Featured Articles Archive - Page 699

The Effects of My Poker All-Nighter

NOTE: This is the third in a series of articles about my attempt to play poker for a 24-hour session on April 22-23, 2006. Click here to read to Part I, and click here to read Part II. A month ago, when I asked some friends if they would be interested in helping me play poker for 24 hours, one of them was in the middle of typing an e-mail to my wife. At the end of his message, he decided to let her know about my plan...read more

How Do Normal People Get Roped Into Marathon Poker Sessions?

NOTE: This is the second in a series of articles about my attempt to play poker for a 24-hour session on April 22-23, 2006. Click here to read Part I. In my first installment, I described how and why I decided to play a 24-hour poker marathon...read more

Rebecca's Recommendations - April 21, 2006

Welcome back. I am still exhausted after Amsterdam- I'm not kidding. Just the other day the President of Casino City told me that I looked tired. How bad is that? (It's OK, I still love you Sylvia) Here is the best part about it- one month from now I will be on a plane flying to Miami, another city full of booze, drugs, and hookers...read more

IGT Gets in the Game

LAS VEGAS -- Industry giant International Game Technology, acknowledging that it is operating during a challenging time for slot makers, told Wall Street on Thursday it was able to beat all second-quarter expectations. The Reno-based gaming equipment provider reported quarterly earnings of $124 million for the three-month period ending March 31, a 32 percent increase from $93.9 million for the same quarter a year ago. IGT reported earnings per share of 35 cents in the quarter, up from 26 cents per share from a year ago...read more

The 24-Hour Poker Marathon: The Concept

NOTE: This is the first of a series of articles about my attempt to play a 24-hour session of poker on April 22-23, 2006. Look for more articles this weekend and next week to find out how the experience went. About a month ago, I was covering the grand opening of the Foxwoods World Poker Tour branded poker room...read more

Pinnacle Boosts Bid for Aztar

LAS VEGAS – At the outset of the quarterly earnings conference call by Aztar Corp. Wednesday, analysts and investors were told company officials would not answer questions about the flurry of acquisition interest directed at the Phoenix-based owner of the aging Tropicana. That decision shortened the call considerably as only two innocuous questions were asked. Analysts had more interest in what took place earlier Wednesday, when the bidding war for Aztar took another twist. Pinnacle Entertainment, which already had a signed agreement to buy Aztar for more than $2 billion, increased its offer by $5 per share...read more

Picking up Steam

Two weeks ago, Rep. Bob Goodlatte brought his online gambling prohibition bill before a Judiciary subcommittee for a hearing, but the big news story was that three of poker's premiere players showed up in Washington D.C. to argue against it...read more

Starting With a Sting

Growing up in Las Vegas, the Fertitta brothers remember casino openings as grandiose events. On Tuesday night, when Station Casinos unveiled its $925 million Red Rock Resort, the Fertittas didn't want to disappoint their 3,800 special guests. Highlighted by a six-minute fireworks display above the hotel tower and an hour-long poolside concert by Grammy Award-winning rock star Sting, Red Rock Resort let Summerlin know it was in the neighborhood. "We wanted something memorable, and I think Sting helps give us a memorable opening night," said Lorenzo Fertitta, Station Casino's president. Before Red Rock Resort opened to customers just before midnight, invited guests sampled fare from the casino's nine sit-down restaurants and separate food court outlets...read more

More Interest in Tropicana Owner: Columbia Sussex Bids for Aztar

KENTUCKY AND PHOENIX -- The monthlong courtship of Aztar Corp. has gained a fourth suitor. Kentucky-based Columbia Sussex Corp., which operates four Nevada casinos, on Monday bid $2.47 billion for the Phoenix-based owner of the Tropicana, trumping the offers of three other casino companies: Pinnacle Entertainment, Colony Capital and Ameristar Casinos. The unsolicited bid, $47 a share plus the assumption of debt, was $4 per share higher than any previous offer...read more

Harrah's, Pinnacle Swap Riverboat Casinos

MISSISSIPPI AND LOUISIANA -- Harrah's Entertainment and Pinnacle Entertainment agreed Monday to a swap of hurricane-damaged riverboat casino properties. Harrah's will acquire the Casino Magic in Biloxi, Miss.; Pinnacle picked up side-by-side floating casinos in Lake Charles, La. The Las Vegas-based companies signed a nonbinding letter of intent...read more