Featured Articles Archive - Page 680

Elimination Hands from the 2006 WSOP Main Event Final Table

These are the elimination hands from the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event Final Table. Eventual winner Jamie Gold eliminated seven of his eight opponents. The only player who wasn't eliminated by the 2006 WSOP Main Event Champion was Doug Kim...read more

PokerPro Table Momentum Growing, Despite Second Quarter Losses

When Antonio Esfandiari first sat down at a PokerPro automated poker table, he was a little unsure about the technology. "I was very hesitant at first, and then I sat down, and I was like 'Wow!' because it really feels like poker," Esfandiari said...read more

The Rio is Ready to Rumble

One More Final Table for Hellmuth Phil Hellmuth Jr., not one to share the spotlight, almost made good on his quest to win his 11th bracelet Wednesday by finishing third in $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Event # 45. Earlier in the tournament, Hellmuth informed Doyle Brunson that he'd do just about anything to get number 11, including find one...read more

World Series of Poker: Players, Fans Eye Long Day

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Poker professional Mike Matusow has some advice for the nine players at today's final table of the World Series of Poker, as well as for the hundreds of fans making the trek over to the Rio to watch the action: Go heavy on the Red Bull and pop a few NoDoz pills, because you're in for a long night. While play in the $10,000 buy-in, no-limit Texas hold 'em event begins at 2 p.m., Matusow said he thinks the champion won't be crowned until sometime early Friday morning. "This really should be a two-day final table because you have so many chips in play," said Matusow, a Las Vegas resident who finished ninth in last year's World Series of Poker championship event, taking home $1 million...read more

Notes From Day Before the Main Event

The Scene There is only one word – empty. Seriously, there is almost no one left at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino today, especially since the nine millionaires vying for the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event Championship have the day off...read more

Gaming Companies: New Bid Puts Riviera Vote on Hold

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- An unsolicited 11th-hour bid from a competing investment group scuttled Tuesday's planned buyout vote by Riviera Holdings Corp. shareholders, placing a $426.5 million offer for the two-casino company on hold at least until the end of the month. Riviera management said it needs time to ascertain if a $20 a share proposal for all outstanding shares of Riviera Holdings by a privately held group called International Gaming and Entertainment is credible. In a statement, Riviera Holdings said the new bid came without a commitment for financing the deal, leading to skepticism from investors attending Tuesday's shareholders meeting. "That fact is kind of troublesome...read more

World Series Of Poker: Gold Holds Glittering Lead

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- Expecting a record field for the World Series of Poker championship event, Harrah's Entertainment ordered several thousand specially manufactured green $100,000 tournament poker chips for use in the $10,000 no-limit Texas hold 'em tournament. As Tuesday's session drew to a close at the Rio, most of those unique chips were in possession of former Hollywood agent Jamie Gold. He'll put those chips back into action Thursday afternoon, when he hopes to walk away with poker's ultimate crown and a $12 million payday. Gold, of Malibu, Calif., was the chip leader for the sixth consecutive day with $25.9 million just after midnight as the final 10 players from the record field squared off...read more

2006 WSOP Final Table is Set

The final table for the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event is set and considering the chip counts, it may be as good as Gold's. Jamie Gold, who has amassed a mountain of chips, including row after row of the coveted mint chocolate chip Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino $100,000 markers, sits comfortably in first place with $28,650,000...read more

Key Proxy Vote on Tap

Most stockholder proxy votes are relatively routine. Tuesday's Riviera Holdings Corp. shareholder meeting, however, will be anything but ordinary. Riviera Holdings, which operates the 51-year-old Riviera and a slot machine casino in Black Hawk, Colo., has asked company shareholders to approve a $426.5 million buyout by Riv Acquisition Holdings, a well-financed investment group that includes Starwoods Hotel chain founder Barry Sternlicht, Las Vegas developer Brett Torino and Chicago developer Neil Bluhm. The group wants to operate the 2,070-room Riviera, believing some capital expenditures into areas of the property can help reinvigorate one of the Strip's oldest casinos. But some of Riviera's largest shareholders aren't happy with Riv Acquisition's offer of $17 a share. Regardless that the company's stock is trading above that benchmark, closing last week at $19.90, the shareholders believe there is much more value to be found. It's been speculated by some that the 26 acres of Strip property housing the Riviera is worth well above the current purchase price alone, valued at $10 million an acre...read more

Stories from the WSOP Main Event Final Tables

Although there are two WSOP events running simultaneously today, including the final three tables of the 2006 Main Event, the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino has the feel of a deserted warehouse. There is a throng of spectators surrounding the ESPN televised poker stage, but gone are the cash game and satellite table players that have been a staple in the Amazon Room since the WSOP began in June...read more