Vegas Poker Scene--August 2017 Ante Up Column

Here's my newest column for Ante Up.  The link for it on the Ante Up website is here.   Remember, my contribution is embedded in the entire West Coast report.  So below is just my Vegas report.  The magazine should be in your local poker room by now.

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The $850 championship to the Binion’s Dog Days of Summer Poker Jam saw Zinoviy Pelekh of Plymouth, Mich., take home the title and $58K in late June. Jiqiang Tong of Wilton, Conn., was second ($41K) and Mixime Chilaud of France was third ($40K).

The event got off to a slow start with only 57 entries on Day 1A, but finished strong with a final number of 433 over three starting flights. The prize pool, guaranteed to be $200K, reached $318K.

When the series ended, Binion’s unveiled a new daily tournament schedule. There are two $125 tournaments Sunday through Friday, at 1 and 6 p.m.Players start with 20K chips and 20-minute levels.Registration is allowed for the first six levels and the subsequent break.
On Saturdays, the popular 1 p.m. tournament has been revised.There’s still a $10K guarantee and the starting stack remains 20K.

But the first eight levels are 30 minutes, the next six are 40 minutes and the rest of the tournament has 60-minute levels.Late entry is allowed before Level 5.

GOLDEN NUGGET: Sacha Mendelsohn of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, won the main event of the Grand Poker Series, taking home $113K.Marco Palacios of Austin, Texas, took second ($96K) and Yuk Lee of Las Vegas was third ($84K).The $570 event brought 2K-plus entrants downtown, resulting in a $1M prize pool, doubling the $500K guarantee.

PLANET HOLLYWOOD: Goliath 2017’s main event drew 1,300-plus entrants over five starting flights, resulting in a $2.375M prize pool.

Ralph Wong of Washington, D.C., won the title and $421K.The United Kingdom’s Luke Brereton received $260K for second and Las Vegas’ Anthony Spinella II earned $191K for third.

ARIA: Jon Borenstein won the WPT500, earning $230K. Joep Raemaekers received $160K and Aleksandr Gofman took home $115K.At the final table, Borenstein was down to five big blinds at one point.

The event had nine starting flights and attracted 3,500-plus players with its $1M guarantee.The prize pool exceeded $1.7M.

VENETIAN: As part of the Deep Stack Extravaganza, the Venetian offered a $10K high roller in early June.The event drew 107 players, creating a prize pool of $1M-plus. David Stamm of San Francisco won the event for $306K.Sam Soverel of Las Vegas was second ($190K) and Paul Volpe of West Chester, Pa., took third ($133K).

The October Extravaganza runs Oct. 17-22. The biggest event is a $340 doublestack with two starting fights beginning Oct. 20.Players start with 25K chips and play 40-minute levels. There’s a $100K guarantee.The rest of the schedule is filled with one-day tournaments for $200, $300 and $400.

The room revised its daily schedule as there will be two daily tournaments (noon and 7 p.m.). Monday through Thursday the noon event is a $150 event with 30-minute levels and a 12K stack.The guarantee is $9K.

Friday at noon, it’s a $200 superstack, with a 15K stack, 30-minute levels and a $15K guarantee.Saturday, it’s a $340 doublestack with 40-minute levels, a 24K stack and a $25K guarantee.Sunday afternoon is a $200 rebuy tournament that starts players with 12K chips and has 30-minute levels and a $20K guarantee. Rebuys are offered for the first six levels.
Monday evenings, there’s a $150 superstack with 15K chips, 20-minute levels and a $5K guarantee.

The Tuesday night offering is a $200 bounty event with a 12K stack, 30-minute levels and a $9K guarantee.The bounties are $50.

Wednesday night is a $125 rebuy with a 12K stack, 20-minute levels and a $7K guarantee. Rebuys are offered for the first six levels.

A $125 bounty event runs Thursday evenings with 12K chips, 20-minute levels and a $7K guarantee. The bounties are $25. Friday is a $200 rebuy with a 12K stack, 30-minute levels and a $17K guarantee. Rebuys are offered for the first six levels.

Saturday and Sunday evenings feature a $150 superstack with a 15K stack, 20-minute levels and a $5K guarantee.

MGM: The tournament schedule has been slightly revised. Every day at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. the $80 tournament features a 15K stack and starts with 15-minute levels that increase to 20 minutes at Level 10. The 11 a.m. tournament has a $2K guarantee and the 7 p.m. has a $1K guarantee.

At 2 p.m. daily and 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, a $60 turbo runs, offering a 10K stack, 10-minute levels and a $500 guarantee.

The main cash game at MGM is $1-$2 NLHE with a $100-$300 min-max buy-in.The $2-$5 game has a $200-$500 min-max and offers double the comps of the $1-$2 game. 

The room frequently changes its promos so it’s best to check with staff to see what’s offered.Recently, the room paid the three highest hands during a six-hour period (4-10 a.m. and 4-10 p.m.) $300, $200 and $100.And a progressive pyramid for selected full houses recently awarded a lucky player $12K. Special promos for specific days also have been offered.