Action

Hard Rock casino: Free drinks on Friday

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:26:52 -0500

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, which added blackjack last year, is temporarily adding another feature prevalent in the world’s most popular casinos: free drinks. Slots and blackjack players can have wine, beer and cocktails at no charge from noon to 4 a.m. Friday and July 24. The Hard Rock, off State Road 7 north of Stirling Road in Hollywood, is expanding on its recent Ladies’ Night promotion with free drinks, Public Relations Manager Ryan Rogers said. “Now it’s something the guys can take advantage of as well,” he said. Dania Jai-Alai’s poker room started giving drinks away about eight months ago to those playing cash games. The Seminole Casino Hollywood “Classic” has offered them for about two months. Slot areas at Gulfstream Park, Mardi Gras and the Isle — regulated by the state — are not allowed to give away drinks because of a state statute designed to discourage players from using a machine for hours at a time. One part of the rules states that slot players can’t get any breaks on alcoholic beverages that no one else gets. So, the question: How important is free drinks to you at a casino? Will it get you to go there more?

Hard Rock starts rewards program for poker players

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 11:22:02 -0500

The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has started a Poker Dollars Reward Program that rates players based on play time and offer incentives. It started July 1. Players can obtain a Poker Player card in The Poker Room at Seminole Paradise. When a player is seated at a jackpot eligible game he gives give his Poker Player card to the floor attendant. Poker Dollars are accumulated according to time played at a specific limit of play. i.e. (50 cents per hour at $2-$5 and $5-$10 no-limit games and 30 cents per hour at all other games). When a player wants to use his Poker Dollars, a voucher will be issued that is valid for 24 hours. Poker Dollars accumulated will be valid for a one-year time period. The Poker Room at Seminole Paradise will keep an updated list of where Poker Dollars vouchers will be redeemable. Poker Dollars are presently redeemable for the Hard Rock Cafe, The Rock Shop, Poker Room Deli and participating food outlets and Shops. See the Poker room for more details. As fars as I know, the Isle is the only other South Florida card room with givebacks for poker players. Know of any others?

Boynton Beach dog second in national photo contest

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 10:15:24 -0500

A Boynton Beach woman's dog finished second in a national contest held by the American Greyhound Track Operators Association. JoAnn Rodriguez's Blaze (the light brown dog looking right at you) was among the winners in the association's "Night of Stars" pet photo contest. The winners were shown simultaneously at tracks across the country, including at Palm Beach Kennel Club. Blaze placed second in the "individual overall" category. Rodriguez, who is active in Greyhound Pets of America, a pet adoption program, said she and her boyfriend adopted Blaze about three years ago. "He’s just brought so much joy to our life; he gets me to go outside and walk, sometimes up to a mile," she said. "You just look at him and it puts a smile on your face." "Joe Marlin," owned by Elizabeth Paquette of West Palm Beach, earned fourth place. "The Gang (below)," owned by Sonia Stratemann of Loxahatchee, won the group contest, with "Sam and Kent, owned by Robin Shepett of West Palm Beach in second. “Sandy” (Robert & Madeline Meixner, Port St. Lucie, the gray dog with the cat) won "Sweetest," with runners-up including "Kit and Diceman" (Elizabeth Ferguson of Stuart) and "Archie" (Amber and James Bergdoll of Delray Beach). There'll be another contest next year. For contact the Palm Beach Kennel Club's publicity office at 561-683-2222, ext. 125.

