POKERDOME
The mansionpoker.net Poker Dome Challenge began on May 28, 2006, and continues to run for a total of 43 weeks, culminating in a winner-take-all final table with a grand prize of $1 million. Each week, six players vie for $25,000. The contestants qualify for one of the 216 available spots by winning daily freeroll tournaments held online at mansionpoker.net. Online qualifiers receive all-expenses-paid trips to Las Vegas (plus $500 in casino credit and other amenities). The winner of each weekly preliminary round takes home the $25K and advances to the semi-finals. When six preliminary rounds have been played, one semi-final round occurs. The winner of that pockets $50,000 and advances to the finals. Six semi-final winners play for the winner-take-all million-dollar first prize. The game is Texas hold 'em, and if you thought that watching a poker game could get boring, think again. This one a fun to watch, and moves at the speed of light, or so it seems. There are a lot of innovations here...one is the time limit for decisions: 15 seconds to check, bet, call, raise, or fold. This is speed poker, which has also been called "the NASCAR of poker." The players can see the countdown clock and they must act before all the lights flash, otherwise they forfeit the hand. If a player is slow enough to forfeit five hands, he has to sit out for five minutes. Each player is entitled to one 30-second extension for tough decisions. Other wrinkles: The Poker Dome Challenge has been called arena or spectator poker. The game takes place in "the world's first custom-designed poker arena." Two hundred audience members sit in stadium-style seats in the converted theaters, overlooking the sound-proof one-way-glass "dome": The audience can see in, but the players can't see or hear anything outside the dome. Think of it as a biosphere for gamblers. The poker table is ultra-high-tech and the audience is privy to all kinds of inside information, displayed in real time on 13 giant plasma monitors. The main screen shows the whole table, while each player has two dedicated screens. One of those shows a constant close-up of the player; the other reveals his hole cards and chip counts. The poker chips are embedded with radio-frequency identification (RFID) sensors, so the players chip counts are updated after every bet. In addition, instead of cameras revealing players’ hole cards, the cards themselves use RDID sensors, which means that the spectators know what cards the big blind holds even before the player does. And in an unusual touch, the player screens display their heart rates. The players are hooked up to vital-sign monitors and the beats per minute are exhibited via a telemetry link. (Think of the publicity if a player actually has a heart attack during the game.) Obviously, a lot of money has gone into the production values of the TV show. FOX has a three-year lease on the dome set and mansionpoker.net is obviously committed to the format. The stage boasts a couple dozen cameras and the control room reportedly contains 80 monitors. It's an MTV-generation production for sure, with the hectic pace of play, quick cuts and jumps and edits, and tons of graphics whizzing by. To attend a taping of the show is easy. It happens on Saturdays and Sundays at 5 PM. Tickets are free. Go to www.TVTickets.com and print out your tickets right there. PUSSYCATDOLLSPARTYMAGIC
SANDIEGOMAGIC I walk into the lobby in San Diego, and it is pure elegance. There is marble and glass everywhere, very plush, and modern. We quickly zip through the check-in process, the Marriott Hotel and Marina, and off we head to our suite, which I am told, will look out at the Pacific Ocean. It does. We walk into this room, a funny shaped space, with floor to ceiling windows looking out at San Diego Harbor, and the open sea beyond it. I slide the doors to the balcony open, and from up high, the 19th floor, I step outside and stare out at the beautiful scene stretched out before me. I can smell the ocean, and see the lights from the boats sparkle from below. Directly below I am looking at this amazing pool area, with waterfalls and unique free-formed pool shapes, surrounded by palm trees and little nooks and seating areas, and a fire pit where people are seated around, smoking, drinking, talking, laughing, and watching card tricks. I can just barely hear the low dim of voices and the sound of the ocean, it is pure beauty. What a fantastic view. Instantly relaxing on so many levels. This will be our home for the week, as Jan is the featured speaker at the closing session for a huge nurse’s convention this week. I am here as the spouse, the guy who has to do nothing more than enjoy the view, soak up the vibes of this Oceanside resort, and keep Jan relaxed and happy for her gig. I haven’t taken a break in months, and after the hectic December, which is always filled with end of year events and private performances, I am more than ready to unplug, even if only for a few days. I brought my computer; the laptop is packed neatly in my briefcase, and guess what? I had big plans, ambitious designs on what I would accomplish