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LAS VEGAS – (PRESS RELEASE) -- Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) today announced the launch of its supplier portal on boydgaming.com . This e-procurement program will provide vendors and prospective businesses with an internet-based supplier application and maintenance form and allow the Company to manage its business-to-business relationships more efficiently, including the certification process for minority and women-owned vendors. Rick Darnold, Boyd Gaming's Vice President of Strategic Sourcing, commented on the Company's web addition, "We are a much larger company today than just a few years ago and the supplier part of our business has become an increasingly complex area. The supplier portal allows us to manage our vendor relationships more closely and effectively, as well as making it easier for our current and prospective businesses to understand our needs and the requirements necessary to do business with us." According to the Company, the supplier portal is also an integral part of its new diversity initiative. In addition to providing complete and updated supplier application and maintenance forms, it also provides a certification process for minority and women-owned businesses. With the addition of the new e-procurement program, companies will find all of the necessary information for certification within the Company's diversity section of its web site.
LAS VEGAS – (PRESS RELEASE) -- History will be made at this weekend's New Las Vegas Marathon when runners will not only be able to run the world Famous Las Vegas Strip for the first time, but they will be part of the only marathon in the nation in which you can place a bet. In order to bring an unprecedented level of excitement to the race, bettors will be able to wage on the winner of "The Challenge," the top male and female professional runners. This Friday at 1:00 p.m. at the Professional Runners News Conference, the New Las Vegas Marathon will announce the time differential for "The Challenge." The Challenge is an L.A. Marathon innovation in which the Professional Women Runners start the race in advance of the Professional Men. Historic statistics of this year's field of professional runners will determine the time differential. The first runner to cross the Finish Line wins a $50,000 first place cash prize and a $50,000 bonus for winning "The Challenge." Fans can place bets on the New Las Vegas Marathon starting this afternoon at Mandalay Bay. "This is a very exciting development that speaks to the quality of our professional runners and instantly establishes the New Las Vegas Marathon as a serious race," said New Las Vegas Marathon President William A. Burke.
In a major victory for poker player's rights in Maryland, Baltimore prosecutors announced that they would throw out the gambling charges brought against the 80 poker players caught up in a recent police raid of a poker club located close to Camden Yards.
According to city prosecutors, officers used the wrong subsection of law in filling out the tickets they handed out the night of the raid. According to a recent Baltimore Sun article, prosecutors believe that taking further action against the players would be a waste of court resources.
The review of the officer's enforcement of the law was handled by Assistant Sate Attorney Patricia Deros and received ultimate approval from State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy.
According to Deros, players can rest easy knowing there won't be further prosecution by the law. "We don't believe there will be any new charges filed against the players."
Baltimore prosecutors had earlier questioned the subsection of law that Sgt. Craig Gentile, the vice detective who organized the raid of the Owl's Nest, but said they needed more time to see if the charges would stick.
Ultimately, this mistake by Baltimore police, who showed the biggest display of law enforcement in Baltimore since 1932 during the raid, will let the players out through a loophole. According to Deros, the players had been charged under a subsection of the law that states that a person may not "keep, rent, use, or occupy" a building for the purpose of gambling. Players should have been charged under the subsection that prohibits a "bet, wager or gamble."
"It's just not the appropriate subsection," said Deros.
Although police may have lost this battle, it looks like the war against illegal poker clubs in Baltimore and surrounding areas is just getting started. According to Police Commissioner Leonard D. Hamm, a widespread crackdown on poker tournaments may be on the way. "We are going to enforce the law."
I usually win consistently online. I win at a good rate in home games and at the illegal card room I frequent. But I fly to Vegas 3 times per year and always seem to lose my money. I've played at a variety of levels and different games in over a dozen card rooms on the strip and downtown. Every time I am in Vegas I hit a terrible run of cards, I play poorly, I get sucked out on the River, or something else happens that causes me to go bust. What gives? - Emailed by Atlas_Man from Virginia
Winning at your local games does not assure success in the major casinos. Many, many potential pros have had their dreams of poker immortality dashed when they ran into the grinder in Las Vegas. Vegas locals love to play against tourists. You see, those who have flown in for a few days worth of visit have a predictable playing style. In your home games and local games, you probably play patiently in a typical tight-aggressive style. In Vegas, your mind automatically puts the critical factor of time into your decision making process. In essence, your play is influenced because your subconscious constantly reminds you that your return flight home is only a couple of days away. This sense of urgency wears at your ability to stay focused, calm, and patient. Instead, you play mediocre hands that end up costing you money. Your tight-aggressive style moves toward the loose category, and your money follows that trail toward your opposition's stack.
