Gambling & Casino Talk from Las Vegas to Atlantic City

East Coast Gambler



Horse Racing In New Jersey Going Private 1

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Marc

New Jersey is reforming the way they treat casinos, horse racing and the most of the Meadowlands.  The first step in this major overhaul proposal by the government in New Jersey will be to sell its ownership in horse racing venues to private businesses and become just a land owner.  If buyers can’t be found, the race tracks will be shut down.

Trainers and caretakers at New Jersey’s Meadowlands and Monmouth Park racetracks reacted with a mixture of anger and resignation today to the news that Gov. Chris Christie plans to propose privatizing the horse racing industry.

The proposal could result in the sale or shutdown of the parks.

There is no allowance for VLT’s to make the race tracks into racinos like other surrounding states.  The government must think that that there is no saving the racetracks.

3153899422 cce65f743d Horse Racing In New Jersey Going PrivatePhoto: Flickr: Monmouth Park

I’m not very into horse racing, but from what I’ve seen in NY and NJ this seems to be a dying industry.  It’s not much of a surprise to see the state run away from this challenge.

My only question is whether or not anyone could be remotely interested in buying some, or all, of New Jersey’s racing assets.  I don’t see how this can be a wise acquisition unless the buyer can get assurance that they will be allowed to add slot machines.

This is still just a proposal, so I’m curious to see what actually happens.

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World Series Of Poker Final Table Set 3

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Marc

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) narrowed the field from over 7,000 to the final table of 9.  The final table takes place and the 9 remaining players are called the “November Nine.”  Witty, huh?

Following 13 days of intense competition at the 2010 World Series of Poker(1), two North American PokerStars players have advanced to join the elite ‘November Nine’ and will compete for the $8,944,138 first prize and the title of 2010 World Series of Poker champion.  Canadian Jonathan Duhamel and American Jason Senti skillfully outplayed their competition to earn the coveted seats at the final table, and now await the November 6 final date for their next shot at the grand prize.

That’s quite a prize for the winner.  It’s amazing how far the WSOP has come from it’s small beginnings.  Here’s a look at the November Nine from the Atlantic City Weekly blog.

Seat 1: Jason Sentl

Hometown:  St. Louis Park, MN (USA)
Age:  25
Profession:  Poker Pro
Note:  This is Sentl’s first time to ever cash in a WSOP event

Chip Count:  7,625,000

Seat 2: Joseph Cheong
Hometown:  La Mirada, CA (USA)
Age:  24
Profession:  Poker Pro
Note:  Cheong won a WSOP Circuit gold ring and earned a degree in psychology from UC-San Diego.

Chip Count:  23,525,000

Seat 3: John Dolan

Hometown:  Bonita Springs, FL (USA)
Age:  24
Profession:  Poker Pro
Note:  Dolan has six WSOP cashes, including three at this year’s series.

Chip Count:  46,250,000

Seat4: Jonathan Duhamel

Hometown:  Boucherville, Quebec (Canada)
Age:  22
Profession:  Poker Pro
Note:  This is Duhamel’s third time to cash at this year’s WSOP.
Chip Count:  65,975,000

Seat 5: Michael Mizrachi
Hometown:  Miami, FL (USA)
Age:  29
Profession:  Poker Pro
Note: He won his first WSOP gold bracelet and $1,559,046 in this year’s Poker Players Championship.
Chip Count:  14,450,000

Seat 6: Matthew Jarvis
Hometown:  Surrey, BC (Canada)
Age:  25
Profession:  Poker Pro/Student
Note:  Jarvis is primarily an online player.  This marks his first time to cash in a WSOP tournament.

