Beginning Tuesday, April 1, the Hard Rock will have a $100 tournament at 11 a.m. Mon.-Tues.-Weds. with an option: two $100 add-ons.

Hard Rock officials said the structure will give players an option of adding on twice during the first three levels. Each add-on, and the starting stack are 3,000 units each.

They point out that they are "add-ons," not "rebuys," meaning it's not necessarily a move you have to wait to be knocked out of in order to make the buy. In similar tournaments, such as the Saturday $575 tournament with a $500 add-on, about 60 percent of the players make the add-on.

The main reason: a way to build the prize pool without forcing people to pay the higher price.

Which brings up my strategy question: When would you go for the add-on? Always? Or only if you have a good stack and want to give yourself a chance to win? Or if you're down to the felt?

My thinking -- and I admit I'm not a great player -- is that if I'm down to a very short stack anyway, why throw another $100? But if I have a chance to make money in a tournament, I'll pay the $100 twice with the idea of going for the win.

What do you think?

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While I wrote about the cheap games today at Dania Jai-Alai, there's also news of their jackpots hitting:

On Tuesday afternoon, Andrew Sknur took home the Royal Flush jackpot in diamonds after an unnamed player hit a $3,000 royal flush. Then Wednesday, David Cruz of Fort Lauderdale became the third winner at Dania Jai-Alai in less than a week. Cruz’s spade Royal Flush hit Wednesday night in a no-limit Texas Hold’em game paying him $9,047 in cash, the highest Royal jackpot paid out so far at Dania Jai-Alai.

Card room personnel say rather than have one big "bad beat" jackpot, they'd rather spread it around. Hence the royal flushes. They also have high hand bonuses regularly.

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In order to make room for the incoming blackjack and baccarat tables, the Hard Rock is having to do some shuffling. And not just the cards.

So they've shut down the Park sports cafe, and are converting that into the poker room. Then they'll reconfigure the floor, with blackjack, baccarat and slots and video gaming machines. Whether the poker room will then return is unclear. (FYI, industry experts note that poker is among the least profitable per-square-foot games for casinos. But they have it the same reason they have a buffet: patrons expect it.)

Hard Rock officials point out some advantages to the move:

1.) It's quieter; not as much music blasting and no jingling of slots machines.

2.) Big-screen TVs in place already, put up by the Park.

3.) At-table food service. (As a player, I go after those who order food, on the idea that they're distracted. So, eat away.)

4.) A semi-private room for the $5-$10 no-limit game that carries the biggest players. So that means no more rail-sitting by chickens like me. But I imagine the players really will like it.

The poker operations are expected to move around May 5. Seminole Hard Rock officials have said they're shooting for June for blackjack to start.

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Paulette Miles hit a $1.1 million slots jackpot last weekend at Seminole Coconut Creek casino.

Where does it rank among jackpots?

International Game Technologies keeps a list of slots records. A rep there says it's probably a record for Florida -- we've only had big slots for such a short time -- and Seminoles and others say it, so I'm comfortable calling it a record.

For the stats freaks, here are some other slot records:

Meanwhile, I give Paulette Miles credit for consenting to media interviews. Hey, if I win that much money, I'm ducking out. FYI, she headed to a financial adviser already, and it looks like she has a plan. But I think she had clearly had it with the attention.

So, if you hit it big, do you duck us media or do you grab the spotlight?

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Sorry to brag, but the timing of my story on Poker Talk America couldn't have been better -- if you like to hear pros.

The show, which airs at 4 p.m. from West Palm Beach station WBZT-1230 AM, has three of the more compelling pros the next three days:

On Tuesday, Hevad Khan, who became renown for being so obnoxious during last year's World Series of Poker.

On Wednesday, Daniel Negreanu, one of my favorites, talks with pro Lisa Adams.

And Thursday, Clonie Gowen, who has been a teacher at the World Poker Tour Boot Camp, is the guest.

Poker Talk America host Frank Greentree always cautions the guests are tentative -- hey, if you had a hot run at the tables would you go do some radio show? -- but they're pretty good sports about showing up, he says.

