Nevada Online Poker Review: Palms Closes, Caesars Palace Renovated
For poker enthusiasts in Las Vegas for the 2014 World Series of Poker, the week was quite eventful. The throngs of poker players that flocked to the city may need to revise their Las Vegas poker playing plans. They will discover a well-known poker room has been shut down, but a recently refurbished one has reopened in its stead.
In this edition of the Nevada Online Poker Review, we will inform you about the properties participating in this poker room shuffle, along with the most recent news from the Rio during the 2014 WSOP over the previous week.
We’ll also examine the most recent online tournament results in Nevada, explore the impact of the WSOP on online poker traffic numbers, and provide details on the latest promotion offered by Ultimate Poker for its Nevada customers.
Apologies for the Gilligan’s Island theme song reference, it’s been stuck in my head as I’m preparing for my trip to Martha’s Vineyard tomorrow. So, sit back and let me tell you a tale…
Palms shutters poker room
The Palms Poker Room in Vegas, renowned for being one of the more upscale and user-friendly rooms, has always been highly regarded by even the most discerning local players. However, as the saying goes, all good things come to an end. After a prosperous period, the Palms Poker Room has experienced a decline in the past few years. According to John Mehaffey from USPoker.com, a staunch fan of the room, the venue couldn’t sustain its player base after relocating within the casino.
Mehaffey elucidates that the closure of the Palms is just the latest in a series of shutdowns throughout Vegas in the previous year.
Luckily, the closure of the Palms was compensated by the recent reopening of the poker room at Caesars Palace, which looks fantastic.
Caesars Palace reopens renovated poker room
I’m once again seeking assistance from John Mehaffey for this story. John had an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the newly opened room situated next to the sports-book, and even took a dozen or so pictures which you can check out here.
The large poker room, with its 16 tables, is one of the biggest in Las Vegas. It provides a great option for poker players seeking to avoid the more crowded hotspots such as Bellagio, Aria, or the Venetian.
#WSOP2014 Updates
With the WSOP consistently generating an overwhelming number of stories, it’s impossible to cover them all adequately, particularly when I’m only writing about 100 words weekly. Therefore, I’m going to direct your attention to a few of the more significant stories from the past week.
The penalty imposed on Matusow sparks the first ethical debate of the 2014 WSOP.
In case you missed it, here’s what happened in Week 2 of the World Series of Poker.
Weekly Guaranteed Tournaments in Nevada
WSOP Main Event Satellite
The arrival of the WSOP in town inevitably sparked excitement among online satellites, which began to heat up. This past weekend witnessed the highest turnout to date, with 65 players signing up for the tournament, each aspiring for a Main Event seat. This registration surge resulted in creating a prize for both the first and second place.
- Tommasera has a seat at the WSOP Main Event worth $10,000, while Maynardo has $3,000.
The $10K Guarantee tournament at Ultimate Poker
This week, Ultimate’s weekly guarantee attracted 94 runners, resulting in an almost $1,500 overlay for the participants.
$15k Chase the Dream
If you’re a fan of overlays, Ultimate Poker’s Chase the Dream tournament series would be perfect for you (details on Chase the Dream are provided below). The past week witnessed 107 participants each paying $25, resulting in the tournament’s overlay exceeding $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
According to www.pokerscout.com, WSOP.com has experienced a further increase in their average cash-game traffic over the past week, with an average of 150 cash-game players frequenting the site’s tables.
The surge in traffic seems to stem from new players, which is excellent news for Nevada. Ultimate Poker has managed to sustain their traffic numbers, now only a third of those on WSOP.com. On average, Ultimate Poker only has around 50 cash-game players.
The word on the street
Ultimate Poker wants you to Chase the Dream
Ultimate Poker has launched a new promotion for its Nevada customers, known as “Chase the Dream.” This promotion, which runs until July 5, gives Nevada players the chance to transform a mere $1 into a whopping $10,000 each week.
Here’s the company’s press release regarding the promotion:
“Chase the Dream” is arguably the most thrilling promotion ever introduced by Ultimate Poker. It includes daily qualifiers and a weekly tournament where the top two winners every week receive a cash prize of $5,000. These victors then have the option to try doubling their winnings through a high-stakes 50/50 blackjack game at either the Red Rock Resort or the Green Valley Ranch Resort. Winners from this stage will receive $10,000, whereas the less fortunate players will still receive a consolation prize of 2,500 U-Dollars credited to their account.
In addition to daily qualifiers, players can also secure a place in the “Chase the Dream” final tournament by taking part in Ultimate Poker’s “100% Reload Bonus”. From now until June 15, any player depositing $100 or more will receive a pending bonus of $100, which will be released in $25 chunks for every 500 XP earned. They will also be given a ticket to the “Chase the Dream” finale.
“Chase the Dream” takes place weekly, offering a prize pool of $15,000, and is set to finish on Saturday, July 5. Visit www.UltimatePoker.com for comprehensive information on “Chase the Dream”.