Chip Count:  16,700,000

Seat 7: John Racener
Hometown:  Port Richey, FL (USA)
Age:  24
Profession:  Poker Pro
Note:  Racener is one of the stars of the national WSOP Circuit, with more than $500,000 in earnings, including the 2007 Main Event championship victory at Harrah’s Atlantic City.
Chip Count:  19,050,000

Seat 8: Filippo Candio
Hometown:  Cagliari, Sardinia (Italy)
Age:  26
Profession:  Poker Pro
Note:  Candio is the first Italian player ever to make it to the Main Event final table.  He has a number of cashes at major tournaments held in Europe.
Chip Count:  16,400,000

Seat 9: Cuong “Soi” Nguyen
Hometown:  Santa Ana, CA (USA)
Age:  37
Profession:  Sales (Medical Supplies)
Note:  Nguyen is the senior player at this final table, at the advanced age of 36.  He is also the only amateur sitting among the final nine

Chip Count:  9,650,000

I don’t know any of these names, but I’ll probably take a look when ESPN TV coverage starts.

wsop chip World Series Of Poker Final Table Set

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New Jersey State Government Taking Over Atlantic City 2

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Marc

New Jersey state government is, essentially, taking over governing Atlantic City from the local government.  Horse racing, some sports and tourism will be included in this major overhaul of government.

Gov. Chris Christie will announce plans for an unprecedented overhaul of New Jersey’s troubled gaming industry Wednesday — including a complete takeover of the Atlantic City casino and entertainment district, and the sell-off or shutdown of the struggling Meadowlands Racetrack.

The Atlantic City takeover removes virtually all local control from the gaming district, from police protection to garbage pickup. At the same time the state is finally throwing in the towel on state-backed harness racing, which lost nearly $10 million last year.

More info will be coming in the next day or so, but here are some specifics on the plan.

• Atlantic City’s entertainment and gaming districts would become an independent city within a city overseen by state government. That includes the casinos, the marina, beachfront and Boardwalk areas. Those parts of the city would all be put under the administration of a state authority directly answerable to governor.

• New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority would be all but disbanded, becoming simply a landlord for the facilities it now operates.

• The Meadowlands Racetrack could be sold for a token $1, or turned into an off-track wagering facility without live horse racing. The plan also recommends that the Izod Center arena be privatized or sold.

• In addition, the state would help re-finance the long-stalled Xanadu project in the Meadowlands, enabling a new developer to take control of the garish, high-visibility retail and entertainment complex alongside the New Jersey Turnpike that many consider an embarrassment.

• Financial aid to help complete Xanadu would be contingent on changing the building’s much-hated mutli-color exterior, and requiring that it be an entertainment complex, not simply another mall.

There is so much to this plan I’m going to watch the news today and will break down individual items as I see information.  This is very aggressive and I can see potential for the state to see quick benefits, like reduction of spending from horse racing.

This may also lend insight as to why the government stepped back on their attempt at getting sports betting legalized.  Clearly there are bigger fish to fry.  I think this make my thought that sports betting will be pproached again in the future.

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Bookies – Movie Review 1

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Marc

I’d never heard about the movie “Bookies” before.  I saw that it was on IFC last month so I recorded it and held it for a rainy day.  I figured a movie about bookies can’t be all that bad.  Well, it rained today for about 3 minutes today so I decided to watch the movie.

518QZMSM9YL. SS500  Bookies   Movie Review

First thing I noticed is that Rachael Leigh Cook and the dude from Big Bang Theory were in the movie.  I don’t watch many movies, so it was cool to see actors I recognized on IFC.

into west premiere Bookies   Movie Review

Bookies” is the story about college kids who enjoyed betting on sports who realize the money that can be made and turn to the other side and decide to be the book makers.

In brief, they start raking in the cash, the dude from Big Bang Theory starts doing cocaine and going a little crazy, and they get in trouble by the guys they used to make bets with.

The movie has just about every stereotype you could imagine with people involved in illegal gambling.  In the end the problems are “taken care of” and the guys pay the consequences with their futures.  Of course, they’re young and in college and life goes on.

