 2010.
Ford claims video poker would solve South Carolina's woeful financial situation, generating $750 million by taxing the industry that was outlawed here nearly a decade ago. It's the Christian thing to do, he said.

"I decided to run for governor, but it will be a different type of race," Ford said.

Many people would bet money on that.

Rod Shealy, a South Carolina political consultant, said Ford, a native of New Orleans, shouldn't be discounted, despite the senator's bad grammar and freewheeling sense of humor.

"Senator Ford is a fierce political competitor," Shealy said. "He brought a style of Louisiana politics when he came."

Ford, 60, served in the Senate since 1993 and had been a Charleston City councilman from 1974 to 1992. He worked for Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights era, spent years as a car salesman and now is a full time legislator.

He joins an already crowded field of politicians interested in the state's top job when Gov. Mark Sanford's term ends in January 2011.

Republicans who have expressed interest include Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, 3rd District U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, state Attorney General Henry McMaster and state Rep. Jim Merrill of Daniel Island, who just relinquished the post of House majority leader. Interested Democrats are state Sens. Joel Lourie of Columbia and Vincent Sheheen of Camden and state Rep. James Smith of Columbia.

Ford said his gubernatorial bid would be different because he is working with others to build a coalition that believes taxes on gaming will provide South Carolina with the money it needs to serve the state's neediest while keeping taxes low. Ford wants to put a referendum before the voters to bring back video poker.

Tax collections in the current budget have fallen a billion dollars short of projections, resulting in mid-year cuts. The fiscal year the begins July 1 could be even worse.

"I decided to give the General Assembly up until April to come up with another source of revenue," Ford said. After that, he will put his campaign in full gear.

Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Bonneau, said video poker brings more problems than it could solve and he is skeptical of the money Ford said it will raise.

"There are a number of people who were sad to see video poker go, particularly the ones who were making hundreds of thousands of dollars off the backs of those who were addicted to gambling," Grooms said. He said those same interests could pump big money into Ford's campaign.

Still, Grooms said, "The upcoming gubernatorial race would not be boring if Senator Ford would be a candidate."

Poker establishments cry foul

Several poker establishments are crying foul over a resolution calling for the phase out of all poker machines in the CNMI, except those in licensed casinos, by June 30, 2009, saying it unfairly targets their businesses and puts to waste the thousands of dollars they spent to enhance security, not to mention the lesser revenue for the government and the hundreds of people who will lose their jobs.

The resolution, passed by the Governor's Strategic Economic Development Council, was adopted on Dec. 16, 2008.

Pacific Amusement owners Paul Trombetta and Jim Gebhard said they are not exactly sure what the reason behind the SEDC resolution is.

“It's entirely possible that the members are made up of people connected to competing businesses in the CNMI. Of course, some of their recommendations may be beneficial to their own respective businesses, and that is understandable. I see that one of the signatories does not even live in the CNMI so we wonder what is the true agenda of this body.”

Pacific Amusement operates High Roller I in Garapan and High Roller II in Koblerville. It also manages Bobby's Café along Middle Road.

Poker jobs

Emil De Belen, manager of Treasure Island, meanwhile, said he opposes the SEDC resolution because it would result in the loss of jobs not only for himself but 15 of his co-workers.

It was the same sentiment made by a 35-year-old operations manager of a poker establishment in Garapan, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity. She said if the SEDC plan pushes through, she will be out of the job and she won't be able to send money to her family back home.

A 32-year-old poker attendant also worries about her job security, especially now since her mother and father are in bad health and she is paying for the college tuition of two of her nephews.

Taking money from the 'poor'

De Belen said it does not make sense outlawing companies like Hanon Investment Saipan, which own Treasure Islands, from operating poker machines, only to allow big hotels to run their own poker parlors.

De Belen, who has been working in the poker industry since 1996, said it would be like taking away money from the poor to give to the rich.

Treasure Island operates 29 poker machines at its 4,000-square-meter Garapan establishment.

Like De Belen, Trombetta and Gebhard also took exception on wordings in the SEDC resolution outlawing poker machines in the Commonwealth, while allowing poker activities in casinos.

“We don't see the logic in this at all. If the concern is the gambling and the effect on families, why would the people who are against poker promote casinos? Is it fair to permit a business activity, any business activity, to a select group of people? For example, would it be fair to allow hotels with 200 rooms or more to be the only businesses allowed to sell alcohol, excluding all of the other businesses in the CNMI? Silly, right? And patently unfair.”

Addiction to vice

The two also questioned SEDC citing increasing poker addiction in the CNMI as the reason behind the move to phase them out.

“Saying that poker machines destroy families is not an accurate statement. Yes, it's true that compulsive gamblers will seek out a way to gamble and often their compulsion will harm their families. Whether it's poker, cockfights, village fiesta gambling, bingo, or a trip to the [Tinian] Dynasty, the compulsive gambler will always find a way to place a bet. We should help the compulsive gambler in the same way we help the alcoholic and drug addict and tax revenues derived from bars and gambling activities should fund this effort.”

