Poker News

Nevada Gaming Revenues Increase for the First Time in Two Years

For the first time since December 2007, Nevada casino “win” increased year over year. In November 2009, revenues grew 4.35%, snapping 22 consecutive months of falling win and perhaps signaling the start of a new streak.

All told, statewide revenue was $873.2 million in November 2009, an increase of 4.35% from the $836.8 million recorded in November 2008. For the fiscal year to date, which began in July and now runs through the end of November, revenues in the state of Nevada are $4.3 trillion, down 7.91% from the $4.7 trillion recorded one year prior. The figures, reported by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, are two months behind, meaning that November’s revenue figures are reported in January.

Casino owners in Clark County finally had something to cheer about. After watching revenues drop for 22 straight months, Clark County casinos hauled in $750.8 million in revenue in November, a bump of 6.86% from the $702.6 million recorded in the same period in 2008. On the famed Las Vegas Strip, which features poker-friendly casinos like the Wynn, Bellagio, and Caesars Palace, revenues were $473.8 million in November 2009, up a solid 8.26% from the $437.7 million recorded in November 2008. For the fiscal year to date, revenues on the Strip are $2.3 trillion, down 5.45% year over year.

In Downtown Las Vegas, which includes the home of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” and NBC’s “Face the Ace,” the Golden Nugget, revenues in November totaled $47.4 million, down just 1.27% year over year. Over the fiscal year to date, Downtown casinos like Binion’s, the former home of the annual World Series of Poker (WSOP), have seen revenues drop 8.41% collectively to $214.4 million. Recently, Binion’s shuttered its 365-room hotel.

In North Las Vegas, casino win rocketed 20.72% year over year in November to $23.4 million. The area of the state was the only one to report a growth over the fiscal year to date, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, as its win of $112.4 million since July surpassed its $104.2 million recorded in 2008 by 7.83%. In Laughlin, whose casinos include the Flamingo and Harrah’s, revenues were $39.5 million in November 2009, down 5.58% year over year.

Also making its home in Clark County is the Boulder Strip, whose casino owners had the Star Spangled Banner going off in their heads, as World Poker Tour (WPT) Host Vince Van Patten would say. Boulder Strip revenues weighed in at $65.3 million in November, up 18.98% from the $54.9 million recorded in November 2008. In Mesquite, however, the news was not as gleeful. Revenues of $9.7 million in November represented a 15.53% drop from the same period in 2008. For the fiscal year to date, the Boulder Strip and Mesquite have seen their revenues fall by 3.55% and 16.59%, respectively.

In Washoe County, revenues of $65.3 million in November 2009 represented a 4.24% drop year over year. Its epicenter of gambling is the “Biggest Little City in the World,” Reno, whose revenues of $47.9 million meant a 4.02% slide year over year from the $49.9 million recorded in November 2008. For the fiscal year to date, Reno’s revenues have tumbled 14.77% to $251.6 million. In Sparks, revenues of $10.4 million in November 2009 were off 9.56% from the $11.5 million raked in one year before. The final reported area of Washoe County is North Lake Tahoe, whose revenues of $1.7 million in November were down 16.24% year over year.

South Lake Tahoe casinos took the largest hit of any area broken down by the Board. Its revenues of $15.9 million in November 2009 were down a whopping 26.67% year over year from the $21.7 million recorded in November 2008. For the fiscal year to date, South Lake Tahoe casinos are down 25.91%. In Elko County, whose main gambling center is Wendover, casinos saw their win slide 8.76% to $20.9 million two months ago. Finally, in the Carson Valley Area, which the Board defines as Carson City, Gardnerville, Minden, and all other areas of Douglas County except South Lake Tahoe, revenues were off 10.55% in November to $7.5 million.

The State of Nevada collected $57.0 million in fees from casinos in December 2009 based upon revenues in November. Accordingly, the number represented a sizable 28.31% increase, amounting to $12.6 million of real money.

Here’s a look at the dramatic 22-month slide in revenue year over year in Nevada:

November 2009: +4.35%
October 2009: (11.56%)
September 2009: (8.99%)
August 2009: (9.32%)
July 2009: (12.48%)
June 2009: (13.82%)
May 2009: (8.34%)
April 2009: (14.07%)
March 2009: (11.61%)
February 2009: (18.12%)
January 2009: (14.62%)
December 2008: (18.94%)
November 2008: (14.80%)
October 2008: (22.33%)
September 2008: (5.44%)
August 2008: (8.10%)
July 2008: (12.97%)
June 2008: (1.11%)
May 2008: (15.17%)
April 2008: (5.05%)
March 2008: (1.52%)
February 2008: (3.93%)
January 2008: (4.75%)

Face the Ace: Nico Mamy Drops $200,000 Match to Mike Matusow

Frenchman Nico Mamy hit a brick wall named Mike Matusow on Saturday’s installment of the poker game show “Face the Ace.” He dropped the $200,000 match in the process on what was the final episode of the series. It aired at 2:30pm ET on NBC.

Mamy’s wife taught him how to play poker and, in a battle of non-U.S. competitors, the French online poker pro squared off against Durrrr Challenge participant Patrik Antonius in the $40,000 match. In a key hand, Mamy doubled up after raising pre-flop to 1,100 with A-K, including the ace of diamonds. Antonius, holding Q-10, including the ten of diamonds, made the call to see the flop come 2-9-8 with two diamonds. Antonius led out for 2,000 and Mamy called. The turn came the seven of diamonds, putting three of the suit on the board, and the action went check-check. The river filled both players’ flushes. Antonius bet 5,000 and Mamy shoved over the top for 9,500. Antonius called and Mamy doubled up.

Holding A-8, Antonius raised to 3,100 pre-flop and Mamy pushed with pocket sixes. Antonius called with his “Face the Ace” tournament life on the line, but on this episode, no crowd gathered around to watch the all-in confrontation. The board ran out J-K-2-9-9, giving Mamy the win in the $40,000 match. “Face the Ace” host Steve Schirripa, of “The Sopranos” fame, then asked Mamy if he wanted to take the money and run or play another ace for $200,000. Mamy decided to continue and selected the ace of spades, Matusow.

In a key hand for the online qualifier, Mamy coyly called pre-flop with A-K and Matusow raised to 6,000 with A-9. Mamy pushed the action to 17,000 and Matusow made it 39,000. Mamy moved all-in for 98,000 and Matusow tossed his hand into the muck. Mamy pulled down the pot of 137,000, giving him better than a 2:1 edge in the critical match.

Then, Many’s luck turned for the worse. Holding J-8, he called pre-flop and Matusow checked his option with J-9. The flop came J-J-2, giving both players trips, but Matusow held the better hand with a nine kicker. Matusow bet 6,000 and Mamy called, bringing a king on the turn. Matusow check-called a 6,000-chip bet from Mamy and the river fell a six. Matusow checked with the best hand and Mamy bet out 16,000. Matusow called and scooped a 68,000-chip pot, giving him the lead in the match for good.

Several hands later, Mamy was crippled and once again held J-8. This time, he limped pre-flop with his soon-to-be least favorite hand and Matusow checked with J-10. The flop came 9-7-3, giving both players a gutshot straight draw, but an eight on the turn filled Matusow’s hand. At the same time, Mamy made a pair, which turned into trips when another eight hit on the river. Matusow checked, Mamy bet 28,000, and Matusow pushed for 60,500. Mamy called, doubling Matusow up. The qualifier told Schirripa, “It’s tough to fold trip eights in that situation heads-up.” Mamy was sent packing on the next hand shown, leaving the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas empty-handed.

The final qualifier on “Face the Ace” was Drake Jackson, whom Schirripa labeled “cocky” multiple times, eliciting an eye-roll from the Full Tilt Poker patron on one occasion. Jackson claimed he was afraid of playing Huck Seed, but instead wanted to play Phil Gordon because Seed is a better player. Nevertheless, Jackson bested Allen Cunningham after making a flush on the turn in the match’s final hand. Jackson won $40,000 and elected to leave with the money rather than play on for $200,000.

In a comical segment shown after the final cards were dealt, Jackson, Seed, and Gordon appeared in a back room. The latter irately commented, “You trash talked me on national television. I want to go for it on that $40,000 you just won. I got a dealer right over there. Sit down and play a chump.” Unfortunately for viewers at home, no match aired.

“Face the Ace” struggled mightily in the ratings after premiering on August 1st and its future now appears to be up in the air.

