Action: South Florida gambling | Sun-Sentinel Blogstag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//1972009-07-09T17:18:32ZGambling in Miami, Broward, Palm Beach CountiesMovable Type 3.36Eclipse champion Indian Blessing out of Rooney Stakes at Caldertag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//197.2033812009-07-09T17:09:28Z2009-07-09T17:18:32ZBy Tom Jicha Calder’s Summit of Speed has lost one of its Eclipse champions and a Hall of Fame jockey. Trainer Bob Baffert told the Daily Racing Form that he is not sending champion female sprinter Indian Blessing to the...Nick Sortal
Calder’s Summit of Speed has lost one of its Eclipse champions and a Hall of Fame jockey.
Trainer Bob Baffert told the Daily Racing Form that he is not sending champion female sprinter Indian Blessing to the Grade 1 Princess Rooney on Saturday because he fears a positive post-race drug test.
Indian Blessing had a hind leg infection after her last race. Baffert told the DRF he treated the ailment with penicillin, which contains procaine, a prohibited drug for racing. Baffert said Indian Blessing is doing fine but his vet warned it is possible the medication has not fully cleared her system and might cause a positive drug test. This could result in loss of purse and a suspension for Baffert.
Baffert, who will be inducted into racing’s Hall of Fame next month, will still have starters in two under card stakes, Wall Street Wonder in the Grade 2 Carry Back and Underground in the Grade 3 Azalea.
However, with Indian Blessing not making the trip, Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who was scheduled to ride Baffert’s runners, decided to stay home in California, too. Baffert did not immediately name replacement riders.
The Summit of Speed offers seven stakes, four graded, all at sprint distances.
Champion male sprinter Benny the Bull is scheduled to race in the Grade 2 Smile Stakes, which he won last year.
The full story is at the Daily Racing Form (www.drf.com), which requires registration.
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Weston man leads 6,494-player field in World Series of Poker Main Eventtag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//197.2033022009-07-09T12:54:54Z2009-07-09T21:27:59Z A Weston man is the overall chip leader after two days of play in the World Series of Poker Main Event. Amir Lehavot, 34, finished Day Two in Las Vegas late Wednesday night with 610,500 chips, tops among the...Nick Sortal
A Weston man is the overall chip leader after two days of play in the World Series of Poker Main Event.
Amir Lehavot, 34, finished Day Two in Las Vegas late Wednesday night with 610,500 chips, tops among the 2,044 remaining players.
Lehavot was born in Israel and arrived in the United States at age 16. Before playing poker for a living, Lehavot worked as an engineer, specializing in design, he told WSOP officials. He lived in San Francisco before moving to Weston, and has the online poker handle of AmirSF.
The World Series of Poker is poker's most popular event, and ESPN tapes the play, edits it down and shows the action the rest of the year.
Lehavot recently started a poker website (with strategy content) at www.pokerwit.com. The site contains Lehavot’s comments about key hands he played at various times during the WSOP.
"It feels great. But I have played in a lot of tournaments and I know. There is a long way to go and it does not necessarily mean that much (to be chip leader) at this point. It's nice, but there is still a long way to go," he said on the site.
Lehavot has survived the opening days in two prior WSOPs, but failed to cash. He says his goal goes beyond cashing, and you can't blame him: First prize is $8.5 million.
"If I cash, it is really not life-changing for me," he said. "I am looking to go deep."
To get the whole field seated, "Day One" consisted of four separate days, each lasting about 12 hours; "Day Two" was held Tuesday and Wednesday, also for about 12 hours.
The players are off today and resume Friday.
Players started with 30,000 in chips, and Lehavot was down to 7,000 on Day One, before catching a card on the river when he was beaten to stay alive -- a "suck-out" in poker lingo.
He wasn't the chip leader most of Day Two, but 30 minutes before it ended, "I had a huge hand," he said, and gained 250,000 when he was dealt a pair of threes and then one came up on the flop.
"Most of my chips came from that one pot," he said.
Note: I did a quick Sun-Sentinel archive search and got nothing, and a Google showed a couple of minor cashes, and that he has patented two things. So, again, I'm at the mercy of the South Florida poker world: Anybody know him?
