Poker Promotions and Deals: Debbie Does Poker

Qualify for a $50,000 Freeroll at the Gold Coast. Play 50 hours of live rated poker at the Gold Coast or the Orleans poker room between Midnight April1 and 8 a.m. May 1 to qualify. Players start with 3,000 in chips and for a $5 bonus buy they will receive an additional 2,000 chips. Finals will be held at the Orleans, Tuesday, May 11 and 12.

Two flights will be held on May 11 at 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. with finalists finishing up on Wednesday, May 12 at noon. The winner will receive $15,000; second place will take home $7,500; third place will receive $5,000; fourth will pocket $3,000, and fifth place will receive $2,000. Sixth through tenth place will receive $1,000; 11-25 will receive $500, and 26-75 will receive $100. For more information see the Gold Coast ad in this issue of Poker Player Newspaper.

The 2010 WSOP Scheduled for May 27-July 17. Some things never change but that’s not the case when it comes to the World Series of Poker. The WSOP is continuing its policy of making it the most prestigious poker extravaganza available to poker players with a few major changes.


The first of 57 coveted gold bracelets will be up for grabs in this year’s May 28 opening event. A $50,000 buy-in Player’s Championship event will be the most expensive buy-in to ever open the WSOP. Players will not only be competing for the coveted gold bracelet, they’ll also be seeking the prestigious Chip Reese Memorial Trophy. The event features an eight game format made popular by the late poker legend and includes: limit hold ’em, Omaha/8, razz, 7-card stud, 7-stud/8, no-limit hold ’em, pot-limit Omaha, and 2-7 triple draw lowball. The final table will be no-limit hold ’em.

New events this year also include a $25,000 buy-in, six-handed, no-limit hold ’em, four-day event, and a $10,000 buy-in HORSE championship tournament, to go along with $1,500 and $3,000 buy-ins to the popular game.

Another first features $1,000 buy-in no-limit hold ’em events during the first five weekends of the series with two starting flights. The dates are May 29-30, June 5-6, June 12-13, June 19-20, June 26-27, and a sixth event on July 1-2.

The entire convention center at the Rio will be solely dedicated exclusively to the 2010 WSOP, with tournament tables in the 58,000 square foot Pavilion and the 38,000 square foot Amazon Room. The expanded space means more poker tables. A record 295 tables were utilized last year. This year’s configuration is still being plotted, but you can expect to see about 20 percent more tables.

Player comfort has always been a concern and this year new rules regulating the daily amount of play will be initiated. Excluding the main event, gold bracelet events will begin at noon and 5 p.m. each day, with a maximum of 10-one hour levels played for the noon starts. The 5 p.m. events will play a maximum of eight one-hour levels. Day 1 play is expected to conclude at 12:45 a.m. for noon starts, and 2:45 a.m. for the 5 p.m. starts.

For those advancing past the first day, re-starts for noon bracelet events will be at 2:30 p.m. The 5 p.m. tournaments will restart at 3 p.m., with a maximum of 10 levels each day until a champion is crowned.

The main event features two-hour levels and play begins at 12 noon each day.

Here’s some good news for nonsmokers, no more walking through a smoke screen to get something to eat. The Miranda Ballroom will be converted into a food court with a variety of popular food items for players and spectators.

Debbie Burkhead is a long time poker player, writer and the National Sales Director for Poker Player Newspaper. You may contact Debbie at PokerMs@aol.com.