The week was quite eventful for poker enthusiasts who were in Las Vegas for the 2014 World Series of Poker. The numerous poker players who descended upon the city might have to rethink their Las Vegas poker playing strategies. They will find out that a prominent poker room has been closed, but a newly renovated one has opened in its place.
In this version of the Nevada Online Poker Review, we’ll update you on the properties involved in this poker room shuffle, as well as the latest news from the 2014 WSOP at the Rio from the past week.
We will also review the latest online tournament results in Nevada, investigate the influence of the WSOP on online poker traffic figures, and offer information about Ultimate Poker’s most recent promotional offer for its customers in Nevada.
Sorry for the reference to the Gilligan’s Island theme song, it’s been on my mind as I get ready for my journey to Martha’s Vineyard tomorrow. Now, relax and allow me to narrate a story…
Palms shutters poker room
The Palms Poker Room in Vegas, known for its upscale and user-friendly environment, has always received high praises from the most selective local players. However, like all good things, it has come to an end. The Palms Poker Room has seen a downturn in the past few years after enjoying a prosperous period. John Mehaffey from USPoker.com, a dedicated fan of the room, stated that the venue struggled to maintain its player base after moving within the casino.
Mehaffey explains that the Palms shutdown is merely the most recent in a series of closures across Vegas in the past year.
Fortunately, the shutdown of the Palms was offset by the recent reopening of the poker room at Caesars Palace, which looks incredible.
Caesars Palace reopens renovated poker room
I’m once again enlisting John Mehaffey’s help for this story. John was exclusively given a behind-the-scenes tour of the new room located next to the sports-book. He even took about a dozen pictures, which you can view here.
The spacious poker room, boasting 16 tables, ranks among the largest in Las Vegas. It serves as an excellent choice for poker enthusiasts looking to steer clear of busier hubs like Bellagio, Aria, or the Venetian.
#WSOP2014 Updates
Given the sheer volume of stories emerging from the WSOP, it’s simply not feasible to provide comprehensive coverage, especially when I’m penning just about 100 words each week. As such, I’ll be guiding your focus towards a handful of the more impactful stories from the last week.
The penalty given to Matusow triggers the first ethical debate of the 2014 WSOP.
If you didn’t catch it, this is what transpired during Week 2 of the World Series of Poker.
Weekly Guaranteed Tournaments in Nevada
WSOP Main Event Satellite
The WSOP’s arrival in town naturally stirred enthusiasm among online satellites, which started to intensify. The past weekend saw the highest participation to date, with 65 players entering the tournament, all vying for a seat in the Main Event. This increase in registration led to the establishment of a prize for both first and second place.
- Tommasera holds a $10,000 seat at the WSOP Main Event, whereas Maynardo has $3,000.
The $10K Guarantee tournament at Ultimate Poker
This week, Ultimate’s weekly guarantee drew the attention of 94 runners, leading to a nearly $1,500 overlay for those participating.
$15k Chase the Dream
If you enjoy overlays, you would find Ultimate Poker’s Chase the Dream tournament series ideal (details on Chase the Dream are provided below). Last week, the tournament saw 107 participants each contributing $25, leading to an overlay that surpassed $12,000!
- Limpkin $5,000
- whaassuuppp $5,000
- Other Level $1,500
- WhiskeyNeat $1,000
- bosilla $700
- JILLIAN $550
- floppintrips $400
- SpewArtist $250
- $Annunaki$ $150
Traffic trends in Nevada
www.pokerscout.com reports that WSOP.com has seen another rise in their average cash-game traffic over the last week, with around 150 cash-game players regularly visiting the site’s tables.
The increase in traffic appears to be due to new players, a great development for Nevada. Ultimate Poker has succeeded in maintaining their traffic numbers, which currently stand at a third of those on WSOP.com. Typically, Ultimate Poker has about 50 cash-game players.
The word on the street
Ultimate Poker wants you to Chase the Dream
Ultimate Poker has rolled out a new promotion, “Chase the Dream,” for its customers in Nevada. This offer, available until July 5, provides Nevada players with an opportunity to convert a minimal $1 into a staggering weekly prize of $10,000.
This is the company’s press release about the promotion:
“Chase the Dream” is arguably the most exciting promotion Ultimate Poker has ever launched. It features daily qualifiers and a weekly tournament, where each week’s top two winners get a $5,000 cash prize. These champions can then choose to potentially double their money by participating in a high-stakes 50/50 blackjack game at either the Red Rock Resort or Green Valley Ranch Resort. Winners at this stage will be awarded $10,000, while the less successful players will be consoled with a prize of 2,500 U-Dollars credited to their accounts.
Players can also secure a slot in the “Chase the Dream” final tournament apart from the daily qualifiers through participating in Ultimate Poker’s “100% Reload Bonus.” Until June 15, players who deposit $100 or more will get a pending $100 bonus, which will be disbursed in $25 increments for every 500 XP earned. Moreover, they will be awarded a ticket to the “Chase the Dream” finale.
“Chase the Dream” is a weekly event with a reward pool of $15,000 and is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, July 5. For detailed information on “Chase the Dream”, please visit www.UltimatePoker.com.
