Hustler Casino's Grand Slam of Poker, and Bellagio Changes

I was very busy last month and didn't have the chance to see Larry Flynt get roasted at Hustler Casino. From what I heard, it was hilarious. I did, however, have the opportunity to fly to L.A. for the championship event. I arrived at the casino a few hours before the tournament, and played a one-table satellite. I usually play a one-table satellite before a big no-limit tournament if I haven't played no-limit in a while. It gives me the opportunity to work on a few things before the real event, and there is always the chance that I can win and cover my buy-in. However, I went broke on the third hand, and didn't accomplish anything except blow $300.

I immediately bought in to the $3,000 no-limit championship. A total of 94 players entered, which meant first place would be a little more than $112,000. I was pleasantly surprised when I sat down and there was $10,000 in chips in front of me instead of $3,000. Typically, big buy-in events are dollar for dollar. I was playing pretty well, not getting involved, when I lost most of my chips on what I thought was a good value bet, but I was wrong. Oh well, these days there are so many events, I can try again in a few weeks. On the bright side, there was a winner. Charlie Shoten, a relatively new no-limit hold'em player, beat out a final table of Tab Thiptinnakon, Tony Ma, Howard Lederer, Randy Holland, Stephen Wolff, Freddy Deeb, Phil Hellmuth, and Levi Rothman. Good job, Charlie!

Everyone I talked to about the Grand Slam of Poker tournament events said that Warren Karp and Jimmy Miller did an excellent job of running them, and that the tournament was a real class act.

Oh, yeah, you might be wondering who was the best all-around player, and if he chose to appear in an issue of Hustler magazine. Well, George Rechnitzer won, but he chose to take the cash.

After I busted out at the Hustler, I drove back to Las Vegas with Andy Bloch to play in Bellagio's pot-limit hold'em event the following day. Andy is the typical MIT/Harvard Law graduate - a nerd. Actually, he is a great poker player, and the king of comps at the casinos. He taught me quite a bit about pot-limit hold'em on the ride. In fact, he was so successful that I lasted almost as long as I did in the one-table satellite at the Hustler. Thanks for nothing, Andy. In the tournament, the final five players were Rada Miller, Erik Seidel, Tom Jacobs, Curtis Bibbs, and winner Todd Brunson. I was at Todd's table for a while, and he played great. Congrats, Todd!

Bellagio has cancelled its monthly tournaments because many players have a tough time getting to Las Vegas for only a few days. Instead, Bellagio will host the 10-day Five-Star Poker Classic, Dec. 2-11, with buy-ins ranging from $500 to $3,000 for the championship event.

Welcome aboard to new columnist Rolf Slotboom, whose column "Ace Speaks" makes it debut in this issue. Enjoy.