Vegas Poker Scene—March 2019

Here's my latest column for Ante Up.  Well, it's the version I submitted for publication.  The actual print version is probably slightly different.  They are upgrading their website and don't want to post new columns as it will delay the upgrade.  Once the new website is online, all my columns and future columns will appear there.  

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The next DeepStack Showdown at the Venetian runs March 13 – 26 and is highlighted by the first WPT event to be held at this venue.  The $3,500 buy-in tournament has two starting flights beginning March 22. There are four days of play. It's a deep structure offering 60-minute levels until 24 players remain, then the levels go to 90-minutes.  At the final table of 6, the levels revert back to 60-minutes and go to 30-minutes when heads up.  Players start with 40K in chips and have through two levels of play on day 2 to enter.  Re-entry is unlimited.  The tournament has a $1M guaranteed prize pool.

There are $400 satellites into this tournament and also $60 satellites into the $400 satellite. 

The series features two $400 DoubleStack events. The starting dates are March 15 and 18.  These tournaments have two starting flights and players get a 25K stack.  The levels are 30-minutes on day 1 and 40-minutes on day 2.  The guarantee is $100K.  A $300 Ladies event with a $10K guarantee runs March 21.

The series guarantees more than $1.5M in total prize pools.

DeepStack Extravaganza returns to the Venetian April 1 – 21.  The highlight is a $600 MonsterStack event with three starting flights beginning April 11.  Players start with a 30K stack and play 30-minute levels to start and 40-minute levels beginning with level 27. The guarantee is $200K.

There are a five starting flights for a $250 NLH event that begins April 16.  The starting stack is 15K and the levels are 30-minutes on day 1 and 40-minutes on day 2. Payouts begin on day 1, with the top 12% in the money.  The top 5% of each day 1 advance to day 2. The guaranteed prize pool is $200K. 

There are events for every budget, ranging from $600 down to $125.  Over $1M is guaranteed over the series.

In March, the cash game promo is a Random Table Sweetener.  Every half hour between 12:30 p.m. and midnight, a random table will be drawn and the house will add $25 to nine consecutive pots at the lucky table. Then from April 1 to May 19, there is a High Hand Giveaway.  Highest hand of the hour between 12 p.m. and 12 a.m. wins a minimum of $500.  However if the winner has logged more than four hours of live play that day, the prize becomes $1K.  And if the player has logged more than eight hours, the payout is $2K.

WYNN: The Wynn Classic runs through March 17.  The $1,600 championship event starts with the first of its three starting flights on the 14th. Players start with 30K chips and play 60-minute levels. The buy-in is $1,600 and the guarantee is $1M.

A two-day $3,200 NLH event starts March 13 with a $200K guarantee.

After a deal was agreed to, Joseph Beltran of Washington was declared the winner of  the $600 championship event of the Signature Series in January, taking home $46K.  Nicholas Blumenthal of Massachusetts claimed $45K for second and Stanley Buffett of California received $33K for third. The event drew 650 players, creating a $340K prize pool, easily surpassing the $250K guarantee.

BALLY'S: The WSOP circuit rolls through here March 21 – April 1.  The $1,700 main event has two starting flights beginning March 29.  One re-entry is allowed per starting flight. There is a $500K guarantee.

A $400 NLH tournament starts March 25 with all three of its starting flights on that day. This event has a $100K guarantee. 

There is a $400 PLO event on March 26 and a $250 Seniors event on March 28.  A $250 Tag-team tourney runs March 28 and a $2,200 High Roller event starts on March 31. A $600 Double Stack event starts March 24.

CAESARS: The tournament schedule has been revised.  At 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., a $100 NLH tourney is offered with a 12K starting stack, 20-minute levels and a $1,500 guarantee. At 2 p.m. and 9 p.m., it's a $150 buy-in with a 15K starting stack and a $2,500 guarantee.  A $100 tournament runs at midnight, with a 10K starting stack, 15-minute levels and a $1K guarantee.  All tournaments feature the big blind ante and offer unlimited re-entry through the first six levels. 

The main cash games are $1-$2 NLH (with a $100-$300 buy-in) and $2-$5 ($200-$1K buy-in).  Caesars is one of the few rooms in Vegas, along with Aria, Wynn and Bellagio, that has no promotions and therefore does not take a jackpot drop on its cash games.  Most rooms that take a jackpot drop are now taking $2 per pot. 

HARRAH'S: Tournaments run five times a day, at 9 a.m., 12 p.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m., and 10 p.m.  The buy-in is $65 for 10K chips, with an optional $5 add-on for 5K more. There is a $500 guarantee.  On Fridays and Saturdays, a $100 bounty tournament runs instead, with $25 bounties and the same structure.  The guarantee is $1K.  The levels for all tournaments are 20-minutes. 

The promos include high hand bonuses.  A Royal Flush earns $500, plus $50 to the other players at the table dealt in that hand.  Straight flushes pay $250 and flopped quads are worth $100.  Quads on the turn or the river pay $50.

There is a $12K weekly Players Appreciation Tournament. Player must play a minimum of 15 hours live to qualify.  Twenty hours of play earns a 50% larger starting stack for the tournament.  A $2,750 weekly "Breakfast Bounty" tournament is offered for the top 20 players in terms of hours played between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. The bounty is $25 for players eliminated 11th through 20th and a $50 for players eliminated 1st through 10th. There is a $10 entry fee for both of these tournaments.