In December, the 19th Foxwoods Mega Stack Challenge delivered a combined $860K prize pool and 2,290 entrants for nine deepstack events. New England has seen tremendous growth in the number of poker rooms and tournament series over the past few years, but Foxwoods continues to draw crowds and remains the center of the Northeast poker universe.
Giuseppe Pizzolato of Ridgewood, N.Y., captured the $1,200 main event, outlasting 284 players for a $52,127 payday from the $301K prize pool. He beat Matthew Stark of Long Island City, N.Y. ($36,066) and Alias Mourtadh of Yonkers, N.Y. ($22,302).
Foxwoods has another series planned this month, plus Presidents Day Weekend specials and don’t forget the Foxwoods Poker Classic in March. Check out foxwoods.com for more information.
MOHEGAN SUN: The Sun Poker Room continues to generate impressive daily action, with a solid tournament schedule, a growing bad beat (added in late 2013) and tours calling the 42-table room home. The 2014 calendar has not been released, but look for the return of the popular Showdown Series. Check out poker.mohegansun.com for more information.
MASSACHUSETTS: With the trek toward casino licensing continuing to drag on, the addition of casino-based poker rooms in Massachusetts is still more than two years away from reality. Two casino operators who had planned poker operations (Caesars and Foxwoods) are no longer participating in the application process, and the two operators who still are involved in the process (Wynn Resorts and Mohegan Sun), have not specifically committed to poker rooms. Massachusetts rounders can find local action (without the drive to southeastern Connecticut) through pub and charity operations, including the Eastern Poker Tour charity tournaments. Every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday the EPT (easternpokertour.com) hosts regular charity events that feature 50-plus player fields, $20 satellites, guarantees, nightly $1-$2 cash games and solid play. Visit the website for its schedule and more information.
NYC CHARITY EVENT: StreetWise Partners is holding a charity tournament Feb. 12 at the Dream Downtown Hotel in New York. Tickets to the event start at $295 and various levels of premium sponsorship opportunities are available.
The main event begins at 7 p.m. and attire reflecting the 1920s theme is encouraged. Starting stack is 5K chips with the opportunity for two $100 rebuys of 4K and 5K chips. More information on the event and the tournament can be found at streetwisespeakeasy.org.
— Email Patrick Gallagher at anteupne@gmail.com.