In addition, you have to recognize the fact that Vegas casinos are filled with colluders. Many locals play together often at the same tables. These players may intentionally work together to squeeze the cash from the outsiders. Even if they do not have a specific plan to whip-saw or signal each other, they will certainly play softly and slowly against each other. I suspect that you are losing due to a combination of factors. First, you play outside of your normal boundaries, comfort zone, and normal playing style because of the excitement and time constraints that the trip produces. Also, your opposition is new to you, so you'll have no easy reads on familiar foes like you do in your normal games. In addition, you are facing savvy, experienced players at most tables in Vegas. Some may be working together, others may simply be better than you are! Get confident, get focused, and get patient and you should see better results.
I've been trying to give off fake tells in order to throw off my opponents. It does not seem to be working so far. What do I need to do to convince them to do what I want? -Emailed by Green_Pack
So, you want to know what to do to control your opponents? Don't we all? If anyone had a way to always will their opposition to fold/call as demanded, that person would win the main event every year! My friend, it is just not THAT easy. I would forewarn you that reserve tells are a very refined skill that only experienced, proven players should delve into. I've seen many newer players attempt to earn their Academy Award by feigning strength when bluffing, pretending to be nervous when they hold a monster, or by faking deep thought when they are baiting the tablemates. Reserve tells must be extremely well executed to be successful. They also should be subtly used, and infrequently used. I will attempt to coyly bait my opponents into checking to me when I'm looking to see a free card by using glances of my eyes toward my chip stack (representing that I'm going to raise). If used infrequently, a keen onlooker may believe your action. Overuse, and over reliance of reverse tells is sure to spell your doom. Usually you will not only be accurately read by veteran opponents, you will look foolish as you play due to your obvious playing nature. I always suggest that you work on your own game first, focusing on the key elements that you lack. Next you work on reading your opposition and trusting your instincts. After those steps are reached to satisfaction, you can then begin to insert next elements to your repertoire such as reverse tells. Take it slow. I'm guessing that you are not yet ready to implement these advance techniques. Instead, continue to gain experience and confidence as you work to plug any holes in your game. Best of luck.
KEEP THOSE QUESTIONS COMING!!! Carlisle14@hotmail.com
While Annie Duke may have been less than active on the poker tournament trail this year, it has been a tremendously busy one for her. She is the face of the ESPN Poker Club, touting the offerings of the sports network's web efforts concerning poker and has been a frequent contributor to Bluff magazine as well. Beyond that, there is plenty more that Annie has been busy with.
With the release of her book, "How I Raised, Folded, Bluffed, Flirted, Cursed And Won Millions At The World Series Of Poker", Annie opened the door for the world to see how her life is. The book is a tremendous tale, interchanging between her first World Series bracelet victory, her psychological torture of Phil Hellmuth when she captured the 2004 WSOP Tournament of Champions (both in 2004) and the long personal journey that she has taken to get to where she is today. While it is not a strategy book per se, it does have some interesting glimpses into what it takes to be a top level professional in the game.
Where the book truly was remarkable was in her bluntly honest recollections of her life in a dysfunctional family and her problems with an anxiety disorder. The disorder made her late teens and early twenties a struggle for her as she jockeyed between trying to help herself and in dealing with the medications that were prescribed by her physicians. Her book was also starkly real in her discussion of the breakup of her marriage and how other players have treated her in the past. In all, the book is something that people can feel that they know the person that is Annie Duke a little better and realize the struggles she has overcome to reach where she is today.
That isn't enough for the already busy mother of four children! As I learned when I talked on the phone with Annie recently, there is much more to come from someone who is considered by many to be the best female player in poker.