Wednesday morning WSOP update: Schaffel moves up to fifth

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 11:06:33 -0500

Kevin Schaffel is now fifth in the World Series of Poker main event, and there's only 27 players still left. That means he has a better-than-average chance to (shhh!) reach the final table. A final table at the World Series of Poker would make Schaffel, of Coral Springs, a media star. ESPN follows you, blogs and poker magazines tell your story and, oh, you'll win at least $1 million. The World Series plays down to the final table today, then delays the rest of the action until November to a.) give it some build-up and b.) air all the play leading up to the final table. (If you're new to all this, poker is a bear to edit for TV, with tons of dead time. So it's difficult to show 'live.') Meanwhile, Ryan Fair of Fort Lauderdale busted out at No.31, but he can't feel too bad: he earned $253,941. Plus, Tuesday he was at ESPN's "featured table," meaning he'll get some air time. He went all-in with ace-king, against Jeff Shulman's king, and didn't get an ace on the flop, turn or river. Darvin Moon leads with 20 million chips, and Phil Ivey is in fourth with 11.3 million, just ahead of Schaffel's 11.2 million. Average stack: 7,215,555 Schaffel has lived in Pembroke Pines, Weston and Coral Springs in recent years, is 51 years old and is divorced with two children, according to poker web sites. He also was a pretty good golfer a few years back, according to our clips, just missing out on the club championship at Eagle Trace and being in the running for the U.S. Mid-Amateur qualifying.

Dania $40,000 tournament sells out; Davie man declared the winner

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 07:25:39 -0500

Angelo Miele Jr. of Davie was declared the winner of the largest poker tournament in the history of Dania Jai-Alai Saturday night. He was the chip leader, when the 10 players at the table agreed to chop the remaining prize money. They each got about $4,000 (Miele got a little more and a winner's bracelet). Next in line were: Jeff Justinak of Fort Lauderdale; Nigel Murray of Miami, Glen Maiolini of Davie and Carl Delprete of Delray Beach. Dania officials said they were taking a risk by offering a $40,000 guaranteed prize pool, but the event sold out the 250 seats by 8 p.m. Friday. “But I was confident the entire way that this would be the most successful tournament we ever had," said Dania card room employee Paula Lettiere. Dania Jai-Alai officials are already making plans to offer the event, again, in a few months, maybe even making it a quarterly tournament. Meanwhile, they announced that there will be a new $150 tournament with only a $5 house fee. It's at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 1. Also, Dania Jai-Alai will feature another Dan Le Batard Celebrity tournament at 8 p.m. July 22. Entry is $50.

Updated: Coral Springs man sits No. 16 as World Series of Poker narrows

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:57:12 -0500

Looks like we're down to two from Broward-Palm in the World Series of Poker, but they're in good shape. Kevin Schaffel of Coral Springs, who has been among the leaders since the tournament started, completed Day Five on Sunday in 16th place, with 2.1 million chips. The field, which started with 6,494, is down to 185 players. Ryan Fair of Fort Lauderdale is in 46th place, with 1.3 million chips. 5 p.m. Monday Update: Schaffel has slipped to about No. 30, losing 250,000 chips; meanwhile Fair is at ESPN's "second featured" table, meaning he'll likely get some air time when the telecast hits in a couple of months. And the field is down to 145. Schaffel has been playing in the World Series just as poker started to grow; his biggest cash was in the 2004, WSOP, when he earned $60,000 for finishing 40th. Matthew Waxman of Parkland got his fourth cash of this year’s Series, finishing with just shy of $200,000 in prize money. He came in 399th, after his pocket jacks were called by an A-K and an ace hit the board. He earned $27,469. Day two chip leader Amir Levahot of Weston busted out in 226th after he bet his 364,000 stack with K-J and ran into pocket aces. He took home $32,963.