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ANOTHER $1 million raffle winner in Palm Beach Countytag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//197.2031872009-07-08T19:13:32Z2009-07-08T19:25:09ZWhen the Firecracker Millionaire game rolls around next year, and if you live in Palm Beach County, you should think about playing it. It certainly has been lucky. A second winner -- of only seven in the state -- surfaced...Nick Sortal
about Kristen Gallant, 35, of Greenacres, who was among three $1 million winners to come forward late Monday afternoon.
Rather than try to match numbers, the Lottery guaranteed seven $1 million winners on July 4. It's the state's fifth annual millionaire raffle.
The two others announced were James Kenneth Bush, 50, of South Daytona, and Stephen Quinley, 35, of Jacksonville.
In the regular Florida Lottery, some weeks might yield a winner, and some might not. But in a raffle, winners are guaranteed.
A limited number (750,000) of tickets, at $20 each, were sold to make the prize pool. The odds of winning $1 million were 1-in-107,143. The game also was set up to have nine $50,000 winners, 11 $5,000 winners and 1,000 players with $500.
The winners announced Wednesday also included Peggy Socha, 57, of Largo and Kenny Ferrer, 33, of Deltona. There's still one unclaimed ticket, sold on U.S. 19 in the town of Holiday.
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Hard Rock goes Twitter/Facebook: But bookmark me, tootag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//197.2029362009-07-08T10:34:00Z2009-07-08T10:43:08ZAs a servant to the public -- meaning I try to report things that make your life better -- I feel it is my duty to break this news: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is now online with Facebook...Nick Sortal
Sun-Sentinel.com/action and diligently read me. One click a day, say during your lunch time, and you're covered.
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Mardi Gras seeking no-limit players, starts $500 high hand bonustag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//197.2029462009-07-07T20:51:59Z2009-07-08T18:05:31ZThe unofficial home for low-limit poker is South Florida is undergoing changes. “We’re gearing ourselves more toward no-limit players,” Mardi Gras Gaming’s Wil Herrera said. Among the incentives: a $500 bonus for the highest hand at 6 p.m. weekdays in...Nick Sortal
the tournaments, making them deeper-stack events.
Attracting more no-limit players is difficult because neighbors Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Gulfstream Casino & Racing and even Dania Jai-Alai already have pieces of that pie, he said.
That’s where the $500 promotion comes in.
“I figure if players are going to play no-limit in one place or another, they might as well do it where they can win another $500,” he said.
He also has adjusted the options for limit players. After briefly discontinuing the least-expensive poker game available – which had a maximum bet of $2 – the casino now offers it if there is player interest. There are also $25 and $50 one-table winner-take-all tournaments for lower-stakes players, and a “$2-$5 spread” limit game, meaning players can bet $2, $3, $4 or $5, which has fared well.
“You have much more flexibility and control because what you bet can either entice players to call or push them out,” he said.
Overall, the action has swung from being mostly low-limit to slightly more no-limit, he said.
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Hard Rock promotions for Julytag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//197.2019792009-07-07T11:29:48Z2009-07-07T11:45:31ZThe Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is having a “Royal Flush Game Show” giveaway this month, 2-8 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. Cash prizes are up to $10,000 per day. Player's Club members get an additional entry for each 50...Nick SortalPalm Beach County woman among $1 million raffle winnerstag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//197.2027342009-07-06T22:41:57Z2009-07-07T10:50:09ZKristen Gallant, 35, of Greenacres was among three $1 million winners to come forward late Monday afternoon. The game was called the Firecracker Millionaire Raffle. Rather than try to match numbers, the Lottery guaranteed seven $1 million winners on July...Nick Sortal
Kristen Gallant, 35, of Greenacres was among three $1 million winners to come forward late Monday afternoon.
The game was called the Firecracker Millionaire Raffle. Rather than try to match numbers, the Lottery guaranteed seven $1 million winners on July 4. It's the state's fifth annual millionaire raffle.
Gallant, who frequently plays Florida Lottery games, said she usually doesn’t check her tickets right away to see if she is winner, but this time she had a lucky feeling, she told Lottery officials.