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It's a 42-person contest through our paper ("pools" are illegal, so this is a "contest.")

I'm in fourth, having hit 38 of the 48 games correct. And all four of my Final Four are alive: N.Carolina (over Tenn.), Kansas over Wisconsion -- most people would have G'town --, Texas over Memphis (my biggest upset still on the board) and UCLA over Duke (C'mon West Virginia, beat Xavier, and take away any other's potential points).

I'm the highest-ranking entrant with North Carolina to win. Gotta love that.

Fifteen games to go. An eternity.

Anyone out there have an extraordinarily high number of wins? Picked G'town or Duke to lose? Picked Davidson, Villanova or Western Kentucky to make Sweet 16?

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I spent another Saturday at a poker seminar hosted by Antonio Pinzari, a pro based in Lake Worth who also runs a dealer's school. He spent most of the day concentrating on the math, what hand are worth playing, which aren't.

The main points: straights are the winningest hand in Texas Hold 'em if you play to the river, because it's a seven-card game. Pocket pairs and Ace-King (Big Slick) are overrated. Overcards put you in mortal danger.

Pinzari is on each Monday on the Poker Talk America show I wrote about last week (see link below), and I'm thinking the numbers he came up with would be good fodder for an article.

That, with the usual caveat, which Antonio himself acknowledges: poker is really about reading people, not numbers.

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I loved West Virginia getting four points against Duke on Saturday and sure enough it paid off. Duke got exposed in the first round as a team that relies too much on the three-pointer. However my parlays continued to miss -- thanks to Notre Dame. I broke my rule of never betting on or against N.D. ever since years of them raking me over no matter which way I went.

Another run of bad cards at the poker table also cost me. You can fold as many hands as you want, and try to bluff when your position is good and there's not much action on the table, but if you don't make something you don't make something. And when you agressively play a straight you hit on the turn then proceed to lose to someone who hit the straight flush, you know things are not going well.

Back to basketball. Games to watch today:

Texas laying 6 1/2 to Miami. I thought the Hurricanes would go out in the first round given their efficiency margin, or lack thereof, but Jack McClinton made sure they didn't with a career-high 38 points, 32 of which came in the second half.

Georgetown -5 against Davidson. It'll be like a home game for Davidson with the game in Raleigh, N.C., but Georgetown's too good defensively to let Davidson's Stephen Curry drop another 40 points. The Hoyas shut down UMBC in the second half, holding them to 32 percent shooting on their way to a 19-point win. Laying just five against a Davidson at least seems like a good bet.

Finally, it's odd being in Vegas on Easter. Then again, maybe all these tough beats are some sort of penance. Hopefully I'll get a little divine intervention though before I leave.

-- Brian Wacker, Sun-Sentinel.com

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It's been a brutal day here in Las Vegas. I just got back from a Texas Hold 'Em 3-6 limit game at the MGM's poker room. After a run of bad cards and poor check-raises I went on a run to get back up to even before dumping nearly all of both stacks back. I don't think I've ever seen so many hands of Q-2, A-3 and non-suited disconnectors in my life. And even when things looked promising, I caught some bad beats on fourth street and the river. The worst was a Queen-high flush (with a straight daw on the board) that I played strong, only to lose to a guy with a King-high flush. That's the biggest difficulty with limit games -- you can't control the game nearly as much as you can in a no-limit game or tournament. Had it been a no-limit game, he admitted, I could've pushed him off the hand and won the pot.

On more than a few occasions I drew pocket pairs, or K-A or A-Q, etc., but again could rarely do anything with them because a) the flop drew flush and straight draws for my opponents; b) the table was fairly agressive in calling any pre-flop raises (especially since it's such a low limit).

I then fell victim to a slow-played ace. In hindsight, the guy played it well but an oddly-timed bet after a couple of checks had me and the other player still in the hand thinking we could get him with what turned about to be flush draws for both of us, only Mr. Slow Play got us both. Had he made bets along the way, however, at least on the turn, he probably would've drawn us in and taken even more of our money.