PN: First off, congratulations on the book. I was really struck by the honesty that you put into it. Was that difficult?
AD: Thank you! It really wasn't that difficult for me to recollect everything and get it into the book. I'm a terrible liar, so I had to be honest about it! I have always been one of those "what you see is what you get" people, I don't put on airs or anything like that. I am tremendously proud of my accomplishments in poker, with my family and children and my life.
I guess I could have looked back at it and said, "Oh, woe is me!" but I refused to do that. Everyone has issues that they deal with in life and, by opening up and letting people know about my anxiety disorder, I certainly hope that I can help even one person by letting them know they aren't the only one who has gone through something like that.
PN: Do you still have any continuing problems with your anxiety disorder?
AD: Thankfully, no. When I was in college and through my twenties I did, but I haven't had a recurrence since I had my first child. I put a lot of effort into defeating my problems. I'm happy now and grateful for that, because those anxiety problems can be extremely oppressive.
PN: I did like in the book how you questioned that you weren't ready to exchange childhood for adulthood. Many would think playing poker didn't exactly move you in that direction.
AD: (Laughs) Yeah, you're probably right! What I tried to get across there was that I had a great childhood, even with the difficulties that I talked about when I was growing up. I went to college and was having the time of my life there, I was popular and having fun. Once that came to an end, I never thought of what I wanted to do after that.
I went to graduate school simply because it was a lack of knowing exactly what direction I wanted to go. That's when my anxiety problems kicked up and it continued on into having a fear of having children once I was married, things like that. I never really felt at home until I first sat down at the poker tables.
PN: One thing that I noticed in the book is the similarity of you and your mother. The only difference was you struck out and did your thing, where your mother didn't until later in life.
AD: It's scary, we're almost identical. We're both very creative, intelligent people. I have a little brighter outlook on life, but I think that difference was because of the times we lived. When she was brought up, in her time, things were much different than when I was raised. She really held back from what she wanted to do because she had children. I think that's where we took our differing paths.
PN: Some people have commented on how the book seems to be open-ended. Will there be a part two at some point?
AD: Well, there's always that possibility. I am sure that when it comes out in paperback, we might be adding an afterword that will carry on after the 2004 Tournament of Champions.
PN: Another business project you have out right now is your new DVD "How To Beat The Big Boys" from MastersofPoker.com. (Writer's note: Be looking for the review upcoming at PokerNews.). What can we expect there?
AD: The DVD is actually the first in a series of four DVDs. In January 2006, there will be another DVD that will be specifically for beginners, followed by an online poker DVD and a production for women who want to learn poker. The first one is an advanced strategy guide to Texas Hold 'Em.
I wanted to get this one out there first because there are many things on the market that are focused on starting in the game, but very few that look at the game from an advanced level. I was actually saying to myself, "My gosh, I've given away too much!," when I sat and watched the dailies that we did for it! But the more poker information that is out there is better for poker overall in my opinion, so I am proud of my work with the DVD collection and can't wait until they are all four released.
PN: What other business do you have going on?
AD: Wow, I have my program on the Game Show Network, we're doing the pilot for that and it's looking good. It's called "Annie Duke Takes On The World", where four people will take on each other with the winner squaring off against me heads up. If it's picked up, that will start up in March. It will be very funny and instructional too!
I'm also doing some things with Howard (Lederer, her brother). I'm a part of the "World Championship Poker 2 with Howard Lederer" video game and we're looking at doing something as well with cell phones. And I'll be helping Howard with our fantasy camp that starts in January. We're expecting 300 players to come to the camp and it will be a fantastic time. I always like working with my brother!
PN: With everything that's going on, is business overriding poker somewhat?
AD: Everything in my life is important to me. My children are the most important thing in my life. Beyond that, I have been playing poker for a long time. The business side of it adds to my life very much. Because of these responsibilities, however, I do have to let something go sometimes and that is competing in tournaments. With that said though, my life is very rewarding and I am very thankful for everything that I have gotten from the game.
PN: Are there some things on the business front that you won't do?