“I had to look twice at the computer screen, I just couldn’t believe it,” Gallant said in the Lottery's release. She purchased her raffle ticket at Shell Gas Station, located at 5050 Lake Worth Road in Greenacres.
The two others announced were James Kenneth Bush, 50, of South Daytona, and Stephen Quinley, 35, of Jacksonville.
In the regular Florida Lottery, some weeks might yield a winner, and some might not. But in a raffle, winners are guaranteed.
A limited number (750,000) of tickets, at $20 each, were sold to make the prize pool. The odds of winning $1 million were 1-in-107,143. The game also was set up to have nine $50,000 winners, 11 $5,000 winners and 1,000 players with $500.
For more information about the promotion or the Florida Lottery, visit www.flalottery.com.
Phil Hellmuth, carried by centurions, comes to World Series of Pokertag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//197.2025792009-07-06T14:57:20Z2009-07-06T15:44:08Z 11-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth made another grand entrance into the Main Event at the World Series of Poker. Last year, Hellmuth came adorned as General George S. Patton, rolling into the Rio parking lot atop an...Nick Sortal
11-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth made another grand entrance into the Main Event at the World Series of Poker.
Last year, Hellmuth came adorned as General George S. Patton, rolling into the Rio parking lot atop an army tank. This year, the “Poker Brat” was carted into the Rio while sprawled out across a special platform carried by several centurions, according to the WSOP's Nolan Dalla.
Hellmuth, decked out as Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, made his way into the Rio as flocks of scantily-clad “servants” threw rose petals on the ground. When Hellmuth finally assumed his throne on the ESPN stage, hundreds of poker fans engulfed the area. Then he gave this interview with WSOP media:
Question: Last year it was Patton. This year, it’s Caesar. Why Caesar?
Hellmuth: We are just having as much fun as we can have. Caesar was one of the ideas on our list. We actually talked about me being a gladiator or Caesar, and even Uncle Sam was an idea we wanted to do. We just decided on Caesar. You know that Caesar is going to be the main theme at WSOP-Europe. When you do Caesar, you want to do him big and you want to do him right.
Question: How did you think things went today – with your grand entrance on the red carpet? And how many girls were with you?
Hellmuth: I thought it went great. They hired a hundred models is what I heard. And, having the girls with the body paint is just really fun. I mean, c’mon, how often do you see girls with just body paint on?
Question: What do you think about when you see hundreds of fans, with cameras and lights following your every move?
Hellmuth: Part of it is adoration. Part of it is curiosity. And some people still don’t like me. So, there is surely a mixture of people that are out there. If you are too into the fans and adoration and the world thinking you are the greatest, then you do not perform well. So, being in character as Caesar is just fun. When I shot a television commercial and dressed up in this, I got so into character, I really thought I was Caesar. They have me lying there, with girls all over me and rose petals and food all over the table. Caesar is just such a unique individual. Here we are talking about him over 2,000 years later.
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Question: Are they going to be talking about Phil Hellmuth 2,000 years from now?
Hellmuth: I don’t think so. Maybe a hundred years from now, yes. I need to put some more records up. The more records you put up, the longer they talk about you.
Question: Do you think this entrance was about fame or infamy?
Hellmuth: Both. It’s both. I think the majority of the world thinks this is pretty cool and fun. But there are some that say that it’s not right, the Phil Hellmuth is too self-promoting. But I think this is great for the sport of poker. It’s great for the World Series of Poker. And, it’s great for me.
Question: Phil, you played extraordinarily well last year. But you busted out in disappointing fashion. What are your expectations for this year?
Hellmuth: I happen to be playing the best poker of my life. Right now. Today. I might make the final table. I don’t care what the mathematicians say. The field is too big, or whatever. I might make the final table. When I make this entrance, it really gets to me. But when I sit down, it’s a different game. I have to be Phil Hellmuth and I have to win.
Question: So, will Phil Hellmuth’s grand entrance at the WSOP be a recurring spectacle every year from now on?
Hellmuth: Absolutely. Next year, my plan is to be Gambit (a fictional character from X-Men). If not Gambit, we will come up with something else. Maybe it will be Uncle Sam. We’ll see.