Poker After Dark Season 6 Kicks off January 4th

Fans of the popular NBC poker franchise “Poker After Dark” won’t have to wait long after the clock strikes Midnight this evening to catch the show’s sixth season, which debuts on Monday night, January 4th, at 2:05am ET.

Ali Nejad and Leeann Tweeden will reprise their “Poker After Dark” announcing and hosting roles, respectively, as the show enters season number six. The first week is entitled “Commentators III” and, while the name isn’t very catchy, the action on the felt should be nail biting. Howard Lederer, Gabe Kaplan, Joe Sebok, Nejad, Mark Gregorich, and Kara Scott will all play in “Poker After Dark’s” Season 6 premiere. Sebok, who hosts UB.com’s “Poker2Nite,” and Scott, the new floor reporter for GSN’s “High Stakes Poker,” are making their “Poker After Dark” debuts. You can catch “Commentators III” beginning on January 4th.

A total of 13 shows were filmed for Season 6 of “Poker After Dark,” including six-handed freezeouts and three different buy-in cash games. Followers of 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe Main Event champion Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad will be able to catch the youngster on a special “Nicknames” episode that also features Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, Antonio “The Magician” Esfandiari, Erick “E-Dog” Lindgren, Phil “The Unabomber” Laak, and Phil “The Poker Brat” Hellmuth. Obrestad, a Betfair pro, turned 21 in September and is finally old enough to gamble legally on U.S. soil.

A $50,000 buy-in cash game features a star-studded lineup of Brandon Adams, Todd Brunson, Chris Ferguson, Matusow, Esfandiari, and Hellmuth. A press release distributed by Poker PROductions notes, “Any time Matusow and Hellmuth play against each other in a cash game, the insults alone make for must-see-television.” A high-stakes $150,000 buy-in cash game will see Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Patrik Antonius, David “Viffer” Peat, Eli Elezra, Kaplan, and Alan Meltzer take to the felts. The six are staples of “High Stakes Poker” and one mounts the comeback of the century.

One of the more notable freezeout themes is “Lonesome Shark,” which features Lindgren, James Akenhead, Esfandiari, Matusow, David Williams, and Brad Booth. What do they all have in common, you ask? All six are poker’s most eligible bachelors and the heads-up battle in this episode is one of the longest of the season. Mixed Martial Arts will take center stage shortly thereafter in a show featuring UFC announcer Bruce Buffer, Antonius, Strikeforce fighter Dan Henderson, former UFC champion Randy Couture, Lederer, and Lindgren.

Here is the schedule through April for new episodes of Season 6 of “Poker After Dark” according to NBC.com:

Week of January 4th - Commentators III
Howard Lederer, Gabe Kaplan, Joe Sebok, Ali Nejad, Mark Gregorich, Kara Scott

Week of January 11th – Nicknames
Annette Obrestad, Mike Matusow, Antonio Esfandiari, Erick Lindgren, Phil Laak, Phil Hellmuth

Week of March 15th - Cash Game $50,000 buy-in, Part 1
Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari, Brandon Adams, Todd Brunson, Mike Matusow

Week of March 22nd – Cash Game $50,000 buy-in, Part 2
Todd Brunson, Mike Matusow, Phil Hellmuth, Brandon Adams, Antonio Esfandiari, Chris Ferguson

Week of April 19th - My Favorite Pro
Craig Ivey, James Ashby, Steve Bartlett, Phil Hellmuth, Jens Voertmann, Chris Ferguson

Week of April 26th - He Said, She Said
Erica Schoenberg, Jean-Robert Bellande, David Grey, Karina Jett, Mike Matusow, Annie Duke

Additional dates for new episodes will be announced in the future and re-runs of popular shows will also air over the first four months of 2009. “Poker After Dark” will take a hiatus during the weeks of February 15th and 22nd due to the Winter Olympics, which NBC owns the rights to.

“Poker After Dark” and “High Stakes Poker,” both products of Poker PROductions, were filmed in October at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas. The latter begins airing on GSN on Sunday, February 14th.

RIP Binion’s Horseshoe Hotel by Lee Jones

The news has just come out that, as of December 14th, there will no longer be a hotel at the Horseshoe Hotel-Casino in Downtown Las Vegas. Of course, it used to be Binion’s Horseshoe, the site of the World Series of Poker for 35 years and the center of the poker world for that long.

They’re also closing down the coffee shop. Sic transit gloria mundi.

For those of us of a certain age who remember the old days, this is a sobering moment. We’re told that they will keep the poker room, but it’s like saying, “Don’t worry, we’re keeping the statue of Lincoln; we’re just tearing down that big building around him.”

I first stepped into Binion’s back in the early 90’s, almost 20 years ago. It was during the WSOP, which used to be in May. I remember because it fell right over Mother’s Day; the fathers among our poker degen crowd could no more get away to Las Vegas that weekend than they could flap their arms and fly over the Grand Canyon.

It was just two to three years later when I first stayed at the hotel there. It was with the BARGE group, which has produced some of the luminaries of the poker world (Andy Bloch, Greg Raymer, Phil Gordon, and Bill Chen are all proud BARGErs). Our group took over Binion’s annually and they treated us like royalty. They comped us to breakfast in that glorious coffee shop; we’d leave tips amounting to half of what the meal would have cost.

Many of us stayed in the hotel rooms that are about to be boarded up and forgotten. They were not, let’s be honest, luxurious. At least one BARGEr was known to bring his own sheets and blankets to ensure their cleanliness. But by God, we were staying and playing poker in Mecca. No walking through a labyrinth of expensive shops and spas to get from your room to the casino and then a further schlep to find the poker. No, you came down one of two elevators and stepped out into a tiny hall. From there, it was literally half a dozen steps into the poker room. During the WSOP, you could hear the poker crowds while you were still in the elevator.

These were the same elevators that Stu Ungar, Doyle Brunson, and Jack Strauss had ridden to their suites to celebrate their WSOP victories. Heck, Johnny Moss lived in one of those rooms for the last few years of his life, an honored guest of the Binion family. He’d come down every day and play $20-$40 Limit Hold’em, riding around the casino floor on his little scooter.

Me, I never won a WSOP bracelet at Binion’s Horseshoe, but in 1998, I was fortunate enough to win the Main Event tournament at BARGE, which was held there. BARGE basically took over the entire property. I recall the thrill of walking into the coffee shop and getting a standing ovation from probably two-thirds of the tables in the place. That was one of the highlights of my poker career. Going back to my room, with its view to the wall of the casino next door, to call my wife and tell her that I’d just won.

Both during the WSOP and BARGE, Binion’s became poker heaven; the poker players greatly outnumbered the “civilians” and the air was electric. Part of that was because it was self-contained – we ate breakfast in the basement coffee shop, came up to the main floor to play poker, went up to the second floor for the buffet or Benny’s steak house, back for more poker, and then (maybe) make it up that elevator in the pre-dawn to get a few hours of sleep. If you were a veteran, you knew the Clue-like secret passage from the front lobby area that took you through a delivery alley and popped you out right next to the registration desk and at the poker room. You ate, slept, and played poker at the Horseshoe and for a period of time, that’s really all you wanted to do.

Sometime I’ll tell you about the time that Nick Behnen, Becky Binion’s husband, had a series of wee-hour heads-up No-Limit Hold’em matches against members of the BARGE crowd. When everybody got hungry, he ordered dozens of hamburgers sent out from the kitchen, but that’s a story for a different time. For now, let’s all take off our online poker logo baseball caps for a moment and say goodbye to a piece of poker history.

Lee Jones is the Cardroom Manager of Cake Poker. He has worked in the poker industry for over six years and been associated with professional poker for almost 20 years. He is the author of “Winning Low Limit Hold’em,” which has been in print for almost 15 years.

Former World Series of Poker Home Binion’s Closing Hotel

Binion’s, located in Downtown Las Vegas, is shuttering its 365-room hotel effective December 14th. The hotel served as the home of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) until 2005, when the event picked up shop and moved across town to the Rio.

TLC Enterprises owns both Binion’s and the nearby Four Queens on Fremont Street. Company spokesperson Lisa Robinson told Poker News Daily, “We plan to reopen it, but we can’t speculate when that will happen. Las Vegas has been hit so hard with the dramatic drop in visitor spending and the average daily room rate has plummeted. Our hotel rooms were no longer competitive in the market. We had to make cuts where our biggest drains were, the hotel and coffee shop.”

