Talking Stick Resort’s Arena Poker Room hosts the Fall Point Challenge on Dec. 13 at 11:15 a.m. All players that have made two final tables between July 26 and Dec. 5 will qualify for this tournament. The service fee is $50 and has a guaranteed prize pool of $40K as 40 places will be paid regardless of how many qualify.
The 13th annual Holiday Toy Drive is Dec. 19 at 11:15 a.m. Buy-in is one, new, unwrapped toy, valued at $10 or more. There is a $35 service fee and a prize pool of $12,500 guaranteed.
The Staycation Weekend Classic runs Jan. 29-31. This three-day event will have buy-ins of $200 (Friday), $300 (Saturday) and $300 (Sunday). If players register for all three days, they’ll receive a free deluxe room on Jan 29 and 30. Staycation Weekend Classic Shootouts begin Dec. 19. One-winner shootouts have a $100 buy-in and two-winner shootouts are $180. There also will be a $110 Staycation satellite Jan. 17 at 11:15 a.m. This event pays one Staycation Weekend Classic package (one entry to each day, valued at $800) for every 10 entries.
WILD HORSE PASS HOTEL & CASINO: At press time, the poker room’s bad-beat jackpot was $110K-plus, growing $500 a day. To win this jackpot, quad 10s or better must lose. Players must play pocket pairs for the quads, and as always, both hole cards in the winning hands must play.
HON-DAH CASINO RESORT: There are quite a few promotions running, such as the Monday Night Football Splash Pots, Tuesday Low Roller Day, $100 High Hand on Friday and Saturday, Progressive Pair Hot Seats Tuesday-Thursday and Early Bird High Hand Bonus Draws. Also, congratulations are in order for the poker room’s latest Tournament of Champions winner, Daniel Weaver.
HOT POKER SPOT: Bucky’s has joined Casino Del Sol Resort in becoming the second Arizona poker room to offer the Hot Poker Spot side bet. This is a side bet players can make during a hold’em cash game in which players can win $1K for a $1 wagered in the designated side-bet spot.
Colorado
BLACK HAWK: Ameristar Black Hawk is offering a high-hand bonus of $500 every two hours. The room spreads an action-packed $30-$60 limit game daily. It’s not only juicy, but it gives you a choice of five tables on the weekends. … Golden Gates, Colorado’s “Tournament Central,”holds at least six major tournament series each year. That means aboutevery other monthyou can play some serioustournament poker against the Denver locals and a good deal of visiting amateurs and pros. The Mid-States Poker Tour was wrapping up at press time with its $1,100 main event.
CRIPPLE CREEK: Wildwood Casino’s poker room has announced more high hands (Wednesday-Sunday) for amounts ranging from $50 to $150 per hour.Even abig hand award of $50 per hour is made to the Omaha/8 games (10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sundays). The free Sunday continental breakfast in the poker room continues to be spread at 10 a.m.… TheMidnight Rosepoker room is experiencing good turn out for the Ante Up Poker League, which consists of weekly ($75) and monthly ($150) tournaments with points being offered for participation, rank and champion bonus. At the end of the season (Dec, 18), the top five in points will win prizes to be added to their cash prize pool winnings along the way. First place in points will win anAnte Up Poker Cruisefor two on NCL’s Jewelout of Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera (airport transfer and NCL gratuities included.) Second place in points will win a trip for two to Las Vegas.You also can reap those rewards and other prizes through live hours played. Poker room manager Jeff Peck is proud of his “Throwback Thursday Stud” games, which are spreading at levels of $4-$8 and $5-$10. See his profile on this page.
And finally, the free-room promotion for four hours of live play continues to be offered on Monday through Thursday.
Oklahoma
DOWNSTREAM CASINO: RunGoodGear.com’s tournament series at Downstream Casino wrapped up Nov. 8 with Will Berry emerging the main-event victor for $25,522. Each player at the final table earned a $2K package, which includes the December RunGoodGear.com championship in New Orleans.
