Gulfstream is giving away a car at 12:30 a.m. Jan. 1. Five Players' Club members' names will be called, and all will receive envelopes. Four get $500; the fifth gets a 2009 Chrysler Sebring Limited.

Slot tournaments continue from noon to 4 p.m. on Fridays. Players spin for five minutes. First prize is $1,000 cash.

Coach and cash giveaway, 2-10 p.m. every 20 minutes Dec. 13 and 27. Winners receive a Coach purse and cash or free play.

Nintendo Wii giveaway, every 20 minutes, 2-10 p.m. Dec. 6 and 20.

$15,000 slot tournament: 4-8 p.m. Dec. 28. Entry fee is $25. Limited to 300 players. $5,000 for first prize on down to $50 for places 51 through 100.

Last minute shopping spree: 2-10 p.m. Dec. 24, every 20 minutes. Prizes include Cusinarts, Lobster grams, iPods, digital frames and Waterford Crystal.

$500 drawings every 20 minutes: 3-11 p.m. Dec. 4, 11, 18 and 25.

Grab a gift card giveaway: 10 a.m. to midnight, Dec. 5, 12, 19 and 26. Earn 50 points for play and receive a $25 gift card to Macy's Target or Home Depot.

> Discuss this entry

The World Poker Tour Boot Camp has concentrated on teaching players tournament strategy, but last month it offered a two-day course on cash game play at the Isle Racing and Casino in Pompano Beach.

Clonie Gowen, a favorite among WPT Boot Camp students and winner of the World Poker Open in Tunica, Miss., in October, offered these thoughts on cash games and Florida’s poker rules:

What are common mistakes people make in cash games?Just not being properly bankrolled, so they’re forced to rely more on the cards and they have maybe one or two bets before they’re all in.

So what’s a good bankroll?
At least 50 times the size of the big blinds, and that’s just the buyin. But the appropriate bankroll should be 100 times the big blind.

But Florida has $1-$2 no-limit with a $100 buy-in, as well as $2-$5 and $5-$10 no-limit, so you can’t really do that here.
But in the $1-$2 you can at least get 50 times the big blind. But if you’re going to play, you really don’t have much of a shot because you’re going to be all-in too many times.

So you wouldn’t play it here?
I would not.

As a pro, what is a good cash game?
I don’t like max buy-in because it goes totally against no-lmit. No-limit is no-limit, all you can set on the table.

What about for beginners?
The $1-$2 game, is not a bad game because it limits your losses. But if you’re not one of the starting nine to sit down at that table, you have $100, but there’s other players who have $1,000 or $2,000. You have no shot at winning.

What thought processes are necessary for cash games?
To have the bankroll and emotionally take the swings of it, and look at it like a business. And their business partner, their spouse, is not having to worry about the ups and downs. Players have to have a bankroll that’s set aside separately from paying the mortgage, car payment or credit card debt.

Overall, how have cash games changed?
Five years ago all you could find were limit cash games. They see people move all-in on TV and that’s what they think they should do in a no-limit game. Because when a player makes a mistake, they make a huge mistake. In limit, a bad player can make the wrong decision, but still have the right price to make a call.

> Discuss this entry

Another entrant into the bar poker scene in South Florida: The World Poker Tour Amateur Poker League.

The league carries the "World Poker Tour" brand name, and is in at five locations, according to its web site, mostly in Palm Beach County.

In bar poker, players meet at a pub or restaurant and play for free for points or prizes. It's not gambling, according to state laws, because the participants aren't risking anything. Bars like it because it brings business; players like it because it's a way to socialize and learn the game.

The players participating in WPTAPL events earn WPTAPL points. Horn says the points qualify players for regional tournaments, and the regional winners will qualify to compete in the
national championship, for the chance to win a $10,000 seat into a WPT
main event.

Toby Smith of Pompano Beach won a spot in the Season Pass event Dec. 1-7 in the Dominican Republic. He competed in the national championship in Orlando in April.