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Bobby Huff prevails in Dan Le Batard tournamenttag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//197.2016852009-07-06T11:37:59Z2009-07-06T11:45:16Z Bobby Huff of Hallandale Beach was declared the winner of the Dan Le Batard Celebrity Poker Tournament recently at Dania Jai-Alai. The Wednesday night multi table Texas Hold’em tournament drew 230 players paying $50 to enter. Ten players remained...Nick Sortal
Bobby Huff of Hallandale Beach was declared the winner of the Dan Le Batard Celebrity Poker Tournament recently at Dania Jai-Alai. The Wednesday night multi table Texas Hold’em tournament drew 230 players paying $50 to enter.
Ten players remained as midnight approached, and they agreed to “chop” the pot equally. Each player took home $790. Since Huff was the chip leader, he was awarded the tournament trophy. (I wasn't there, but I heard a certain Metro columnist also was in on the chop; not sure if Mayo would mind me mentioning him here, so I'll think about it.)
Dania Jai-Alai features the Dan Le Batard Celebrity Poker Tournament each month, usually on a Wednesday, promoted on 790 The Ticket.
Dania Jai-Alai’s Cardroom is open Sundays through Thursdays from noon to midnight, Friday and Saturdays from noon to 2 a.m. The fronton is located at 301 E. Dania Beach Blvd in Dania Beach.
Casino fireworks, patriotic promotions and giveaways for July 3-4tag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//197.2016862009-07-01T13:38:57Z2009-07-01T13:54:14Z There's nothing better than a Saturday July 4 holiday for casinos. That's because July 4 is usually a family night, everyone together watching fireworks. So some casinos can put events on July 3 -- and adults can justify sneaking...Nick Sortal
Gulfstream Park offers a July 3 fireworks display, a $17.76 All-American buffet; live music and will give away three Jeeps.
The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has a fireworks display at 9 p.m. Friday, as well as a laser show, strolling musicians and a DJ at Center Fountain. The casino will give away $1,776 every hour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, then have $20,000 grand prize drawings at 7 p.m. each day. The poker room will have an Independence Day tournament at 11 a.m. Saturday. Entry is $575.
Mardi Gras will have fireworks at 9 p.m. Saturday and give away a 2010 Camaro at 10:30 p.m. Saturday. The casino also will have other giveaways and a barbecue.
Isle Casino and Racing will have an "Early Bird Sweepstakes" on Saturday, giving away $100 to 20 people starting at 11 a.m., then conduct a grand prize drawing of $500. The casino also will give away July 4 tote bags and offer up to five times its normal Players' Club points.
Seminole Classic casino in Hollywood will give away up to $500 in free play every 20 minutes from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday. If a patron is not present to collect the prize, it rolls into the next giveaway.
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Enter July 4 hot-dog eating contest at Dania Jai-Alai tag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//197.2016732009-07-01T12:48:43Z2009-07-01T16:34:42Z If you a.) like hot dogs or b.) get rained out from fireworks on July 4, then Dania Jai-Alai has a feasible option. The fronton is conducting a hot-dog eating contest, at about 8 p.m. on Saturday. It works...Nick Sortal
If you a.) like hot dogs or b.) get rained out from fireworks on July 4, then Dania Jai-Alai has a feasible option.
The fronton is conducting a hot-dog eating contest, at about 8 p.m. on Saturday.
It works like this:
The fronton is taking 12 to 20 contests to eat hot dogs (and buns) for six minutes.
"Most of these contests go 20 minutes but we figure six minutes is enough," says Lou Berdellans, promotions and events coordinator at the fronton. The person who eats the most gets $250; second prize pays $100.
Berdellans has a couple of contestants lined up, but will put you up for the title if you bring at least 10 friends, he said.
"I want people who have cheering sections," he said. The event will be held when whatever jai-alai game going on at 8 p.m. ends. There will be two paramedics on duty, he notes.
Meanwhile, he also has some Dania-style giveaways to just anyone who walks in: TNT fireworks from the store down the road; two kitchen sink sundaes from Jaxson's; gift certificates to Grandpa's restaurant; four $25 gift cards and jai-alai memorabilia.