Preliminary event winners included Rodney Sprigg (deepstack, $10,305) and John Heckencamp (bounty, $3,181), The Tulsa-based series’ championship event will be Dec. 10-13 at Harrah’s New Orleans.Call (918) 919-6000 and use promo code “POKER” for discounted hotel rates.
WINSTAR WORLD CASINO: At press time, the Veterans Day River Poker Series was in full swing. The 46-table room is open 24/7 and offers Aces Cracked (Tuesdays and Thursdays 11-3 p.m., 8-midnight) and a quads-beaten progressive bad-beat jackpot. A variety of games at different stakes can be found, including NLHE, limit, PLO and PLO-PLO/8 mix. NLHE tournaments run daily with buy-ins from $65-$300.
CHOCTAW CASINO: Jordan Smith won the Fall Poker Series Main Event and $118,147. The series offered 40 events, including PLO, PLO/8 and NLHE. The 30-table poker room in Durant offers daily tournaments with buy-ins ranging from $60-$180. Progressive hold’em and static Omaha bad-beat jackpots are offered among a substantial promotions list.
HARD ROCK CASINO TULSA: The 13-table room continues to feature different games throughout the week, including $2-$5 NLHE, $5-$10 PLO, $10-$20 Omaha and $6-$12 Omaha/8 with a kill. Promotions include hour promos (including double hours times) for freerolls, apparel and cash giveaway entries. Short-term promotions occasionally are offered, such as the recent splash pots during the WSOP main event final table whenever a player was eliminated.
At press time, the Hard Rock Poker Open was kicking off, so look for results in a future issue. Significant for the region in this series’ schedule is a $550 six-game mix featuring NLHE, deuce-to-seven triple-draw (and single draw), PLO, stud/8 and Omaha/8.
INDIGO SKY CASINO: A real value is the poker newsletter distributed via email that includes a monthly tournament calendar and upcoming promotional information. It’s found on the casino website as well but often the calendar appears in the newsletter first. Tournaments offer buy-ins of $35-$66 and include crazy pineapple, seniors and bounty. The room is closed Monday nights.
RIVER SPIRIT CASINO: The bad-beat jackpot has surpassed $102K at press time. The room is running a variety of promotions, including Red Aces Cracked, high hand and hours-played qualification into a $15K free roll.
CHEROKEE CASINO WEST SILOAM SPRINGS: The eight-table poker room typically offers $1-$2 NLHE with PLO also running. Two tournaments series are on coming up: The Reindeer Games Series, Dec. 4-13, historically is NLHE-oriented and features $100-$330 buy-ins.
The Winter Deep Stacks Series will run Jan. 21-24. Through Dec. 28, football splash pots run during Sunday, Monday and Thursday evening NFL games. Splashes vary in value depending on the score. Double hours earning period is Monday through Friday, 12:01 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Kansas
AMERISTAR CASINO KANSAS CITY: A bad-beat jackpot of more than $170K tops the promotions. Mini bad-beats are also paid out starting with jacks full. Players can play four hours and get a $15 food comp and be one of the first five players each day to get their aces beaten to win $100. Featured games include $4-$8 hold’em with a kill every Wednesday and Friday to $5-$10 Omaha/8 with a kill beginning at 6 p.m. every Friday.
HOLLYWOOD CASINO KANSAS SPEEDWAY: This comfortable room offers USB ports at the tables as well as $1-a-minute massage service. Players can use the “Display Clock Data” feature on the Bravo poker app when a tournament is running to view number of players, prize pool and blind levels.
Season 4 of the Hollywood Poker Open is kicking off and, historically, this room has run seat-time qualifiers into a pair of May tournaments that award players packages to the championship event at M Resort in Las Vegas. Stay tuned for details on how the casino will participate.
HARRAH’S NORTH KANSAS CITY: Dec. 13 is the last day players can qualify into a $10K freeroll on Dec. 20. The top 25 players based upon hours played and the top 25 players based upon qualifier points earned on all daily tournaments will advance.