South Florida Regional manager Jason Horn said the league has also recently awarded trips to
Mexico and Las Vegas and custom golf clubs.

For more information about the World Poker Tour Amateur Poker League or the WPT Boot Camp, please visit www.wptapl.com.

WPT also gives away seats into the WPT Celebrity Invitational tournament, an invite-only tournament where top poker pros and Hollywood celebrities compete for hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and a $25,000 seat into the WPT World Championship. Every point earned translates into rewards that can be exchanged for prizes from T-Shirts to Flat Screen
TV’s to WPT events, Horn says.

> Discuss this entry

Now poker has an all-women's teaching academy, with South Florida ties.

The Women’s Ultimate Poker Academy (WUPA), launched Dec. 6 at Harrah’s New Orleans in Louisiana with the "Queen of Poker" Barbara Enright, the only women to ever make the final table at the World Series of Poker Main Event. (She finished fifth.)

The WUPA offers a free three-hour teaching seminar with Enright and other players, including Susie Issacs, JJ Liu and Karina Jett.

There will be hand by hand instruction, individual attention from the top female pros in the industry and personal feedback, according to a news release.

The next WUPA academy will be held at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino March 6-7. Cost is $1295 and includes a free-roll into the High Heels Poker Tour Event at noon March 8 at the Hard Rock.

The Women’s Ultimate Poker Academy was established in 2008 by partners Lisa Adams and Lauren Failla, who also created the High Heels Poker Tour.

For more information contact the info@womensultimatepokeracademy.

> Discuss this entry

Mardi Gras (the former Hollywood Greyhound Track) is celebrating its 75th racing season Friday with promotions and a fireworks show.

The fireworks are at 10:30 p.m.

There also is $750 in cash giveaway at 4, 5 and 6 p.m. and $75 in bonus play every 15 minutes from 4-7 p.m. The casino will then give away $100 in bonus play every 15 minutes from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., except for a $1,000 cash giveaway at 9 p.m. and $2,831 cash at 8:31 p.m.

The casino's tic-tac-toe chicken promotion is 2 p.m.-10 p.m. The first person to beat the chicken gets $7,500 in cash; others get $75.

> Discuss this entry

Seminole Casino Hollywood, which made news earlier this year with Strip Poker and a 26-cars-in-26-days giveaway, is now turning its attention to a big 29th anniversary party on Dec.12-14.

Seminole Casino Hollywood started as a bingo hall on the Seminole’s Hollywood reservation in 1979. It continues to offer bingo but also has Las Vegas slot machines and poker.

“We’ve been operating continuously ever since and we’re fortunate to have a very, very loyal customer base. Many of our customers have been coming here for nearly 30 years,” said General Manager Adrian Fox, via a press release.

Open to the public (21 and over), the casino’s birthday bash will feature as master of ceremonies the star of BET’s Comic View and Bad Boys of Comedy shows, Rayzor.

The weekend-long event will also feature “Birthday Bingo” worth $50,000; Junkanoo bands and live Caribbean-style music; an island themed prime rib buffet for only $5.99, and much more.

Laid back in comparison to its sister property, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino just up the street, Seminole Casino Hollywood recently began bringing its promotions up a notch with its “26 Mustangs in 26 Days” that culminated on Nov. 30.

The Seminole Casino Hollywood, 4150 N. State Road 7, pioneered Indian gaming when it opened as the country’s first large stakes bingo hall in 1979, eventually expanding with gaming machines and poker. It is home to 1,000 machines, 15 poker tables featuring live and tournament play seven days a week, a 700-seat high stakes bingo room with a non-smoking area and a 50-seat Lightning Bingo room.

> Discuss this entry

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa awarded a $2,551,037 Wheel of Fortune MegaJackpot on Nov. 25, the largest to be paid in Florida to date.

The winner, Terese Moore, 57. is from Land-O-Lakes, Florida, and said she was scheduled to go to Las Vegas three days later, but “felt lucky today” and opted for a more local trip. The Associated Press said plans to use the money to help her daughters and grandchildren, and donate some to her church.