The fronton also will draw names to try to hit the jai-alai wall with a serve. Do it and you get $100. If you go to the sports card and memorabilia show from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, you get an extra drawing entry for every $20 you spend.
For info, call 954-927-2841 or email jaialou@betdania.com.]]>
Flying ELVI touch down at Seminole Coconut Creektag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//197.2016282009-06-30T19:02:35Z2009-07-01T13:57:12Z Our casinos may not be Vegas-style, but our entertainment sure is inspired by Sin City. The “Flying Elvi”, a 10-member skydiving team first featured in the 1992 movie, Honeymoon in Vegas will jump July 3 (unless the weatherman ignores...Nick Sortal
Our casinos may not be Vegas-style, but our entertainment sure is inspired by Sin City.
The “Flying Elvi”, a 10-member skydiving team first featured in the 1992 movie, Honeymoon in Vegas will jump July 3 (unless the weatherman ignores our pleas to Don't Be Cruel) at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek.
They'll make a jump of 5,000 to 12,000 feet just before sunset to kick off the casino's Independence Day weekend.
The Las Vegas skydiver show includes smoke trails, pyrotechnic fireworks, and precision maneuvers. An over-the-top “Elvi” stage show will follow the sky dive, according to the casino.
Free-falling for up to 9,500 feet at speeds ranging from 120 to 160 mph, the Flying ELVI -- dressed in complete Elvis Presley outfits -- are serious daredevils with an average of more than 2,000 jumps each. All of them are U.S. Parachute Association Pro rated; they also have Elvis' approval, according to their site.
Their business took off after the movie, when they called themselves "the Flying Elvises," since tweaking their name. I just remember Sarah Jessica Parker fawning to Nicolas Cage: "You jumped out of a plane for me!" Aww.
The Elvi in some ways are a continuation of GM Steve Bonner's air fetish: he's given away space flights, painted a target on the roof for space debris to fall on and had "Dinners in the Sky" promotions. Can't say the guy's feet are planted firmly on the ground...
Meanwhile, the casino will hold a barbeque from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. July 4; cost is $7.77.
Seminole Casino Coconut Creek is east of State Road 7 (U.S. 441) and north of Sample Road at 5550 NW 40th Street. Call 954-977-6700.
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Updated: More on Ebony Kenny, winner at Hard Rock Summer Opentag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//197.2015202009-06-30T14:10:43Z2009-06-30T14:27:06ZThis is a story about re-entries, chops and a poker player who hopes her luck is changing. Ebony Kenney, 27, prevailed in the main event of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Summer Open Poker Series June 22. Here's...Nick Sortal
Ebony Kenney, 27, prevailed in the main event of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Summer Open Poker Series June 22. Here's the story.
Kenney, who lives in Estero, near Fort Myers, had played poker full-time for two or three years, including some World Series circuit events, but took a break for about eight months after a long losing streak.
"I enjoy poker so much, but just hit a bad slump," she said. "I couldn't win a race."
A single mother of two, she recently earned her real estate agent's license, and came to the Hard Rock with three friends to play in the tournament, which has two opening days. She used to player there some, especially in $500 single-table tournaments before more players switched to cash games.
She got knocked out on the first day of the main event. But the tournament allows those knocked out on the first day to re-enter on the second day, something most tournaments don't allow. (It's written in state gambling rules, but the Seminoles don't have to comply with the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering.)
"I had not heard of tournaments doing that before, but I said 'What the heck,'" she said.
So she surived her second "Day One," and was in 49th place out of 50.
"But then I just hung on, and caught a couple of hands," she said.
She was among the two top chip leaders when the field narrowed to about seven. They agreed to divide the pot -- a "chop" in poker parlance -- with Kenney and one other player getting a little bit more. (She took home $54,230 in the tournament, which had 182 entries/counting some people twice. Entry fee was $1,100.)
To determine the trophy-winner, the choppers each drew a card, and Kenney and the other leader were allowed to draw two, to more fairly weight the chop.
She got the ace of hearts, and a king of hearts kicker.
And the trophy.
