Featured Articles Archive - Page 340

Las Vegas woman wins open event at World Series of Poker

Las Vegas attorney Allyn Jaffrey-Shulman became the first woman to win an open event at the World Series of Poker since 2008, capturing the No-Limit Hold'em Seniors World Championship Monday at the Rio.Jaffrey-Shulman, wife of Card Player Magazine publisher Barry Shulman, topped a record field of 4,128 players to win the $1,000-buy-in event for players age 50 and older...read more

Top-10 Mad Men prop bets for Season 6

I spent part of Sunday catching up on my Mad Men viewing (I had six episodes to watch on my DVR). It's been strange not being part of the national Mad Men conversation for the last six weeks. But watching the six episodes in a row changed the way I enjoyed Mad Men so much that I have to consider doing it again next season...read more

Return of poker superstar Phil Ivey creates stir at WSOP

At the halfway point of the 43rd World Series of Poker, several storylines have developed.Popular poker professional Andy Bloch won his first-ever individual championship bracelet in a Seven Card Stud event, ending an 18-year drought. On the flip side, Phil Hellmuth Jr...read more

Union Gaming hires Wall Street veterans to expand Las Vegas-based firm

Las Vegas-based Union Gaming Group is making a move to build out an institutional equity trading platform. The company, which advises the casino industry and provides research analysis on publicly traded gaming companies, hired three new managing directors from Wall Street. Matthew Brown, who most recently was responsible for coverage of institutional clients at Susquehanna Financial Group; Kevin Debbs, who headed domestic sales for Deutsche Bank Securities; and Michael Glynn, former director of operations and compliance at Kellogg Partners; recently joined Union Gaming. Brown and Debbs are based in Las Vegas while Glynn will establish a New York office. Union Gaming was formed in 2009 by three former Deutsche Bank analysts and headquartered in Las Vegas...read more

Entries, prize money down at WSOP, but organizers aren't concerned

The first 29 events of the 2012 World Series of Poker have drawn slightly fewer entries compared to the same number of events from a year ago.So far, the 43rd tournament at the Rio has attracted 28,394 entries. In 2011, the tournament had 29,421 entries through 29 events.The prize money is also down somewhat; $44.9 million so far this year compared with $52.5 million at the same time last year.However, World Series of Poker officials point out the events are lining up differently...read more

Record number 50 and over begin play in three-day poker championship at Rio

The World Series of Poker set a record Friday for the largest ever one-day starting field in a poker event.When the numbers were counted for the Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship, 4,128 players age 50 and over paid the $1,000 buy-in to compete in the three-day event at the Rio.It was the largest starting field in the 43-year history of the World Series of Poker...read more

MGM Resorts strikes deal for hotel-casino complex near Washington, D.C.

MGM Resorts International signed a deal Friday to build a large hotel-casino complex in southern Maryland, but there are many obstacles to navigate before slot machine gamblers can line up cherries roughly 10 miles from The White House. The casino giant announced the agreement jointly with the Peterson Cos., which developed the 350-acre National Harbor area along the Potomac River in Maryland's Prince George's County. The MGM Resorts-operated hotel-casino would become part of the National Harbor complex, which serves as a waterfront destination for the Washington, D.C., metro area, offering restaurants, retail, offices, residences, and several hotels...read more

Pinnacle Entertainment acquires bankrupt operators of Epic Poker League and Heartland Poker Tour

Las Vegas-based Pinnacle Entertainment, Inc., which is owed $2 million by the bankrupt Federated Sports + Entertainment, said Friday it acquired the company and its two poker businesses, the Epic Poker League and Heartland Poker Tour. Pinnacle, which operates six casinos in St...read more

IGT to repurchase up to $1 billion of the company's stock

Analysts applauded a decision by slot machine maker International Game Technology (IGT) to repurchase up to $1 billion of the company's outstanding stock over the next three-to-four years, saying the move reflects a confidence in business trends and could boost the value of the manufacturing giant. Investors seemingly agreed. Shares of IGT jumped 10 percent on the New York Stock Exchange following the announcement of the buy-back program before the markets opened Thursday...read more

Las Vegas Sands president signs contract extension

Las Vegas Sands Corp. President Michael Leven celebrated the birth of his sixth grandchild in April. After 2014, Leven will have much more time to dote on his newest grandson. The company announced Wednesday that Leven, 74, signed an extension to his employment agreement that will keep him at the helm of the casino operator until the end of 2014. By that time, Leven said, Las Vegas Sands would have his eventual replacement ready to step in. During 2013, the company's board of directors will begin the search for the next president...read more