AD: I won't do anything that I don't believe in. I was offered a guest shot on "TILT" and I said no to that because I didn't agree with the portrayal of the people in the show and just the plot overall. For me to be a part of it, it has to have some credibility and I have to be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning!
I want to thank Annie for sitting down to talk with me. We hopefully will see more of her in the tournament arena in the future, but until that time, be sure to pick up her book and have a slot on your bookcase as well for her four DVD set that will be completely released in 2006 . The first part of the DVD set, "How To Beat The Big Boys", is currently in the stores now and available at mastersofpoker.com as well. For everything that is on Annie's schedule, be sure to check out her website at annieduke.com.
Women poker players are finally getting the recognition they deserve with the April debut of Woman Poker Player, the only lifestyle publication dedicated to women players.
Now, partly in thanks to its supportive customer base which has helped to double the magazine's circulation, the magazine is offering a series of $1,000 freerolls for its loyal readers.
The first tournament will be on Friday, November 25, 2005 and will be held on Titan Poker's site and is open to all players who sign up and participate in the discussions on the Woman Poker Player forums. Not only do women player's get a great chance to win some cool cash, but at no cost to enter, this is a chance for those less-experienced women players to get a chance to play in a well-paying tournament without risking their hard-earned money.
According to the magazine, over 25 percent of all players online are women and with more women playing "live" with every new day, the presence of women at the poker table has dramatically increased over the last two years. Possibly one of the best examples of this was the September Borgata Poker Open's Ladies Only event which drew over 500 women and the World Series of Poker Ladies event which drew 600 plus players.
According to Woman Poker Player publisher, Maryann Morrison, the freerolls are a way of further cementing its relationship with its readers. "We receive incredibly positive feedback on our publication from both our readers and advertisers. These freeroll tournaments will be a way to say thank you, along with offering an opportunity for some of our brick and mortar players to test their skills online."
Led by poker legend and editor-in-chief, Barbara Enright, Woman Poker Player looks as though it's here to stay and things will only get better for the magazine and its fans as more women join the game.
Woman Poker Player is available at Barnes and Noble, Chapters, and Hastings, and select newsstands and retail markets. It can also be found in casinos across the United States and Canada.
This week we are in Monaco for the Monte Carlo millions. It is a time capsule for me as I first came here in 1978 and still remember my sticker shock when I had to pay 20 dollars for a glass of orange juice at a popular night club at the time. Of course you can get cheaper food, but it is still 15 dollars for a bowl of tomato soup at one of the nicer places.
In the tournament itself Phil Ivey played great, constantly putting pressure on the other players even when they had as many chips as he did. Of course being a little lucky helps a lot and having AA when your opponent bluffs all his chips into you makes life easier and pads your stack. After we were in the money Erik Sagstrom raised from the button, Phil re-raised from the little blind with about a 1.3 million to 300,000 chip lead and Erik moved all-in with AA and Phil called with KQ. The flop was king high with another king on the river. No problem.
Erik is a very famous online player and plays a very deliberate game, too deliberate and slow for my taste, of course, and very unlike the typical 21 year old. The chances are that we will hear his name many times into the future as his successes continue.
Kristi Gazes was the very popular bubble girl here. She went 13th when only 12 were paid and had been shortstacked for many hours and many levels. She picked up 22 in the little blind and moved all-in as first in and the big blind had AA. End of story.
Pokernews star Tony Guoga had many intriguing hands here and finally exited 7th as he went all-in from the button with KcQc as the shortest stack at the final table and was called by the little blind who held QQ. At this point we stopped with six of the finalists set and a seventh person added back in as outlined in the following paragraph.
A sensible innovation here was the running of a "second chance" tournament where the winner is reborn back onto the final table, creating a final table of seven players. This idea has my full approval, although many may debate its merits.
The worst beat I witnessed here, and one of the worst all time, happened to John Juanda. He raised from the button with 10d9d and was called by the big blind who held Ad6d and the flop came KK10 rainbow, but whoops, the dealer forgot to burn. The ruling was that the flop came back and the deck was shuffled and the flop came 8d6c5d and all the money went into the center with a 10 coming on the river, but this was too late for John, as the turn was the 4 of diamonds and both made the flush. So instead of winning the pot Juanda was walking out the door.