Now she's in Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker. She busted out of a $1,500 event on Monday but hopes to play in the main event this weekend. She's cobbling together a backer or two to cover part of the $10,000 entry -- common practice in the poker world.
The "other" poker that goes on during WSOP can be just as lucrative, players note, and that's part of Kenney's plan. She's playing the $300 tournaments that aren't associated with the WSOP, and perhaps that will also help bankroll her.
"I'm in Vegas, and playing poker," she says. "You never know what can happen."
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Isle promotions for Julytag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//197.1997242009-06-30T10:07:43Z2009-07-01T22:19:48ZThe Isle Casino Pompano Park promotions include a golf bag mystery sweepstakes and Mercedes C300 giveaway and slot tournaments: Every Sunday in July is the "everyone wins" Sizzling Summer Free Slot Tournament from noon- 6 p.m. Over $20,000 in IslePlay...Nick Sortal
The Isle Casino Pompano Park promotions include a golf bag mystery sweepstakes and Mercedes C300 giveaway and slot tournaments:
Every Sunday in July is the "everyone wins" Sizzling Summer Free Slot Tournament from noon- 6 p.m. Over $20,000 in IslePlay will be awarded each week.
Every Thursday in July, earn five times points from 9 a.m.– midnight. The points can be redeemed for food and at the retail shop.
On Saturday, July 4, 11, 18 and 25, enter the $2,500 IslePlay Sweepstakes at 11 a.m. Swipe your IsleOne card at the kiosk and receive an entry for the 11 a.m. drawings when 20 winners will receive $100 in IslePlay. The grand prize of $500 will be awarded to the 21st name drawn.
From noon - 5 p.m. on July 18, it’s the $25,000 Golf Bag Mystery Sweeps. Two winners will be selected to choose four numbered golf balls at the top of the hour. The order in which the balls are chosen will represent the total amount of the cash prize. At 5 p.m., one lucky winner will draw to win the $10,000 cash prize. Plus, all participants putt for an additional $2,500 in cash.
On Friday, July 31, from 6-10 p.m., enter to win a Mercedes C 300 and a share of $10,000 in IslePlay. Earn two times entries every Monday in July; earn three times entries on Tuesdays and four times entries on Wednesdays.
Meanwhile, the Isle buffet will offer a 2-for-1 Italian dinner night every Thursday in July for $17.95. It includes antipasto, pizza, pasta, carved beef and desserts.
Gulfstream party is July 3tag:blogs.trb.com,2009:/entertainment/news/gambling/blog//197.1968122009-06-29T12:04:35Z2009-06-29T12:18:29Z Gulfstream Park’s Independence Weekend fireworks show returns July 3, and this year it features a $17.76 All-American buffet; live music and a three-Jeep giveaway. The buffet will be served in Gulfstream Park’s 1,000-seat Ten Palms on the second floor,...Nick Sortal
Gulfstream Park’s Independence Weekend fireworks show returns July 3, and this year it features a $17.76 All-American buffet; live music and a three-Jeep giveaway.
The buffet will be served in Gulfstream Park’s 1,000-seat Ten Palms on the second floor, which overlooks the fireworks display.
The menu includes traditional Independence Day fare, such as hamburgers, hot dogs, ribs, corn on the cob, baked beans and apple pie.
Meanwhile, the tiki huts in the Jameson Jockey Club will host two 45-minute sets from the popular local artist Davie Rey and will also be the setting for the giveaway of three Jeep Libertys.
Ten Palms will be open at 4 p.m.; the music starts at 6:30 and the fireworks begin at 9:15.
A Weston man is the overall chip leader after two days of play in the World Series of Poker Main Event.
Amir Lehavot, 34, finished Day Two in Las Vegas late Wednesday night with 610,500 chips, tops among the 2,044 remaining players.
Lehavot was born in Israel and arrived in the United States at age 16. Before playing poker for a living, Lehavot worked as an engineer, specializing in design, he told WSOP officials. He lived in San Francisco before moving to Weston, and has the online poker handle of AmirSF.
The World Series of Poker is poker's most popular event, and ESPN tapes the play, edits it down and shows the action the rest of the year.
