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September 30, 2008

Isle adds breakfast buffet

The Isle Casino at Pompano Park, known for its buffet lunch and dinners, is adding breakfast.

It's $4.95 and operates from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. daily.

To promote it, the first 400 people Oct. 4-5 get it for free.

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September 29, 2008

Seminole Hollywood promotions for October

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Seminole Casino Hollywood (known by locals as Seminole Classic) has Game Show Fever month for October.

Every Tuesday – Saturday evening in October there will be a game show. Over $3 million is up for grabs.

The casino describes its games:

Strip Poker Game Show:Every Friday & Saturday in October (except Oct. 31), we will be holding hourly drawings from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. where someone can walk away with up to $75,000 at each drawing. One person every hour will win the opportunity to “strip” their choice of models. On its promotional wall, there will be a game board with an image of a female and male model. Covering each model will be envelopes containing playing cards. The contestant will select 5 envelopes to reveal not only the model but a poker hand. If the poker hand is a royal flush, he/she walks away with $75,000 cash. Other prizes include $750 for one pair, $1,000 for two pairs, $1,500 for three of a kind, $2,000 for a straight, $2,500 for a full house and $5,000 for four of a kind.

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Punch a Prize: From 4-10 p.m. Thursdays, a contestant can win up to $6,000 cash. There are two rows of six holes. The contestant will punch one hole on the top row where he/she will find an envelope containing a cash amount- $250, $500, $1,000 or $2,000. Before opening the envelope to reveal the cash prize, they must decide whether or not to punch a hole in the bottom row. The bottom row holes reveal "Win Half," "Double your money" or "Triple Your Money."

Super Seminole Hi-Lo: Every 45 minutes from 1 p.m. – 10 p.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, a contestant will be selected to play Super Seminole Hi-Lo. In this game, there will be 7 oversized cards on the board. The first card is revealed and the contestant will begin to guess whether the next card is higher or lower than the previous card. With each correct guess, comes additional dollars. $150 for the first correct guess, $200 for the 2nd, $250 for the 3rd, $300 for the 4th and $500 for the 5th. Then comes the Super Card. The contestant can chose to walk away with the $500 or wager $250 to play the Super Card. If they guess it correctly, they win $1,000 but if they guess incorrectly, they walk away with $250.


Meanwhile, the casino is having a Bad Beat Must Go Jackpot Poker Tournament at noon Oct. 19. There is a minimum guaranteed prize pool of $45,000. It’s a $150 buy-in with 10,000 starting chips.

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Calder offers a free lunch on Saturday

Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch?

Fans coming to Calder Race Course in Miami Gardens on Saturday will receive a $10 certificate good for food and beverage that day. (Admission is only $3 for the grandstand and $5 for the clubhouse.)

Calder's staff points out its other benefits: free admission on weekdays, a free parking section and only $2 for preferred parking and $5 for valet. (FYI, that's in line with other parimutuel venues.)

Among the food and drink specials: $2 domestic bottled beer, 50-cent chicken wings, $1 coconut shrimp and $3 nachos and cheese.

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September 26, 2008

October promotions at the Isle

The Isle has moved its slot tournament to Sundays, will give away a car and continues its football promotion in October:

According to the casino:

Thursday, Oct. 2: All winners of taxable jackpots from the month of September will be eligible to participate in the $10,000 Jackpot Celebration.

Football frenzy: There are several of ways to win. Pick 165 of 245 (67.3%) games correctly and win $1,000,000. Pick all of the winning teams and the Monday night score for the week and win $10,000 cash. The top five participants with the most correct picks for the week will win cash prizes with a top prize of $1,000.

Every Sunday in October from noon to 6 p.m., try your luck in the free $5,000 Silver Screen Slot Tournament. $5,000 in prizes will be awarded each week to the top 25 winners. Celebrity look-a-likes will cheer for contestants and be available for photos.

