After months of financial struggle, the Revel poker room closed its doors Aug. 15. Upon releasing the decision, Revel announced, “After careful consideration and in an effort to further improve the overall operating performance of Revel Casino Hotel, management has made the decision to close our poker room operations.”
The poker promotion fund and the bad-beat jackpot, which was collectively at $234K at the time of the announcement, were dispersed to players with lesser qualifications at an hourly rate. The qualifying bad beat was decreased to aces full of jacks, and hourly high-hand $500 bonuses were assigned along with promotional drawings for all players, playing or waiting for a seat.
Since the new management team re-assembled in May, Revel has focused its marketing campaign toward local patrons.
During its final days, the Revel was the new buzz in every poker room of the region for players chasing luck. For the first time since Revel opened the poker room in April 2012, players were filling the seats of 37 tables with unconventional action.
Poker is likely returning to Revel, however, in the form of online gaming. Though Revel has not disclosed its partnership to the public, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement has confirmed all 12 casinos met the deadline in submitting applications of each participating online gaming partners. Online poker is speculated to makes its first appearance in Atlantic City on Nov. 26, marked as the tentative launch date of Internet gambling in New Jersey.
PHILLY POKER OPEN: Harrah’s held its annual event in July. The PPO featured 15 events and more than 1,700 entries, accumulating $340K in prize money. Jeff Wicker claimed the championship title, shipping $17,828.
The biggest payout of the week, however, came from the cash tables for a 97-year-old player who had the losing hand of quad 10s against a king-high straight flush. The winner took home $135,680 and was dubbed the oldest winner of a bad-beat jackpot in history.
PARX: Since its inaugural launch in February, the Big Stax Poker Series has gained a reputation as it has consistently drawn exceptional numbers of entries. Big Stax IV is projected to make its return in early October.
“We do have something unique that we are trying to put together for the final event of Big Stax IV,” ambassador Matt Glantz said, “but it hasn’t been done before and I can’t let the lid off of it just yet.”
CHARITY EVENT: Trump Taj Mahal will host a charity tournament series by Rolled Up Poker on Sept 27-28 featuring Jerry Yang, the 2007 WSOP champion. The event includes eight tournaments with charity bonus-buy option of $20 donation to the Lupus Foundation of America for additional 10K chips. The prize pool will include Blue Shark Optics and strategy books autographed by Yang and Ante Up columnist Jonathan Little.
BPO: The 11th Borgata Poker Open will be Sept 3-20.
— Jo Kim is Ante Up’s Atlantic City/Philadelphia Ambassador You can email her at anteupjokim@gmail.com.