Lehavot recently started a poker website (with strategy content) at www.pokerwit.com. The site contains Lehavot’s comments about key hands he played at various times during the WSOP.
"It feels great. But I have played in a lot of tournaments and I know. There is a long way to go and it does not necessarily mean that much (to be chip leader) at this point. It's nice, but there is still a long way to go," he said on the site.
Lehavot has survived the opening days in two prior WSOPs, but failed to cash. He says his goal goes beyond cashing, and you can't blame him: First prize is $8.5 million.
"If I cash, it is really not life-changing for me," he said. "I am looking to go deep."
To get the whole field seated, "Day One" consisted of four separate days, each lasting about 12 hours; "Day Two" was held Tuesday and Wednesday, also for about 12 hours.
The players are off today and resume Friday.
Players started with 30,000 in chips, and Lehavot was down to 7,000 on Day One, before catching a card on the river when he was beaten to stay alive -- a "suck-out" in poker lingo.
He wasn't the chip leader most of Day Two, but 30 minutes before it ended, "I had a huge hand," he said, and gained 250,000 when he was dealt a pair of threes and then one came up on the flop.
"Most of my chips came from that one pot," he said.
Note: I did a quick Sun-Sentinel archive search and got nothing, and a Google showed a couple of minor cashes, and that he has patented two things. So, again, I'm at the mercy of the South Florida poker world: Anybody know him?
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11-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth made another grand entrance into the Main Event at the World Series of Poker.
Last year, Hellmuth came adorned as General George S. Patton, rolling into the Rio parking lot atop an army tank. This year, the “Poker Brat” was carted into the Rio while sprawled out across a special platform carried by several centurions, according to the WSOP's Nolan Dalla.
Hellmuth, decked out as Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, made his way into the Rio as flocks of scantily-clad “servants” threw rose petals on the ground. When Hellmuth finally assumed his throne on the ESPN stage, hundreds of poker fans engulfed the area. Then he gave this interview with WSOP media:
Question: Last year it was Patton. This year, it’s Caesar. Why Caesar?
Hellmuth: We are just having as much fun as we can have. Caesar was one of the ideas on our list. We actually talked about me being a gladiator or Caesar, and even Uncle Sam was an idea we wanted to do. We just decided on Caesar. You know that Caesar is going to be the main theme at WSOP-Europe. When you do Caesar, you want to do him big and you want to do him right.
Question: How did you think things went today – with your grand entrance on the red carpet? And how many girls were with you?
Hellmuth: I thought it went great. They hired a hundred models is what I heard. And, having the girls with the body paint is just really fun. I mean, c’mon, how often do you see girls with just body paint on?
Question: What do you think about when you see hundreds of fans, with cameras and lights following your every move?
Hellmuth: Part of it is adoration. Part of it is curiosity. And some people still don’t like me. So, there is surely a mixture of people that are out there. If you are too into the fans and adoration and the world thinking you are the greatest, then you do not perform well. So, being in character as Caesar is just fun. When I shot a television commercial and dressed up in this, I got so into character, I really thought I was Caesar. They have me lying there, with girls all over me and rose petals and food all over the table. Caesar is just such a unique individual. Here we are talking about him over 2,000 years later.
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Question: Are they going to be talking about Phil Hellmuth 2,000 years from now?
Hellmuth: I don’t think so. Maybe a hundred years from now, yes. I need to put some more records up. The more records you put up, the longer they talk about you.
Question: Do you think this entrance was about fame or infamy?
Hellmuth: Both. It’s both. I think the majority of the world thinks this is pretty cool and fun. But there are some that say that it’s not right, the Phil Hellmuth is too self-promoting. But I think this is great for the sport of poker. It’s great for the World Series of Poker. And, it’s great for me.
Question: Phil, you played extraordinarily well last year. But you busted out in disappointing fashion. What are your expectations for this year?
Hellmuth: I happen to be playing the best poker of my life. Right now. Today. I might make the final table. I don’t care what the mathematicians say. The field is too big, or whatever. I might make the final table. When I make this entrance, it really gets to me. But when I sit down, it’s a different game. I have to be Phil Hellmuth and I have to win.