A hotel owner who operates four machines but who wishes to remain anonymous, meanwhile, said she feels for individuals and families “victimized” by the addiction to poker.

However, she opposes the SEDC resolution looking for the elimination of poker machines in the Commonwealth because it would lead to the closing of her business. She said the poker machines inside her small hotel are currently the ones sustaining her hotel.

Besides, she said it's not as if poker establishment owners and operators are pointing a gun to their customers' heads.

Trombetta and Gebhard said that, while the government is looking to eliminate poker machines, they should also look at outlawing alcohol altogether.

“There is no doubt that by far the activity that poses the greater harm to families in the CNMI is alcohol. We never hear a cry for relocating the bars to La Fiesta. I wonder why? When you look at the record, most crime in the CNMI is alcohol related, and this includes DUI, crimes of violence, and spousal abuse.”

Magnet for crime?

They also don't believe that poker establishment are magnets for criminal activity.

“Pokers are rarely targets like mom-and-pop [stores] or residences are. Poker casinos are places where there is cash, like other businesses on Saipan like mini marts and banks. When an alcoholic needs a drink or a drug addict needs a fix, and they are determined to rob somebody to get money, they will take the easiest target, but they will get somebody in the end.”

De Belen said it is also unfair for poker establishments to shut down after the government recently required them to make improvements in their operations to safeguard against robberies.

He said Treasure Island had to invest in a CCTV system costing $10,000 as well as hire two security guards for $5 an hour. He said his company has even gone over and beyond the required 10-hour security requirement as his guards look after Treasure Islands 24/7.

Bigger loss

Trombetta and Gebhard fears that if allowed to succeed, the resolution to outlaw poker machines in the CNMI, save for 200-room hotels, would lead to the closure of their establishments.

“We have run some numbers and have determined that we would have to lay off 45 people should we lose our business. Fifty percent of our staffing is local hire. It doesn't take an accountant to figure out that not only would the CNMI lose our license fees that we pay annually, but also our gross revenue tax, jackpot taxes, and corporate income tax.”

They said like the other poker establishments in the CNMI, their closure would have a trickling negative effect on the local economy.

“Additionally the payroll of the 45 people would no longer be in circulation, and neither would the taxes paid by the employees. And let's not forget the rents that we pay for our facilities and operations. How could we meet our lease obligations if the businesses conducted in those premises were banned? Plus there is the considerable investment in capital equipment, leasehold improvements, spare parts and the like. We would end up with a huge writeoff which would negate any tax revenues from our company to the CNMI for many years to come. .Our company will survive because we are diversified, but we would be on a much smaller scale, of course.”

There are a total of 791 poker machines in the CNMI-680 on Saipan, 52 on Tinian, and 59 on Rota. Poker establishments currently pay $12,000 per machine a year, which translates to about $9.5 million in earnings from poker licenses a year for the government.

Time spent at online poker pays off for student

TORONTO

Like any good mother, Zahra Bahmani was concerned when she heard her son was staying up late most nights playing online poker when he could have been studying toward his biochemistry degree at McMaster University. Now, she doesn't nag so much. Poorya Nazari, 22, who got his degree last month, accepted an oversized cheque for $3 million US yesterday as the winner of the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure tournament in the Bahamas.

Norwegian poker prodigy in Melbourne for motza

Annette Obrestad tries out her poker face at Crown Casino. Photo: Wayne Taylor

Among a group of men huddled around a poker table in Crown Casino sits a 20-year-old Norwegian woman named Annette Obrestad.


She is short, confident and stylish; her hot-pink leggings and shiny black boots stand in stark contrast to the T-shirts and beer bellies of her competitors.


And if things go her way during the month-long Aussie Millions Championship, she will leave our shores a couple of million dollars richer.


Obrestad is a poker phenomenon: a high-school drop-out and under-age gambler who has become a record-breaking champion.


"I realised I was talented after I started winning more through poker than my mum was earning in her job," she says during a short break from play. "I've made lots of money. I'm not going to say how much, but it's quite a bit."


According to some reports, she has won at least $US3.3 million, including $US2 million in the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOP) tournament and $US500,000 from various Pokerstars online tournaments.


Obrestad got her start after seeing an advertisement for an online poker website.


"It sounded like fun, so I played a few games and did pretty well," she says. "I was only 15 at the time, so I guess what I did was technically illegal. But I never deposited the money, so I don't feel like I did anything wrong."


At 18, Obrestad became the youngest ever winner of the WSOP Europe tournament, and her $US2 million prize is the biggest single-event payout to a female player. She has since won several other live and online tournaments. Not bad considering she can't even compete in WSOP events

in the United States until she turns 21.


