Love Nuke

The largest global brand in Paris, Bodog, began his series of 2011 World Series of Poker qualifiers. The Texas Hold’em poker players are invited to participate in multiple tournaments with the possibility of obtaining a seat for the start of the WSOP Main Event on July 7 in Las Vegas.

For as little as $1, players can enter Bodog Poker qualifying tournaments to be in with a chance of heading to Las Vegas, playing poker in the $9,000,000 Main Event and, of course, attending the legendary Bodog parties.

“Bodog has a long history of sending player to the WSOP and we would love another of our players to take a bracelet in 2011,” says Bodog Poker Manager Nicholas Sims. “Most poker players dream of ending up in Vegas partying, with a WSOP bracelet, not to mention the millions of dollars that can be won at WSOP.”

If you think you can’t, think again. Each Bodog poker player to participate in a qualifying tournament is 1 in 25 chance of winning a seat in the WSOP. But that’s not all, all players also benefit from custom Bodog poker experience at home.

With World Series of Poker (WSOP), just over three months ago, rumors began to swirl again on the sale of Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

According to Las Vegas noted journalist and gossip monger Robin Leach on the website Law Vegas Weekly, Caesars Entertainment is “about to” announce the sale of off-Strip casino that hosted the WSOP since 2005. Leach reports that sales are a major player in the development of Las Vegas and hospitality management worldwide, the Light group. A look at the Light Group’s portfolio shows that it plays an important role in Las Vegas “nightlife” scene, but lacking in one key area.

The Light Group, which was founded by Andrew Sassoon and Andy Masi, operates many of the high profile nightspots in Las Vegas, including the Bank at the Bellagio, Jet at the Mirage, and Haze at the brand new Aria Resort and Casino. Through the development of these venues, The Light Group has been expanding its notoriety throughout Las Vegas. What was lacking, according to Leach, is the ownership of a hotel property.

Leach states that he first heard about the possibility of The Light Group getting into the casino ownership business around Thanksgiving and that they picked up steam through Christmas and New Year’s. “The buzz began when TLG owner Andrew Sassoon reportedly looked with serious interest at buying the troubled Hard Rock Hotel,” Leach wrote in his article, but he also stated that this rumor was quickly denied. He believed, however, that there was something to the rumors: “I had a hunch that I’d gotten the right information, but the wrong hotel.”

Several rumors about the sale of the Rio have been floating around since last year. In an August article on Poker News Daily, Seth Palansky, the Communications Director of Caesars Entertainment and the WSOP, denied rumors of the sale at the time: “We’ve already been meeting about the 2011 WSOP and are planning on having it at the Rio with the Main Event final table in November at the Penn and Teller Theater.”

In the same article, Caesars Entertainment Chief Executive Officer Gary Loveman also dispelled the rumors about a sale, focusing instead on how the company had been in acquisition mode rather than selling.

In a Business Week article from April 2010, rumors named two groups that were looking into purchasing the Rio. Starwood Capital Group LLC and Colony Capital LLC were among those groups mentioned, with a reported price of $500 million for the Rio. In his article, Leach reports that The Light Group has never been mentioned in any of the discussion regarding the sale of the Rio.

Opened in 1990, the Rio has been the host of the WSOP since 2005 after Harrah’s purchased the rights to the tournament and moved it from its historical base at Binion’s in Downtown Las Vegas. It features over 2,500 suites, 120,000 square feet of gaming space, and is home to top shows such as Penn and Teller.

Leach reported in his article that neither The Light Group nor Caesars Entertainment has responded to requests for confirmation of the deal. Even if the two companies deny the reported sale, Leach stands pat behind what he calls “solid rumors” that the sale is soon to occur.

Poker Daily News spoke with Vice President WSOP Ty Stewart on rumors of sale of Rio. “The company (Caesars Entertainment) decided to listen to any interested buyer,” Stewart said, without confirming the action of society. As regards the status of the WSOP, “said Stewart,” We really believe that WSOP improving every year, with more space and more amenities. We recognize the advantages and disadvantages of Rio. If we were to pass, we move to better housing. “

Former World Series of Poker (WSOP) Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack has a new gig. After parting ways with Harrah’s last November, Pollack is the new Executive Chairman of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) and will serve on the company’s Board of Directors, according to the Sports Business Journal.

Former PBR CEO Randy Bernard stepped down in February to make his way to the Indy Racing League (IRL). Pollack has already made an impact on the new company despite having little tenure. He told the Sports Business Journal, “We’ll take a fresh look at scheduling and where we hold our competitions” and added, “We may retire the title of CEO, that’s something we haven’t decided.” Pollack makes his home in Los Angeles and PBR is based in Colorado.

In addition to the WSOP, Pollack previously held down positions with the NBA and NASCAR, making him one of the industry’s top sports marketers. He once expressed his desire to have poker players competing at the annual WSOP look like NASCAR drivers, leading to the deluge of high-profile logos gracing the series’ telecasts. He joined Harrah’s in 2005 and was instrumental in serving as the primary liaison between poker players and WSOP management.

Three days following Joe Cada’s victory over Darvin Moon in the finale of the 2009 WSOP Main Event, Pollack announced that he was leaving his post. Appropriately for the new-age WSOP Commissioner, he Tweeted his final statements to the poker world: “Thank you for allowing me to be part of the WSOP these last few years. I will always be a fan and friend to the poker community.” Pollack has not made a Twitter entry since November 13th.

On TwoPlusTwo, posters reacted to Pollack’s new gig with PBR. TwoPlusTwo member “PADRE24” questioned, “Congrats to Jeff! He did a great job and will be a good rep for bull riding. I wonder if he has to wear a cowboy hat now?” Meanwhile, “Eponymous” joked, “He probably just wants to meet Jewel, who is married to one of the PBR founders.” Jewel is married to Ty Murray, who is an advisor to the PBR’s Board.

Pollack is a half-brother of Gary Bettman, the Commissioner of the NHL, and was instrumental in bringing on several non-poker sponsors to the WSOP including Sirius Satellite Radio, AOL, Milwaukee’s Best, and Planters Peanuts. The latter sponsored the “Good Instinct Moment” during WSOP on ESPN telecasts. Current WSOP sponsors include Everest Poker, Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, and Bluff Magazine.

In a December interview with Poker News Daily, UB.com pro and reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Annie Duke explained what Pollack’s departure meant to the poker community: “The community agrees that it may be bad for the players. What that speaks to, whether it’s true or not, was that he was a big friend to the players and that’s his legacy. What an amazing legacy for someone to have.”

WSOP Vice President Ty Stewart has assumed many of the front-line duties of Pollack, but no new Commissioner has been named. During the first bracelet ceremony of 2010, WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel took on the duties of awarding the piece of hardware to Hoai Pham, winner of the $500 Casino Employees No Limit Hold’em tournament.

Bluff Magazine Editor-in-Chief Lance Bradley told Poker News Daily that PBR was wise to Pollack into its ranks: “I think the PBR is lucky to have somebody like Jeffrey on board with them. Jeffrey will probably admit he knows as much about bull riding as he did about poker when he started with Harrah’s – and that’s a good thing. They didn’t bring him onboard for his cowboy expertise – they brought him onboard for his experience taking a brand to the next level.”