As for March Madness, things aren't going very well on that front either. I flushed another $20 away on a pair of parlays that both lost -- thanks to Drake's dramatic overtime loss to Western Kentucky, and San Diego's overtime shocker against UConn. Nearly all of ESPNZone in New York-New York was chanting for overtime in the Drake game, and somehow Drake erased a nine-point deficit with 2 minutes to play to get there (they were favored by four). But, even up four at one point in OT, they couldn't hold off Western Kentucky as Ty Rogers hit a game-winning three-pointer as time expired. Western won by two and I was glad Drake was going home since they cost me my parlay by not covering the spread. Not surprisingly, the same thing was uttered a little while later by a few people that had money on UConn as De'Jon Jackson hit the game-winner with 1.2 seconds left.

This, by the way, is why parlays of course pay so well (6-to-1 on a three-team parlay). And in this age of parity it's become that much harder to hit on those. Butler and Texas, both of whom won by 20, were better bets, but didn't pay out as well.

As for my brackets, the USC and UConn losses put a dent in one of them (I had USC in the Elite Eight and UConn in the Sweet Sixteen), but the other one is in good shape with only UConn as a big loss (from the Sweet Sixteen).

That's about all the bad beats I can handle for one day, but feel free to share your worst bad-beat stories here.

-- Brian Wacker, Sun-Sentinel.com

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The legislature is weighing a bill that would specifically help Palm Beach Kennel Club operations grow.

I'm coming in late to this one, but it seems like it could mean a poker venue somewhere between West Palm and the two northernmost Broward casinos, the Isle in Pompano and Seminole Coconut Creek. I like those places just fine, and I'd think the Isle and/or Coconut Creek would object.

So, if you play at the Isle or Seminole Coconut Creek and live in PB County, would you leave there to play at some other room?

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It's 8:30 a.m. Las Vegas time, which means I've got about a half hour before the first games start. It's one of the things you have to get used to out here, games starting at 9 a.m. local time. The early buzz at the MGM sports book is about seventh-seeded Butler. The line has already dropped with the Bears getting a lot of action and currently they're favored by 4 over 10th-seeded South Alabama. I like them, too. Here are a few other games I like:

Straight up bets:

Clemson laying 6 to Villanova. The Tigers are rolling coming off an ACC tournament championship game appearance, while Villanova limped into the tournament, only getting in by beating Syracuse in the first round of the Big East tournament.

Vanderbuilt -7 against Siena. Are you kidding me? Vandy is at least a Sweet 16 team and a sleeper Elite Eight team, in my book.

St. Joseph's +1 against Oklahoma or St. Mary's (Calif.) +1 against Miami. I'm using the efficiency margin here. Both Miami and Oklahoma were outscored by their conference opponents during the season. As I mentioned earlier this week, teams that are have just a 1-4 record in the NCAA tournament the last two years. One, if not both, will fall.

Bracket update:

I have two sheets in the office pool at the Sun-Sentinel, but one of them took a major hit with USC getting beat by Kansas State. I had the Trojans in the Elite Eight. In the other bracket, however, BYU was my only blemish as the Cougars lost to Texas A&M.

-- Brian Wacker, Sun-Sentinel.com

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I focused my story on Frank Greentree, who created Poker Talk America radio show in West Palm Beach, but I just as easily could have written about the show. (You could argue they're one and the same.)

Anyway, we have video of Frank and company in action. And, FYI, I'll be on the show, speaking about the Sun-Sentinel's new gambling pages, on Friday. Show starts at about 4:05 on WBZT, Am 1230, right after Fox News covers the world.

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So much for a no-brainer. In a battle between stars Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo, Beasley's Kansas State Wildcats coasted past USC 80-67 (USC was favored by two) and destroyed my three-team parlay. There are only a few games left for the night and none of them involve any personal action.

The best bet of the day (which I didn't make), however, was Belmont, which was getting 20, and ultimately lost by just one in a wild game in the West bracket.

As for at the tables, I'm still even for the day but that'll change one way or the other later tonight with more blackjack and some Texas Hold 'Em to come.

In the meantime, there's an interesting story in the Chicago Tribune about the FBI keeping tabs on March Madness betting. To read more, click here.