Every Tuesday in October, if you register a loss of $20 and your IsleOne card is inserted in the machine; you will receive $20 in IslePlay immediately.

To end the month, the Isle will give away a black Corvette® or $10,000 in IslePlay on Friday, Oct. 31. IsleOne members may receive five times entries every Wednesday and 10 times entries every Thursday. (Card members must play on Wednesday to receive the 10 times entries on Thursday.)

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Miccosukee starts players club

Miccosukee Resort & Gaming is launching its Ultimate Rewards Players’ Club today.

At 10 p.m., they'll award $25,000 to one individual who joins the club.

Also, in recognition of Native American Indian Day on Sept. 26, the Miccosukee Resort & Gaming will feature a concert by Indigenous and customers. They're also giving away $1,000 and a night at the hotel every hour from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m

The casino is at 500 SW 177 Ave., Miami.

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September 24, 2008

Slot tournaments booming at South Florida casinos

Slot tournaments are booming here.

Popular for a long time in Las Vegas, The Isle and Gulfstream began slot tournaments in July. Since then they have adjusted their offerings and two Seminole casinos have started them.

Basically, casino patrons push on a slot machine button for a set amount of time, and the person with the highest score wins. Participants must belong to the casino’s players’ club.

Gulfstream holds a free tournament from noon to 4 p.m. Fridays, with $5,000 in prizes. But it also is holding its first-ever paid tournament: For $100, you can compete for a first prize of $25,000 from 4-8 p.m. Sunday.

The Isle conducts free tournaments from noon to 6 p.m. Sundays in October, awarding $5,000 in free play.

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino has a started the King of the Rock tournament on Mondays at 4 p.m. this month, and it continues through Nov. 10. The tournament pays $1,000 for first. Meanwhile, Players 55 and older can compete from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays. Cash and free-machine play prizes awarded to the top five overall scores per session.

Seminole Coconut Creek will conduct tournaments at 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m. on Tuesday. First prize is $2,000 in free play.

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Ranger, Hennessey at Dunkin' Donuts Saturday

Harness track drivers Bruce Ranger, Wally Hennessey and Dan Clements will sign autographs and taking pictures with customers from 10 a.m. – noon Saturday at the grand re-opening of a Pompano Beach Dunkin' Donuts, 1405 S. Powerline Road (SW corner of Powerline and Gateway).

Why is this on the Action blog? Well, this particular Dunkin' Donuts is a popular track hangout -- they earlier had a promotion where you could bring your losing tickets to the store and get some love.

The harness track drivers are part of an open house, from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. that includes at 10 a.m. ribbon cutting with the Pompano Beach Chamber of Commerce and Pompano Beach Mayor Lamar Fisher.

Additionally, franchisee Manoochi Fallah will present a $500 donation to Our Father’s House Soup Kitchen, the drivers’ local Pompano Beach charity of choice.

Fallah’s restaurant has a rentable conference room with multimedia capabilities, Wi-Fi access, and a computer station that customers can use to surf the internet and print out documents.

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September 19, 2008

Poker luck and Dania Jai-Alai

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So, the reverse jinx holds.

I posted below about a long streak without the nut flush. At the Dania Jai-Alai tournament Wednesday, in the first hour, I got: Aces twice, Kings twice and a flop of J-8-7 while holding 10-9.

And, amazing, every time the cards held up. So I doubled up a couple of times, and had everyone at my table covered more than twice. Not a position, I'm used to being in. So then I misplayed a flop of Q-7-2 while holding queens -- I bet out, rather than let someone fire at it, costing me a chance to keep building.

Long story short, best tournament finish every for me, 15th out of more than 300. Considering I'm probably only in the middle in terms of skill, looks like an aberration. Thank you, poker gods.

But enough about me. Once again, Dania proved to hopping, and the expanded late hours now make for less pressure to rush a tournament to end a midnight. And I'd like to link to what I said earlier: Dan Le Batard should move his show to Dania, and take over the fronton.