According to the Associated Press, the casino, sports book, and nostalgic poker room will remain open. Also keeping its doors open for business is Binion’s Ranch Steakhouse, which sits on the 24 floor of the building. Conversely, its hotel, coffee shop, and keno parlor will all be closed down. In the process, 100 of Binion’s 800 employees will lose their jobs, or 13% of the casino’s workforce. The property is referring prospective hotel guests to Four Queens, which has nearly 700 rooms.

Poker players were up in arms that the WSOP’s former digs were closing, at least in part. Tournament director Matt Savage commented via Twitter on Monday, “Binions Horseshoe was both hated and loved by poker players over the years, but it is definitely missed by those that played the WSOP there!” The current Binion’s poker room has 10 tables, according to the casino’s website, and 11 televisions. It’s well-known for its Gallery of Champions, which portrays the history of the 40 year-old WSOP.

Binion’s opened in 1951 and, according to the Associated Press, “The aging hotel-casino ran into financial trouble after Benny Binion’s daughter, Becky Behnen, acquired it in 1998. It closed in January 2004 after U.S. marshals seized cash from the casino to pay outstanding employee benefits.” That year, Harrah’s purchased the rights to the WSOP and sold the casino to MTR Gaming Group as Binion’s Gambling Hall and Hotel. TLC Enterprises has owned it since March of 2008.

At the time of writing, hotel room rates varied between $21 and $23 during the week and $49 to $54 on weekends. All rooms are listed as “Sold Out” beginning on December 14th and availability is displayed through the end of February. TwoPlusTwo poster “dgiharris” noted that he was not surprised to see the hotel go given its antiquated rooms lacking wireless internet: “I argued saying that it is 2009 and everyone, even a mom and pop hotel has at least WiFi but Binion’s said they weren’t interested in that. BTW, their [internet] kiosk was one of those 1996 credit card <=> internet kiosks that charge you a dollar a minute.”

TwoPlusTwo poster “DayTripping” relayed his experience with an aging television in a Binion’s room, “I stayed there once a couple of years ago. The TV had an actual dial on it. That’s what I remember most and it should tell you something about how up-to-date the rooms were.” No room amenities are listed on Binion’s website, which instead touts the hotel’s 25th floor pool.

In 2005, the final days of the $10,000 buy-in WSOP Main Event took place at Binion’s and, the following year, the entire duration of the schedule played out at the Harrah’s-owned Rio. In 2008, the WSOP Main Event saw its final table delayed four months until early November for the first time ever. The November Nine, as the final table participants are now known, occurred once again in 2009, with 21 year-old Joe Cada ultimately emerging victorious to become the youngest WSOP Main Event champion ever, earning $8.5 million.

Binions closing hotel, keeping casino open

The owner of an iconic downtown Las Vegas hotel that hosted the World Series of Poker for 34 years will close the property's hotel rooms, coffee shop and keno operations as a cost-cutting move, a spokeswoman said Monday.

Overheard at High Stakes Poker Season 6 Taping

Last week, the sixth season of GSN’s cash game franchise “High Stakes Poker” was filmed at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas. Some of the game’s best turned out for the three days of taping and sat down with Poker News Daily to discuss their thoughts headed into the suite.

Barry Greenstein will once again raise money for charity during Season 6 of “High Stakes Poker,” which will feature tournament hostess Kara Scott conducting interviews from the floor and Gabe Kaplan flying solo in the booth sans A.J. Benza. Greenstein is set to utter the most feared three words in all of poker sometime during the sixth season, “bing, bang blaow,” for charity. He told Poker News Daily, “One of the problems with it is that it’s like trash talking. Normally, it’s not classy to beat someone in a big pot and then talk trash. Each of the last couple of years, with the ‘Math is idiotic,’ I beat Tom Dwan and drew out. With the ‘lol donkaments,’ I told Erick Lindgren ahead of time that I was going to do it.” For uttering popular phrases throughout the years, Greenstein has truly earned his nickname as the “Robin Hood of Poker.”

Besides “High Stakes Poker,” Daniel Negreanu has taken to the television airwaves for the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge,” which returns this Sunday following NFL football on Fox. Negreanu discussed how the show has been received so far: “We couldn’t be happier. It came in off ‘Face the Ace,’ which got bad ratings. ‘Million Dollar Challenge’ was one of the highest rated shows and did amazingly well. The time slot is perfect following football and the production quality is so much better. Everything has a game show feel.”

On the mind of “High Stakes Poker” newcomer Dennis Phillips was the win by fellow Team PokerStars Pro member Joe Cada in the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Phillips finished third in the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament last year to the tune of $4.5 million; Cada’s win this year was worth $8.5 million. Phillips explained, “He was 21 and just won $8.5 million. He has a good head, talks well with the media, and wants to promote poker. We just need to make sure it goes the right way and he and I will be talking off and on.” PokerStars has produced several recent WSOP Main Event champions, including Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg Raymer (2004), Joe Hachem (2005), Peter Eastgate (2008), and Cada (2009).

Phil Laak, who was an alternate for the sixth season of “High Stakes Poker” and wound up filming, told Poker News Daily about his experience at the 2009 WSOP Main Event final table, which unfolded at the Rio: “It was the second time in 10 years that I went to see it. I had never been in the Penn and Teller Theater in my life and I haven’t seen the show either.” Laak and Antonio Esfandiari instigated a number of prop bets during Season 5 of “High Stakes Poker,” one-off events that producer Mori Eskandani has apparently frowned upon during the show’s most recent installment.

Besides Phillips, another newcomer to the GSN poker series this time around is Lex “RaSZi” Veldhuis, who final tabled the $40,000 buy-in tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP in 2009. Veldhuis told Poker News Daily how he stacks up against the talented competition: “I’ve played with these guys before, so I’m comfortable with them and I’m comfortable with my game. I just hope I can win some money because the show is a small sample. There’s going to be really high variance and I won’t have a lot of hands. It’s gambling, so in that respect, I think it’s higher stakes.”

Season 6 of “High Stakes Poker” will begin airing on Sunday, February 14th on GSN.

Live Durrrr Million Dollar Challenge Kicks Off in London

Tuesday marks the beginning of the live version of the Tom “durrrr” Dwan Million Dollar Challenge, which is unfolding in London. The festivities will see Dwan battle Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies, Sammy “Any Two” George, and Marcelo “luckexpress” Marigliano.

The match’s format is simplistic. Dwan will take on each opponent across 500 hands of No Limit Hold’em or Pot Limit Omaha. The series has a buy-in of $500,000 and neither player is permitted to leave the table until they are broke or the requisite number of hands has been played. The price of poker is $500/$1,000.

Eddie Hearn, who is organizing the gala on behalf of Matchroom Sport, commented in a press release distributed on Monday, “The stage is set for Tom to make history in London this week. The opponents are ready. Tom Dwan is the biggest draw in poker and to have a TV show in his name at such a young age shows the commercial power of the man. Poker is changing and we are delighted to be at its cutting edge.”

Tuesday’s action will see Dwan tangle with George in No Limit Hold’em. Dwan will then return on Wednesday to face Marigliano, also in No Limit Hold’em. The final match of the week occurs on Thursday, with Sahamies electing to play Dwan in Pot Limit Omaha. The action runs from 2:00pm to 2:00am daily at the Les Ambassadeurs Club in Mayfair. The gala will be filmed for television and can be seen on Sky Sports next year in the U.K. It is sponsored by Full Tilt Poker, which recently signed Dwan to its stable of sponsored pros.

On the prospects of facing one of the most hyper-aggressive players in the game today, Sahamies told Matchroom Sport, “I am always excited to play my good friend Tom. He is one of the best Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha players in the world and when I heard about the challenge, I couldn‘t wait to sign up. With the gambling, the side-bets, the partying, and the drinking in London, this is going to be a whole lot of fun.” Dwan issued a challenge to Swedish online poker player Isildur1 to take on the American in London, but, as of the time of writing, Isildur1 has not yet obliged.

The live Durrrr Challenge was originally scheduled for two months ago following the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Europe schedule in London. However, Dwan reached the semi-finals of the Poker Million, creating a scheduling conflict. Las Vegas was then brought up as a possible site for the competition before Hearn and company settled on mid-November in London. Dwan finished seventh in Heat 3 of the PartyPoker World Open last month and took ninth in the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship in March for an even $25,000.

