Las Vegas Poker News

photo courtesy Greasiewheels.com

On Friday, Dec. 12, the new poker room (er, lounge) at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is holding a Poker Jingle tournament, where the winner receives a $10,000 seat into next year's World Series of Poker.

Buy-in is $200+30, with proceeds benefiting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Southern Nevada.

Poker employees unite!

Sahara is holding poker tournaments exclusively for the other side of the poker community -- journalists, authors, dealers... if you've been paid for contributing to poker, you're eligible.

Tournaments are all no-limit and are capped at 110 players with 20 alternates. They begin Dec. 1, with sit-n-go satellites the day before.

The winner of the main event on Dec. 4 receives an engraved trophy.

Tourney schedule:

Nov. 30 beginning at 1 p.m.: single table satellites, winner receives $20 and entry to Main Event.

While we have Caesars Palace on the brain, they're also offering a fun Monday Night Pro Football promotion.

Every Monday during this football season, Caesars will splash a pot every time a team scores.

If a team scores, a table will be drawn randomly and chips will be added to the pot. Suddenly The Hammer (72o) is a playable hand!

Every time a team scores a field goal, $50 will be splashed.

Every time a team scores a touchdown, $100 will be splashed.

And, every time a team scores a safety or 2-point conversion, $200 will be splashed.

If you have $20,000 to spare, you can enter the televised 2009 NBC National Heads-Up Championship at Caesars Palace,

Or you can try to win one.

Caesars is holding a $50,000 freeroll on Feb. 22, 2009 at 11 a.m. First place wins cash plus a seat into the championship.

All you have to do to qualify for the freeroll is play 50 hours in the poker room in January 2009 (tournaments don't count).

Prize structure:

We stopped by Silverton yesterday and had a glimpse of the $160 million Grand Opening that's soon to come -- just the center Light Bar, garage, and Johnny Rockets need final touches.

The new poker room, however, is operational and located in the new section of the casino next to the 1500-car garage a la Wynn Las Vegas. Nice not to have to trek through the casino to get to the poker room.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

The Tropicana poker room will close in a week.

A quick decision that not even the 19 poker employees were aware of, staff was informed late last week about the Nov. 30 closure.

Thanksgiving blues getting you down?

If you're in Vegas over Thanksgiving -- even Turkey Day itself -- how about a poker tournament?

Golden Nugget runs their Grand Fall Classic Poker Series from Nov. 24 through Nov. 30, with 7 events, only one of which is no-limit! (Fear not, $125 no-limit tournaments run twice daily at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. with 8000 chips and 30-minute levels.)