Goodbye to 2005

As I write this column, the year isn't quite over yet, but my deadline for this first issue of 2006 has come and gone. It's a good thing that beloved Card Player Editor in Chief Steve Radulovich has a sense of humor. This brings me to my first New Year's resolution: Steve, I promise that I will try to have my columns in on time in 2006.



2005 was a very good year for poker, as we saw tremendous expansion in existing cardrooms, and new cardrooms appeared to open around the country on a regular basis.



Tournaments with $10,000 buy-ins became a routine part of the World Poker Tour. Participants in the World Poker Tour were blessed with travel opportunities to Nassau, Tunica, Los Angeles, PartyPoker's cruise to Mexico, Bay 101, Reno, Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Aruba, and Connecticut. And the Professional Poker Tour was born, adding five more events to the travel schedule.



Card Player Cruises hosted more than 3,500 poker players on five different poker cruises to Mexico, Alaska, Europe, and the Caribbean. Cruising is certainly a favorite pastime for me, so I didn't object to going on these five cruises, as well as another half-dozen "inspection" cruises.



The World Series of Poker moved to a new venue at the Rio Hotel. This didn't hinder attendance at all, as a record number of participants showed up to play in each event. The championship event was so large that the first session was broken into three different days, with all participants playing on one of the three days, and then the remaining players convening on the fourth day.



Charity poker events became very popular as a viable means to raise money for worthy causes while enjoying the great game of poker. Some of the biggest names in the poker industry participated in fundraisers for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, various disaster relief funds and local food banks, and the AIDS Walk, to name just a few.



People ask me if I get tired of traveling, and the answer is a definite no. I love to travel, why else would I have flown to Japan for the Japanese Poker Championship, been a hostess at the Oasis Open in Mesquite, Nevada, and taught WPT Boot Camp at Commerce Casino and Foxwoods? I even got to visit a new cardroom run by Mike Gainey during my visit to Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, New York. And I'll be going back there at the end of January for a big poker tournament.



As you can see, there are lots of travel opportunities available for the adventurous poker player. Resolve to play in at least one cardroom that you haven't previously frequented in 2006.



If you are planning to visit Las Vegas in the near future, here are my personal picks for "Best of 2005" in Las Vegas-area cardrooms/casinos in several different categories:



Best valet parking attendants: Mirage



Best high-limit action: Bellagio



Best tableside food service: Wynn Las Vegas



Best steakhouse: Texas Station (Austin's)



Best show: Ka (MGM)



Best coffee shop: Golden Nugget



Best brunch: Bally's



Best poker room snacks: Aladdin



Best lounge music: Orleans



Best late-night food specials: Gold Coast



Change of subject … Congratulations to poker dealers John and Jennifer Gumroyan on the grand opening of their new restaurant, Greek Bistro. Located near Sunset Station (behind the Gold Rush Casino) in a shopping area, the Greek Bistro offers tasty Mediterranean-style food (hummus, kabobs, Greek salad, baklava, and so on) Good luck with your new venture, John and Jennifer!



By the time you read this, the ball will have dropped and we will be in 2006. I wish all of you a happy, healthy, and

prosperous new year!



Now, let's play poker

Linda is available to host poker events, corporate nights, and poker seminars. She can be contacted through her websites at http://www.cardplayercruises.com/ or http://www.lindapoker.com/.