Last week, Dwan was in Downtown Las Vegas filming the sixth season of the GSN poker franchise “High Stakes Poker” at the Golden Nugget. The series, which will air in February, was also slated to feature George, who wound up not participating. Those facing off on the sixth cycle of the popular cash game program include Patrik Antonius, David Benyamine, Doyle Brunson, Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Barry Greenstein, Phil Hellmuth, Andreas Hoivold, Phil Ivey, Phil Laak, Mike Matusow, Daniel Negreanu, Dennis Phillips, and Lex Veldhuis.

The online version of the Durrrr Challenge between Dwan and Patrik Antonius has come to a screeching halt as a result of Dwan’s hectic schedule. After 27,185 hands, Dwan leads by $779,000. If the youngster is up by at least $1 at the conclusion of 50,000, Antonius will owe $500,000. If Antonius is up by at least $1, Dwan will pay $1.5 million. In either case, the victor keeps the spoils of the 50,000 hands.

High Stakes Poker Season 6 Filmed at Golden Nugget

The sixth season of the GSN franchise “High Stakes Poker” filmed this week at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas. Friday marked the third of three days of filming for the $200,000 buy-in show.

A bevy of poker pros have wandered the halls of the Golden Nugget since Wednesday, each looking to strike it rich in the sixth cycle of the poker television staple. Last year, Tom “durrrr” Dwan made his “High Stakes Poker” debut in style, scooping the largest single pot in the show’s history at the expense of Team PokerStars Pro member Barry Greenstein. Dwan took down $919,000 when his K-Q drew out on Greenstein’s aces and, given the dramatic pots up for grabs, Dwan told Poker News Daily that he’s looking forward to Season 6: “I’m excited to be back. We’re playing for a whole lot of money this time around.”

One player making his “High Stakes Poker” debut is 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) November Nine member Dennis Phillips, who took third in the $10,000 buy-in feature tournament last year for $4.5 million. The St. Louis native told Poker News Daily about his mindset headed into the high-stakes cash game: “I’m ready to do this and rock and roll. I sat down at ‘Poker After Dark’ last week and had some fun.” On making a run in the world of cash games, Phillips explained, “I played cash before I played tournaments. I played cash in London and in Monte Carlo as well.” Phillips admitted that he normally plays $25/$50 or $50/$100 cash games.

Common in previous seasons of “High Stakes Poker” were a variety of prop bets, many orchestrated by poker regulars Antonio Esfandiari and Phil Laak. While waiting to head into the “High Stakes Poker” suite, Laak explained the stance of Executive Producer Mori Eskandani towards prop betting in Season 6: “The prop bets where people would guess on cards, for example, they’ve been trying to get rid of that. Mori is trying to steer towards less betting at all. The bottom line is that he doesn’t want viewers at home to be bogged down with players prop betting in addition to poker.” Prop bets during Season 5 revolved around push-ups, movie ratings, and hole cards.

Daniel Negreanu commented on his Twitter feed that he’s looking forward to running into more quads during the show’s sixth season. He’s appeared on every cycle of the program so far and told Poker News Daily how this year’s installment has varied from previous airings: “The show has progressed really far from Seasons 1 to 5. Season 1 was the smaller names because most of the guys who played were at higher stakes anyway. Now, the antes are up, the buy-ins are up, and the percentage of good players to bad players has gone up. It’s definitely more serious poker now. It’s more cutthroat.”

Also found at the Golden Nugget this week is Barry Greenstein, who, like Negreanu, has been a staple of “High Stakes Poker” ever since Season 1. Greenstein explained how the sixth season differs from years past: “The poker economy is down, so the money seems tougher to come by. There are few guys who you know play big online that have money, but the majority of people are thinking they’re taking a $200,00 shot and they’ll see what happens. The first year we did this, players felt better funded. I think what will happen is that there will be two guys like Phil Ivey and Durrrr who will try to muscle everyone around. Others will try to pick their spots.”

Released in the original cast list for Season 6 of “High Stakes Poker,” but not participating, was cash game player Sammy George. Those slated to take part in the festivities include Patrik Antonius, David Benyamine, Doyle Brunson, Dwan, Eli Elezra, Esfandiari, Greenstein, Phil Hellmuth, Andreas Hoivold, Ivey, Mike Matusow, Allan Meltzer, Negreanu, Phillips, Lex Veldhuis, and Yevgeniy Timoshenko. The series premieres on Sunday, February 14th at 8:00pm ET and features Kara Scott reporting on action from the “High Stakes Poker” suite.

High Stakes Poker, GSN Officials Preview Season 6

Making waves in the poker world this week has been the announcement of the “High Stakes Poker” Season 6 cast. Set to debut in February on the cable station, “High Stakes Poker” will feature Gabe Kaplan alongside new co-host Kara Scott.

During the first five seasons of the high-dollar cash game show, A.J. Benza provided color commentary with Kaplan. Now, Scott, a television veteran, will furnish insight and interviews from the poker room floor. On the change from Benza to Scott, GSN Vice President of Programming and Development David Schiff told Poker News Daily, “We’re into the sixth season and we felt like it was time to freshen it up. Our feeling was that we wanted viewers to be in the room with the players. Gabe and A.J. did a good job, but they were disconnected from the action.”

Scott is one of only two women to cash in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event in back-to-back years and, as such, provides a unique level of insight. She’s fresh off bringing the PokerStars.net Ante Up for Africa charity tournament to life on CBS in the United States and serves as eye candy for ESPN announcer Norman Chad. Schiff explained the allure of hiring Scott, as opposed to other rumored co-hosts like Shana Hiatt and Vanessa Rousso: “Kara is really the full package. She’s a great player and has had deep runs in the Main Event the last two years. We think she can add a lot of insight to the broadcast.”

Seventeen players have been announced as part of the “High Stakes Poker” Season 6 cast, including newcomers Dennis Phillips, Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko, Lex Veldhuis, Andreas Hoivold, and Sammy “Any Two” George. On the stable of pros lined up for Season 6, “High Stakes Poker” Executive Producer Mori Eskandani told Poker News Daily, We are going to have possibly the most colorful and strongest cast we’ve had to date.” The newcomers will take to the felts alongside regulars like Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Doyle Brunson, and Antonio Esfandiari.

Also in the mix for Season 6 is WSOP November Nine member Phil Ivey, who has only appeared once in the show’s five previous seasons. Schiff examined the addition of Ivey to the impressive lineup of poker pros and recreational players: “Arguably, this is the best cast of players we have ever had. To have Phil Ivey off the November Nine and all of the other great players, I think it’ll be great poker action.” The series premieres on Sunday, February 14th at 8:00pm ET and replays twice each night.

“High Stakes Poker” features a $200,000 buy-in and, as such, includes a bevy of well-known tournament players battling it out in a cash game. Eskandani explained, “We’ve never seen Dennis Phillips in cash games, yet he’s done super in tournaments. Now, he’s coming out to the cash game world to throw punches with the best of them.” Last season’s broadcast featured recent WSOP Main Event winners Peter Eastgate and Joe Hachem; neither will take to the felts this time around.

Music mogul Allan Meltzer, who is among the regulars at Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio, will likely be one of the only so-called “recreational” players on the sixth season of “High Stakes Poker.” During Season 5, “The Notebook” Director Nick Cassavettes and “The Simpsons” Co-Creator Sam Simon were among those who challenged poker superstars like Tom Dwan and Patrik Antonius. Eskandani explained the dearth of recreational players this season: “This year, Meltzer will be playing, but we didn’t want to go to the same recreational players we always went to. Several that we went to ended up having cold feet.”

“High Stakes Poker” will film from November 11th to 13th at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas.

High Stakes Poker Season 6 Cast Released, Kara Scott Confirmed as Co-Host

In a press release distributed by cable station GSN on Thursday, Kara Scott was confirmed to be the new co-host of “High Stakes Poker,” replacing A.J. Benza. In addition, a list of 17 players was revealed.

Scott replaced Benza, who had flanked “Welcome Back, Kotter” star Gabe Kaplan in the “High Stakes Poker” announcing booth for the first five seasons. Scott’s role will not be play-by-play; instead, the television personality and expert poker player will “report from the High Stakes Poker suite, interviewing poker players about poker strategy, big hands, and the table dynamics,” according to network officials. The show will take on the same feel as NBC’s “Poker After Dark” for its sixth season. The two franchises are produced by the same company, Poker PROductions.