while away from my office, my home, and the business and hustle of Las Vegas. I did none of it. I never even once unzipped my bags; the laptop never came out from its hiding place. Instead, I read a book, I ate, I lounged by the pool, walked along the pier, smoked a few Cuban cigars, sat in the hot tub…it was a rare time for me to do nothing... I even shut off my cell phone, if you can image such a thing. People that needed to reach me knew how, but the rest of the world was kept at bay for a bit, and believe me, it was important and necessary. I unplugged from the world for a grand total of 4 days, and although it was not nearly enough, it was a great getaway, and left me completely relaxed and ready for the upcoming week which would require me to perform in Denver in a few days, so I took advantage of this little break to recharge the batteries and get my head clear. Jan was fab; they loved her, standing ovation, as usual. We celebrated after her speech, at a local restaurant that sits on a pier on top of the water, watching the fish jump and people zip along in the dark in little boats, as we toasted her success, and the New Year that had only just begun. What a great way to begin the year. If this past couple of weeks is any indication, 2007 is going to be a grand experience. DENVERMAGIC Flying into Denver in the winter is never really fun, and this flight was no exception. Every week, for the past 3 weeks, the Mile High City has been hit with huge, nasty snow storms, and this was no exception. How we landed on the runway with zero visibility is beyond me, but my hats off to the Captain. I love Denver, the people, the scenery, the small town feel of a booming city. Years ago, I played there for several months, as the opening act for a series of headliners in a big night club called Turn of the Century.Among the many acts I had the pleasure of working with; Bill Cosby, the Temptations, Charo, Carol Channing and the Mills Brothers. Great memories. This time, I was the featured speaker for the Rocky Mountain Bean Dealers Association. We spent the weekend in in the area, enjoying the cold, the snow, the wind, and the fabulously elegant hotel, called the Brown Palace, which is the jewel of downtown Denver. MOVIEMAGIC This is our second installment of 2007 and one that will continue as long as movies keep coming out, and unless we hear otherwise, we can only assume you are enjoying our mini-reviews and suggestions. Here's the last 3 films I caught. I'd recommend you see them all, unless you hated Rocky, then skip Stallone's predictable flick... Children of Men It's been called Blade Runner for a new generation, and I agree. Breathtaking to watch, the cinematography is off the charts, and Julianne Moore is great. The man who almost was Bond, Clive Owen is also captivating in this sometimes downer-of-a -tale that takes place in the year 2027, in and around London, at a time when most of the world's citizens have been wiped out, and those that remain seem destined to die off soon, leaving the earth with no humans in the near future. Casino Royale Every time I see this title I can't help but think of the tacky little casino and motel that sits on the Las VEgas strip next to Harrah's and across from the Mirage. It is so out of place, and odd looking, whch basically could be referring to this film. I liked it, and if you are bond fan, you will, too. Daniel Craig was not my first choice, and he is definitely a wierd selection for the man we all want to look like Sean Connery. But Craig carries the movie, and brings a whole new layer of complications to the character. Good script, great action sequences, and less gadgets. Hey, two out of three ain't bad. Rocky Balboa Stallone doesn'[t need the money, but he obviously needs the attention that this movie is generating for him and this lovable character from Philly. Adrian is gone, (contract dispute) but Pauly is back, hamming it up as only Burt Young can do in his snide, negative way. The script is full of cliches, but its entertaining and it's fun watching Stallone try to keep a straight face as he inhabits the character of Rocky. Go see it, eat lots of popcorn, cheer during the end, that's what movies are all about. EMAILOFTHEWEEK "I heard that they are going to blow up the Stardust. Is that true? If so, when is it happeni?" - Mark Dedario, Minneapolis, MN Sad, indeed, the Stardust is slated for implosion, the latest in a long line of famous hotels that have been reduced to dust over the years. I walked through it recently (it's been closed for weeks now) and everything inside is being removed. Anything that is not ties down, that is, in order to reduce the amount of debris that will be left when the joint comes down.
The plan is load it up with carefully-positioned explosive
charges and sometime in mid-March, between the hours of 2
and 3 AM, someone will push a little red button and
poof...another piece of history will be gone forever. The
exact date is still not known, but we will let you know as
soon as we have a confirmation so we can all meet up across
the street from it and have a viewing party. Steve |
