Tying Up Loose Ends

From time to time, we all need to have what I call a "miscellaneous topics" theme that addresses lots of different subjects. In this column, I will try to update you on many activities involving the poker industry.

World Poker Players Conference: Mark your calendars for the 2002 WPPC, which will be held July 5 at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Many of the industry's top players will address the attendees in this second annual event. Details and an itemized schedule will appear in a future column.

World Poker Industry Conference: The seventh annual WPIC has been scheduled for July 16-17 at The Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Cardroom managers and casino executives should plan to attend this valuable conference featuring poker-related topics for management. A brochure with details on the conference will be available soon.

Casinos Europa Celebrity Challenge: More than 270 Americans traveled to San Jose, Costa Rica, in February to participate in a five-day poker tournament. Players were treated to outstanding hospitality during their visit. Many took advantage of nonplaying time to explore the beautiful country of Costa Rica on tours to such places as the rain forest, volcanoes, coffee plantations, jungle cruises, spas, beaches, and fine restaurants. The second annual Linda Johnson Celebrity Challenge is scheduled for June 25-30. The comp policy will be as follows: 30 hours of play – free room, food, and beverage; 40 hours – $100 rebate on airfare; 50 hours – $200 rebate on airfare; 60 hours – $300 rebate on airfare. For more information about this event, E-mail me at [email protected], or call the U.S. marketing office for Casinos Europa at (702) 256-5914.

Bellagio to Host Poker Tournaments: The poker world is abuzz about the new tournament schedule at Bellagio. Nine tournaments have been announced, one per month, with buy-ins ranging from $3,000 to $10,000. Satellites will be held a week prior to each event. "It is my pleasure to announce that Jack McClelland has joined the poker room staff at Bellagio. Jack will be directing the single-event tournaments throughout the year," said Bellagio Cardroom Manager Doug Dalton. The next tournament will take place May 27-31, and it will be a no-limit hold'em event.

Tournament Rules: I recently attended an Omaha eight-or-better tournament at Ocean's Eleven in Oceanside, California. Tournament Director Star McCormick did an outstanding job of running the event. During her announcements, one rule caught my attention: "There will be no discussion of a hand while the hand is in play. Players not involved in a hand have an obligation to protect active players by not divulging pertinent information during the hand." Wow, great rule! This rule should be standard in all cardrooms.

Oasis Open Poker Tournament: The Oasis Resort Casino in Mesquite, Nevada, has announced plans for a five-day poker tournament to be held May 17-21, with buy-ins in the $50 to $120 range. Jan Fisher has been selected as the tournament director. There will be a free buffet for tournament players, as well as a $15 room rate. As a special bonus, players who play in all five tournaments will get a free room for five nights at the Oasis. Mesquite is about an hour's drive north of Las Vegas.

Alaska Poker Cruise: The date for the Card Player Cruises 2002 poker cruise is June 16-23. Sailing round-trip from Seattle, the ports of call include Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, Haines, and Victoria, BC. This cruise aboard Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Sky will feature freestyle cruising, meaning there will be no required formal dress nights, no assigned dining tables, and a choice of meal times and restaurants. For more information, see the website at www.cardplayercruises.com, or call (888) 999-4880.

Humanitarian Award: I am concluding this column with a story about a special lady and her special gift to a friend. Steve Strauss, a prop player at Ocean's Eleven, began experiencing kidney failure a few years ago. Shortly thereafter, Kori Tallman began work at Ocean's Eleven as a food server. Kori learned of Steve's dismal future, which required dialysis three days a week, and immediately volunteered to donate a kidney to him. Steve thought she was kidding, but she was determined to help and underwent months of testing to determine if she would be a compatible donor. This resulted in the transplant on March 13.

Kori is a single mother of two children, Dillon (7) and Carrissa (12). She stated that her belief in God and her solid Christian beliefs made the decision to give the gift of life an easy one. Kori has endured her own health problems and is a cancer survivor.

Steve is in awe of this unselfish gift, and admits that the decision would be difficult, at best, for the average person. The recovery period for the donor is about six weeks. Without receiving the new kidney, Steve would have spent much of the remainder of his life on dialysis. I visited with Steve three weeks after the transplant and he looked great. It looks like the operation was a big success. Ocean's Eleven should be proud of having such a giving employee as Kori.

Now, let's play poker!

For information about Card Player Cruises, the World Poker Players Conference, the World Poker Industry Conference, Party Poker, or poker in Costa Rica, please contact me by E-mail at [email protected], or call the office at (888) 999-4880.