Sunday update: Steven Feren cashes in World Series of Poker

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 08:41:30 -0500

Looks like Steven Feren, the Broward circuit court judge, met his goal. He finished in the money at the World Series of Poker . He came in 472nd, earning $25,027. As I posted below, he won the seat in a charity event, then made it through Friday and into Saturday before being eliminated. "I'm very happy," said Feren this afternoon, from the Los Angeles airport. He's returning to work Monday. "This is something I have wanted to do for a long time." Feren entered Saturday play in 633rd place; 648 of the remaining 789 would cash. "I tried to conserve my chips, and I just kept my ahead above water," he said. "Meanwhile, it seemed like someone was dropping every 45 seconds." He'll give $2,500 to the Boys and Girls Club of Hollywood, he said. He won the seat -- which normally costs $10,000 -- in a Boys and Girls Club charity event in spring 2008, when he was mayor of Sunrise. He then deferred playing in the 2008 WSOP because he was busy running for judge. Meanwhile, other Broward-Palm players still alive as of Sunday's start are: Kevin Schaffel, Coral Springs, in 17th, with 1.2 million chips; Amir Lehavot, Weston, in 169th, with 472,000; Ryan Fair, Fort Lauderdale, 250th, 307,000; Matthew Waxman, Parkland, 286th, 252,000. They're kind of getting shorted in my print story for Sunday (sorry, guys!) but I'll write a new update them on Monday morning. Also cashing: 507th: Kenneth Weiner, Wellington, who won $23,196; 552nd: Terry McKerchie, Davie, $23,196; 571st: Kyle Brown, Fort Lauderdale, $23,196

Steve Feren survives Day 3, gets closer to cashing at World Series of Poker

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:15:39 -0500

Broward Circuit Court judge Steven Feren is one day closer to meeting his goal at the World Series of Poker. He sits in 633rd place after play ended late Friday night, Vegas time. The top 648 finishers get paid. There are 789 players left in the tournament, which started with more than 6,000 players. Feren entered Friday's field of 2,044 remaining in the top one-third, and apparently has hung on. (It's real early out there, so no way I'm calling him, and I'm going to be away from the computer until tomorrow.) Feren has 104,500 chips, down from the 108,000 he started with. (See post below for full story.) Meanwhile, Amir Lehavot of Weston, who entered Friday as the chip leader, slipped but is still in good shape. He's in 128th, with 387,000 chips. The new South Florida leader is Kevin Schaffel of Coral Springs, with 649,000 chips. He's in 24th place. Play will likely tighten up today as players on the bubble of making the money will throw away marginal hands, hoping those around them get knocked out. Play slows down so much that as the "bubble" approaches, they play only one table at a time, to cut out the stalling. More info at www.WorldSeriesOfPoker.com.

Want all the Florida players left in WSOP?

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:36:44 -0500

Ante Up Magazine took the time to troll through all the results, and has them. (I'd like to have done it, but in this case, I'll just thank them and move on to the next story.) In addition to Amir Lehavot from Weston, the chip leader, two other South Floridians are in the top 100: Kevin Schaffel of Coral Springs at No. 40; and Matthew Waxman of Parkland at No. 72.

Broward judge Steven Feren makes Day 3 at World Series of Poker

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 09:51:59 -0500

The World Series of Poker — the one you see on ESPN — makes stars out of people who play their cards right. If his luck holds up, you might be seeing Broward Circuit Court judge Steven Feren. He has done quite well so far. Feren will sit down at the World Series main event’s third round today in the top one-third (No. 667) of the 2,044 surviving players. Starting field: 6,494. “I’m thrilled,” said Feren, who was a Sunrise mayor for 12 years before become a judge this year. (He also was a commissioner and state legislator.) “So many great pros are out and I’m still here.” Feren, who is burning his vacation time, didn’t tell many people he was going to Las Vegas. He didn’t want to open his mouth, then get sent home early. A main event entry costs $10,000, but Feren is playing on house money: He won a seat in a charity event. “I’d never spend $10,000 of my own money to play,” he said. Feren made news earlier this year when he asked the city to bump the $200-a-month health insurance check for retiring city leaders up to $350 a month, to match what the city’s general employees get. He makes $145,080 as a circuit court judge. He won the seat in a Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County charity tournament in spring 2008. But he was busy running for circuit judge, so he deferred until this year. Feren’s goal today is to finish in the money. That’ll be the top 648, and pay at least $20,000. “To be in the poker records for all time, to me that would mean something,” he said. If he cashes, he’ll give a portion to the Boys and Girls Club — after he clears the unexpected expenses of staying in Las Vegas longer. “I really didn’t expect to make Day 3,” he said.