"I dropped out of high school when I was 17," she says. "I just didn't see the point of getting a degree. All it would have done is stopped me from doing what I really want to do for another three years."


Not surprisingly, nearly all her competitors are men

Flordia, New Poker Room !

St. Petersburg, Florida - After six months of construction and nearly $3 million to complete, Derby Lane's newest Poker Room is now open for business.

"We're really proud of the new room," boasted Vice President Richard Winning, whose great grandfather founded the company in 1925. "We adapt as best we can to the changing needs of our customers," said Winning. "We have to remain competitive."

The new poker room is expected to be open every day of the year except Christmas Day, and valet parking is also being offered close by.

Despite the downturn in the economy, Winning's outlook remains positive for the company that has weathered economic storms like the Great Depression and World War II.

Reward offered in armed holdup of Morris Twp. poker game

Buzz up! MORRIS TWP. — Authorities are offering a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to arrests in an Oct. 16, 2008, armed robbery of a midnight poker game.


At 1 a.m., police were called to a Burnham Road home where an armed robbery occurred during a poker game.

The victims told police that three men wearing bandanas entered the home and ordered everyone onto the floor. The robbers were armed with a shotgun, a handgun and a knife, police said.

The suspects are described as:

-- A black man, 6 feet to 6 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 200 to 240 pounds, large build;

-- A black man, 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 11 inches, 170 to 185 pounds, stocky build; and

-- A black man, 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet tall, 170 to 185 pounds, slender build.

Anyone with information is asked to call Morris County CrimeStoppers at (973) COP-CALL or (800) SHERIFF. No one will ask your name. Callers may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000 if information leads to the arrest or indictment of those responsible.

Poker Great Tom Dwan: Is He Getting More Than He Gambeld For?

If you keep up with the poker news much, chances are that you have heard the news about Tom Dwan and his boasts. If you don’t know who Tom Dwan is, chances are that you don’t mess much with internet poker as he is a real phenomenon in that niche. He recently challenged anyone who would listen, promising to play head-to-head poker against someone at a no-limit hold’em or pot limit game for 50,000 hands at a minimum of $200/$400. To boot, this was to be done at a minimum of four tables—al all over the Internet.
The catch? If the opponent is ahead even the slightest bit at the end of the 50,000 hands…and we mean the slightest bit…Dwan pledged to make him or her richer to the tune of $1.5 million dollars. If he is ahead at the end of the 50,000 hands the opponent is to pay him $500,000. Needless to say, the winner gets to keep his profits from the session, as well.
As was bound to happen, somebody accepted. Well, a few people accepted. Some great players have accepted, including the great Phil Ivey, David Benyamine, and Patrick Antonius.
Benyamine is set to go up first against Dwan, but that hasn’t been confirmed by Benyamine himself as it came from the mouth of Phil Ivey. These are all great players, and this is bound to be a good round of Poker, with the loser potentially going millions of dollars in the hole.
If Dwan wanted competition, he’s surely got it now. They say poker is a game of gambling, but with the potential to lose millions upon millions of dollars, we think this is a bit extreme.

Asian Poker Tour Adds PLO Event to APT Manila

The Asian Poker Tour has announced the addition of a pot-limit Omaha tournament to the upcoming APT Manila tournament series to take place January 27th-February 1st at the Dusit Thani Manila Hotel in Makati, Philippines. The PLO event, one of six preliminary events on the 2009 APT Manila schedule, is being touted as the first-ever Omaha event for a major poker tour in Asia.

The APT returns to the island country located off the continent's southeast coast after a successful initial stop there last spring. That event featured three preliminary tournaments plus a $2,500+200 buy-in Main Event. All four of last year's tournaments were no-limit hold'em.

Aussie David Saab took down last year's APT Manila Main Event, outlasting a field of 316 players to earn the first prize of $280,000. Saab defeated Korean Chris Roh heads up to take the title. PokerNews was on hand to cover all of the action at last year's APT Manila Main Event, which you can read about here.

The PLO event is not the only bit of variety that has been added to the APT Philippines schedule this time around. Four of the other five preliminary events are no-limit hold'em, although some of those also feature variations from the regular full-table, freeze-out format. One is a "Head Hunter" or bounty event, another is a rebuy event, and a third will be played six-handed. Also among the preliminary events will be a tournament in 13-Card poker, a favorite game in Asia.

As was the case in 2008, this year's APT Philippines Main Event has a $2,500+200 buy-in and again features an expected $1,000,000 prize pool. If last year's event is any indication, expect a number of recognizable pros to make the trip to Manila. Last year saw many notables make the trek, including Huck Seed, Brad Daugherty, Quinn Do, Layne Flack, Dan Schreiber, Michael O'Malley, Paul Darden, Chip and Karina Jett, and Ron Kluber.