The winner: Michael Pons, pictured with Hoch.

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September 18, 2008

Michael Pons the winner at Le Batard tournament

The second Dan Le Batard tournament drew more than 300 players again. I'm kind of rushed today: I'll do a longer update tomorrow (it was a long night). Meanwhile, here's my lazy way out, the release from the fronton:

Michael Pons felt generous. The 26 year-old Miami native had a big advantage over the remaining eight players left at the final table of the Dan Le Batard 790 The Ticket Poker Tournament last night at Dania Jai-Alai.

After all, he had not only survived the “all-ins” of the other 315 players, but was the chip leader with over 200,000 units at close to midnight in the Cardroom of the Dania Beach fronton.

There had been a total of 316 avid Texas Hold’em poker players, most being huge Dan Le Batard fans enjoying the party atmosphere of this popular tournament, getting to mix with the station personalities, and the lure of over $12,000 in total prize money.

At the final table, players started talking “chop” (splitting up the prize money) and Pons, looking down at his huge stacks of chips, said, “Let’s do it.”

Pons could have collected over $4,500 had he played it out and won. But, because of the decision to split it up, he and the second place finisher took a little larger share of the winnings, $1,460 each, while the other six players collected $1,265.

“I had a great time, I don’t get to play in many tournaments, but this was really a lot of fun,” said the champion who, also, received a beautiful crystal trophy from Le Batard.

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.

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September 17, 2008

I haven't had the nut flush in weeks

I wrote a few weeks agoabout all my great luck in bar poker, and my luck dried up.

I wrote about getting a better feel on reading players, then my reads went down the tubes.

So, in keeping with the write-and-the-opposite-happens, here goes:

I haven't had a nut flush in weeks, at least the last eight times I've sat down to play.

You know, holding an ace-x suited, and have a couple of more suited on the flop, then hit it on the turn or even the river. I've been so dry, I haven't even thrown one away because the math made a big call unwise. And, getting greedy here, I haven't had a nut flush especially with no pair on the board.

Are you listening, poker gods?

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September 15, 2008

A blackjack expert and card-counting myths

Gambling guru Mark Pilarski addresses card-counting in his latest column:

Experienced card counters, theoretically, have an advantage of between .5 and 1.5 percent against the casino, which is accomplished by tracking the changing imbalance of big to little cards in a diminishing deck. When the cards remaining favor the player, you bet more money. When they favor the dealer, you bet less. Big cards (10s, aces) favor the player; small cards (2-6) favor the dealer.

I opened with "Experienced card counters" because most players are just too darn lazy to learn to count cards well in actual casino conditions. And even if they did learn to make a half-way decent count-down, they often give themselves away by ranging their bets too much or doing something else to tip off the dealers and pit bosses that they are counting.

What the casino can, and will, do to combat would-be counters, is put more decks on the game, burying more cards on the shuffle, stopping mid-entry shoe betting, having the dealer shuffle half way through the deck, and when all else fails, they can, in certain gaming jurisdictions, legally bar the counters from playing and back them off the game.

Oh, and where it is permissible to count, Atlantic City for instance, they impose tougher blackjack rules, multi-deck games, and they limit deck penetration to keep the skilled counter at bay. Now, add to the mix that most budding card counters make more than their fair share of basic strategy mistakes, and yes, miscount, which then puts the edge firmly back in the casino's favor.

Sure, I've met counters that have brought the casino to its knees, but to the many who think they are the sharpest knife in the drawer, Mike Goodman in his book, Guide to Casino Gambling, Your Best Bet, put it neatly when he said, "Many so-called experienced 21 players don't know their ace from a hole in the ground."

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September 11, 2008

At Dania, rake drops to $3

Dania Jai-Alai is having a "Rake Break" Saturday.

On Sept. 13, the fronton is taking a reduced rake -- the amount the house pulls from the game -- to $3 on all live games.