Players can start earning tier credits for 2016, too. Earn 500 tier credits through 2015 and receive 50 tier credits to start 2016. The bad-beat jackpot was at $112K-plus at press time.
BOOT HILL CASINO: The five-table Steve Walker Memorial Poker Room opens Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 6 p.m., Friday at 4 p.m, Saturday and Sunday 2 p.m. Closing time is 2 a.m., subject to action.
Each Monday at 6:30 p.m. is the Wild West Monday tournament. The $65 event guarantees to pay six places. Action centers around $1-$2 or $2-$5 NLHE and PLO/8.
KANSAS STAR CASINO: The 13-table room continues to offer a NFL splash-pot promotion Thursday nights for every touchdown. Games begin at 7:25. New is an Aces Cracked promotion after midnight Fridays where you can in $100-$500.
New Mexico
INN OF THE MOUNTAIN GODS: If you find yourself here, plan to play in the One Twenty tournament each Friday in December.
Buy-in is $120 and there’s a Loser’s Lounge on Saturday mornings for those who didn’t win on Friday night. That’s a second chance to win with no additional buy-in.
Alternate Sunday tournament play in December is the $75 Multi-Level tournament with $750. Be sure to ask about the details of these events when you visit the room.
And don’t forget the $20K Texas Ho Ho Hold’em event on Dec. 13 at 11 a.m. The buy-in is $230 and to register be sure to call 575-464-7799.
SANDIA RESORT AND CASINO: Lots of change going on here, including new management. Ante Up would like to welcome Clarence Hilton, who is heading up a bunch of new promotions. Some are still in the works, but one allows players to win a Mercedes-Benz. For more details, call the poker room. Also, the bad-beat jackpot surpassed $100K at press time.
ROUTE 66 CASINO: Players can enjoy three daily events with the first beginning at noon throughout the week and December weekends. The buy-ins range from $14-$33. Female players were especially happy with the recent $85 women’s hold’em tournament because the buy-in was $1,100 for any men who insisted on playing. There were no takers.
BUFFALO THUNDER RESORT AND CASINO: Every player with 45 hours of live play from Nov. 1-Dec. 24 will receive $50 to $599 in the Holiday Race for Cash promotion.
Another special event is the Classical 95.5 KHFM bounty tournament on Dec. 19 with D.J. Brent Stevens. It’s $95 with $95 bounties on the Stevens and possibly five other players.
December tournaments will include a bounty Dec. 2 and 16 ($100 entry, $10 bounties); Omaha/8 on Dec. 13 ($100 added per table, $100 entry with one re-entry) and the Last Saturday of the Month deepstack (Dec. 26, $150). Just a reminder that players can earn 1K bonus chips for two hours of live play before the start of tournaments. There also will be unique NLHE or Omaha/8 tournaments every day (except Wednesdays) in December, with buy-ins of $25, $40 and $75.
Live games this month include $20-$40 limit and $1-$2 PLO half and half every Wednesday, $4-$8 PLO half and half on Thursdays, $1-$2 PLO/8 on Fridays and $3-$6 Omaha every Saturday.
Texas
KICKAPOO LUCKY EAGLE CASINO: Well, change seems to be in the cold, southwest wind, and we welcome another new poker room manager for the Lucky Eagle poker room, Dominic Ortiz. All new promotions are not quite ironed out at press time. Lucky Eagle’s bad beat just paid out $74K to winner from San Antonio.
Meet Jeff Peck
Jeff Peck has been poker room manager at Midnight Rose in Cripple Creek, Colo., for the past year and has served in many positions in the industry, including poker room manager at Double Eagle in Cripple Creek and a blackjack dealer at multiple properties.
He’s married, has a daughter in Colorado Springs and loves to play poker. He said his favorite hold’em hand is pocket sevens.
And what’s his biggest poker moment? “I finished 61st in a World Series of Poker Circuit event at Palm Beach Kennel Club in West Palm Beach, Fla.,” Peck said. His accomplishment came in the $1 million guarantee ring event. He also enjoys playing ace-to-five triple-draw, which is known as California lowball. — Dick Stein
