Major tournament poker in Las Vegas ended last week at the Binion’s when the Binion’s Poker Open held the final event. I stopped by the joint on Wednesday for the final table of the final event but quickly learned that I could stay but the camera had to go. Apparently the poker tournament staff at Binion’s has decided to try another approach to marketing their events…no publicity. That should keep the players staying away by the thousands. A good follow on to this latest marketing tact would be an unlisted phone number to Binion’s Poker Room. Rumors heard on the boulevard are saying Binion’s might not be able to keep the doors open much longer.
Before the camera was booted I did manage to get a couple of quick shots of Eskimo Clark at the final event and am most happy to report he is alive, well, and considering he had most of the chips his game is also doing well. I recall the health problems Eskimo suffered during this year’s WSOP which were serious enough to send him to the hospital. We were all concerned for his welfare so it was a pleasure last week to see him playing, winning, and looking fit.
A tiny glimmer of light may finally be flickering in the dark tunnel that has trapped Internet poker this past year. Doyle’s Room has reopened in the US and is now accepting US players. Poker players that had a Doyle’s Room account and moved to Full Tilt can reactivate their pre-existing DR accounts. All US players, with some exceptions–see below, are welcome to open new accounts. The site has redesigned it’s tables for a faster game and a much more player friendly interface. If you’re one of those lucky people like me and live in Las Vegas you’ll not be welcomed at Doyle’s Room. Nevada is one of 11 states restricted from play. The other are Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin.
Some good news from a respected source follows the PPA’s jaunt into DC to lobby for the return of Internet poker or at least get a reprieve for poker because it is a game of skill rather than random luck. Professional poker player Barry Greenstein is reporting he believes it is only a matter of time before the thirty million US citizens that played Internet poker before the passage of the UIGEA legislation may once again (and legally this time) play their favorite game. Greenstein believes it may be sooner rather than later, perhaps as early as the first half of 2008.