I am in the Sony Activision WSOP game and have heard that I play like a donkey in it. Oh well they never asked for my input on that! I have also heard that I jump up and down like a classless jerk when I win a pot! Now that is something that has been seen on television and in many brick tournaments that I would like to never do. NEVER!
Chip Jett has a whole bunch of great insights and comments on a wide range of topics. On being paid to be in the Activision game he said; "They're paying me! Don't they know I would have paid them to be included?"
On going all-in at an early stage of a tournament with pocket aces he has said; "Going all-in with them is an excellent strategy! They are not part of my plan to get chips anyways, so just get them out of the way!"
Chip's humor is black on black and it seems like he has his tongue firmly in cheek at all times. This viewpoint is shared with some others, such as Bill Gazes who, when asked if he had any superstitions replied that he does not change his underwear when he is on a winning streak, but no one else does either! Lol!
A few more hands from the Pokerstars cruise of 2004 that I mentioned before. My story was one of a bad read and some bad luck. I was in the four seat with 9600 when a player came to our table with 5400 at the second level and sat in seat seven. I held 10-10 and made it 300 to go, over a big blind of 100, and when it came to him he moved all-in. This was a huge raise and made me stop and think about what he might hold. Many beginners will make this play with a pair 77 through JJ because it removes the responsibility they might have to play the hand as it happens later on. Many intermediate or internet players are likely to make this play with AK. In neither case is it clear that I should fold even though I have plenty of chips, I wish to enlarge my stack in this spot if I think I have the best hand. While I was considering the limited information I had I got a tell from him that he hated his hand. "Call!" I said immediately as this tell has never failed me, and I live to fight on if I am wrong. He turned over JJ and now I got to play the rest of my days well below par. At the third or fourth level I picked up 9s8s in the little blind with Seidel in the big blind and I completed the call. It came J-10-6 and I bet the size of the pot from my 3900 with Eric calling. The turn brought the lovely Q and with no suits in sight and blind versus blind I checked. He bet the pot, which was now 900, and I checkraised all-in for 2700 more. He thought and thought and thought and called from his 12,000 dollar stack. He held J-10 and had flopped two pair. No problem, off came a J and I was gone.
Deeper in the tournament Mike Matusow was in a hand holding A-10 versus someone he did not know and it came KQJ and all the money went into the middle. The problem was that his opponent held KK and had my favorite draw?top set! The board paired and Mike was done...or was he? Because there was still 5 days left of the cruise on Voyager-of-the-Seas and he used those days to go on one long drunk telling everyone who would listen about his bad luck and the full story that illustrated it. One person he cornered was Howard Lederer and as the story was told for the umpteenth time and the board paired yet again the Mouth lifted a heavy chair and crashed it down onto Howard's toe, breaking it. For the rest of the journey when I ran into Mike I would ask him to hold that thought, point my toes backwards, well out of harms way, and then tell him to go ahead with the (same old) bad beat story. To this day I am not certain if he got the humor of this. I do know that bad beats are the ones that happen to us.
Mike's recent barrage of great results has gone a long way in assuaging his feeling that things never break even for him. He has won 2.4 million that I know of as of this writing in three tournaments in this calendar year. If you remember my Thor quote from column 29 you know the rest of the story.
Until next time... play good... and get lucky!
As everyone settled back after gorging themselves on Thanksgiving in America, poker took center stage on Fox Sports Network. Gathering together seven of the best players in the world, the FullTiltPoker.net Invitational Live from Monaco was a tremendous success for all those involved and should be something that other networks should think about giving a try.
First off, the setting was a truly spectacular one! The players settled into the exclusive high rollers' room (the Salon Prive) of the Casino de Monte Carlo for the made for television tournament and, for those of us who may never have the opportunity to see it, it was an exceptional treat. The grandeur of the room, with simply unbelievable classical paintings on the walls and the gilded, ornate decoration of the architecture, was worth the time spent watching the event alone!
