Featured Articles Archive - Page 152

Two longtime friends from Miami make the most of the WSOP Colossus

LAS VEGAS — When Mike Elbilia decided to come to the World Series of Poker, he was hoping to watch his friend Juan Endara make a deep run in the $565 Colossus event. Little did he know he'd be making a deep run of his own.The two have been friends for nearly 25 years, meeting during their freshman year at the University of Miami...read more

Top 10 numbers from the WSOP's Colossus

LAS VEGAS — The $565 Colossus has been the most talked-about event at the week-old 2015 World Series of Poker, and for good reason. The tournament drew more entries than any tournament in poker history by a long shot.Here are 10 mind-bending numbers from the first two days of the WSOP Colossus.10...read more

Inside Gaming: Slot makers betting on video-game element to lure millennials

It’s clear the millennial generation — young adults born in the 1980s and 1990s — aren’t fond of playing slot machines.They prefer “Angry Birds” over “Blazing 7s.”New gaming regulations are headed for Nevada that will soon let gamblers do both.The passage of Senate Bill 9 — backed by the Association of Gaming Equipment Manufacturers — allows slot machine companies to create games that contain a skill-based, arcade-style element...read more

Casino exec Ross tapped for chairman of DEQ Systems

Former Affinity Gaming CEO David Ross was named chairman of Canada-based table game provider DEQ Systems.Ross, who left his role with Affinity last year, was elected this week to the board of the company, which is headquartered in Quebec and provides the gaming industry with table game systems, as well as live and online table game content.Ross was CEO of Las Vegas-based Affinity for three years...read more

Strip's best April since '08 helps reverse statewide gaming slide

The Strip’s best April in seven years helped reverse a two-month gaming revenue slide in Nevada.Casinos statewide collected $897.9 million from gamblers during April, a 5.39 increase compared to the same month in 2014. On the Strip, gaming revenue increased almost 7.8 percent to $498.8 million.The Gaming Control Board reported the results Friday.Analysts said the numbers for the month offered an positive sign for the market.“The April results have the second quarter of 2015 off to an encouraging start for Strip operators,” Stifel Nicolaus Capital Markets gaming analyst Steven Wieczynski said...read more

MGM shareholders re-elect 11-person board of directors

Shareholders in MGM Resorts International re-elected the company’s 11-person board of directors at the annual meeting Thursday.Company spokesman Clark Dumont said in an email the board was re-elected, and the company would release the official vote total in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.MGM had been challenged in a proxy fight by New York investment fund Land and Buildings, which sought to elect four candidates to the company’s board...read more

Money bubble bursts, WSOP Colossus down to 506 players

LAS VEGAS — The bustouts were fast and furious on Day 2 of the $565 Colossus at the World Series of Poker. In fact, the tournament staff could barely keep up, and it appeared for a few moments as if WSOP officials might have actually missed the money bubble.With 10 minutes remaining in the second level of the day, tournament director Jack Effel told the players to take a break a little early so they could figure out exactly how many players were left in the field...read more

One on one with WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart

LAS VEGAS — Now that the final field size in the World Series of Poker's $565 Colossus has been determined, the $5 million guaranteed prize pool for the tournament seems almost quaint.Not only did the tournament meet the guarantee, it more than doubled it, with 22,374 entries creating a prize pool of $11,187,000.Ty Stewart, the executive director of the WSOP, sat down with me on Saturday to chat about the largest live tournament in poker history...read more

Colossal displeasure with Colossus payout structure at WSOP

LAS VEGAS — The money bubble burst at the World Series of Poker's Colossus event after just two levels of play on Sunday night at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, but the bulk of the buzz in the Pavilion was a payout structure that will see first place earn $638,880, or just 5.7 percent of the prize pool — well below the typical winner's share for a poker tournament.When WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel announced the first-place prize, there was an audible gasp in the room, as all the players in the room seemed surprised by the amount...read more

WSOP Colossus shatters record for largest live poker tournament

LAS VEGAS — The final two starting flights of the World Series of Poker's $565 Colossus event were filled to capacity on Saturday at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, ensuring that the event wouldn't just break the record for largest live poker tournament, but shatter it.There were more than 24,000 paid entries in the tournament, though the final number will be smaller as some players will be refunded for flights they paid for but didn't end up playing...read more