-- Brian Wacker, Sun-Sentinel.com

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As mentioned earlier in the week, I'll be blogging from Las Vegas during March Madness. There's no better place to be during March Madness than here -- it's the second biggest week of the year for Sin City, which must explain why checking into the MGM Grand Hotel was semi-difficult (the room wasn't ready and by the time it was it took another 25 minutes for the bags to get delivered).

A group of buddies and I have been coming here for the last few years for this weekend and like every other year we didn't waste any time getting our bets in. While my friend Gregg didn't like any of the games still on the board for today, three games immediately jumped out at me. A lot of people think parlays are sucker bets, but West Virginia, Texas A&M and USC were all laying just two points so I couldn't resist. And at $10 to win $60 the odds are in my favor (at least that's what I keep telling myself).

After that it was a quick stop at the blackjack table, where I must have been dealt an ace at least a dozen times only to hit blackjack on it once. The rest of the hands were either pushes or losses. After about 45 minutes we got bored -- and Gregg lost his stack. I walked away even after going up then back down then back to even. By the way, does anyone else get annoyed when other players play their hands as if no one else is at the table?

It's back to the casino for now. I'll be back later with more picks. In the meantime, if you have any games in particular you like in the tournament, let me know by email at bwacker@sun-sentinel.com. I'm also looking for your best Texas Hold 'Em tips. I've been playing it for years and it's virtually the only poker I play, but I'm curious to hear what your strategies are. Or how about your top 3 casinos in Vegas?

-- Brian Wacker, Sun-Sentinel.com

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How well are the Seminole casinos doing?

Well, one Las Vegas paper says Las Vegas is trying to get Seminoles to build out there, but they have declined, preferring to stick close to home.

Rather than comment on rules, compacts and the legislatures, maybe it's time to give them credit for creating a successful business model. They correctly hooked up with a good name "Hard Rock" to attract young players, and thought ahead when it comes to the Coconut Creek property, taking the land 30 years ago, when the state originally offered money.

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So I'm sitting down today to fill out my NCAA bracket to enter whatever contests might be in the newsroom. (Pools are illegal; but contests...)

I will fill out one bracket. One.

ESPN's Mike Golic got me going, talking about how many brackets he's filling out. Hey, don't hedge your bets -- it's like trying to buy the pot -- except there's just a certain rule here being violated. I can't quite define it, but it's just not right.

Somebody out there, help me explain...

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One bar poker tournament company is using its muscle to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

All in Free Poker, which is based at more than 25 South Florida bars and restaurants, is donating 5 percent of funds they are paid by venues to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida

To date, $15,000 has been raised to grant the wishes of wish-children Andrewis and Eva. Their stories are at www.allinfreepoker.com.

The average cost to fulfill a wish is $5,000.

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There's no better time to be in Las Vegas than the first weekend of March Madness with 48 college basketball games (not including play-in games) over four days.

My buddies and I have been making our annual trip for the past few years, only this time what happens in Vegas won't necessarily stay in Vegas -- I'll be blogging about everything from basketball bets to what's happening on the poker, blackjack and craps tables, and some things in between.

I'll begin blogging from the desert on Thursday, but like so many others I started poring over my bracket within minutes of the field of 65 being announced. I haven't studied the lines on the games yet, but I've already spent a couple hours going through Basketball Prospectus' efficiency margin. That is, a team's pace (possessions per 40 minutes) and its points per possession minus its opponents' points per possession. Last year, it pegged 75 percent of the final eight.

Of course it doesn't factor in what the line of the game is, but it does give you some good ideas about a team. For instance, Miami and Oklahoma both fall into the negative category with -.01 and -.02 EMs, respectively. Translation: Both teams were outscored by their opponents during conference play this season. That doesn't bode well for either since teams that fell into this category the last two years were a combined 1-4 in the tournament. That's where EM can help you stay away from potential pitfalls.

As Basketball Prospectus author John Gasaway points out, Syracuse was outscored by its Big East opponents in the 2005-06 season but earned a lofty No. 5 seed as conference tourney champion -- they were promptly bounced by No. 12 seed Texas A&M in the first round. In other words, a high seed may not mean much if a team has a negative EM.