As we were here for what was basically a "sit-n-go", we needed to have a quality broadcasting team to carry what was scheduled to be (at the maximum) a four hour event. The duo of veteran sports announcer Barry Tompkins and "The Professor of Poker" Howard Lederer have simply set the benchmark for the way a tournament should be done on television, be it live or recorded. Tompkins was smoothly proficient to give the card-by-card action, while Lederer provided the background into the players and accurately throughout the event predicted the actions of the professionals that were assembled at the table. The two ably played off each other and, because of the pace of action (or lack thereof) at points in the event, were able to make even a walkover an entertaining piece of the tournament action.
Fox Sports Network also did an excellent job on the technical edge of the program. Although there was some problems with card identification at the end of the tournament (the cards being used had microchips implanted in them and a computer "read" what each player had), there was little trouble in being able to pick up the action. In a nice innovation during hands, the usual information as to percentages was displayed along with the cards in action and (this was especially informative for newer players) the "outs" a player needed to take the hand were displayed as well. All of this was done without disturbing the viewing of the action, which was nicely done by Fox Sports Network.
Oh, there was some poker being played as well! All the players must be commended for bringing class to the event, as they all showed up with suits, tuxedos and ties, befitting of and abiding by the rules of the Casino de Monte Carlo. There were no logos, no T-shirts and jeans, and it lent a great deal of style to the table. David "DevilFish" Ulliot, normally used to being the best dressed player at a final table, was being given a run for his money by the rest of the players assembled!
The play of the tournament was seemingly very tight and very quiet in the early going. Perhaps this was due to the factor that the gentlemen assembled at the table started play at midnight in Monaco to make the 6PM (East Coast) live broadcast time on FSN! As the tournament worked its way along, the players loosened up, even putting the censors to work for a couple of DevilFish's comments. There was plenty of laughing among the group, but it was also obvious that the men all wanted the top prize of $600,000.
It took nearly two hours of the event to eliminate our first player. Mike Matusow was the victim of a bad run of cards and never seemed to get on track during the tournament. He was the first one out in seventh place. Phil Hellmuth made some interesting plays with strong hands early in the action, limping with pocket tens along with Ulliot and allowing Ulliot (with Q-2 of clubs) to outdraw him on the flop. When he made his move with a K-J of hearts, he was looked up by Chris "Jesus" Ferguson with a A-5 of spades. A five on the turn gave Ferguson the lead, but also put two hearts on the board, leaving the flush option for Phil. A blank at the river made Chris the winner and Phil Hellmuth went home in sixth.
David Ulliot was the story of the early going. "The DevilFish" demonstrated his highly aggressive style and was able to bully the table through much of the first half of the event. He was the chip leader before Ferguson dispatched Hellmuth and, through inopportune raises, bled off much of that lead. Still, he displayed excellent cardsmanship and aggression that a player would need in the tournament poker world.
Another player who had trouble picking up hands was Gus Hansen. "The Great Dane" was able to stave off elimination against Phil Ivey when he back-doored a flush after Ivey had a set of sevens on the flop, but was eliminated when he moved in with Q-8 against John Juanda's K-Q. Juanda never fell behind and, with an unnecessary King on the river, sent Gus out in fifth place. The final four of Ulliot, Ferguson, Ivey and Juanda played excellently, no one wanting to leave the game in fourth (the "bubble" for this event, as only the top three were paid). Ivey crippled Ferguson when his seven kicker with an Ace was better than Chris' deuce and Ace and, two hands later, John Juanda sent Ferguson home as the bubble boy.
The three men left would divide up the $1 million prize pool and, as expected, the action was fast after the elimination of Ferguson. Ulliot's early hot streak cooled off and he was next to go in third place with what he brought to the tournament, $120,000. Ivey and Juanda toyed with each other for a few hands, but John chose an inopportune moment to make a play on a pot. With Q-6 of clubs, he pushed in a large raise, only to be repopped by Phil's pocket Kings. The blank board gave Ivey a nearly insurmountable edge and soon after Phil eliminated John to take the $600,000 first prize while Juanda accepted second place and $280,000.
