Featured Articles Archive - Page 319

The WSOP final nine: Player profiles

LAS VEGAS -- Profiles of the nine World Series of Poker finalists:Jesse SylviaAge 24Las Vegas43.875 million in chipsSylvia was down his last 4 million chips on Day 7 when he rallied back into contention. By the time the field was cut from 27 to the final nine, Sylvia, who is originally from Martha's Vineyard, Mass., jumped into the chip lead...read more

Pro poker player, 57, seeks to step up intensity in WSOP

LAS VEGAS -- Steve Gee hasn't played much poker since the end of July.What poker he has played hasn't been very profitable.These revelations might seem surprising.Gee, a 57-year-old professional poker player from Sacramento, Calif., is about to embark on his biggest and most high-profile card game since he dedicated his efforts to the activity full time four years ago.After a near four-month break, the World Series of Poker's Main Event resumes Monday afternoon at the Rio's Penn & Teller Theater...read more

Nevadan at work: Online gaming company keeps it clean, cashes in

LAS VEGAS -- It wasn't easy for CyberArts founder Chris Derossi to watch rival Internet gaming technology companies provide products to websites that accepted wagers from American gamblers.Derossi concluded in 2003 his Oakland, Calif.-based online poker software development company would not get into any predicaments that could jeopardize its future.At the time, there was still question about the legality of Internet gaming in the U.S."It wasn't a tough decision to stay 100 percent clean, but it was tough watching competitors operate illegally and be so successful," Derossi said.That business move paid off last year.Derossi sold CyberArts to Fertitta Interactive in October 2011 for an undisclosed price.The company, an Internet gaming startup controlled by Station Casinos owners Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta and former Golden Nugget owners Tom Breitling and Tim Poster, is close to launching an online poker website in Nevada.Fertitta Interactive was licensed by the Nevada Gaming Commission on Oct...read more

Jackie Gaughan, on his 92nd birthday, offers link to days of old Vegas

LAS VEGAS -- Alexandra Epstein gently held Jackie Gaughan's hand Wednesday and slowly walked the 92-year-old casino legend a short distance from the El Cortez Hotel & Casino's Parlour lounge to a seat in the downtown casino's poker room.Once there, as he does almost every afternoon, Gaughan sat down to a game of low-limit Texas Hold'em...read more

Fitch takes a "circumspect view" of Caesars' plans to remodel Bill's Gamblin' Hall

LAS VEGAS -- Fitch Ratings Service weighed in on Caesars Entertainment Inc.'s plans to spend $146 million to remodel Bill's Gamblin' Hall and Saloon, saying Friday it had a "circumspect view" of the project.Caesars, which owns 10 casinos on or near the Strip, wants to remodel Bill's, located at the corner of the Strip and Flamingo Boulevard, which includes adding a pool and nightclub - operated by Drai Management Group - on the roof of the casino."The Drai's financing is consistent with Caesars' more recent transactions of carving out assets or selling assets from Caesars Entertainment to fund (capital expenditures) aimed at revitalizing the company's Las Vegas portfolio of assets," Fitch gaming analyst Michael Paladino said in a report to investors.Caesars plans to remodel the 198 hotel rooms and the 17,200-square-foot casino at Bill's...read more

Top-10 comedians' take on gambling

Gambling can bring about a myriad of emotions, from exhilaration to depression. But the experience can also, with the right comic treatment, be downright hilarious.Some comics have their finger on the pulse of gamblers, and here are the top-10 comic routines on gambling.10...read more

How good is your total against various dealer upcards at blackjack?

Say you’ve played out your own hand at blackjack. The dealer didn’t have a blackjack (or the round would have ended before it began), and you didn’t bust. You’re therefore at a moment of truth, anticipating how the dealer will fare. If your total is 21, you’re in fine shape...read more

Nevada, N.Y. officials investigate Cantor in betting ring scheme

LAS VEGAS -- A Nevada gaming regulator said Thursday that the state's probe into illegal bookmaking and money laundering that led to the arrest of a Cantor Gaming vice president and seven others in Las Vegas includes the sports book operator itself, focusing on possible regulatory violations.Jerry Markling, chief of enforcement for the Nevada State Gaming Control Board, said Thursday that investigators in Nevada have been working with the New York City Police Department's Organized Crime Investigation Division for the past 15 months to unravel a "large-scale bookmaking operation."Gaming and legal sources on Wednesday had said the matter did not involve Cantor Gaming and was unrelated to its business in Las Vegas...read more

Revenues increase 21 percent at Bally Technologies

LAS VEGAS -- Bally Technologies, Inc. grew revenues 21 percent in the first quarter as the slot machine maker hopes to capitalize on the positive feedback it received from last month's Global Gaming Expo (G2E).Also, Las Vegas-based Bally on Thursday announced a $150 million share repurchase plan that replaced an existing program under which the company bought back approximately $127 million of common stock...read more

Pinnacle grows third-quarter revenues despite hurricane disruption and challenging markets

LAS VEGAS -- Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc. is making progress toward selling an empty land parcel the company controls in Atlantic City.The Las Vegas-based regional casino operator told investors Wednesday it hopes to enter into a definitive agreement to sell the Boardwalk site by the end of the year.The site formerly housed the since-demolished Sands Casino.Pinnacle planned to build a hotel-casino complex on the site but scrapped plans three years ago with the economy crumbled.Pinnacle told investors the company took a noncash impairment charge of $6.9 million on the Atlantic City land during the third quarter, which factored into the company's overall results.Pinnacle said it grew revenues 2.8 percent in the quarter that ended Sept...read more