Industry Happenings

California

Lake Elsinore Hotel and Casino … will be sending 42 players to the 2006 World Series of Poker. All of these players won their WSOP seats and two-day hotel stays by finishing first in one of the casino's $25 buy-in WSOP qualifying tournaments. Recent winners include Russell Cockrell, Kendall Kim, Kevin Whitten, Brad Adams, Manny Blanco, Kevin Brock, Jerry Peterson, Brian Salfrank, Willie Valencia, and Akram Farhat. All 10 of these players will be playing in event No. 27, which starts on July 18.

Eric Herber was the winner of the recent WSOP main-event qualifying tournament. Herber bested a field of 131 players to win his seat. The second WSOP main-event qualifying tournament will be held on Saturday, July 15 at 7 p.m. The WSOP main-event package includes a hotel room for 10 days. The qualifying tournament buy-in is $100 plus a $10 entry fee, with no rebuys.

Ocean's Eleven Casino … The very popular Poker & Ponies tournament will be held on Sunday, Aug 13. The buy-in is $250 and includes an afternoon in a sky box at the Del Mar Racetrack, a catered lunch, and horse handicapping tournament. After the races, players will return to Ocean's Eleven for dinner, followed by a no-limit hold'em tournament. Space is limited and this event is always a sell-out. Advance reservations are required. Contact Ed Briggs or Star McCormick for reservations.

The ongoing Racing for Dollars $500,000 cash giveaway promotion has reached the halfway mark, with just under $250,000 left in the prize pool. There's still time to turn hours played in any poker game into cash rewards, which range from $50 to $5,000.
The California Ladies State Poker Championship is being held Friday, Sept. 22 through Monday, Sept. 25. There will be four separate events, including a LIPS Tour event. This year will feature a Western-hoedown theme.

Normandie Casino … is now spreading pure blackjack, Vegas-style, with 3-2 payoffs for blackjacks, 52 cards, nothing wild, no jokers, and a progressive jackpot. Every Thursday, a pure blackjack tournament is held with a $5,000 guarantee and $25 buy-in plus $5 entry fee. Qualifying rounds are held 4 p.m. - 8 p.m. The top eight players advance to the final table after the qualifying rounds, and are in the money.

Players can play with Johnny Chan no-limit hold'em and high-limit poker games. The casino is now hiring house players. Inquire about the Johnny Chan Invitational Poker Tournament. Sundays at 11 a.m. feature a poker freeroll tournament; Sundays at 3 p.m., a no-limit hold'em tournament with a $3,000 guarantee ($15 buy-in, $10 entry fee, rebuys and add-ons); and Saturdays at 3 p.m. and Sundays at 5:30 p.m., a pai gow poker koi card tournament with a $2,000 guarantee and $5 koi card points.

Players can win a share of $156,000 in the Sizzling Saturdays Cash & Car Giveaway. A 2006 Cadillac XLR will also be given away. Showroom events: Sean Healy Presents PM Dawn on Saturday, July 22; Sean Healy Presents Sen Dog of Cypress Hill on Sunday, July 30; and Sean Healy Presents Beatnuts on Sunday, Aug. 6.

Club Caribe … A no-limit hold'em poker league has started with free enrollment. More than $10,000 will be awarded in the final tournament, and there is no buy-in. There are three divisions, the top 75 players will play in the final tournament, and the winner of each division will play in a $1,000 head-ups no-limit hold'em freeroll match.

Hawaiian Gardens Casino … Recent weekly tournament winners were Paul Lui ($4,690, no-limit hold'em), Vishal Manier ($5,040, no-limit hold'em), Eddie Hamilton ($15,730, two no-limit hold'em events), Billy Lewis ($20,300, no-limit hold'em), Chellie Campbell ($4,800, no-limit hold'em), Eduardo Aguilar ($5,690, no-limit hold'em), Lorenzo Olivarz ($4,390, no-limit hold'em), Antonio Tolentino ($4,590, no-limit hold'em), Robert Campbell Jr. ($4,840, no-limit hold'em), Keith Danmur ($10,340, no-limit hold'em), Walter Myers (WSOP entry plus $240, WSOP entry freeroll), Tony Plinio ($4,890, no-limit hold'em), Jeffrey Orman ($6,600, no-limit hold'em), Anthony Deluca ($5,540, no-limit hold'em), and Dimon Campbell ($5,890, no-limit hold'em).
Scanning began on July 3 for Omaha and July 10 for limit hold'em. Anyone with 100 hours or more of play will qualify for the $50,000 Omaha and the $150,000 limit hold'em tournaments in October. See any customer service representative for details.
A $7,000-guaranteed ladies no-limit hold'em tournament will be held at noon on July 22. A free buffet will be provided for all entrants. The buy-in is $65 and there is one $50 rebuy.

The next $60,000-guaranteed no-limit hold'em no-rebuy tournament will be held on Saturday, Aug. 12 at 2 p.m. Satellites will be available beginning on Thursday of that week. The entry fee is $340. Satellites will be $40.

Pechanga Resort and Casino … Tonya Lastoskie recently won a seat in the ladies' event of the World Series of Poker. She bested a field of nearly 60 ladies in the casino's June ladies'-only no-limit hold'em tournament. She also won $1,375 in additon to the seat.

Mississippi

IP Hotel and Casino, Biloxi … is running an Aces Cracked Gets a Rack (lose with pocket aces in hold'em, receive $100) promotion from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., on the following dates in July: 12, 17-19, and 24-26. Additional information is available in the casino.