Poker Room Review: Boulder Station, Las Vegas, NV

Boulder Station is a large, boxy casino much like most of the other Station Casinos in Las Vegas. It's east of the strip toward Henderson on Boulder Highway. The poker room is clean and a little worn. It's a local's place; I was the only tourist when I visited. Still, I felt right at home.

The chairs are nicely cushioned convention-room chairs. There are no wheels, no height adjustments or reclining features, but they're in good repair and fairly comfortable. There are overhead fans and many vents in the ceilings, but the smell of smoke is obvious in this smoking room. The room is enclosed in glass, thus keeping the smoke in.

There are 11 poker tables – nicely spaced to give the players plenty of room at and between the tables. They are standard issue, nothing fancy. They have firm black cushions along the edge and indented cup holders. There's tight red felt with a small yellow Boulder Station logo and a commitment line. They don't look brand new, but they're kept in good repair and are a cut above just being serviceable.

The room feels much homier than the other Station casinos I had visited during the previous few days (Texas Station and Palace Station). Though I am noticeably an outsider, the staff bends over backwards to make me feel comfortable – telling me about the drink service, making sure I have a seat, asking me if I needed help getting chips, or a drink, and the like.

The players, too, are very friendly. They trade names with me, ask me where I'm from, and then include me in their conversation. I feel relaxed and comfortable as I ask my questions and start to play Omaha.

The room is strictly a low-limit place and, according to the players, "The hottest hi-only Omaha room in the city." When I visited on a Wednesday morning at about noon there were four games going: two $4-$8 Omaha hi, one $2-$4 hold'em, and one $4-8 hold'em. The $4-$8 games are played with a kill. The stakes go up when someone wins two pots in a row.

They never get stud anymore, though the floor pointed out, "They used to try and get a game – but the players didn't cooperate, unfortunately." And they'll spread no-limit, but didn't have it when I was there, nor when I called back on a weekend night to check on the action.

I played for about four hours. The level of play at my $4-$8 Omaha game was generally very poor (though the players were really, really nice). There were usually six players going to the river. I noticed that many had nothing more than non-nut straight and flush draws, even when the board was paired. There were many short buy-ins and the play tended to be extremely passive. I was the only player who ever raised anyone. Players ribbed me good-naturedly about it. Rounds would frequently go by with all five or six players checking.

The room is full of promotions. There are high hand Wednesdays, weekly cash drawings, the Omaha bad beat jackpot, and of course the Jumbo Bad Beat Jackpot that links all of the station casinos together for a bad beat worth at least $150,000. Boulder Station also participates in the Station Casinos $300,000 freeroll, which goes off two or three times every year. There are free drinks and a room service menu for tableside food service. Players earn points that equal about $1 an hour that can be used for anything in the casino, like food or a room. Rooms are typically very cheap – "starting at $29" according to their website.

There's a cost for these promotions, chiefly borne by the players with a $1 drop when the pot hits $10. The house also rakes 10% up to a maximum of $4.

The room doesn't spread tournaments. "We don't need to," said the floor guy, pointing out all of the other promotions and how busy they are. But they do run satellites to the World Series of Poker and the World Poker Tour events. Actually, they're low buy-in single-table satellites to satellites. Buy-ins are typically $40, with the winner getting a seat at a satellite in another casino, like the Bellagio.

Most of the room's energy goes into keeping their regular patrons happy at their low-limit hold'em and Omaha games. And happy they all seemed to be, as was I. I recommend this friendly low-limit room highly to all smoking players.

Poorya Nazari Wins the 2009 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure

The Canadian Wins $3 Milllion in the Bahamas
The final eight players at the 2009 European Poker Tour PokerStars Caribbean Adventure returned to the Imperial Ballroom at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas to play for the 10th largest poker tournament top prize in history today. The massive field of 1,347 players made this event the largest ever hosted outside of the United States, and it also created a top prize worth $3 million. The final eight had accomplished much to make it this far, and even though they were each guaranteed to walk away with at least $214,000 -- the stakes and tension couldn't be higher.

The early going was rough on the Americans and poker professionals at the final table. Kevin Saul (eighth), Dan Heimiller (seventh), Dustin Dirksen (sixth), Pieter Tielen (fifth), and Team PokerStars Pro Alexandre Gomes (fourth) fell during the first three hours, leaving a big oppurtunity for a new face to emerge in the world of poker, and Benny Spindler held almost twice the amount of both his opponents combined when three-handed play began.

The three-handed battle proved to be the major stretch at the final table, lasting five hours. The final three players continued trading chips as players doubled up and action was slow otherwise. Spindler eventually fell in third place and the Canadian Poorya Nazari took an almost two-to-one lead into the heads-up match against the American Anthony Gregg. In the end it was Nazari who won the $3 million, after a heads-up battle that lasted only four hands.