There are two primary types of poker players: tournament and cash game. The former looks for that big return of investment on their buy-in, whereas the latter looks to grind their way to a profitable session. Atlantic City is chock full of both types, so it only makes sense to see what draws them to their respective places of business.
Atlantic City has seven casinos that offer daily no-limit hold’em tournaments, running the gamut from typical freezeouts to survivor tournaments and bounty events. So, which casino to choose? In looking for the answer it became apparent there are two types of tournament players: ones who just want to enjoy their time and ones who want to make a nice score.
“I like to make my money last as long as possible,” said Ken Hilt, a Showboat regular from Absecon, N.J. “I probably play about six of these a week here since leaving my job and you really can’t beat it for the price. I cash a decent amount of the time, and even when I don’t, I can play for hours and only end up losing $65.”
A number of tournament regulars at Showboat second his reasoning, citing a structure that allows them to play for a decent number of hours for a minimal buy-in is key in their decision-making.
“I’m not going to be getting rich from playing a few daily tournaments,” he said. “It’s just about being able to enjoy myself.”
With numbers steadily in the 70-player range during the week and eclipsing 100 on the weekends, Showboat was the consensus No. 1 pick when it came to finding a tournament that allows you to enjoy your time for the money.
For those looking to make a nice bit of cash from their event, it’s the Borgata. With some daily tournaments having a first-place prize that reaches $5K (or more when it comes to some guaranteed events), it’s no surprise this is where they flock.
Said Greg Fogel of Toms River, N.J., on why he chooses the Borgata: “Because I can turn a hundred dollars into a few thousand dollars.” Simple enough.
When it comes to playing cash, there are far more factors that weigh into the decision on where to play. The Borgata stands alone when it comes to being a destination for pros. But players tend to get comfortable in one room or another, as a daily visit to any room will prove by seeing their loyal staple of regulars. The biggest factor when determining where to play for non-pros was comps. Everyone enjoys a free buck and poker players are no different. If the promotions are good then the players are there. That is, of course, unless there’s a record-breaking bad-beat jackpot waiting to be hit in the area. A free buck is one thing; a possible free hundred-thousand bucks is another.
— Cris Belkewitch is the Ante Up Atlantic City Ambassador. A member of Team Bustout, his insight can be found at thepokerjourney.net.
Summer Slam, Seneca Niagara, July 24-29
Event 1 • $175 PLO
Players: 68 • Pool: $10,013
Thomas Whitehair, $3,004
Event 2 • $175 NLHE
Players: 161 • Pool: $23,707
Scott Hannon, $6,341
Event 3 • $230 NLHE
Players: 131 • Pool: $24,890
Jose Piereira, $7,095
Event 4 • $340 NLHE
Players: 130 • Pool: $37,050
Thomas Ferris, $10,559
$550 Main Event
Players: 160 • Pool: $76K
Alex Rivera, $20,330
Event 6 • $100 Ladies
Players: 53 • Pool: $4,770
Christina Jones, $1,431
Spring into Summer, Foxwoods, June 23-July 1
Event 1 • $600 NLHE
Entries: 306 • Pool: $157,317
Nick Wildman, $25,418
Event 2 • $180 NLHE
Entries: 291 • Pool: $43,752
James Reed, $4,710*
Event 3 • $230 NLHE
Entries: 222 • Pool: $20,868
Tim Hopewell, $3,728*
Event 4 • $120 NLHE
Entries: 184 • Pool: $17,848
Louis Zollo, $4,775
Event 5 • $300 NLHE
Entries: 569 • Pool: $143,502
Tom Evers, $29,235*
Event 6 • $180 NLHE
Entries: 240 • Pool: $36,084
Spiro Mitrokostas, $5K*
Event 7 • $500 6-Max
Entries: 110 • Pool: $48,500
Chris Clancey, $9,863*
Event 8 • $180 NLHE
Entries: 154 • Pool: $23,154
Bruce Barrett, $4,400*
Event 9 • $230 NLHE
Entries: 127 • Pool: $24,638
Joe Cambareri, $5K
Event 10 • $120 NLHE
Entries: 164 • Pool: $15,908
Dennis Grossman, $2,345*
Event 11 • $400 NLHE
Entries: 227 • Pool: $77,066
Jeff Miller, $15,894
Event 12 • $180 NLHE
Entries: 157 • Pool: $23,605
Nicholas Tuthill, $3,700*
Event 13 • $230 NLHE
Entries: 182 • Pool: $17,108
Stephen Buckley, $3,800*
Event 15 • $180 NLHE
Entries: 209 • Pool: $31,423
Charles Mahan, $3,654
Event 16 • $180 NLHE
Entries: 156 • Pool: $23,455
Kyle Graves, $5,074
$1,200 Main Event • Entries: 234 • Pool: $247,408 • Jeffrey Goldman, $41,707*