Question: So, will Phil Hellmuth’s grand entrance at the WSOP be a recurring spectacle every year from now on?
Hellmuth: Absolutely. Next year, my plan is to be Gambit (a fictional character from X-Men). If not Gambit, we will come up with something else. Maybe it will be Uncle Sam. We’ll see.
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If you a.) like hot dogs or b.) get rained out from fireworks on July 4, then Dania Jai-Alai has a feasible option.
The fronton is conducting a hot-dog eating contest, at about 8 p.m. on Saturday.
It works like this:
The fronton is taking 12 to 20 contests to eat hot dogs (and buns) for six minutes.
"Most of these contests go 20 minutes but we figure six minutes is enough," says Lou Berdellans, promotions and events coordinator at the fronton. The person who eats the most gets $250; second prize pays $100.
Berdellans has a couple of contestants lined up, but will put you up for the title if you bring at least 10 friends, he said.
"I want people who have cheering sections," he said. The event will be held when whatever jai-alai game going on at 8 p.m. ends. There will be two paramedics on duty, he notes.
Meanwhile, he also has some Dania-style giveaways to just anyone who walks in: TNT fireworks from the store down the road; two kitchen sink sundaes from Jaxson's; gift certificates to Grandpa's restaurant; four $25 gift cards and jai-alai memorabilia.
The fronton also will draw names to try to hit the jai-alai wall with a serve. Do it and you get $100. If you go to the sports card and memorabilia show from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, you get an extra drawing entry for every $20 you spend.
For info, call 954-927-2841 or email jaialou@betdania.com.]]>
Our casinos may not be Vegas-style, but our entertainment sure is inspired by Sin City.
The “Flying Elvi”, a 10-member skydiving team first featured in the 1992 movie, Honeymoon in Vegas will jump July 3 (unless the weatherman ignores our pleas to Don't Be Cruel) at Seminole Casino Coconut Creek.
They'll make a jump of 5,000 to 12,000 feet just before sunset to kick off the casino's Independence Day weekend.
The Las Vegas skydiver show includes smoke trails, pyrotechnic fireworks, and precision maneuvers. An over-the-top “Elvi” stage show will follow the sky dive, according to the casino.
Ebony Kenney, 27, prevailed in the main event of the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Summer Open Poker Series June 22. Here's the story.
Kenney, who lives in Estero, near Fort Myers, had played poker full-time for two or three years, including some World Series circuit events, but took a break for about eight months after a long losing streak.
"I enjoy poker so much, but just hit a bad slump," she said. "I couldn't win a race."
A single mother of two, she recently earned her real estate agent's license, and came to the Hard Rock with three friends to play in the tournament, which has two opening days. She used to player there some, especially in $500 single-table tournaments before more players switched to cash games.
She got knocked out on the first day of the main event. But the tournament allows those knocked out on the first day to re-enter on the second day, something most tournaments don't allow. (It's written in state gambling rules, but the Seminoles don't have to comply with the Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering.)
"I had not heard of tournaments doing that before, but I said 'What the heck,'" she said.
So she surived her second "Day One," and was in 49th place out of 50.
"But then I just hung on, and caught a couple of hands," she said.
She was among the two top chip leaders when the field narrowed to about seven. They agreed to divide the pot -- a "chop" in poker parlance -- with Kenney and one other player getting a little bit more. (She took home $54,230 in the tournament, which had 182 entries/counting some people twice. Entry fee was $1,100.)
To determine the trophy-winner, the choppers each drew a card, and Kenney and the other leader were allowed to draw two, to more fairly weight the chop.
She got the ace of hearts, and a king of hearts kicker.
And the trophy.
Now she's in Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker. She busted out of a $1,500 event on Monday but hopes to play in the main event this weekend. She's cobbling together a backer or two to cover part of the $10,000 entry -- common practice in the poker world.
The "other" poker that goes on during WSOP can be just as lucrative, players note, and that's part of Kenney's plan. She's playing the $300 tournaments that aren't associated with the WSOP, and perhaps that will also help bankroll her.
"I'm in Vegas, and playing poker," she says. "You never know what can happen."
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