She said she came to the casino for a car drawing and had already won $200 before her million-dollar jackpot hit.

She said she was surprised to learn she had won the top progressive prize, but as the reality of her million dollar prize began to sink in, she said she will use her MegaJackpot winnings to pay off her home.

Earlier this summer, on July 19, the Seminole casino in Coconut Creek awarded a $2.3 million MegaJackpot prize on a Wheel of Fortune Special Edition progressive. The Seminole Hard Rock Casino is part of a Native American progressive gaming network that includes over 300 casinos nationwide. Each time a coin is played in a linked machine, anywhere in the network, the jackpot accumulates. Coconut Creek has also been the home to two other $1 million plus payouts this year.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida owns and operates casinos in Brighton, Coconut Creek, Hollywood and Immokalee and Big Cypress, as well as two Hard Rock Hotel & Casino properties located in Hollywood and Tampa.

The $5 Wheel of Fortune progressive system has a starting jackpot of $1 million. In order to win the MegaJackpot, a player bets $10 at a time while attempting to line up the Wheel of Fortune reel symbols on the machine’s payline.

> Discuss this entry

Mardi Gras Gaming in Hallandale Beach has hatched a promotion that gave away $10,000 Friday -- no poultry sum.

OK, enough. The casino's Chicken Challenge features a tic-tac-toe playing chicken. Most games end in a tie, just like regular tic-tac-toe, but people keep lining up to play. Of the more than 1,000 visitors who played over the first weekend, only 322 won, according to Mardi Gras marketing director Ann Zebrowski.

The chickens have been trained at tic-tac-toe — they know when to block, for example. Players hit a touch-screen with their selections — the chicken and the players alternate going first — then the chicken jumps up and hits a tic-tac-toe square inside its booth with its beak. The chick's pick then registers on the display screen.

The grand prize went last Friday, but the promotion continues. Beat it and you get $50 in free play.

> Discuss this entry

A new car promotion and players’ leaderboard have revived a poker room option: one-table tournaments.

Gulfstream Casino and Racing began the “Mercedes-Benz Poker Challenge” in October.

Players collect points by playing in tournaments, and the top 50 vie for free for a Mercedes-Benz C Class at 3 p.m. Sunday.

Casinos usually have promotions to develop loyalty with slot players, but poker – which is less profitable – offers little, if any, incentive to choose one venue over another.

Gulfstream poker room manager Scott Poole said the Poker Challenge has changed that. Casinos in the western United States have run such promotions before, but it’s the first to come to South Florida, partially because to be worthwhile, the casino has to make enough money to cover the cost of the car. In this case, the Mercedes lists at $32,000.

> Discuss this entry

Imagine how good you'd be at poker if you could see everyone's hole cards.

That's what happened when someone hacked into AbsolutePoker.com and its sister site, UltimateBet.com. (I'm not linking to them because I don't want to reward their behavior.)

The story has been out in the poker world for about a year now, but finally hit the mainstream media. It's complicated, but it comes down to the fear you'd expect from the Internet: It isn't always what it seems.

The Washington Post dug and dug and came up with the answers behind the largest Internet poker scandal ever. CBS' 60 Minutes, which worked with The Washington Post, also reported the story Sunday.

The amazing part is that the work and the persistence the players themselves put into tracking down the cheaters. Read into it whatever you want, but there's a lot of smart people out there playing poker, folks...

> Discuss this entry

Cash and iPod Giveaway: On Tuesdays in December (2, 9, 16 and 23), cash prizes of $100 - $1,500 plus iPod prizes awarded from noon – 9 p.m.; cash prizes of $15,000 per day guaranteed.

$250,000 Holiday Cash Giveaway: On Wednesdays (3, 10, and 17), Thursdays (4, 11 and 18), Fridays (5, 12, 19 and 26), and Saturdays (6, 13, 20 and 27) in December, cash prizes of $1,000 awarded every 30 minutes from 1 – 8 p.m.; cash prize of $3,000 awarded at 9 p.m.; $18,000 cash awarded per day guaranteed.