Some teams you should keep an eye on, no matter the line: Kansas and Wisconsin. They were the top two teams in the country in EM this year with UCLA right behind them. Surprisingly, top-seeded North Carolina was only sixth-best in EM.

To read more about EM, click here.

I'll be back later this week to share what I think are the best bets of the first round, along with some strategies for Vegas this time of year (both in and out of the casino). In the meantime, send me your feedback on what teams and games you do or don't like, plus what some of your other favorite bets or plays are by emailing me at bwacker@sun-sentinel.com.

To print your own bracket, click here.

-- Brian Wacker, Sun-Sentinel.com

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Why do you play penny slots?

Our new gambling pages in Showtime today had a story about their growth, especially in South Florida.

Officials say some people like to cover all the pay lines, others like extending their entertainment values, and some just like the machines.

I'm not much of a slot player, so I need you all to answer: why do you play penny slots?

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Dang. I didn’t win last night’s Lotto drawing. Only got 1 measly number on one of my five $2 plays. Stupid me. Never again.

So it’s back to the blog grind.

Plenty of other gambling news this morning, starting with the state senate’s approval of a gambling bill that would allow Class II video slots at pari-mutuels around the state. Steve Geller’s bill would also lower the tax rate on Class III slots at Broward and Miami-Dade pari-mutuels, from 50 percent to 35 percent.

(Refresher course for non-gamblers: With Class II video slots, gamblers play against each other in a common pool. With Class III Vegas-style slots, gamblers play against the casino.)

The bill’s long-term prospects are dicey, because House speaker Marco Rubio might squash it in his chamber. But you never know what can happen in Tallahassee.

The Seminole tribe will certainly push for its passage.

That’s because it would let the Seminoles off the hook for their annual minimum $100 million gambling payments to the state. Under the terms of the compact signed last year, the Seminoles’ payments stop if video slots are allowed anywhere in the state.

And the Seminoles would still be able to offer Vegas slots and blackjack. With the state getting absolutely nothing in return.

That’s why I thought the compact, which is being challenged by the Legislature and reviewed by the Florida Supreme Court, was such a lousy deal for the state.

The first draft version of the compact would have allowed video slots elsewhere without voiding the tribe’s payments.

But the final version was changed so that any type of slot machine, including video slots, would trigger the escape clause.

So whatever revenue figure the state throws out as being generated by pari-mutuel video slots, make sure you remember to subtract $100-150 million for the lost tribal payments.

In other gambling news, the Seminoles announced they’re looking for 3,650 blackjack and baccarat dealers and pit bosses for their seven casinos. The tribe hopes to have blackjack games up and running in June.

But before you cheer the boost to the slumping local job market, the Seminoles announced they’re holding a big job fair. In Atlantic City.

Geez. I know they probably prefer experienced dealers, but wouldn’t it be nice if the bulk of the jobs went to locals? I mean, how hard can it be to properly train somebody to deal blackjack? Giving locals first crack at the jobs would build goodwill.

With gambling revenues over $1.4 billion a year, you’d think the Seminoles could afford to train Floridians first. Especially if it turns out that they won’t pay a dime to the state to have blackjack.

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Our John Holland put together the pieces on the Seminole Coconut Creek slots announcements, the Seminoles' announcement that they are hiring blackjack dealers and the role the other pari-mutuels play in South Florida gaming.

Meanwhile, spurred by a reader e-mail, I talked to CEO Jim Allen about what exactly the rules will be for blackjack.

Her questions:

1- Does the dealer draw on a soft 17?
2- Does dealer follow the "English hole card rule": i.e does not draw his hole card until all hands have been played out and, if he then has blackjack, house collects ALL bets, including splits and double downs.
3- Does the house take pushes?
4- Are splits and double downs allowed? Any restrictions?
5- Is surrender allowed? Any restrictions?

The point is, there are some variances in the game, depending on where you play, and they could be less advantageous to players -- and more advantageous to the house.