Season 6 of “High Stakes Poker” will begin airing on Valentine’s Day – Sunday, February 14th, 2010 – at 8:00pm ET. Encore presentations will air at 11:00pm ET and 2:00am ET on Sunday nights, meaning that poker fans have three chances to catch new episodes every week. Each of its contestants coughed up $200,000 of their own money as a minimum buy-in.

Five players are making their first appearance on “High Stakes Poker,” including Yevgeniy “Jovial Gent” Timoshenko. The youngster has been on a tear on the live poker circuit despite only weighing in at 21 years of age. Timoshenko was born in the Ukraine and won the 2009 World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship for $2.1 million. In September, Timoshenko took down the Main Event of the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker (WCOOP) for another $1.7 million and is a former winner of the Asian Poker Tour’s (APT) Macau feature tournament.

Also making his debut on GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” is Dennis Phillips, who gained notoriety by making back-to-back deep runs in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event. Last year, Phillips finished third in the $10,000 buy-in gala for $4.5 million after entering the final table as the chip leader. Phillips came armed to the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio with a throng of followers donning red St. Louis Cardinals baseball caps and white button up shirts. This year, Phillips finished 45th for $178,000 after being sent to the rails when an opponent made a flush with A-K suited; Phillips also held A-K.

High-stakes cash game player Sammy George will be right at home in the Golden Nugget when filming of the GSN poker franchise kicks off next week. George, who has earned the nickname “Any Two,” was scheduled to face off against Tom Dwan in the live version of the Durrrr Challenge in London back in September. However, the festivities never took place, although organizer Eddie Hearn noted that the mano-a-mano live contest may occur in December in Las Vegas. Dwan will take to the felts once again as part of “High Stakes Poker” Season 6 after making his debut last season.

Returning to “High Stakes Poker” after a two season hiatus is WSOP November Nine member Phil Ivey, who currently appears on the cover of “ESPN: The Magazine.” Ivey last appeared on the GSN series back in Season 3 and is seeking his third WSOP bracelet of 2009 when the Main Event resumes on Saturday from the Rio. Ivey has career tournament winnings in excess of $12 million and is the horse of many pros in this weekend’s Main Event final table.

Andreas Hoivold and Lex Veldhuis will both be appearing on “High Stakes Poker” for the first time during Season 6. Returning to the program are Patrik Antonius, David Benyamine, Doyle Brunson, Eli Elezra, Antonio Esfandiari, Barry Greenstein, Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, Allan Meltzer, and Daniel Negreanu. The season will once again be taped at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas from November 11th to 13th.

Andrew Feldman Confirmed for High Stakes Poker Season 6

Another “High Stakes Poker” rookie has been added to the roster of players taking part in the sixth season of the popular GSN show.  Full Tilt Red Pro Andrew Feldman will be joining the lineup and is making history as the first British player to ever appear on the cash game franchise.

Feldman burst onto the European poker scene in 2007 with a third place finish in the Grand Final of the Grosvenor Poker Tour.  Less than a month later, he won the 888.com UK Open IV for $250,000.  More recently, the London-born Feldman made the final table of the European Poker Tour (EPT) Monte Carlo Grand Final High Roller event, finishing in seventh place.  His career tournament poker winnings are in excess of $500,000.

According to Feldman, it was none other than Tom “durrrr” Dwan who suggested that he take part in the show.  Feldman told the press, “Maybe he thinks I’m good value, maybe he thinks I’ll give action… I hope it’s the latter.  Last month, I played the Full Tilt Million Dollar Cash Game, but this is going to be just as tough, if not tougher!”

Dwan and Feldman both took part in the Million Dollar Cash Game, which was filmed in the U.K. in September.  While Feldman did his best to hold his own alongside tough competition like Dwan, Phil Ivey, Patrik Antonius, Gus Hansen, and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Dwan flourished, winning the largest pot in televised poker history.  Dwan and Ivey clashed in a $1.1 million hand when both players turned a straight on a Q-5-3-4 board.  Ivey’s A-2 was no match for Dwan’s 6-7 and the tremendous pot was pushed to Durrrr.  The Million Dollar Cash Game will begin airing in January on Europe’s Sky Sports network.

Dwan is beginning to rack up a number of record-setting televised poker hands, as he also lays claim to scooping the largest pot in “High Stakes Poker” history.  He squared off against Barry Greenstein in a hand worth $919,000 during Season 5.  Despite being on the losing end of that hand, Greenstein has confirmed with ESPN’s “Inside Deal” that he will be back for Season 6 and is already planning his latest fundraising efforts for the show.  In past seasons, Greenstein has raised money by getting people to pledge donations if he says a unique catchphrase on air.  Past lines have included “lol donkaments” and “math is idiotic.” This season, he plans to drop “bing, blang, blaow” somewhere in the action.

GSN has informed Poker News Daily that the Season 6 will be taping from November 11th to 13th at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas.  While “High Stakes Poker” regular Daniel Negreanu will not be taking part as a result of previous engagements abroad, fellow Team PokerStars Pro Dennis Phillips revealed on his poker podcast “The Lumiere Place Final Table” that he will be taking part in the action.  The new season of the show is set to premiere on February 14th.

Nevada Gaming Revenues Fall for 20th Straight Month

According to figures released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, statewide casino revenue, or “win,” fell 9.32% in August of 2009 compared to August of 2008. The total gaming win reported was $847.0 million, representing the 20th straight month of decline. Read the Board’s August revenue report.

Last year, Nevada casino licensees hauled in a gaming win of $934.1 million. In Clark County, which includes the famed Las Vegas Strip, Downtown Las Vegas, Laughlin, Boulder, and Mesquite, gaming win in August was $708.1 million, down 6.73% year over year. On the Strip, which includes a bevy of poker-friendly gaming establishments like the Bellagio and Venetian, revenues were $449.5 million in August, off 9.00% from the same period in 2008. In Downtown Las Vegas, which includes the Golden Nugget, home of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” and NBC’s “Face the Ace,” revenues were $41.9 million. That total represented a decline of 3.87% year over year.

The news wasn’t so grim in North Las Vegas or the Boulder Strip, where revenues were up in August of 2009 in comparison to August of 2008. In the former, gaming win came in at $22.1 million, up 21.93% year over year. In Boulder, a similar increase occurred, as revenues of $63.4 million represented a 21.53% rise over the $52.2 million posted last August. North Las Vegas and the Boulder Strip were the only two locales to post revenue gains year over year. In Laughlin, revenues sank 13.85% in August to $38.1 million, while Mesquite saw its gaming win tumble 21.59% to $8.5 million.

In Washoe County, which includes Reno, Sparks, and North Lake Tahoe, combined casino revenues were $73.9 million in August, a drop of 20.95% compared to the $93.4 million posted last year. In “The Biggest Little City in the World,” residents saw the influx of money from casino gamblers dive 21.19% in August to $53.6 million. In Sparks, revenues sank 19.66% to $11.5 million. Meanwhile, North Lake Tahoe casinos suffered a similar fate, as revenues of $3.4 million two months ago represented a 24.69% dip year over year. In South Lake Tahoe, revenues plummeted 28.92% in August from $30.9 million in 2008 to $21.9 million in 2009.

In Elko County, gaming win in August totaled $22.2 million, a sum that meant a fall of 14.98% year over year. In Wendover, revenues dipped 17.61% to $13.4 million in August. Rounding out the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s report was the Carson Valley Area, which includes Carson City, Gardnerville, Minden, and all other areas of Douglas County except South Lake Tahoe. That location saw its revenue slide 17.12% in August to $8.7 million.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board also reported fee collection figures for the month of September that are derived from revenues accrued by casinos in August. In September, the State raked in $49.6 million in fees, which equated to a slide of 9.03% year over year. Last September, the month before the Dow Jones Industrial Average plummeted from 10,800 to 8,400, fee collections totaled $54.6 million.