It was an excellent night of poker and the wrapup of a great two days for Phil Ivey. Adding in the $1 million prize he pocketed for winning the Monte Carlo Millions championship the previous day, he walked off with $1.6 million for a week of work and cemented his status as one of the best in the game today. It also was a great broadcast for the Fox Sports Network. It would be very interesting to see the World Poker Tour or the World Series of Poker attempt something along the lines of a live broadcast. The Tournament of Champions would have been the perfect setting for the World Series and ANY final table from the WPT would be worthy of such coverage. Until then, we'll just have to get our televised live poker fix from FSN!
With all of the money being made with online poker, it seems only right that a group would finally developed a site that would focus specifically on raising money for worthy causes. That time has finally come as BenefitPoker.org, recently became the first non-profit organization to tackle the online market and will offer the only charity-dedicated site in the world.
By giving charities a no-brainer, in that the charities face no financial risk by having a tournament on the site, groups are lining up to gain much-needed economic support that they might not have received otherwise. Over 80 percent of all funds generated during online poker tournaments are donated directly to charities like the beneficiary of the site's first tournament, Operation Oz Kids USA.
The initial tournament dollars from the November 29, 2005 event, are earmarked for a young Australian boy named Dylan Hartung, a 7-year-old Australian boy receiving treatment in New York City for Stage IV Neuroblastoma.
According to the Cancerindex.org, Neuroblastoma is one of the most common solid tumors of early childhood and is usually found in babies or young children. The disease originates in the adrenal medulla or other sites of sympathetic nervous tissue. The most common site is the abdomen (near the adrenal gland) but can also be found in the chest, neck, pelvis, or other sites. Most patients face with this illness have widespread disease upon diagnosis.
Benefit Poker's executive director, Michael Perrier believes that the site will have an impact on the charities involved and on the lives of people like young Dylan. "Many charities are faced with significant coasts and risks when putting together fundraising efforts. Whether the client is a charity that wants to run a tournament using their donor lists or a corporation that would like to offer its employees the opportunity to raise funds in a unique and interesting way, BenefitPoker.org provides an online venue for fundraising with little cost associated."
Joining this noble cause is leading poker software developer, Excapsa Software Inc. The Toronto-based company has generously donated the online poker software used by BenefitPoker.org. The newest member of the Excapsa Poker Network will utilize the software company's 1.5 million player database to help fill event seats.
According to Excapsa's CEO Jim Ryan, the move is the company's way of giving needy charities much deserved relief. "We are proud to be able to include this site among our poker network and educate the online poker community about their many fundraising efforts. Excapsa has always been committed to giving back to our communities and have run many charity events for many causes."
For information on running an online tournament for your charity, contact the site at info@benefitpoker.org.
Sweet home Alabama, could become a little sweeter to poker players from the state and surrounding areas as poker games could begin accrue large amounts of money for Indian reservations in the state.
According to Eddie Tullis, a council member and former tribe chairman for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, the National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) will decide whether to allow the live action by the end of December. The NIGC oversees all gaming activities on American Indian lands.
If the regulatory group decides that poker should be considered a Class II game, which is legal in Alabama, the tribe and future partner Harrah's Entertainment can go through with erecting a $120 million Indian Entertainment facility along the banks of the Coosa River in Wetumpka.
If the agency rules against licensing poker as a Class II game and makes it a Class III game, the tribe would have to seek a gaming compact with the state, something lawmakers have vowed to vote against.
According to a recent article in the Montgomery Advertiser, Tullis said, it looks as though things may go the tribe's way. "I think we are going to get a favorable ruling. I think we are going to get that ruling bfore the first of the year."
Tullis and other council members met with members of the commission and discussed possible outcomes with the commission. "They told us they have completed their draft opinion and are having it reviewed by the Justice Department," Tulluis said.
The Poarch tribe already owns three facilities located in Atmore, Weptumpka and Montgomery and is looking to the new site to boost the money the tribe makes from the casinos. The tribe became eligible for gambling on its properties in 1984, when the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs declared it a federally recognized tribe.
According to tribe officials, they believe the ruling will go favorably for them because they game would fall under the Class II distinction, since players would bet against each other and not the house.
The tribe is set to offer games at its Atmore facility if they get a favorable ruling. "We have everything ready. We are just waiting on the ruling," Tullis said.
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