Eclipse champion Indian Blessing out of Rooney Stakes at Calder

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:09:28 -0500

By Tom Jicha Calder’s Summit of Speed has lost one of its Eclipse champions and a Hall of Fame jockey. Trainer Bob Baffert told the Daily Racing Form that he is not sending champion female sprinter Indian Blessing to the Grade 1 Princess Rooney on Saturday because he fears a positive post-race drug test. Indian Blessing had a hind leg infection after her last race. Baffert told the DRF he treated the ailment with penicillin, which contains procaine, a prohibited drug for racing. Baffert said Indian Blessing is doing fine but his vet warned it is possible the medication has not fully cleared her system and might cause a positive drug test. This could result in loss of purse and a suspension for Baffert. Baffert, who will be inducted into racing’s Hall of Fame next month, will still have starters in two under card stakes, Wall Street Wonder in the Grade 2 Carry Back and Underground in the Grade 3 Azalea. However, with Indian Blessing not making the trip, Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, who was scheduled to ride Baffert’s runners, decided to stay home in California, too. Baffert did not immediately name replacement riders. The Summit of Speed offers seven stakes, four graded, all at sprint distances. Champion male sprinter Benny the Bull is scheduled to race in the Grade 2 Smile Stakes, which he won last year. The full story is at the Daily Racing Form (www.drf.com), which requires registration.

Weston man leads 6,494-player field in World Series of Poker Main Event

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:54:54 -0500

A Weston man is the overall chip leader after two days of play in the World Series of Poker Main Event. Amir Lehavot, 34, finished Day Two in Las Vegas late Wednesday night with 610,500 chips, tops among the 2,044 remaining players. Lehavot was born in Israel and arrived in the United States at age 16. Before playing poker for a living, Lehavot worked as an engineer, specializing in design, he told WSOP officials. He lived in San Francisco before moving to Weston, and has the online poker handle of AmirSF. The World Series of Poker is poker's most popular event, and ESPN tapes the play, edits it down and shows the action the rest of the year. Lehavot recently started a poker website (with strategy content) at www.pokerwit.com. The site contains Lehavot’s comments about key hands he played at various times during the WSOP. "It feels great. But I have played in a lot of tournaments and I know. There is a long way to go and it does not necessarily mean that much (to be chip leader) at this point. It's nice, but there is still a long way to go," he said on the site. Lehavot has survived the opening days in two prior WSOPs, but failed to cash. He says his goal goes beyond cashing, and you can't blame him: First prize is $8.5 million. "If I cash, it is really not life-changing for me," he said. "I am looking to go deep." To get the whole field seated, "Day One" consisted of four separate days, each lasting about 12 hours; "Day Two" was held Tuesday and Wednesday, also for about 12 hours. The players are off today and resume Friday. Players started with 30,000 in chips, and Lehavot was down to 7,000 on Day One, before catching a card on the river when he was beaten to stay alive -- a "suck-out" in poker lingo. He wasn't the chip leader most of Day Two, but 30 minutes before it ended, "I had a huge hand," he said, and gained 250,000 when he was dealt a pair of threes and then one came up on the flop. "Most of my chips came from that one pot," he said. Note: I did a quick Sun-Sentinel archive search and got nothing, and a Google showed a couple of minor cashes, and that he has patented two things. So, again, I'm at the mercy of the South Florida poker world: Anybody know him?

ANOTHER $1 million raffle winner in Palm Beach County

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:13:32 -0500

When the Firecracker Millionaire game rolls around next year, and if you live in Palm Beach County, you should think about playing it. It certainly has been lucky. A second winner -- of only seven in the state -- surfaced Wednesday to claim a $1 million prize. He's Ernest Vasiliou, 50, of Lake Worth. Vasiliou purchased his winning ticket at Publix, located at 5970 S. Jog Road in Lake Worth, the Lottery said. I wrote earlier this week about Kristen Gallant, 35, of Greenacres, who was among three $1 million winners to come forward late Monday afternoon. Rather than try to match numbers, the Lottery guaranteed seven $1 million winners on July 4. It's the state's fifth annual millionaire raffle. The two others announced were James Kenneth Bush, 50, of South Daytona, and Stephen Quinley, 35, of Jacksonville. In the regular Florida Lottery, some weeks might yield a winner, and some might not. But in a raffle, winners are guaranteed. A limited number (750,000) of tickets, at $20 each, were sold to make the prize pool. The odds of winning $1 million were 1-in-107,143. The game also was set up to have nine $50,000 winners, 11 $5,000 winners and 1,000 players with $500. The winners announced Wednesday also included Peggy Socha, 57, of Largo and Kenny Ferrer, 33, of Deltona. There's still one unclaimed ticket, sold on U.S. 19 in the town of Holiday.