The fronton also offers complimentary house beverages while playing live action games.

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Seminole Coconut Creek promotions for September

MONDAYS: Swipe and Score: 5 p.m.-9 p.m.; Win up to $1,000 cash

TUESDAYS: Swipe and Score bounceback: Redeem Swipe and Score tickets from Monday.

SATURDAY: Play-earn-eat: Earn 100 points and get free Saturday lunch, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

PLAYER’S CHOICE 20 RIDES GIVEAWAY: Sept. 5-26 (but not the 20th or 21st):
Noon, 8 p.m., 10 p.m.

Three separate drawing drums. Players pick a drawing drum & drop entry in. Win your share of $20,000 Cash/Free Play or a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Drum #1 12pm Ten $500 Free Play Winners
Drum #2 8pm Five $1,000 Winners
Drum #3 10pm One $10,000 or Harley-Davidson

SPECIAL CASINO PROMOTIONS
Sept. 20-21: Fabulous '50s weekend.
SATURDAY & SUNDAY (September 20th & 21st): FABULOUS 50’S WEEKEND:

Sept. 20: “Stuff Your Sock,” 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.. (Total of 50 winners.)
Paper Ticket Drawing. Win various cash & free play.

Sept. 21: “$40K Big Deal Day”. 6 p.m.-7 p.m. In the Tent. 20 winners share $10,000 cash & prizes. Bonus winner of $2,500 cash at 7 p.m. Grand prize of “1950’s Mercury Custom” Car. Drawing for 20 contestants at 4:30 p.m. in the casino.


Sept. 30: PUBLIC SLOT TOURNAMENT. 11 a.m. (registration – outside Nectar @ 9 a.m.),
3 p.m. (registration – outside Nectar @ 1 p.m.),
7 p.m. (registration – outside Nectar @ 5 p.m.).

1st Place - $2,000 Free Play, 2nd Place - $1,000 Free Play, 3rd Place - $600 Free Play,
4th Place - $500 Free Play, 5th Place - $300 Free Play, 6th Place - $250 Free Play,
7th Place - $200 Free Play, 8th Place - $150 Free Play & Last Place - $50 Free Play.


Sept. 21: LEAVE IT TO BEAVER MEET & GREET – Nectar 4 p.m.-6 p.m.

Original cast members (Jerry Mathers – “The Beav”, Tony Dow – “Wally” and Ken Osmond – “Eddie Haskell”) signing autographs

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September 10, 2008

Gulfstream moves poker room to first floor

Poker at Gulfstream Park has moved from the second-floor Sport of Kings to the first-floor Finish Line Casino this weekend, according to the casino's press release.

Gulfstream Park’s poker room manager Scott Poole noted that the move puts players closer to the live racing action, which resumes Jan. 3.

The state of Florida required a re-licensing procedure before the move could be made official, and the process went smoothly Friday morning, the casino said.

As before, Texas Hold ‘Em, Omaha Hi-Lo and Seven-Card Stud are featured. Hours remain 1 p.m. – 1 a.m.

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September 9, 2008

Poker Tec machines come to Vegas casino. Your thoughts?

This from Bill Burton's casino gambling column. Apparently the Excalibur in Las Vegas is going to electronic poker machines for the tables.

Start of a trend? Anybody play on one?

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September 8, 2008

One player's log: Florida $100 games not suiting him well

I keep a log of my winnings and losings, but I'm a small-time player, less than $100. But an acquaintance of mine sent me his recent log, under the promise of anonymity. Plus an interesting analysis:

If you're hard-core, read this:

You might be interested in the results of my recent 4 month plotting of my wins and losses. Basically, I learned that I could have earned at least $8,000 more in the last 4 months by not playing those stupid $100 entry 5/10 cash games and by not playing low entry tournaments unless it’s to employ or test new strategies.