$20,000 Giveaway: On Wed., December 31, $1,000 to $3,000 in cash will be awarded every 30 minutes from 11 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Grand prize of $5,000 will be awarded at 4 p.m.

Win a BMW 635i: On Wednesday, Dec. 31; Grand prize drawing at 5 p.m.

Cash & Cars Quadruple Entries Giveaway: On Sundays in December (7, 14, 21 and 28), Cash prizes from $1,000 - $3,000 awarded from 1-3 p.m.; Grand prize of $5,000 cash awarded at 7 p.m.; Earn quadruple entries on Sundays for the Dec. 31 cash and cars giveaways.

Classic Rockers Slot Tournament: Every Tuesday in December beginning Dec. 2, the tournament is free to Classic Rockers Club members and located in the non-smoking casino. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Each session is 20 minutes with five minutes of play. Up to 10 sessions with 25 players per session. Prizes awarded based upon the top five overall scores per session.

“King of the Rock” Slot Tournament: Continues on Mondays in December (1, 8, 15 and 22). Free to Player’s Club members and registration begins at 3 p.m. in the alcove across from the Hard Rock Cafe; sessions start at 4 p.m. and occur every 20 minutes with the final sessions commencing at 8 p.m. Cash prizes of $200 - $10,000 to top 25 tournament high scorers.

“Take Center Stage” Cash or Memorabilia Giveaway: On Dec. 10, 11, 12, 14, 17 and 30, Player’s Club members have an opportunity to memorabilia and $1,000 in free slot play during three drawings at 11 p.m. To enter, Player’s Club members swipe their cards on concert days from 5 p.m. – 10:45 p.m.

> Discuss this entry

Toys For Tots $10,000 Candy Canes of Cash Free Slot Tournament: First place wins $5,000 in cash. Bring a new unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots. If the winner donated a toy, the Isle will also donate an additional $5,000 to Toys for Tots. IsleOne members who bring a new unwrapped toy to the tournament area will get a second chance round in the tournament. Noon to 6 p.m. Dec. 7.

Cool $25,000 Sweepstakes: 4-8 p.m. Dec. 14. Win up to $15,000 Cash and 10,000 in IslePlay. Five winners will receive $500 in IslePlay each at 4, 5, 6 and 7 p.m. One grand prize winner takes home $15,000 cash at 8 p.m.

Audi A5 and $10,000 IslePlay Giveaway 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. Dec. 26.
Win an Audi A5 and a share of $10,000 in IslePlay. Ten winners receive $500 in Isleplay at 6 and 8 p.m. At 10 p.m., the grand prize winner of an Audi A5 will be selected.

New Year’s Day Sweepstakes: 4 p.m. - 9 p.m. Jan. 1. Win up to $50,000 in Cash and IslePlay. At 4, 5, 6 and 7 p.m, 10 winners will each receive $1,000 in cash. One grand prize winner of $10,000 cash will be selected at 9 p.m. The casino will open at 9 a.m. Dec. 31 and stay open until 3 a.m. Jan. 2

New member promotions: $25 in free play at time of signup in December.

Football frenzy: Pick the winners of every Sunday game and the winner and final score of Monday night game on any given week and win $10,000 cash.

Free Slot Tournaments: Noon – 8 p.m. Tuesdays in December: Top scorer wins $1,000 in IslePlay.

> Discuss this entry

Seems like some
legislators are softening on their stance regarding Florida and the compact between the Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida.

The reason? Tighter state budgets.

Boy, this is complicated. Any thoughts on what our legislature should do?

> Discuss this entry

Gulfstream in Hallandale Beach is holding a $25,000 slot tournament at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Entry is $75.

Players will spin for five minutes, and the top 100 players receive cash. First prize is $10,000, second is $2,000 on through places 51 through 100, which pay $75.

Call 954-454-7000.

