The WPT Legends of Poker runs at the Bicycle Casino through Aug. 29. With 26 events and buy-ins from $75-$4K, there’s sure to be something for everyone.
No-limit hold’em is the dominant game, of course, with 15 events, including bounty, deepstack, and survivor.Other scheduled games include pot-limit Omaha, Big O, Omaha/8, and Big HORSE (O will be Big O) events.And there will be some great guarantees from $25K to $1M.
The popular Mega Millions event runs Aug. 11-22, utilizing the Quantum Reload format and packing a $1M guarantee. Buy-ins for this event vary, so call the poker room for details.
The $4K main event Day 1s are Aug. 25-27 at noon.whileDay 2 (Aug. 28) starts at noon (no late registration) and there’s an option to buy in directly.
Mega satellites to this event are Aug. 3, 9, 25 and 26 for $430.For more information about events, buy-ins and times, go to thebike.com.
WSOP: Southern California players ran well this summer at the World Series. Nipun Java from Northridge, along with teammate Aditya Sushant of India, took down the $1K Tag Team event and each earned their first bracelet and $75,318. Java won a second bracelet later in an online WSOP event.
David Pham from Cerritos won his third bracelet and $392K in Event 12 ($1,500 NLHE).
Anthony Marquez of Ventura, in his third cash, took his first bracelet in Event 16 ($1,500 six-max) for $393K.
John Monnette of Palmdale racked up $425,797 in 12 cashes, including three top-10 finishes and his third bracelet (Event 22, no-limit deuce-to-seven) for $256,610.This brings his lifetime WSOP earnings to $2.2M.Brian Brubaker of Manhattan Beach and Brendan Taylor from Pasadena took first and second, respectively, in Event 28 ($1,500, deuce-to-seven triple draw).This was Brubaker’s first bracelet and he cashed for $109,967. Taylor took home $67,952.
Event 44 ($3K HORSE) went to Matthew Schreiber of Laguna Niguel.He has 17 cashes and this was his first bracelet.He took home $256,226 to bring his earnings total to $407K.
Brian Yoon of Torrance took home $1.09M and his third bracelet for Event 47 ($1,500 Monster Stack). Bryce Yockey of Los Angeles won $511,147 and his first bracelet in Event 51 ($10K PLO/8) andSmith Sirisakorn’s first bracelet win also was his first WSOP cash, good for $215,092 in Event 57 ($2,500 Omaha/8-stud/8).
Pacific Northwest
After its successful Spring Classic, where four of the five events sold out, Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn. Wash., hosts its Summer Classic with $55K added to the prize pools Sept. 13-17.
Event 1 will be a $250 shootout with $4K added and Event 2 is a $200 Omaha/8 tourney. Event 3 is $200 with $4K added; Event 4 is $300 with $5K added; Event 5 is $500 with $10K added and Event 6 is $750 with $20K added.The remaining $14K in added money will be distributed to the top four players in overall tournament performance.
Muckleshoot is 31 miles southeast of Seattle and is the largest poker room in the region with 31 tables.It routinely spreads $4-$8 limit and Omaha/8 games and $3-$5 NLHE (subject to the state-mandated $500 limit per bet, of course).
A $15-$30 Omaha/8 slugfest breaks out occasionally, too.Fridays and Saturdays, Omaha players vie for $100 high hands every half-hour 9 a.m.-noon, plus a $20K bad-beat jackpot (quad 10s).
Sunday tournament winners get a free entry into a December Tournament of Champions with the rest of the 250-player field filled by players who pay $250 and who qualify by being top point-getters that didn’t win a tournament.
WSOP: Once again, Pacific Northwest players were well-represented at WSOP final tables, starting with Event 1 (Christopher Gallagher of Portland took seventh for $8K) and ending with Event 64 (Esther Taylor-Brady of Portland took fourth for $85K).
Along the way, Forrest Auel from Hood River, Ore., (sixth, Event 4, $39K), Matt Affleck from Mill Creek, Wash., (eighth, Event 5, $103K), Taylor-Brady (sixth, Event 10, $12K; eighth, Event 14, $19K), Brandon Cantu from Ridgefield, Wash., (eighth, Event 1, $11K), Michael Coombs from Bremerton, Wash., (fifth, Event 14, $45K), Shawn Buchanan from Abbotsford, B.C., (10th, Event 17, $25K; fifth, Event 34, $49K), Scott Davies from Vancouver (fourth, Event 18, $77K), Adam Brown from Bellevue, Wash., (sixth, Event 25, $30K), Rick Fuller from Snohomish, Wash., (sixth, Event 28, $14K), Grant Dennison from Portland (fifth, Event 33, $92K), Noah Vaillancourt from Cowichan Bay, B.C., (seventh, Event 33, $51K), Terrence Chen from Portland (eighth, Event 38, $32K), Yevgeniy Timoshenko from Seattle (third, Event 33, $224K), Kate Hoang from Federal Way, Wash., (eighth, Event 51, $45K), Scott Mayfield from Scotts Pass, Ore., (eighth, Event 53, $17K), Scott Clements from Mt. Vernon, Wash., (fourth, Event 54, $278K), Bonnie Rossi from Federal Way (eighth, Event 57, $18K), Lee Watkinson from Lakebay, Wash., (sixth, Event 58, $71K) and Ian Johns from Newcastle, Wash., (10th, Event 62, $125K) made final tables.