Here’s the results of the last 4 months or 122 days. There are 3 categories. These are significant wins, significant losses, and a combined category of nominal wins and losses. I consider wins and losses of under $400 a session to be nominal.

My overall record is 20 wins, 11 losses, and 33 other.


# DESCRIPTION COST/ENTRY $ / WON NET EARNINGS

20 WINS - $7,625.00 $59,165.00 $ 51,540.00
11 LOSSES - $6,925.00 - $10,150.00 - $ 17,075.00
33 NOMINALS * - $ 8,975.00
TOTALS + $ 25,490.00

· Over the 33 nominal losses the average loss was $271.97 per session. 3 wins of over $2,000 were excluded from the nominal data by definition and applied to wins.

Under the aegis of either self-delusion or rationalization, I had actually believed that I was doing OK at the cash games until I data mined over the last many hours and proved myself wrong. I was a big winner at the sit and goes especially the $250 ones. All you had to do was finish in the top 3 out of 10 players. I am easily in the top 10% of all Broward County players and it is a no brainer to maintain in the top 30%.

My data also reveals that my most productive tournament level is the $550. It sounds counter-intuitive to pay more up front with only the top 10% cashing but for me it is the right thing to do. It is far better to make one $550 investment than to have your wallet drip $271.97 thirty-three times. Kind of like those dripping faucets that go 24/7 can usually fill 3 bath tubs multiple times a week one drip at a time.

I’ve also proved to myself that I perform better against better players. The bad players are just far too unpredictable and the $100 low cash entry allows for permanent short stacks. You always have callers. Even the odds of winning with pocket aces drop from over 80% with one caller to around 60% with just 2 callers. If you get 8 callers you might as well muck the aces and play suited connectors.

The data is kind of eye-opening, huh? The cash game data would not be relevant anywhere but Broward County (actually, Florida) with the $100 limit to no limit. I really can do well at $500 minimum buy ins with no maximum.

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September 5, 2008

The Isle promotions for September

I wrote in Showtime Friday about the Isle's football promotion.

Also at the casino this month:

New members receive $20 in IslePlay and a free buffet.

Sept. 14: The $25,000 Cash and IslePlay Giveaway, be one of five winners of $500 in IslePlay or, even better, the winner of $15,000 cash.

Every Wednesday, play in a free slot tournament and win a share of $5,000 in IslePlay. Wacky Wednesday tournaments are from noon-3 p.m. and 4 p.m.–7 p.m. There are 25 total winners each week.

Sept. 26: A Volvo XC 90 or $10,000 in IslePlay. Drawings are 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. for 10 winners of $250 in IslePlay. The grand prize car will be awarded at 9 p.m.

September jackpot winners are invited back for a special $10,000 Jackpot Celebration drawing on Oct. 2. One winner will receive $5,000 and five additional winners receive $1,000 each.

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Dania Jai-Alai expands poker to 3 a.m. on weekends

Following the lead of Mardi Gras Gaming, Dania Jai-Alai has expanded its poker room hours beyond the original state mandate of 12 hours per day.

Dania will be open from noon to 3 a.m. -- or later -- on Friday and Saturday nights, effective tonight.

"If we have three or four tables going late, we’ll just stay open as long as they're playing," assistant GM Marty Fleischman said.

The state signed off on 12-hour poker rooms at parimutuels back in 2007. But language said "per permit." Mardi Gras, Dania and others hold more than one permit, and their request to stack them was granted by the Department of Administrative Hearings.

So Mardi Gras' Dan Adkins went to the state earlier this year and received approval to expand. They went 24 hours in July 1.

Dania, citing Mardi Gras' case, recently received the same approval.

For poker players, this might mean a few more late-night tournaments, Fleischman said. With a 12-hour rule, a tournament that started at, say, 10 p.m., made no sense because the doors closed before a finish. Now, the fronton is considering such tournaments, he said.

It also will extend hours to 2 a.m. for the next Dan Le Batard poker tourney, on Sept. 17. (See earlier post.)