> Discuss this entry

This from John Tanasychuk over at Sup:

To kick off its new Chef’s Table dining option at the Fresh Harvest Restaurant, Seminole Casino Coconut Creek is bringing in something called Dinner in the Sky on Dec. 5 and 6. Twenty-two guests are strapped into leather seats that surround a dining table. A crane then lifts the entire table up 180 feet. Service staff, secured with harnesses, work from the center of the table.

Dinner in the Sky was developed in Belgium in 2006 and is now in 16 countries. It first came to the United States in July.

High rolling guests can pay $500 for the experience.

John has a YouTube video over at his Sup site.

> Discuss this entry

Steve Bourie of Dania Beach, in addition to being my video poker expert, is the man when it comes to knowing casinos.

His annual American Casino Guide hit bookstores this month, giving us info on what's where and how to get there.

Plus, it has coupons and tips on gambling.

This story made our Showtime print section on Friday.

> Discuss this entry

Blog issues: They're working on it

If you're tried to click on some of the links and the 'continue reading' portions of some of these posts, you might be getting a dead link.

Frustrated? So am I.

Our tech support is working on it. Meanwhile, I'll just post in full on the front page; you'll have to scroll more between items but at least you can read everything I wrote.

Sorry.

> Discuss this entry

Anatoliy Ayzenshtat (pictured below, with Dan Le Batard and tournament director Chris Maxfield of Dania Jai-Alai) of Hollywood won the November Dan Le Batard Celebrity Poker Tournament Tuesday night.

Meanwhile, I got caught up in a bidding war. And, lacking a microphone, I lost.

It was 50-50-50 night: 50-cent beers, hot dogs and sodas. 790 The Ticket executive producer Marc Hochman (in left of hot dog picture, with 790's Mike Ryan) started things by buying 10 random people hot dogs. Five bucks. Big spender. OK. Cheers all around.

I up it to 20 sodas. Ten bucks. Get the SunSentinel name out there, hyphen or no hyphen. More cheers.

So, Hoch repeats over the microphone that the host, Dan LeBatard, tells me to 'Shove those sodas up your a---, I'm buying 40 beers.' Card room explodes in applause.

I'd like to have countered with 20 more sodas to match. I'll yield the beer clientele to LeBatard, because if you like that guy you REALLY need to drink. But Hoch was nowhere to be found with the microphone. And I had a good run of cards so I didn't want to stray from the table.

But note to Hoch: I have a countermove already planned, for next tournament, that might take the room. If you're around with the mic.

(Also, yes, I walked over and tipped the servers for shlepping 20 sodas they otherwise would have sold. I didn't ask if Dan did. And I bought food and drink for the table as soon as the cards starting flying.)

Meanwhile, I learned another poker lesson:

I had about 10,000 in chips midway in at a table where people were going all-in with, like queen-7. I had ace-8 suited in late position and limped. Big blind goes all-in.

I call and my read was correct: he didn't have anything. I think it was King-7. So I'm ahead.
But lose the race.

Now, thinking back, I realize maybe you don't just take on a big pot by being 'ahead.' I should have been more patient. Agree or disagree?

More, from the Dania press release:

The Tuesday night tournament, usually played monthly on Wednesdays, drew 231 Hold’em fans paying $50 to enter.

"This tournament continues to be the most popular poker event going in South Florida because of the efforts of Dan and the other on-air guys from the station," said Marty Fleischman, assistant general manager of Dania.

"It is like a 4-hour party, with the celebs like Nick Sortal (OK, I added that part) buying from hot dogs to beers for entire tables, prize drawings throughout the night, and a let’s not forget the big prize money,” Fleischman said.

Dania Jai-Alai’s Cardroom is open Sundays through Thursdays from noon to midnight, Friday and Saturdays from noon to 3 am (or later).

The fronton is located at 301 E. Dania Beach Blvd in Dania Beach. They also have a high-definition TV promotion going on for those who log the most time in November.

> Discuss this entry

The Isle is going to themed buffets at dinner. Cost is $17.99 per person, except where noted.