Hard Rock goes Twitter/Facebook: But bookmark me, too

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:34:00 -0500

As a servant to the public -- meaning I try to report things that make your life better -- I feel it is my duty to break this news: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is now online with Facebook and Twitter, according to a casino news release. The casino says its Facebook Fan Page (www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com/facebook) gives fans "the direct scoop on concert and sporting event on-sale dates, celebrity appearances and more." Also "the site features exclusive photos and video footage from a variety of events at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hard Rock Live and Seminole Paradise clubs, restaurants and special events." Examples: visits from Kim Kardashian, Motley Crue, Juan Luis Guerra, Pamela Anderson, Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez. There's also a lineup of all Hard Rock Live concerts and events plus view rare footage from additional special engagements. And current casino promotions for Seminole Players Club members and last-minute hotel room deals. Seminole Hard Rock’s Twitter feed is at www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com/twitter. They'll tweet out casino, poker, food and drink specials, last-minute hotel deals and of-the-minute happenings on the casino floor, they say. (The bad news, if you're like me, is you follow 300 people, and the Tweets get overwhelming. Gotta learn to filter.) They also have RSS feeds at www.seminolehardrockhollywood.com and www.hardrocklivehollywoodfl.com. Now, all that is well and good. It's clearly great marketing -- the idea is to reach people via the media they are most comfortable with. But I'd suggest because I see the world through a journalist's eye (and hopefully that of an everyday South Floridian) you also bookmark Sun-Sentinel.com/action and diligently read me. One click a day, say during your lunch time, and you're covered.

Mardi Gras seeking no-limit players, starts $500 high hand bonus

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:51:59 -0500

The unofficial home for low-limit poker is South Florida is undergoing changes. “We’re gearing ourselves more toward no-limit players,” Mardi Gras Gaming’s Wil Herrera said. Among the incentives: a $500 bonus for the highest hand at 6 p.m. weekdays in the casino’s no-limit poker games. And high hand promotions from 10 a.m. to midnight every day, with the prizes doubled if they hand comes during a no-limit game. Located near a handful of high-rise condominums in Hallandale Beach, Mardi Gras continued to draw patrons interested in playing poker that required as little as a $1 bet, even after the state raised the stakes in July 2007. Herrera, who took over as senior director of poker operations at Mardi Gras this spring, said he is trying to change the clientele to improve the casino’s revenue. (The house rakes in a percentage of each hand played.) A first attempt – 18 tournaments with buy-ins of under $50 and a $145 tournament at 11:30 a.m. on Sundays – debuted April 13, but didn’t draw interest. Herrera said he has modified the tournaments, making them deeper-stack events. Attracting more no-limit players is difficult because neighbors Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Gulfstream Casino & Racing and even Dania Jai-Alai already have pieces of that pie, he said. That’s where the $500 promotion comes in. “I figure if players are going to play no-limit in one place or another, they might as well do it where they can win another $500,” he said. He also has adjusted the options for limit players. After briefly discontinuing the least-expensive poker game available – which had a maximum bet of $2 – the casino now offers it if there is player interest. There are also $25 and $50 one-table winner-take-all tournaments for lower-stakes players, and a “$2-$5 spread” limit game, meaning players can bet $2, $3, $4 or $5, which has fared well. “You have much more flexibility and control because what you bet can either entice players to call or push them out,” he said. Overall, the action has swung from being mostly low-limit to slightly more no-limit, he said.