The fronton also now gives free alcoholic drinks, soft drinks and coffee to those playing in cash games, he said.

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Hard Rock promotions for September

$50,000 The King of the Rock Slot Tournament: Free slot tournaments for Player’s Club Wild Card members held on Mondays in September (8, 15, 22 and 29), October (6, 13, 20, 27) and November (3 and 10). The 10-week tournament consists of 13, five-minute sessions. Registration begins at 3 p.m. with tournament play at 4 p.m. and every 20 minutes thereafter with the last session concluding at 8 p.m. It's $1,000 for first, $500 for second, $200 for third. Top 25 players’ scores for the 10-week period get grand prizes, from $200 to $10,000.

2008 Maserati Quattroporte Giveaway: Drawings at 9 p.m. Sept. 9, 16, 23 and 30. Additional cash prize drawings from 5-8 p.m.

$95,000 Cash & Sports Memorabilia Giveaway: On Wednesdays in September (3, 10, and 17) at 2 p.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. with $18,750 in cash and sports memorabilia giveaways every day guaranteed. Grand prize is an authentic Babe Ruth baseball with the drawing after 8 p.m. Grand prize finale for $38,750 on Sept. 24.

Pontiac Solstice Convertible Giveaway: Drawing at 4 p.m. Sept. 6 and 27. Grand prize drawing at 4 p.m. Additional cash drawings noon – 3 p.m.

Cruise the Caribbean: Carnival Cruise Lines on Sundays (7 and 21) and Fridays (5, 12 and 19) in September from noon – 8 p.m. Twelve cruise giveaways each day guaranteed. Grand prize drawing at 10 p.m. Grand prize finale on Sunday, Sept. 28. To enter, drop your ballot in the drum at the Center Bar.

Points for Free Slot Play: Tuesdays (2, 9, 16, 23 and 30) and Wednesdays (3, 10, 17 and 24) from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Visit the Player’s Club booth for details.

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September 4, 2008

Mardi Gras promotions for September

This from Mardi Gras gaming:

Tuesday, Sept. 9, 16 and 23: Fat Tuesday Cash Bash (Giving away $25,000 cash)

-$2,500 @ 7pm

-$2,500 @ 7:30pm

-$2,500 @ 8:00pm

-$2,500 @ 8:30pm

-$5,000 @ 9:00pm

-$10,000 @ 10:00pm

Tuesday, Sept. 30: Car Giveaway (TBA)

Wednesday, Sept. 10, 17 and 24: Score Big (Virtual Game) 1pm-8pm

-Win between $1,000 cash, $500 bonus play, or $250 bonus play every hour

Sunday, Sept. 7, 14, 21 and 28: Game Day Jamboree - $500 bonus play every hour noon-8 p.m.

Also Mardi Gras is showing football games on weekends on the veranda, for those who might have some action going on the gridiron.

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September 2, 2008

Seminole Casino Hollywood promotions for September

This from the Seminole Casino Hollywood, 4150 SR 7 (across Stirling Road from the Hard Rock)

*Pick a Pinup: Every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, every 30 minutes from
5 p.m.-10 p.m. Prizes range from $100-$1,000 cash.

*$88,000 Cash Giveaway- Every Thursday, every 30 minutes from 6 p.m.-11 p.m. Prizes
range from $400-$2,000 cash.

*Classic Car Giveaway- Every Friday and Saturday. Every hour from 1p.m. - 9 p.m.. Winners get $350 cash and a chance to win a Classic Car at 10 p.m. Saturday.

*Play, Earn & Redeem- Sept 8th & 22nd. Guests that earn 400 points will receive $80 in free play.

*5x Entries- Guests playing on Tuesday will receive 5 times the normal entries into the Classic Car giveaway. Guests playing on Wednesday will receive 5 times the normal entries into the $88,000 Cash Giveaway.