The schedule:

Sunday: Traditional favorites;
Monday: Steak and shrimp ($15.95);
Tuesday: Tour of Italy;
Wednesday: Good Home Cookin’;
Thursday: Local Flavors with a Latin Flair;
Friday-Saturday: Seafood Fare ($23.99).

Hours are 4:30-9 p.m. weeknights, 4:30-10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Call 1-800-843-4753.

> Discuss this entry

Slot revenue is bouncing back.

The three Broward racinos is up $1 million this month, taking in $16.1 million in October. The casinos reported $15.1 million in revenue in September, their lowest since all three were open in April 2007.

They cited the economy and that people had less to spend.

In October, Gulfstream took in $3.3 million via slots (up from $2.7 million in September), Mardi Gras $5.2 million (up from $5 million) and the Isle $7.6 million (compared to $7.4 million).

> Discuss this entry

The monthly Dan LeBatard 790 The Ticket poker tournament at Dania Jai-Alai is Tuesday and carries a "50-50" theme: hot dogs, beer, soda, ice cream and even exotic bets are 50 cents.

Meanwhile, the 8 p.m. tournament is $50.

The fronton is also offering five TVs to its top point-earners.

> Discuss this entry

Under the cover of pre-dawn darkness, the Seminole Tribe quietly launched blackjack and other table games at its Tampa Hard Rock location on Thursday. The tribe expanded table games to a second location despite an ongoing legal battle over the validity of a gambling compact with the state.

The big question for South Florida: Will the Seminoles soon expand table games to their Coconut Creek and old Hollywood (a/k/a Seminole Classic) casinos?

To read more, go to my full blog entry at Mayo on the Side here.

> Discuss this entry

Gulfstream has a $25,000 slot tournament, a "food and fuel" promotion, a car giveaway and other promotions in November.

Among the promotions:

$25,000 Turkey Slot Tournament: The tournament is from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 29. Early bird (get it?) sign up is $50 through Nov. 21. After that it's $75. Participants spin for five minutes. The top 100 get prizes, with $10,000 for first, $2,000 for second, down to $75 for places 51 through 100.

Food & Fuel Giveaway: Beginning at 10 a.m. on each Friday, when players reach 50 points on their players club card they will be able to choose a $25 Publix Gift card or $25 BP Gas card. They can earn an additional card with another 50 points.

The car giveaway is at 9 p.m. Nov. 23. It's a Lexus ES350.

> Discuss this entry

There might be an older poker player somewhere in South Florida, but there aren’t many more dedicated than Teddy Mass.

Mass, of Weston, usually plays seven nights a week in the All In Free Poker league.

He turned 95 Tuesday. His poker pals from the league celebrated with cakes and small gifts twice: Sunday at Ye Olde Falcon Pub in Davie and Monday at Roy’s Sports Bar in Margate.
Mass also squeezes in trips to Gulfstream, the Isle, Mardi Gras and the Seminole Hard Rock to play the slots.

“What else am I going to do?” he asks? “Watch TV?

> Discuss this entry

If you're planning on watching the World Series of Poker show tonight, click away quickly...

Peter Eastgate became the youngest person ever to win the World Series of Poker, taking down Ivan Demidov about an hour ago, at 2:42 a.m. Las Vegas time.

The Dane won $9.1 million, winning with an Ace-through-5 straight against Demidov's two pair, twos and fours. (I'm leaving their pictures off in case to avoid a visual spoiler.)

ESPN is doing a quick live-to-tape edit today; looks like they'll have about 14 hours to get this portion done. The final table ended early Monday morning, and that airs at 9 p.m.; the final two airs at 10 p.m. A preview show airs at 8.

Dennis Phillips, the chip leader going in, finished third. David Chino Rheem got knocked out in seventh, which I posted about earlier.

More info at www.worldseriesofpoker.com.

> Discuss this entry

The Seminole Casino Coconut Creek wraps up its Oil well giveaway, and has other promotions for November.

The Black Gold promotion runs through Nov. 22. Players get a share of Black Gold, Inc., stock for each 1,000 points they earn in a day.

