From the publishers
When Dr. Jonas Salk discovered the vaccination for polio he didn’t just keep it for himself, right? Where would we be today if, say, the Wright Brothers didn’t reveal their flying secrets? These are great moments in history from which the American public benefited greatly.
This is why Ante Up Magazine is expanding. … OK, so it’s not on the same level of importance as a cure for a deadly disease or taking to the skies for the first time, but why not let other poker players enjoy the experience of seeing themselves (and their friends and poker rooms) in a magazine? Shouldn’t there be a publication for other states that delivers local news and promotions from their casinos and cardrooms as well?
Our Florida readers may have noticed a subtle change on our January cover. Ante Up, Florida’s Poker Magazine, evolved into Ante Up, YOUR Poker Magazine. Never has one little word meant so much. With that change we’ve broadened our reach from Florida to the entire southeastern United States. For our new readers in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia, we would like to welcome you to the Ante Up Nation.
This move accomplishes many things all at once. Our Florida readers and advertisers will enjoy the same amount of local news and dedication while experiencing a much larger footprint and reaping the benefits of a bigger audience and broader news scope.
And our new readers will learn more about their terrific poker rooms and events while also being introduced to the fantastic Florida poker scene. Combined, we hope to give you everything you’re looking for in a poker magazine, from coverage of your hometown tournaments and promotions, to strategy, thought-provoking columns and up-to-date information about your surrounding poker destinations.
It took us 18 months to build our Florida poker magazine into a reliable, news-packed periodical, and we’re dedicated to making YOUR Poker Magazine just as important. The issues may seem to be heavily weighed by Florida news and ads at first, but that’s only because we had nearly two years to cultivate those relationships and business partners.
Now we hope to do the same with you and your poker friends. We’d like to invite poker room managers across The South to embrace our publication just like our great Florida managers have, and we will diligently work with them to give you the best comprehensive coverage possible. And we’d like your help, too. If you know of any poker happenings, free poker leagues, tournaments or results, please let us know. You can email us at editor@anteupmagazine.com.
And what better way to kick off our first expanded edition than with a cover story about a Louisiana woman who defended her Bayou Poker Challenge Ladies Championship title at Harrah’s New Orleans? Trish Marks, who hails from Covington, La., and is a member of the High Heels Poker Tour, won the event for the second straight year despite the increased field and buy-in. You can read about Marks and the rest of the BPC coverage on Pages 40-45.
We hope our new Southern readers enjoy Ante Up as much as our loyal Florida readers, and thank you for letting us into your poker lives.
We’ll see you at the tables.
Christopher Cosenza and Scott Long