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Hard Rock poker room carries on with boxing theme

Keeping a boxing theme, the Hard Rock poker room is holding tournaments from Friday through Sept. 14 called "the Main Event."

There are three levels: middleweight, cruiserweight and heavyweight.

It starts Friday with a $120 super satellite for the Heavyweight tournament. Players start with 4,000 in chips and one of every 10 win seats. Super satellites are also Sept. 10, twice on Sept. 11 and once on Sept. 12.

Two satellites for the middleweight event are Sunday. Each is $40, with 3,000 in chips. One in nine win seats. The middleweight event on Monday is $300 with 8,000 in chips. Top five finishers also win an entry into the cruiserweight event.

Three satellites for the cruiserweight event are planned: one on Sept. 8 and twice on Sept. 9. Each is $60, with 3,000 in chips and 15-minute levels. One in 10 win seats.

The cruiserweight tournament is Sept. 10. Buy-in is $500, with 10,000 in chips. The top five also make the heavyweight event.

The heavyweight tournament is a $1,000 buy-in event with 20,000 in chips. Players can play on one of two days, Sept. 12 or 13. Players eliminated on Sept. 12 can re-enter on Sept. 13.

The final day is Sept. 14.

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Space Flight contest winner takes the money

John Delacosta of Pompano Beach won the Seminole Coconut Creek Space Flight promotion, documented in a Showtime story I did, on Monday night.

The flight was listed as worth $200,000, but he chose to take the $110,000 cash option. But don't hit him up for the money: Delacosta, 68, a former electrical engineer from Trinidad, has a son and four grandsons, and says he'll probably slip them a little somethin'.

Well-wishers at the casino all slapped him on the back; he's a regular.

"He's here eight days a week," one friend said. He plays slots and video roulette.

Delacosta immediately took the cash.

"I have a bad heart and have no interest in the trip," he said.

Space flight isn't happening for a couple of years, so the casino was merely buying a ticket. My opinion is the casino had to be a little nervous, and relieved he took the cash: these private-business flight companies can refuse to take your business, and they weren't on-board with the whole promotion. You never saw their name anywhere in the ads.

The casino drew a name each hour from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and players had to pick the two DVDs, out of 20, that played footage of a space flight. Do the math: that means the odds were one in 380; 1 in 20, and times 1 in 19 had you happened to draw the first one correctly. Still better than the lottery.

So, not surprisingly, none of the five names chosen on Monday, or on four previous promotions days during the summer made the match.

The casino at 6 p.m. then added four 'wild cards,' -- think of the Deal or No Deal episodes when they keep adding extra $1 million suitcases to induce a winner -- and when the next person didn't hit, they added 2 more.

So that put the odds at 8 in 20 times 7 in 19 (or 56 in 380, which is about 15 percent, or one in seven). The math worked: Six more players tried and failed (with only one getting even half of a match) before Della Costa hit.

Trivia: he chose DVDs Nos. 2 and 13.

The casino also had a jet pack demonstration, laser light show and threw out T-shirts at the 6 p.m. drawing.

Which always amuses me. Two men simultaneously grabbed one shirt -- I say settle it with rock, paper scissors -- and one relented. The victor gave the shirt to his date. Then another man, off to the side apparently made a comment.

So the woman, in too-tight pink checked shorts -- she had lumps, not curves -- and a sleeveless shirt that revealed a healthy shoulder tattoo stuck up her middle finger at him -- while not managing to spill her drink. Classy.

All over a shirt.

Wish she'd had put it on.

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About This Blog

Maybe you've made the right play, maybe you haven't. Your heart speeds up, your stomach rumbles.

That's why it's called gambling.

ACTION is a view of the numbers, the psychology and the flavor of gambling here in South Florida, through our lens.

We do have one sure bet. There's something here for you.

NICK SORTAL began playing 3-card "gut" and "Indian poker" on high school band trips, early training for his... < More >
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