August marked the 20th straight month of casino gaming win in Nevada decreasing year over year. The last month that casinos posted a rise in revenue from one year to the next was December of 2007. Here are the results since then:

August, 2009: (9.32%)
July, 2009: (12.48%)
June, 2009: (13.82%)
May, 2009: (8.34%)
April, 2009: (14.07%)
March, 2009: (11.61%)
February, 2009: (18.12%)
January, 2009: (14.62%)
December, 2008: (18.94%)
November, 2008: (14.80%)
October, 2008: (22.33%)
September, 2008: (5.44%)
August, 2008: (8.10%)
July, 2008: (12.97%)
June, 2008: (1.11%)
May, 2008: (15.17%)
April, 2008: (5.05%)
March, 2008: (1.52%)
February, 2008: (3.93%)
January, 2008: (4.75%)

Nevada Gaming Revenues Fall 12.48% in July

While the economy may be picking up steam worldwide, news from Las Vegas revealed that Nevada casino gambling revenues were down 12.48% in July year over year. Statewide, the Nevada Gaming Control Board reported revenues, or “win,” of $872 million.

In July of 2008, casinos reported a win of $997 million. In Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, revenues two months ago were $729 million, off 10.92% year over year from the $819 million recorded in 2008. On the Las Vegas Strip, where poker-friendly resorts like the Bellagio and Venetian can be found, revenues came in at $461 million in July, a drop of 11.14% compared to the same period last year. July saw an influx of visitors to the Rio and other Harrah’s resorts for the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP), which kicked off its Main Event on the 3rd of the month.

In Downtown Las Vegas, which includes the Golden Nugget, the setting for the first and fifth seasons of “High Stakes Poker,” and the L.A. Comedy Club at the Four Queens, which was featured in the most recent installment of G4’s “2 Months, $2 Million,” revenues came in at $39.8 million in July. That figure represented a dive of 11.54% in comparison to the same period in 2008. Besides the Golden Nugget and Four Queens, other Downtown Las Vegas casinos include former WSOP home Binion’s, the Las Vegas Club, Main Street Station, and Fitzgerald’s.

In North Las Vegas, revenues rose in July year over year by 7.41%. The area recorded a win of $23.6 million during the month, a growth from the $22.0 million in July of 2008. North Las Vegas was the only area to report an increase in revenue in 2009. In Laughlin, which is also located in Clark County, revenues fell 18.57% to $39.3 million, down nearly 20% from the $48.2 million recorded in 2008. Also hurting were the Boulder Strip and Mesquite, which reported declines in revenue of 6.80% and 19.50%, respectively. The Boulder Strip includes establishments like Green Valley Ranch and Sam’s Town, while CasaBlanca and the Eureka Casino call Mesquite home.

In Washoe County, gambling revenues were off 19.52% in July year over year. The entire country generated $71.2 million in win, down from the $88.5 million recorded last year. In Reno, the gambling Mecca of the county, revenues were $50.7 million, down a blistering 21.06% from the same period in 2008, when casino win was $64.2 million. In Sparks, win was $11.5 million, down 15.55% from the $13.6 million recorded in July of 2008. Also down significantly in Washoe County was North Lake Tahoe, whose win of $3.7 million in July was 23.18% less than the $4.8 million registered last year.

South Lake Tahoe reported the largest dip in revenue of any area in Nevada during July. Revenues of $27.3 million represented a 33.17% drop year over year from the $40.8 million reported in 2008. In Elko County, revenues were $22.2 million, a slide of 8.54% from the $24.2 million reported last year. In Wendover, which is in the county, revenues of $14.1 million in July represented an 11.18% drop year over year. Finally, in the Carson Valley area, which includes Carson City, Gardnerville, Minden, and areas of Douglas County except South Lake Tahoe, revenues were off 7.17% year over year to $9.3 million.

The State of Nevada collected fees of $57.3 million in August based on July’s revenues. The figure represented a scant 1.64% decrease year over year. Overall, gambling revenues in Nevada have declined year over year for 19 straight months, with the last increase reported in December of 2007:

July, 2009: (12.48%)
June, 2009: (13.82%)
May, 2009: (8.34%)
April, 2009: (14.07%)
March, 2009: (11.61%)
February, 2009: (18.12%)
January, 2009: (14.62%)
December, 2008: (18.94%)
November, 2008: (14.80%)
October, 2008: (22.33%)
September, 2008: (5.44%)
August, 2008: (8.10%)
July, 2008: (12.97%)
June, 2008: (1.11%)
May, 2008: (15.17%)
April, 2008: (5.05%)
March, 2008: (1.52%)
February, 2008: (3.93%)
January, 2008: (4.75%)

Nevada Gaming Revenue Falls 8% in May

In recent figures released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, it was revealed that gambling “win,” or revenue, fell by 8.34% in May of 2009 in comparison to May of 2008. Total win was nearly $900 million statewide.

Nevada casinos raked in $889 million two months ago, a fall of over 8% compared to the $970 million in revenue generated in May of 2008. The hardest hit area of the state was South Lake Tahoe, where revenues plummeted by 25.50% in May year over year, landing at $18.1 million. On the Las Vegas Strip, which includes poker-friendly gaming establishments like the Bellagio and Venetian, revenue was off by just 6.36% in May to $480 million. Over the fiscal year to date, which began in July of last year, revenue is down by 15.31% in comparison to the previous fiscal year.

In Downtown Las Vegas, which includes the home of Season V of GSN’s “High Stakes Poker,” the Golden Nugget, casino win was off by 10.69% in May to $43.2 million. Over the fiscal year to date, revenue in Downtown Las Vegas is down by 12.28% to just over $503 million. In North Las Vegas, revenues were actually up in May year over year despite the fledgling economy. Area casinos reported a win of $20.8 million, up 2.89% from the $20.2 million recorded during May of 2008. For the fiscal year to date, revenue in North Las Vegas is off by a scant 2.15%.

In Laughlin, casino revenue in May was down by 15.05% to $41.2 million. It was a far cry from the trend on the Boulder Strip, where revenues were up a strong 10.32% to $64.4 million. Over the fiscal year to date, the Boulder Strip has seen its win fall by 9.32% to $745 million. In Mesquite, the news was not as rosy. Casino revenue dove by 22.08% in May of 2009 in comparison to May of 2008. When the final results were tabulated, Mesquite casinos pulled in $10.5 million, down from the $13.5 million recorded last year. During the fiscal year to date, Mesquite casino revenue is off by 19.04% to $121 million.

In Washoe County, revenue was off by 8.63% in May year over year. Its gambling metropolis is Reno, where revenues of $56.2 million two months ago represented an 8.84% slide. Over the fiscal year to date, “The Biggest Little City in the World” has seen its revenues fall by 13.37% to $577 million. In Sparks, the news was equally bleak. Revenues of $12.2 million in May marked a 12.05% decline from the $13.9 million recorded last year. North Lake Tahoe saw its win sink by 18.76% in May to $2.1 million. Over the fiscal year to date, North Lake Tahoe casinos have experienced a 16.86% drop in revenue.

In the Carson Valley Area, which includes Carson City, Gardnerville, Minden, and other areas of Douglas County outside of South Lake Tahoe, revenues slid by 16.25% in May to $9.4 million. In Wendover, which makes its home in Elko County, revenues were off by 10.03% to $15.3 million. Over the fiscal year to date, Elko County casinos have seen revenues drop by 7.33%.

In June, the State of Nevada collected $50.8 million in fees based on May’s gaming win, a 19.89% slide in comparison to the $63.5 million recorded last June. Overall, gaming win has now fallen for 17 straight months, with casinos last recording an increase year over year in December of 2007:

May, 2009: (8.34%)
April, 2009: (14.07%)
March, 2009: (11.61%)
February, 2009: (18.12%)
January, 2009: (14.62%)
December, 2008: (18.94%)
November, 2008: (14.80%)
October, 2008: (22.33%)
September, 2008: (5.44%)
August, 2008: (8.10%)
July, 2008: (12.97%)
June, 2008: (1.11%)
May, 2008: (15.17%)
April, 2008: (5.05%)
March, 2008: (1.52%)
February, 2008: (3.93%)
January, 2008: (4.75%)

Read the official Nevada Gaming Control Board report.

Howard and Suzie Lederer Celebrity Charity Tourney Raises Tens of Thousands in Effort

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Nevada Gaming Revenues Down 11% in March

Figures for March reported by the Nevada Gaming Control Board revealed that statewide “win,” or revenue, was down 11.61% compared to the same period in 2008. Total revenues amounted to $918 million during the month.