Reno
SILVER LEGACY: The new $1.8M poker room is thriving after its first month of business.
The convenience of having the room between Circus Circus and Eldorado makes it the hottest spot in town.
The room features 13 tables, 12 TVs, custom chandeliers and a concession stand that serves sandwiches, coffee and snacks.
ATLANTIS CASINO: The WPT DeepStacks returns Aug. 17-28. There are multiple events and satellites leading up to the main event.
The two flights for the $1,100 main event are Aug. 25 and 26 at noon. This event has a $250K guarantee.
HARVEYS LAKE TAHOE: The annual WSOPC returns Oct. 26-Nov. 6. Book your rooms in advance and ask the poker room for discounted rates.
Northern California
Ron “Grumpy” Ware of Tracy made his region proud by bringing back a WSOP bracelet and almost $150K after winning Event 21 ($1.5K eight-game mix six-max). The bracelet will go along nicely with his Circuit ring and $600K-plus in tournament earnings across a variety of mixed games.
CAPITOL CASINO: The Sacramento poker room has some great tournaments each month and its largest events are on Saturdays.
The first Saturday is a $100 event while the second Saturday features a $220 buy-in. Players can earn entry into these events by playing a daily weekday tournament where one seat from each of those events is given to the winners.
The third and fourth Saturdays start players with double the normal stack and a $3K guarantee for a $60 buy-in. These events all have rebuys and/or add-ons.
LIVERMORE CASINO: A $175 deepstack runs every third Saturday at 10 a.m. with $2K guaranteed for first place. There’s a $120 bounty event on the last night of the month at 7.
It has $20 bounties and $1K guaranteed for first. Livermore keeps track of points for its leaderboard and players can climb the ranks by cashing in daily tournaments.
Popular promotions include a mega jackpot, which can pay $100K, a mini-jackpot for $2K and an Omaha jackpot for $5K. There are $20 bonuses for the first nine players who play in a live game by 10 a.m. Other promotions include Aces Cracked, royal flush bonuses and daily high hands.
PETE’S 881 CLUB: This San Rafael poker room and sports bar combination has some fine tournament action.
The first Sunday of every month is a $220 event that gives players 20K chips with unlimited $100 rebuys for the first four rounds.
Another popular event is the $120 Sunday event, which starts at 4:30 p.m. and has $100 rebuys. Also, the Bad Beat Jackpot usually hovers around $100K for cash-game players.
STONES GAMBLING HALL: The Citrus Heights property has announced its $250K Fall Classic, which is Sept. 29-Oct. 8. The $450 main event, which has a $150K guarantee, will have three starting flights (Oct. 5-7 at 10 a.m.). There will be a handful of $110 satellites to the main.
One tourney of note is the Chip Amplifier, which has buy-ins between $120-$550, depending on when you enter, allowing you to start with a deepstack whenever you decide to play.
Other events include the $120 Classic Warm Up (Sept. 29, 10 a.m.), a $120 Omaha/8 event (Sept. 30, 10 a.m., $5K guarantee), and a $200 six-max (Oct. 2, 10 a.m., $15K guarantee).
Las Vegas
The $850 championship to the Binion’s Dog Days of Summer Poker Jam saw Zinoviy Pelekh of Plymouth, Mich., take home the title and $58K in late June. Jiqiang Tong of Wilton, Conn., was second ($41K) and Mixime Chilaud of France was third ($40K).
The event got off to a slow start with only 57 entries on Day 1A, but finished strong with a final number of 433 over three starting flights. The prize pool, guaranteed to be $200K, reached $318K.
When the series ended, Binion’s unveiled a new daily tournament schedule. There are two $125 tournaments Sunday through Friday, at 1 and 6 p.m.Players start with 20K chips and 20-minute levels.Registration is allowed for the first six levels and the subsequent break.
On Saturdays, the popular 1 p.m. tournament has been revised.There’s still a $10K guarantee and the starting stack remains 20K.
But the first eight levels are 30 minutes, the next six are 40 minutes and the rest of the tournament has 60-minute levels.Late entry is allowed before Level 5.
GOLDEN NUGGET: Sacha Mendelsohn of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, won the main event of the Grand Poker Series, taking home $113K.Marco Palacios of Austin, Texas, took second ($96K) and Yuk Lee of Las Vegas was third ($84K).The $570 event brought 2K-plus entrants downtown, resulting in a $1M prize pool, doubling the $500K guarantee.
