Featured Articles Archive - Page 705

Helppi Brings InterPoker.com's Extreme Poker to Finland's Snow Castle

Juha Helppi braved an encounter with a stingray, dealt with water leaking into his mask, and adjusted his strategy in the face of a depleted oxygen tank 30 feet under water in the Caribbean in order to claim the first leg of the Extreme Poker Challenge in December. "That was the poker tournament I had the most fun in so far," Helppi said...read more

Rebecca's Recommendations - March 16, 2006

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I don’t know about you, but I'm definitely taking off early today so I can start boozing nice and early. As you should already know, Boston is full of Irish drunks, so heading into the city this afternoon should be a real treat...read more

Casino Exec Remembered for Generosity

LAS VEGAS -- Las Vegas businessman Herb Tobman was remembered Wednesday by family members, associates and friends as a throwback to old Las Vegas. If someone was in dire straits or a community effort needed a financial boost, Tobman would anonymously help out. "Herb Tobman knew everyone's name but he was also a very quiet and charitable man," Las Vegas attorney John Moran Jr., said of his father-in-law, who died late Tuesday after battling kidney disease for about two months. "Herb was one of the old-timers," Moran said...read more

MGM Mirage Plans Singapore Cirque du Soleil

LAS VEGAS -- MGM Mirage announced in Singapore today that it will include a permanent Cirque du Soleil show as part of the hotel-casino it hopes to build in Singapore. The casino company is vying for the right to develop the Asian city-state's first gaming destination. MGM Mirage's announcement came two days after rival casino operator Harrah's Entertainment said it would build a 1 million square foot "urban theme park" to accompany a Caesars-brand resort proposed for the Marina Bayfront in Singapore...read more

Be Careful What You Wish For...

When pondering whether I really want to become a professional poker player, I often use a simple comparison – is Jessica Simpson really someone I want to date, or am I happy just coveting from afar? Sure it sounds good on paper. A passerby asks you, "What do you do for a living?" Looking at your questioner, you bring your designer sunglasses down a little bit from your eyes and respond with a directed stare "I play poker for a living." Ever since I began my little high school ring game eight years ago, I've loved the game of poker to the point where I've imagined a life of doing nothing but playing for profits in games around the globe...read more

The End of a Dream, and the Birth of Another

In 1996, a few years before I started playing poker, I did what most high school seniors in my upstate New York hometown do: I graduated. With a little more fanfare, Kobe Bryant graduated from Lower Merion High School in suburban Philadelphia that same year. While Kobe spent his senior year breaking scoring records set by Wilt Chamberlain and earning USA Today National High School Player of the Year honors, I edited the sports pages of the school paper, tried to decide which college I would attend, and sang in a barbershop quartet...read more

PokerRoom.com Takes a Different Approach When Finding a Face

Jim Davenport made his first 'televised' appearance in late February. His self-produced home video appeared on PokerRoom.com's Web pages prior to the online poker site's "Become a Poker Pro" tournament. In a scene near the end of his video, Davenport sits on a toilet seat and is asked who he thinks will win the tournament. "There's one guy, I just can't put my finger on it," Davenport tells the camera, then pulls on a roll of toilet paper to display the letters "rufebert," the screen name of one of his friends and rivals also competing in the tournament...read more

Attention to I-Gaming in Washington Shifts to the House

The U.S. House Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (HR 4411) is scheduled for markup by the Committee on Financial Services on Wednesday. It is anticipated that the bill, introduced by Rep. James Leach, R-Iowa, in November, will be reported and subsequently referred to the House Judiciary Committee. Committee markup is a very early stage of a bill's life, so there is little reason for the online gaming industry to panic...read more

Harrah's Brand on Fast Track

LAS VEGAS -- When race car driver Robby Gordon rolls his yellow and purple No. 7 Chevrolet onto the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for this afternoon's UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400, the expected 150,000 NASCAR fans in attendance may think speed. Jeffrey Pollack is gambling that they will also think Harrah's. Pollack, vice president of sports and entertainment marketing for casino giant Harrah's Entertainment, hopes the large Harrah's logo on the hood of Gordon's racer will impress both the fans at the Speedway and the millions watching the race on network television. Pollack said the company's sponsorship of Gordon's car is the right combination...read more

Nevada Casinos Report Record Month

LAS VEGAS -- Free-spending Chinese visitors, celebrating the start of the Year of the Dog, threw a bone to Nevada casinos in January. The state's gambling halls won $1.14 billion during the month, the single-highest monthly gaming revenue total in state history, casino regulators reported Thursday. Statewide, the figure was a 24.4 percent increase over the January 2005 total of $917.1 million and marked the 17th straight month of positive growth for Nevada casinos. On the Strip, casinos won an all-time one month record of $627.5 million from customers, a 29.5 percent increase compared with $484.5 million a year ago...read more