The famed Las Vegas Strip, which includes such poker-friendly hotels as the Bellagio, Venetian, and Wynn, saw casino revenues dive amid the global recession by 12.26% in March to $456 million. Downtown Las Vegas, which is home to the High Stakes Poker Season V set at the Golden Nugget, experienced a relatively benign 2.26% drop in win, while North Las Vegas saw gambling revenues actually grow in March by 9.73% to just less than $32 million. It was the only year over year growth in revenue reported by the Gaming Control Board in March. Laughlin’s gambling win fell by 8.29% to $51 million, while Mesquite experienced the largest decline statewide, a 29.20% slip to $12 million. Rounding out Clark County was the Boulder Strip, which reported a 4.05% decline in revenues.

During the current fiscal year, which began back in July of 2008, statewide revenues in Nevada are off by 14.21% to $8.2 billion. On the Las Vegas Strip, revenues have fallen by 14.60% year over year during that time period. Downtown, revenues have dropped by 16.15% during the fiscal year. Respectively, the two areas of Sin City have recorded $4.3 billion and $414 million in gaming win during the current fiscal year. The largest fiscal year over year drop occurred in Mesquite, where $99 million in revenue now is 18.99% less than it was the year before.

In Washoe County, which includes Reno, gambling win was $64 million, off by 23.29% year over year. In the “Biggest Little City in the World,” revenues in March were off by 26.22% to $46 million, trailing last year’s tally of $62 million. In Sparks, which also makes its home in Washoe County, gambling win was down by 14.69% to $11 million. In North Lake Tahoe, revenues plummeted by 23.61% to $1.8 million and the balance of the county saw an 11.72% fall in March. For the fiscal year to date, business in Washoe County is off by 13.73% to $655 million.

In South Lake Tahoe, revenue in March fell by 34.07% year over year, the largest drop of any area reported. Revenues landed at $19 million for the month, down from over $28 million during March of 2008. Over the fiscal year to date, South Lake Tahoe’s revenues are down by 15.07% to $212 million. In Elko County, revenues in March slipped by 12.98% to $24 million, while the Carson Valley Area saw a slide of just 6.58%. The latter includes the towns of Carson City, Gardnerville, Minden, and other Douglas County gaming locations except South Lake Tahoe, which is reported separately. The Carson Valley Area has seen revenues during the current fiscal year dive by 8.88% in comparison to the previous period.

The State of Nevada collects fees from casinos in April based on revenue totals in March. Last month, that amounted to a take of $74 million, which was off by 8.69% in comparison to last April’s total of $81 million. Fee collections in March, which are based on February’s gaming win numbers, were actually up 22.60% after sliding 42.27% during the previous month.

The 11.61% decline in statewide revenues marks the 15th straight month that win has fallen year over year. The last time that gaming win grew was in December of 2007. Here is an overview of the month-by-month results since:

March, 2009: (11.61%)
February, 2009: (18.12%)
January, 2009: (14.62%)
December, 2008: (18.94%)
November, 2008: (14.80%)
October, 2008: (22.33%)
September, 2008: (5.44%)
August, 2008: (8.10%)
July, 2008: (12.97%)
June, 2008: (1.11%)
May, 2008: (15.17%)
April, 2008: (5.05%)
March, 2008: (1.52%)
February, 2008: (3.93%)
January, 2008: (4.75%)

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest gambling revenue results from Sin City.

2009 WSOP Preview: Downtown Las Vegas

The most common off-the-strip side trip taken by Las Vegas visitors is a step back in time to downtown Las Vegas. Not that Casino Center Drive is all that retro these days...

Chad Brown Interview with Poker News Daily

Poker News Daily: How did you get started in poker?

Brown: If you go all the way back to the birth of my poker game, it would have been in the Bronx, where I grew up. I used to play poker in little Italian cafes on the weekends with my friends. It was mostly dealer’s choice that consisted of a lot of games similar to Omaha. There would be some Stud and regular games, but it was mainly a lot of mixed games. I used to win most of the time and that was advantageous because I got to play so many different games. I had to figure out the math and what was the best way to play particular hands in different games.

I was acting and when I moved out to Los Angeles to further my career, I didn’t realize that there were legalized poker rooms there. I was prepared to be a bartender or a waiter to supplement my income in between acting jobs, but saw the opportunity and thought that poker was something I could do. Knock on wood; I’m still winning in poker.

PND: You’ve played a lot of poker on both the East Coast and the West Coast. Which games are tougher and why?

Brown: The West Coast has more world-class poker players. The reason is because on the East Coast, until recently, they primarily only played two games that were high-limit: Stud and Limit Hold’em. The style for most winning poker players in those two games was to play tight-aggressive. On the West Coast, there’s an eclectic group of poker players that plays a variety of styles: loose-aggressive, tight-aggressive, and in between. It adds to your tools.

John Phan, David Pham, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, and Allen Cunningham are guys who play different styles, but are all world-class No Limit Hold’em tournament players. However, playing with a diverse group of poker players even helps the pro. You still learn and grow no matter how good of a player you are.

PND: Tell us about the “Ultimate Poker Challenge,” which you host.

Brown: The “Ultimate Poker Challenge” started in 2004. The producer of the show, Dan Pugliese, saw me make the final table of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Seven Card Stud Championship. I went heads-up with Ted Forrest and after four and a half hours of play, Ted ended up winning. Dan realized what I had done as an actor and poker player and thought I had all of the elements to be the perfect host for his new show.

I really liked the idea of the “Ultimate Poker Challenge,” which was a tournament that was going to be televised from the Plaza Casino in Downtown Las Vegas, and knew it would be a hit. What was different about our show as opposed to the WSOP or World Poker Tour broadcasts was that I always had a different guest poker player commentating with me. Poker is very subjective, so there is no right strategy to play. Getting different points of view is more advantageous to helping people get better. A lot of different top pros came on and guest hosted. That gave the viewers something different on each show. I gave my opinion on how I see poker. I think most people liked my point of view: I give insight into not only the factual math, but also what I think is going on inside someone’s head. However, by having a different co-host, viewers didn’t know what they would say or how they would analyze play. That’s what made the “Ultimate Poker Challenge” uniquely successful.

PND: You’ve had success in the PokerStars World Championship of Online Poker. Describe some of the differences between playing live and playing online.

Brown: For friends of mine who play online and are not world-class players, one of the biggest traps for them is that when they’re playing in a live cash game at a casino, they protect their ego and don’t want to look like a donkey. When they play online, they’re anonymous. If they’re steaming, losing, and want to play some bad hands, they’re not embarrassed about it. Those types of players will play worse online.

Nevada Gaming Revenues Fall 18% in February

The Nevada Gaming Control Board continued its onslaught of sub-par performance results for the state’s casinos this month. In recent figures released, it announced that statewide casino “win,” or revenue, dove by 18% in February year over year.

The Gaming Control Board revealed that casino win during February was $830 million, a drop of 18.12% in 2009 in comparison to 2008, when revenues were over $1 billion for the month. For the current fiscal year, which began back on July 1st, revenues are off by 14.53%. The Las Vegas Strip was one of the hardest hit areas. During the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP), poker players heading to Sin City for the popular event will see drastically reduced room rates in part due to revenues in February being off by 23.45% year over year. In contrast, Downtown Las Vegas, whose casinos include the home of “High Stakes Poker,” the Golden Nugget, saw its revenues contract by 11.42% year over year.

North Las Vegas saw its win drop by 21.91%, while gambling establishments in Laughlin were down by 19.15%. In what can be seen as positive news, two areas of Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, experienced an increase in revenue in February of 2009 in comparison to February of 2008. The Boulder Strip’s win rose by 0.07%, while in Mesquite, business was up by 0.68%. Overall, Clark County casino gaming revenue fell by 17.94%.

In Washoe County, revenues plummeted by 23.14% year over year. In Reno, the county's flagship gambling Mecca, revenues were $42 million in February, a drop of 26.00%. In Sparks, casino win was off by 17.00% from last February’s tally of $13 million. In North Lake Tahoe, the news was equally as grim. Revenues fell by 23.88%, the third largest drop reported by any area of the state. South Lake Tahoe saw its revenues fall by the largest percentage reported, 26.82, to land at just over $16 million for the month.

Wendover and other areas of Elko County escaped the month relatively unscathed. Countywide revenues dropped by just 5.85% to $23.6 million. Wendover’s casino win fell by just 4.56%. In the Carson Valley area, revenue was $7.8 million in February of 2009, a slide of 17.08% compared to February of 2008. For the fiscal year to date, however, the news is not as bleak. Carson Valley revenues are off by a slim 9.14%. Those figures represent totals compiled from places such as Carson City, Gardnerville, Minden, and areas of Douglas County that are not located in South Lake Tahoe.