> Discuss this entry

David "Chino" Rheem, who learned his poker here in South Florida, busted out at 8:30 EST and finished in seventh place in the World Series of Poker.

He'll take home $1.7 million. He's a former player at the Seminole Casino Hollywood and other spots, as well as a dealer.

You can follow the WSOP hand-by-hand on www.WorldSeriesOfPoker.com. Chino, who started with about 10 million chips, and he went all-in with about 4 million chips and lost.

And it was an ugly beat: He went all-in with Ace-King; Peter Eastgate called from the small blind with Ace-Queen. Guess what hit the board... Ouch.

That said, he doubled up just before from 2.7 million with Ace-King, hitting a King on the turn to beat Ivan Demidov's 9-9.

Chip leader Dennis Phillips slipped from 24 million to about 10 million, but as of 8:30 Sunday night EST, he built it back up to 21 million or so.

The event is being taped to be shown Tuesday night on ESPN.

> Discuss this entry

World Series of Poker Norman Chad is employed a.) to analyze poker, which isn't that hard because the cards are right there in front of all of us; and b.) to entertain, which is hard because you gotta think of stuff to say and be creative (which in the preceding phrase I was not).

So below is his take on the November Nine in the World Series:

Meanwhile, Casino City Times explains the machinations ESPN is facing.

> Discuss this entry

The Palm Beach Kennel Club has the following promotions for November:

25k Guaranteed Tournament: The kennel club will give away 300 tickets, valued at $100 each, to this event. They'll give one per hour per day for 10 hours, awarded on the basis of the highest hand for that hour.

Then, after Nov. 20, the club will give away two tickets per hour on Nov. 21-25 for a total of 300. The tickets will be awarded to the two highest hands for that hour.

$20,000 Thanksgiving Thanks for playing promo: On Nov. 29, the club will award every player who holds four of a kind or better using at least one card from their hand the following amounts: $300 for a four of a kind and $500 for any straight flush. The cash giveaways stop if the club reaches $20,000, promoters say.

> Discuss this entry

The Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling reports a jump in poker calls to its helpline in October.

In October 2007, calls were more than 2-to-1 related to slots, the council's Pat Fowler said. This year, it was 50-50.

"With only 7 percent stating internet as the place of gambling, the increase cannot be attributed to online gambling," she said. "It's most likely due to increased opportunities at pari-mutuels and casinos with increased betting limits and tournament play in the state."

For gambling help, contact the council at www.gamblinghelp.org.

> Discuss this entry

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino's "License to Win" promotion in November includes 40 shots at $100,000 and one at $1,000,000, plus six tries at an Aston Martin DB 9 Volante, the car James Bond himself uses.*

The casino's “Crack the Code” promotion consists of prizes of from $250 up to $100,000 awarded four times a day at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesdays (5, 12, 19 and 26), Thursdays (6, 13 and 20) and Fridays (7, 14 and 21). Players must pick five "Hard Rock" logos from 10 choices in order to get the $100,000.

The grand finale is Nov. 28, with a chance to win up to $100,000 at 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. with $1,000,000 up for grabs at 8 p.m.

At 9 p.m. Tuesdays (4, 11and 25) and Sundays (9, 16 and 23) the casino tries to give away an Aston Martin DB 9 Volante. Participants must match two logos from 15 possibilities. Additional cash drawings are 5 – 8 p.m.

* -- Well, Bond is actually a fictional person. So the Aston Martin is the kind the Bond character uses in the movies. Just clarifying.

Once, at Disney World, my wife suggested we eat at the pasta place in the front of the grounds, "where Lady and the Tramp ate," she said. I had to gently tell her the two dogs were fictional characters.

> Discuss this entry

The Seminole Casino Hollywood, the old bingo hall just south of the Hard Rock, is having possibly its biggest promotion ever: 26 Mustangs in 26 days.

It runs from Nov. 5 (Wednesday) through Nov. 30.

Nightly drawings are at 9 p.m. Ten name