Allen says the tribe's gaming officials are studying what rules to employ, and when it's worked out, they'll pass it on to us.

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The Seminole Coconut Creek officially welcomed Vegas-style slots Wednesday, and, as is their style, announced bigger news: The Seminoles' seven casinos are hiring 3,650 dealers.

The Seminoles are adding blackjack, baccarat and other table games this summer, starting with the Seminole Hard Rock (likely in June, CEO Jim Allen said), and then the rest of the properties.

So they need 3,650 dealers, floor supervisors, pit managers and related personnel. The job fair is in Atlantic City March 18-19 and other will follow. (More information at www.workdhardrock.com). Or fax a resume to 813-620-6308.

They're also taking a swipe at getting dealers from cruise ships, with an ad campaign that says: Feeling lost at sea? Hit the shore.

The small print says "two years experience preferred."

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While the High Heels Poker Tour takes off in South Florida and the rest of the Eastern United States, there's news from the World Poker Tour: The first female major tournament winners.

Van Nguuyen, wife of poker professional Men “The Master” Nguyen, beat 444 players to win the Sixth Annual WPT Invitational hosted by the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles.

"We’re thrilled the time has finally come to celebrate a female WPT Champion,” said WPT founder Steve Lipscomb in a news release. “It was only a matter of time before a female took down a major WPT tournament ... Her win is one of many recent events that solidify women as a major force to be reckoned with on and off the tables.”

The show will air at 9 p.m. July 21 on the Game Show Network, the new home for the WPT.

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The High Heels Poker Tour is returning to South Florida and its March 29 tournament offers a heck of a prize: a seat at the main event of the World Series of Poker, plus airfare to Las Vegas and hotel room.

To those of you who don't follow poker closely, the World Series entry alone is worth $10,000. It's the big tournament that ESPN covers and airs the rest of the year. (And, in case you've already won your seat, the tournament gives you the choice of taking the 10 grand straight up instead of the seat and transportation and lodging.)

Entry for the 1 p.m. March 29 tournament, set for Seminole Hollywood Casino (the old place south of the Hard Rock), is $450. Or you can enter the $125 qualifying tournaments heading into the March 29 event, set for 1 p.m. on Saturday (March 15) and on March 22 at the Seminole Hollywood. Win one of those, and save paying the $450.

I wrote about the High Heels Poker tour (catch phrase: "Poker is in our Sole") back on Oct. 20, when Lauren Failla, a Hollywood woman and the High Heels founder, held a 100-woman tournament at The Isle Casino and Racing in Pompano Beach. Since then, she's held WSOP related events in Iowa and in Tunica, Miss.

"I just want to see more women playing poker," she said recently. Casinos support the concept, because it helps them grow the poker industry: It gives women who might be intimidated to play in a regular tournament a start.

For info, go to www.highheelspokertour.com.

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The Seminole Casino Coconut Creek will have its official Vegas-style slot unveiling at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Click the more portion for the official release:

Coconut Creek, Fla. – Las Vegas will come to the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek on Wednesday, March 12 at 11:30 a.m. when more than 700 shiny new Las Vegas-style Class III slot machines will be unveiled and the first arms pulled by members of The Seminole Tribal Council.

Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen is also expected to update plans for blackjack and baccarat at the seven casinos of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Both card games are part of the federally-approved compact agreement signed in November by Seminole Chairman Mitchell Cypress and Florida Governor Charlie Crist.

“We ordered thousands of new slot machines following the January 7th approval by the U.S. Department of the Interior of the compact agreement between the State of Florida and the Seminole Tribe,” said Allen. “The first shipment of 1,000 went to our Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood and now its Coconut Creek’s turn to celebrate their arrival and installation.”

The new machines, manufactured by International Game Technology (IGT) and Bally Technologies, both of Las Vegas, Nevada, include Playboy, Carnival of Mystery, Golden Monkey, Millionaire Sevens, Mayan Riches and Lion Dance. Denominations range from one cent to $1000.