Fee collections for the month of March were also reported. The State of Nevada collected $65 million in fees, which is based on taxable revenue in February. The figure represented an increase of 22.60%, meaning even in a down month, revenues to the State increased significantly. The fee collections increased for the first time since July of 2008, when the amount collected based on June’s revenues was up 9.90%. Last month, fee collections were down a colossal 42.27%. During the fiscal year to date, fee revenues are off by a total of 16.28%.

The drop of 18.12% in February represented the 14th straight month in which revenues have fallen statewide. The last month that the Nevada Gaming Control Board reported an increase in revenue year over year was in December of 2007. Here is a month-by-month look at the decrease in revenues since then:

February of 2009: (18.12%)
January of 2009: (14.62%)
December of 2008: (18.94%)
November of 2008: (14.80%)
October of 2008: (22.33%)
September of 2008: (5.44%)
August of 2008: (8.10%)
July of 2008: (12.97%)
June of 2008: (1.11%)
May of 2008: (15.17%)
April of 2008: (5.05%)
March of 2008: (1.52%)
February of 2008: (3.93%)
January of 2008: (4.75%)

Read the full February casino gambling report by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Tom Dwan Scoops Largest High Stakes Poker Pot Ever

The fifth season of High Stakes Poker is currently airing on GSN and, in the final episode featuring Tom Dwan, the 22 year-old scooped a $919,600 pot, the largest ever won on the show. The win came at the expense of Barry Greenstein.

The second hand of High Stakes Poker, which airs on Sunday nights at 9:00pm ET on GSN, featured a $2,000 straddle by Peter Eastgate and a $4,000 double straddle by Doyle Brunson. Straddles have been used sparingly throughout the course of the show so far, a trend that was bucked this weekend. Greenstein made it $15,000 pre-flop holding As-Js. 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate called with Ks-7s and Brunson called with J-9. The flop came J-3-7 with one spade, giving Greenstein top pair with the best kicker. Eastgate checked, Brunson bet $35,000, and Greenstein called. High Stakes Poker announcer Gabe Kaplan noted, “Barry knows Doyle and if Doyle had a better hand than him, he'd check.”

After Greenstein called Brunson's bet, Eastgate raised to $104,000. Brunson got out of the way and Greenstein called. The turn came the 10 of spades, giving both players a flush draw, although Greenstein would have the nuts if a spade fell on the river. Greenstein bet $175,000 and Eastgate went into the tank before folding. Kaplan commented, “Barry did not want Peter Eastgate to say 'All in.'”

The biggest hand of the night came in a pot where Eastgate made it $3,500 pre-flop with A-K. Greenstein peeked down to see pocket aces and raised to $15,000. Dwan called with Ks-Qs and Eastgate also saw the flop of 2-4-Q with two spades. Kaplan made an elaborate Star Spangled Banner reference before Dwan led out and bet $28,700. Greenstein raised to $100,000 as a 50% favorite to win the pot and Dwan re-raised to $244,600. Greenstein shoved enough to put Dwan all-in and the two agreed to run it just once. Greenstein offered to let Dwan to take back $200,000, but the youngster declined. The turn was a queen, leaving Greenstein drawing to the case ace, which didn't come on the river. Dwan scooped the largest pot in High Stakes Poker history.

Sunday's installment of High Stakes Poker also saw Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu go broke once again. He had the misfortune of running into quads earlier this season and, in his final hand, Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies raised to $4,500 with J-6 and Negreanu called with K-Q. The flop came Q-6-3, giving Negreanu top pair. Sahamies bet $8,000 and Negreanu elected to slow play his hand by just calling. The turn came another six and Sahamies bet $27,000, this time with trips instead of middle pair. Negreanu pushed for $102,400 and Sahamies quickly called. Negreanu quipped, “I'm just going to quit.” The river came a three, giving the $232,500 pot to Sahamies. Negreanu left the set, the first exit on High Stakes Poker this season.

One of the final hands for this group of seven players saw Eastgate raise to $3,500 with J-9. Dwan called with A-3 and David Benyamine raised to $16,000 with pocket nines. Both Eastgate and Dwan called, seeing the flop of 9-Q-Q. In the background of the hand was a heated discussion between Dwan and Sahamies over who owed who money, which took away a bit of the luster of this hand. Benyamine bet out $28,000 with his flopped full house, Eastgate called with two pair, and Dwan folded. The turn came a six and Benyamine once again led out for $38,000. Eastgate called and the river came an eight, which Kaplan noted “could save Eastgate some money.” Benyamine bet $75,000 and Eastgate called, losing the $331,200 pot.

The High Stakes Poker set at the Golden Nugget in Downtown Las Vegas will welcome seven new faces on Sunday, April 12th. They include “The Simpsons” producer Sam Simon, Phil Laak, Joe Hachem, Howard Lederer, Patrik Antonius, and Antonio Esfandiari. In addition, Negreanu will return looking to reverse his luck.

Poker News in Brief: March 30-April 5

As part of a weekly series we've compiled a list of stories that didn't quite make it into the main news roster but were worth mentioning.

This week we take a look at an honored female poker player finally getting the recognition she deserves along with one of the best online players in the world doing what he does best - win tournaments.

Cyndy Violette headlines 2009 Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductees

On June 5, Cyndy Violette along with June Field and Jan Fisher will be inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame.

Violette is a World Series of Poker bracelet winner and has accumulated more than $1 million in tournament winnings through her career. Field is also a WSOP bracelet winner, but she made most of her mark behind the poker scene by founding two poker magazines as well as two poker cruises.

Fisher enjoys a semiprofessional poker career, but is better known for her role as a tournament director for events as well as co-founding the Tournament Directors Association. She is also on the Board of Directors for the Poker Players Alliance, Ladies Poker Association and Ladies International Poker Series.

This is only the second year of inductions since the creation of the WiPHoF, and these three women will join Marsha Waggoner, Susie Isaacs, Linda Johnson and Barbara Enright in the Hall of Fame.

The induction ceremony plus a celebration dinner and dance will take place June 5 at the Golden Nugget Casino in downtown Las Vegas.

Texas committee passes poker bill

Live poker keeps getting closer and closer to legalization in Texas. This week Texas State Representative Jose Menendez' poker bill got passed by a 6-3 vote in the Licensing and Administrative Procedures Committee.

Although the bill must still pass through the House of Representatives there's definitely a chance that poker players will soon be able to actually play Texas No-Limit Hold'em in Texas.

As always be sure to check out poker blog Pokerati as they are following the Texas situation closely.

UFC fighter brandish Ultimate Bet gear

At first it was just a rumor but it appears two "Ultimate" brands are now officially collaborating. Ultimate Bet Poker and the Ultimate Fighting Championship must have come to a beneficial agreement as Martin "The Hitman" Kampmann donned Ultimate Bet gear during his latest tilt that was shown on Spike TV.

Check out topix.net for more information.

WestmenloAA wins SCOOP event 1

Online player Isaac "WestmenloAA" Baron proved once again just how dominant he can be by winning one of the Day 1 SCOOP events on PokerStars.

Baron won one of the middle tier events on Day 1 specifically the $55 6-Max No-Limit Hold'em with rebuys. Despite the event's small buy-in the prize pool was an impressive $641,350 thanks to rebuys.

Baron beat KidCardiff6 in heads-up play to take down the epic $97,805 first place prize.

Read more about it at the PokerStars blog.

New players touched by an iPod at Betfair Poker

From March 25 to April 12, new players have a chance to win an iPod Touch at Betfair Poker.

Any new player who generates 10,000 Betfair Poker points within their first 60 days of their first real-money hand will earn an 8GB iPod Touch. Along the way to 10,000 points, players who reach 1,000 points will also be automatically qualified for a seat in an exclusive freeroll where the top 50 players will also receive an iPod Touch.

Check out the details at Betfair Poker.

Visit PokerListings.com

Howard Lederer Hosts April Fools Charity Poker Tournament

Just three miles west of Downtown Las Vegas is the Las Vegas Springs Reserve. At about 180 acres, the land that once served as this area's original water source now features botanical gardens, museum galleries, and multiple walking trails and nature walks. On Wednesday, poker players are...