Mansion Poker Introduces the Poker Dome to Las VegasMayor Oscar Goodman Unveils New Poker Experience at Neonopolis |
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Wednesday, May 24, 2006 (Las Vegas, NV) - MANSION Poker COO David Kinsman is in Las Vegas this weekend to introduce Americans and the world to "speed poker," an exciting and unique way to view and play the game. Kinsman (shown here) believes that after fans and participants experience the Poker Dome, with its stadium seating, fast-paced action, and spectator-friendly arena, they'll finally lay to rest the question of whether poker is a sport.
It appears Kinsman has the eyes and ears of more than just fans and participants. The mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman, is behind the project that promises to breathe life into the historic downtown Fremont Experience, with the Poker Dome making its home inside the Neonopolis, over the next three years.
MANSIONPoker.net and FOX Sports will introduce the Poker Dome Challenge, with its new format, model, and arena. Players will compete within a soundproof room, followed closely by several cameras. Completely isolated from the audience members, these six players will vie for the $25,000 in prize money. A separate theater house will allow spectators to witness the live action on 12 plasma screens, knowing each player's holecards, while monitoring their chip counts and heart rates. Players will have 15 seconds to act, lest their hand be declared dead, bringing them either closer to the prize money or the rail.
The Poker Dome Challenge will run as a 43-week series, broken up into six seven-week blocks. Six preliminary heats, each six-handed, with one winner ($25,000) from each will determine the semifinal round. The semifinal will be played every seventh week. The winner from each of the semifinal rounds will pocket $50,000, and qualify for a seat into the grand finale. Those winners will vie for $1 million during the final round, which will take place on March 17, 2007.
Australian Keith "Bendigo" Sloan invented the speed poker format. "We have the best blind structure in speed poker," said Sloan. "Blinds will increase every 20 minutes, and the whole thing shouldn't go longer than five rounds." He adds, "This is really the most exciting way to determine the best all-around speed poker player."
Each speed-poker event will run between 1.2 to 1.4 hours.
On Wednesday night, MANSIONPoker.net and FOX Sports' Poker Dome will host an evening of festivities at the Venetian's TAO nightclub, where Executive Vice President of FOX Sports George Greenberg, Mansion Poker's Chief Operating Officer David Kinsman, and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman will cut the ribbon on the 43-weekend sporting event. They'll also host a celebrity charity poker tournament going on inside the lounge.
The Tropicana Hotel will host the first of several events on Saturdays, until construction is complete at the Neonopolis. FOX will air the edited version every Sunday. Fans are encouraged to participate in what David Kinsman describes as "a new Las Vegas poker lifestyle."
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