Featured Articles Archive - Page 485

Deal Me In: Reader eyewear required

Dear Mark: I've never seen this question answered regarding this winning hand in video poker, so possibly you could indulge my curiosity. Say for instance I have the following hand: Three fours and a pair of queens. I realize I have a full house, but why wouldn't I get paid separately for the three fours and the pair of queens? Bruce D. With reading glasses in hand, Bruce, you'll notice that somewhere in fine print on the face of the machine it most likely says something along these lines: "Pays only highest combination." Yes, occasionally you will come across a specialty game like Multi-Pay Poker that will reward you additionally for the trips and the jacks or better, but with almost every other machine out there, a hand that includes a grouping of more than one winning hand is paid only the highest-winning combination. Dear Mark: When playing video poker, when are the draw cards actually dealt? Immediately, and then placed behind the initial draw cards, or do they come off the top of the deck? It seems I've seen it described by experts both ways...read more

Frank schedules online gambling hearing for Dec. 3

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) has scheduled a hearing on Dec. 3 before the House Financial Services Committee to hear testimony on repealing the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and creating a regulated online gaming industry in the U.S...read more

Randall Sayre named Gaming Regulator of the Year

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Gaming Control Board member Randall Sayre has been named Gaming Regulator of the Year by the International Masters of Gaming Law. Robert Stocker II, a Michigan gaming attorney who is the group's president, said Sayre, who was appointed to the control board in 2007 by Gov...read more

Station Casinos rewards loyal customers

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Casino companies have seen loyal customers remain loyal, even through the worst-ever recession to strike the gaming industry. Station Casinos, zapped hardest of all the locals casino operators, wanted to do something special for its die-hard, high-end followers. Company executives realize promotions, marketing and rewards programs need to be targeted toward devoted players as Station Casinos weaves its way through Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and reorganizes its debt structure. The company put together a special VIP weekend celebration earlier this month at Red Rock Resort, bringing together 250 high-end customers from every Station Casinos property...read more

Pinnacle cuts back plans for casino in Louisiana

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Pinnacle Entertainment scaled back plans for a Louisiana casino project, the first changes to the project since the departure of Las Vegas-based company's chief executive officer this month. In a statement Tuesday, company executives said the Sugarcane Bay development in Lake Charles, La., would be integrated into the company's existing flagship L'Auberge du Lac casino. The project's budget has been reduced from an estimated $407 million to $305 million. Pinnacle has already spent $54 million on Sugarcane Bay, and the announcement was seen as a way to assure the Louisiana Gaming Control board the company was committed to the project...read more

Icahn, Penn National battle for Fontainebleau

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Less than a week after Penn National Gaming made a lowball offer for the bankrupt Fontainebleau, the regional casino operator was outbid for the shuttered Strip project by billionaire corporate raider Carl Icahn. The former owner of the Stratosphere and the Arizona Charlie's hotel-casinos offered $156.5 million Monday in U.S...read more

New Rush Tower makes an already good Golden Nugget even better

On my usual trips to Vegas, I usually stay near or on the Strip and make sure I hit downtown/Fremont Street one night before I leave. But the next time I visit, I might change things up and spend a couple of nights at the Golden Nugget. The Golden Nugget is the hidden jewel of Las Vegas...read more

Make like a Vegas regular at The Gold Coast

In almost every destination city, there are establishments that cater to tourists, and establishments that cater to locals. In Las Vegas, the big hotels on the Strip -- Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Wynn, Venetian, Mandalay Bay -- are tourist destinations...read more

Top-10 poker pros who could be WSOP Commissioner

When Jeffrey Pollack stepped down as commissioner of the World Series of Poker after the 2009 Main Event came to close, Harrah's released a statement saying, in part, that it had "no intention at this time to replace the Commissioner role." We think that's a serious mistake...read more

The Mirage celebrates 20th anniversary

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Twenty years ago, The Mirage was the CityCenter of its time. Built by Steve Wynn's Golden Nugget Corp. for a then unheard of cost of $620 million, The Mirage was the first new resort added to the Strip's skyline in more than 15 years. But with the city still recovering from the economic doldrums of the early 1980s, many financial experts didn't think The Mirage would succeed...read more