by Barbara Rogers
Cage fighting without touching. That’s how I felt about most of the tournaments in the recent WSOP. From a few Germans, to an exceptionally nasty elderly lady, attitude abounded. In one of the deep stacks, I flopped a ROYAL FLUSH. Everyone at the table concluded they will never see it again. Maybe on the turn or river, but never on the flop… just too rare. The dealer broke his maidenhood on this one.
I am proud to say the Northeast placed nine players out of the top 21 in the World Series. Foxwoods regular, Robert Corcione, finished twenty-first, cashing $294,000. Also from the Northeast, John Murray, MA. cashed 280,000. Ace, Robert Corcione had top finishes at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, CT. in 2011 and 2012. Topping this off, in the big one, Michael Esposito from New York will be at the final table, along with Russell Thomas, CT., Greg Merson from Maryland, and MA chip leader Jesse Sylvia with 43 million of them. This means the October Nine boasts four players from the East Coast. The beat IS from the northeast!
$700,000 package at Turning Stone’s Empire State Championship— $350,000 guaranteed payout for the main event! And the buy-in is only $1,650 with a deep stack and an excellent structure. While you are reading this, there is still time for you to make it. The starting date is Saturday August 18th. Maybe 1 of the 2 free cars will still be left. There is $50,000 added to the bad beat, at the action packed cash tables and another $40,000 being given away in cash prizes.
Dover Downs in Delaware is on top of their game, offering plenty of incentives and tournaments. This will be the second year for the Delaware Poker Championship, playing out on September 8th. On August 24th, a guaranteed payout of $10,000 will replace the regular Friday night event. And on August 31st you could experience a double win. In addition to the guaranteed $10,000, the first place winner will receive a seat in the Delaware Poker Championship. August 31st premiers a fight card. Larry “The Easton Assassin” Holmes will provide ringside color commentary while the boxers slug it out. Another huge reason to book a room in this AAArated Four Diamond hotel is Dover Downs Gaming & Entertainment, Inc. has entered into a strategic crossmarketing alliance with Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts International. This means you can enjoy privileges, redeem rewards, and experience amenities at partner properties in Las Vegas, Detroit, and Mississippi. As a guest of the hotel at Dover Downs, just sign up for Capital Club membership. “Think Vegas and the WSOP 2013.” There are 15 participating MGM Resorts properties, Aria, Bellagio, Vdara, MGM Grand, The Signature at MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, THEhotel at Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Monte Carlo, New York-New York, Luxor, and Excalibur in Vegas, Beau Rivage and Gold Strike in Mississippi, and MGM Grand in Detroit.
Mohegan Sun, at Pocono Downs in PA, has announced their big plans to build a seven story 238- room hotel and Convention Center. Dubbed Project Sunlight, the light on their poker room is shining brighter now too. They have gotten braver and more creative with Texas hold’em tournaments, offering bigger pay-outs and deeper stacks. Megan Esteves Regan explained the completion is expected in 2013. This will definitely enhance Mohegan Sun in Wilkes Barre, PA, making it a more complete destination.
“The Bus” stopped at Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. Pro-footballer Jerome Bettis lent his time in making this charity tournament successful.
August is Deep Stack Tournament time for Rivers. Saturdays at 12:15pm with a buy-in of $200+$20+$5, you are guaranteed $15,000 in pay-outs. The Wrap Up Tournament will be the last Saturday of August with a guarantee of $25,000 for a $500+$45+$5 buy-in.
Don’t forget the “Iron Man Challenge” coming up at Delaware Park. There are plenty of qualifier satellite’s being offered throughout the month of August. The guarantee is $100,000, the date is Saturday, August 25th, the buy-in $600, the time 12pm. There are no breaks, (scheduled anyway.) Delaware Park rocks these games in the cash rooms too; Omaha, PLO, H.O.R.S.E., Stud, A-5 Triple Draw, Pineapple, Crazy Pineapple, Chinese Poker, and Badugi. One of my poker buddies, Brian Sommers, just returned from his first trip to Delaware Park and told me he loved it! He thought the grounds were beautiful, liked going out to the track and loved the twist of the Mississippi Straddle.
The Governor of Massachusetts and the Wampanoag Indian Tribe just signed a pact over casino development, wherein the state will receive 21.5% of the revenue. This went before the MA legislature, was quickly passed, and is now on its way to the Feds for signing. The Wampanoags are well known as the tribe that reached out to the Pilgrims in 1620 by bringing food to Thanksgiving.
Columbus-Hollywood has been speeding. They moved their opening date from late October or November up to fittingly, Columbus Day, October 8th. Based on how hungry Ohio poker players were for a new Casino, this poker room should be swamped.
Special thanks to my friend and player Mike Clemente of Rhode Island. Mike is an excellent statistician, all around nice guy, and genuinely pleased for the success of good players.
Barbara Rogers is a competitive player in many endeavors including pool and poker tournaments. She is the Northeast Regional Sales Manager and a writer for Poker Player.be
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