Bookies” wasn’t a bad movie, but it wasn’t a great movie.  Between my fondness for Rachael Leigh Cook and the subject matter, I’d watch it again if I saw it while flipping the channels.  I give this 3 of 5 stars – right down the middle.

Click DVD cover for more information or to buy

518QZMSM9YL. SS500  Bookies   Movie Review

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Week In Review 1

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Marc

Lots of action, again, this week at ECG.  Plenty of which came from the east coast, which isn’t always the case.  Hopefully Trump and Caesars get their air conditioning fixed in time for my next trip down south.

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Solo Travel – Las Vegas 5

Posted on July 14, 2010 by Marc

My trip in April to Las Vegas was my first alone.  I don’t vacation much alone, bu I decided that this trip was meant to be – friends or not. As it turned out, my buddy bailed on me.

It wasn’t until last year where I realized that solo travel was a “thing”.  I met Gray from Solo Friendly and now vegassolo on twitter and have slowly learned about it.  Gray and I even contributed our solo experiences to each others blog.

My solo trip to Atlantic City
Prepping for a Vegas Adventure

I learned a few things on this trip to Las Vegas alone.  First and foremost, Las Vegas is a great place to travel alone.  I figured that I wouldn’t have a shortage of things to do and i didn’t.  I gambled, napped, ate, laptopped, drank and gambled whenever I wanted.

Sleeping, Gambling & Drinking

Since I don’t sleep much, I’m used to gambling alone to start the day.  However, things got a little more sketchy as the day went on and as the drinks flowed.  I had a pretty awful run at 3 card poker at Planet Hollywood one afternoon, but it didn’t bother me too much as I proceeded to have way too many Grey Goose & Soda’s.  This lead to a “nap” from about 6-9pm.  I wouldn’t normally have done this if I was with friends as we probably would have had dinner planned in that time frame.  Traveling alone made this not a big deal.  I didn’t have to be anywhere and had nobody waiting on me.  That was kind of freeing.

On a related note, Earl of Sandwich is an excellent spot to get a quick bite to eat at Planet Hollywood.  It reminded me of Quizno’s.  Not bad, but not the best sandwiches on the earth.  I’m a New Yorker and nothing beats a New York deli sandwich. I’m a bit of a snob about that.

Eating

I’ve mentioned in previous trip reports that I like to share excellent meals with friends, but when I’m alone I really don’t worry about what I eat and where I eat.  This solo trip proved that as I ate at Grand Lux a lot since it was in the hotel I was staying.  The only trip I made for food was to Burger Bar, where I ate at the bar.  The other meals I had were overpriced fast food.  Never again will I allow myself to fall prey to the $15 hot dog combo at Nathan’s at the Venetian.  Which leads me to…

Planning

I was stoked to have nobody with me which lead to me not planning anything.  I’m not an over planner, but I do like to make sure I maximize a trip.  For example, my trip in December had a night planned at Wynn.  My friends and I planned a night at the casino based around dinner at SW.  Simple plans like this allowed me to get to specific casinos.  I realize that without a plan it’s much easier to be lazy about leaving home base.  For future solo trips I’ll make sure to plan things out a little.  I’m not best left to my own devices. :)

Twitter

If you follow me on twitter you know that I love to tweet.  I found twitter to be an asset for traveling alone.  I shared tales of where I was visiting or checked out special events at the casinos, stayed in touch with people I had met on twitter that lived in Las Vegas and more.  It also provided me with a fun way to walk the strip.  I stopped at every casino between Palazzo and Planet Hollywood and tweeted.  It was a good excuse to stop and take in the sites.

Overall

Overall, I had a blast solo tripping to Las Vegas and it’s something I see myself doing again.  I’ve learned a little on how to maximize my stay without adding stress.  If you need some time away from the world Vegas is a great place to explore and have a good time alone – whether you gamble or don’t.  Feel free to comment or email or tweet with any questions.  I only grazed over the trip here.

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