“You don’t have to visit Las Vegas anymore to play these great games,” said an excited Steve Bonner, general manager of the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek. The open-to-the-public ceremonial slot pull will be followed by an invitation-only reception and lunch in Fresh Harvest restaurant, he said. Live entertainment for all will perform in Nectar, the casino’s ultra-lounge.

Las Vegas-style slot machines will eventually be installed at the five other casinos owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Though no specific timetable is scheduled, The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Tampa is slated to be next to receive shipment of them.

As widely reported, the federally-approved compact agreement provides for blackjack, baccarat and other house-banked card games at Seminole casinos. No dates have been set for the introduction of blackjack or other games.

The Seminole Tribe of Florida operates Seminole Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos in Hollywood and Tampa, Fla. Five other Seminole Casinos are located in Coconut Creek and Hollywood, Fla., as well as in Immokalee, near Naples, on the Brighton Reservation northwest of Lake Okeechobee and on the Big Cypress Reservation south of Lake Okeechobee. The Seminole Tribe pioneered Indian Gaming with the opening of a high-stakes bingo hall in Hollywood in 1979.

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So, the Heat and other NBA players play big-money poker games on flights, in yet another enterprise story by our Ira Winderman, by now among the NBA's top beat writers. (An aside: I couldn't imagine many writers getting this story, on the record.)

The gambling thing doesn't make me nervous. But here's what does: These guys are teammates; they rely on each other -- basketball is a game of total trust -- for 82 games.

Then, in the air, they play a game in which deception is not only rewarded, but necessary. A mental contest of getting the other guy to blink.

There's gotta be hard feelings. Think about your own home game; how many times do you leave with a little friendly ribbing cutting a little too close to the bone when the stakes got high? (Send me an e-mail if you have a comment on this, please.)

Now, add another zero or two to the stakes; you gotta see players getting off the plane with hard feelings.

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As you can see by the posts below, we've been here for a while. So take a few minutes, cruise through the old entries, find something that interests you.

And if you have topics you think needs to be covered, hit respond to this post.

My thinking is the blog is the area to flesh out topics, go into more detail than we do in print.

Example: On the bad beat story in today's paper, some card rooms debate whether to include all types of games -- Omaha, 7-card stud and Hold 'em -- in the same bad beat jackpot. Gamblers follow that kind of information; the general public does not.

Meanwhile, here's video gleaned from the bad beat hitting at Palm Beach Kennel. (FYI, Palm Beach Kennel did include them all, but after the 7-stud hit for the $233,400, they changed it back to separate jackpots.)

Help me out here, you all. This is your world; I just have the blog password.

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Are you a big spender or a penny pincher when gambling? Take our poll at www.Sun-Sentinel.com.

And give me some comments here.

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And of course, by posting that headline, Wotan, the god of poker, is deemed to frown upon me for 40 days and nights.

I've played bar poker maybe eight times and won four tournaments, even though I'm an average player and sometimes get flat-out outplayed.

Case in point: Friday night at MJs in Lauderhill, I play with the SportsBarPokerTour game (a small company, with only a couple of bars).

I don't get a hand the first 45 minutes, finally get ace of hearts, 6 of diamonds. Flop comes out 10-10-7. There were 3-4 callers to the flop, but my thinking is no one hit the set, so bet like I did have a 10. So I fire out $500.

Two folds, then one caller. Uh-oh. I check the next round, and she puts me all in. I'm down to $300 or so, so pot committed. Call.

She turns over K-K. Semi-slow-played me. Ridiculously way ahead of me.

But without following it too closely, 3 diamonds are on the board, and I hold the 6d.

You know what happens. Another diamond. Not even playing for it, not even considering it.
I was so apologetic, and she took it well. Better than I would have.

I go on to win the tournament, hitting a straight on the river against a pair of aces. (An update: yes, I know it's 'units' and not dollars we're wagering, but it shows how bad of a player I am to still be thinking that way.)

This comes after my last time at MJs, when I called with a pair against two pair, honestly thinking I was ahead, only to again win a suck-out.

We all have bad beat stories, but the point is that for every bad beat story, there's a lucky win story.

So, in the name of fairness, c'mon folks. Give me your lucky win story.

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