PLANET HOLLYWOOD: Goliath 2017’s main event drew 1,300-plus entrants over five starting flights, resulting in a $2.375M prize pool.
Ralph Wong of Washington, D.C., won the title and $421K.The United Kingdom’s Luke Brereton received $260K for second and Las Vegas’ Anthony Spinella II earned $191K for third.
ARIA: Jon Borenstein won the WPT500, earning $230K. Joep Raemaekers received $160K and Aleksandr Gofman took home $115K.At the final table, Borenstein was down to five big blinds at one point.
The event had nine starting flights and attracted 3,500-plus players with its $1M guarantee.The prize pool exceeded $1.7M.
VENETIAN: As part of the Deep Stack Extravaganza, the Venetian offered a $10K high roller in early June.The event drew 107 players, creating a prize pool of $1M-plus. David Stamm of San Francisco won the event for $306K.Sam Soverel of Las Vegas was second ($190K) and Paul Volpe of West Chester, Pa., took third ($133K).
The October Extravaganza runs Oct. 17-22. The biggest event is a $340 doublestack with two starting fights beginning Oct. 20.Players start with 25K chips and play 40-minute levels. There’s a $100K guarantee.The rest of the schedule is filled with one-day tournaments for $200, $300 and $400.
The room revised its daily schedule as there will be two daily tournaments (noon and 7 p.m.). Monday through Thursday the noon event is a $150 event with 30-minute levels and a 12K stack.The guarantee is $9K.
Friday at noon, it’s a $200 superstack, with a 15K stack, 30-minute levels and a $15K guarantee.Saturday, it’s a $340 doublestack with 40-minute levels, a 24K stack and a $25K guarantee.Sunday afternoon is a $200 rebuy tournament that starts players with 12K chips and has 30-minute levels and a $20K guarantee. Rebuys are offered for the first six levels.
Monday evenings, there’s a $150 superstack with 15K chips, 20-minute levels and a $5K guarantee.
The Tuesday night offering is a $200 bounty event with a 12K stack, 30-minute levels and a $9K guarantee.The bounties are $50.
Wednesday night is a $125 rebuy with a 12K stack, 20-minute levels and a $7K guarantee. Rebuys are offered for the first six levels.
A $125 bounty event runs Thursday evenings with 12K chips, 20-minute levels and a $7K guarantee. The bounties are $25. Friday is a $200 rebuy with a 12K stack, 30-minute levels and a $17K guarantee. Rebuys are offered for the first six levels.
Saturday and Sunday evenings feature a $150 superstack with a 15K stack, 20-minute levels and a $5K guarantee.
MGM: The tournament schedule has been slightly revised. Every day at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. the $80 tournament features a 15K stack and starts with 15-minute levels that increase to 20 minutes at Level 10. The 11 a.m. tournament has a $2K guarantee and the 7 p.m. has a $1K guarantee.
At 2 p.m. daily and 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, a $60 turbo runs, offering a 10K stack, 10-minute levels and a $500 guarantee.
The main cash game at MGM is $1-$2 NLHE with a $100-$300 min-max buy-in.The $2-$5 game has a $200-$500 min-max and offers double the comps of the $1-$2 game.
The room frequently changes its promos so it’s best to check with staff to see what’s offered.Recently, the room paid the three highest hands during a six-hour period (4-10 a.m. and 4-10 p.m.) $300, $200 and $100.And a progressive pyramid for selected full houses recently awarded a lucky player $12K. Special promos for specific days also have been offered.
— Check out Rob Solomon’s blog at robvegaspoker.blogspot.com.
Meet James “Bodyguard” Kim
James Kim worked in the security industry for many years, but the only thing he’s protecting these days are his chips at the poker table.
Most memorable experience? When I first started playing poker in college, I lost a huge pot and left the casino extremely upset. As soon as I sat in my friend’s car, I punched the dashboard in frustration and the airbag popped on my face.
Tell me about your home games? We used to play small buy-in home-game tournaments. Players who busted were required to drink a certain amount of shots. The first one who busted usually had to take three shots of alcohol. One time a random girl came over to our home game and braggingly said, “Of course I know how to play Texas Hold’em.” I asked her, “So what’s the two highest cards that could be dealt?”
She said, “An ace and a king.” I laughed so hard and told her “No, it’s an ace and an ace.”
She looked confused and asked, “But isn’t ace and king the two highest cards?” My response was “Never mind!”
Why do you like to play at the Atlantis Casino in Reno? I enjoy the self-service soup and beverage bar. The poker room is extremely clean and located next to the sportsbook. The Aces Cracked and bad-beat promotions are awesome. They give many perks for their poker players.
— Philip Chow
