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After Sands Slips Up, Parx Picks South Newton Mini-Casino Site

After a dramatic Wednesday, Parx Casino officially picked the site of the fourth Pennsylvania mini-casino on Thursday morning. Parx ownership, Greenwood Gaming Entertainment, selected a location in South Newton Township, PA in Cumberland County. The company’s bid amount was $8,111,000.

Satellite site just outside of Harrisburg

It appeared Sands won the fourth license on Wednesday. However, the bid was subsequently invalidated because the site selected would have overlapped with Mount Airy’s area where it could build its mini-casino.

As the only remaining bidder from Wednesday’s auction, Parx won the right to bid by default. The proceedings Thursday were just a formality where the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) announced the bid amount and location the group submitted the day prior.

Parx ownership selected a location in southwestern Pennsylvania. The town is roughly 50 linear miles west of Yoe, PA, the site selected by Penn National at the first mini-casino auction.

Both Yoe and South Newtown are near the state capital, Harrisburg. Both are also very close to the Maryland state line. South Newton is just over 30 miles away from Maryland, and a two-hour drive from Baltimore.

The location is very much in Penn National territory. Not only is Hollywood Casino at Penn National the closest casino and Yoe the closest mini-casino site, the location is proximate to several of Hollywood’s Maryland properties. Both Hollywood Casino Perryville and Hollywood Casino at Charles Town are a short drive away.

Parx is currently also basically the only property in the large expanse between Harrisburg and the Pittsburgh area.

Price just above the minimum cost of a license

The base cost of a satellite casino license is $7.5 million. Parx paid not too much over that with its bid of $8.1 million. For reference, Sands won with a bid of $9.89 million on Wednesday.

With that bid added to the tally, the total amount of money for the state from these auctions now stands at just over $120 million with only four of ten possible licenses taken. Original estimates expected the proceedings would net around $100 million for all ten licenses. That is the cost of the base license and the $2.5 million table games license at all properties.

As a matter of fact, the $120 million reflects purely the revenue from the base license without table games. However, now that the bids are down closer to the minimum cost for a satellite property, the revenue is going to grow at a much slower rate.

There is also the matter of bidders to consider. While Sands is obviously interested in a satellite property, there are currently no other bidders. Certainly, it is possible other casinos throw their hat in the ring now that the big spenders are out though.

What happens if these auctions run out of bidders?

Currently, the only parties allowed to bid at these auctions are Category 1 and 2 casino license holders. Once a property wins a bid, they are out of the running. These are the remaining casinos eligible to bid:

Hypothetically, let’s say Sands wins the next auction, then there are no bidders the auction after that. What would happen next is another set of auctions.

Category 3 casinos Valley Forge and Lady Luck would be eligible to bid at the supplemental auction. So would any Category 1 or 2 property that already won a license during the first auction.

If the second set of auctions runs out of bidders, things start to get interesting. At that point, PGCB would open up the auction to any qualified bidder. Interested parties would fill out an application and the state would vet them. If PGCB deems the party fit to participate, they can bid in the third and final set of auctions.

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Daniel Negreanu Tackles Doug Polk, Poker Awards In Latest Podcast

The feud between Doug Polk and Daniel Negreanu has picked up steam again lately. And to be fair, most of the drama has come from Polk poking the bear.

A good amount of Polk’s rants of late have been directed at Negreanu. To his credit, Negreanu had let it go — until this week.

Negreanu’s latest poker podcast

On Tuesday, Negreanu released the latest Full Contact Poker Video Podcast, the first new episode in about a month. At first it seemed like Negreanu’s motivation to do the podcast was to address Mike Leah’s win at Fallsview Casino in Canada and to discuss the American Poker Awards.

However, it didn’t take long for the discussion to turn to Polk’s misrepresentation of Negreanu’s thoughts on rake at PokerStars. And once the topic shifted to the APA’s biggest influencer award, Negreanu really let loose.

Negreanu’s take: Polk distorting his comments on rake

It all started with a discussion about the American Poker Awards nominees for Poker Journalist of the Year. Negreanu brought up U.S. Poker’s Steve Ruddock and talked about the article Ruddock wrote about the rake discussion.

Negreanu made it very clear in Tuesday’s podcast that he takes issue with Polk saying he thinks “more rake is better.”

That is not what Negreanu said at all. As Ruddock explains in his article, “It’s important to look at Negreanu’s full comments, and not the shortened, bastardized version of them.”

Negreanu clarified his comments on the podcast. “I’m not pro-rake. That’s absurd.”

Polk has continued to build a case against Negreanu using parts of statements that sound like he supports more rake. The bottom line is Polk was disingenuous at best when ranting against Negreanu and his position on rake.

For the record, Negreanu wrote extensively about rake and what he believes on his blog in an article titled “My Thoughts on Rake.”

From the blog:

“I do not believe that raising the rake is good for poker. Rake increases take more money out of the game and benefit whoever is collecting the rake. That is my position on rake. Period”

Can we call this discussion done now? Please.

Negreanu’s take: What makes a good influencer

Negreanu’s true feelings about Polk came out when the discussion turned to the nominees for Poker’s Biggest Influencer.

The nominees are Cary Katz, Negreanu, Polk and Matt Savage.

Ever since the nominees were revealed, Negreanu has been trying to determine the criteria for the award out of sheer curiosity. You can find several discussions about it in his Twitter feed.

When talking about the list and their influence, Negreanu says, “As far as having a following goes – two people have one; two people don’t. As far as people being in the industry – two people are very well into the industry, one person spends time in the industry, and the other one spends time shitting on the industry.”

Negreanu makes a case for Polk winning based on social media influence. He gives Polk credit for creating content that attracts people to his channel and the game.

But if it’s about being a positive influence on poker in terms of building relationships and moving the game forward, Negreanu thinks Polk’s impact is a “net negative.”

“Most of what he does or he spends far too much time doing is creating drama by shitting on everybody else. His bread and butter is to create drama, attack people and fight people.”

Negreanu goes on to add that people in the media and other players could be afraid to confront Polk for fear of being attacked. “So, they don’t hold him accountable.”

It’s more likely Polk isn’t being confronted because the community sees what he’s doing for what it is – a way to get views and clicks. It’s the “nothing to see here, let’s move on” approach.

Yes, Polk has a fan base that enjoys his content. Admittedly, he can be quite entertaining. Lately, however, there has been a shift in his content that is more “Real Housewives” than anything else.

And maybe the poker community is beginning to lose interest.

Polk replies to Negreanu

While Polk didn’t specifically call out Negreanu in his reply, the timing certainly indicates it’s a reply to Negreanu.

Stay tuned, this saga has emergency broadcast written all over it.

The podcast and timestamps

The podcast is over an hour long and as you can imagine takes many twists and turns.

For instance, did you know there’s a game in Bobby’s Room called Doyle Says? They talk about it around 3:10.

Here’s the complete rundown of what’s included in the podcast.

  • Eric Wasserson joins Negreanu as they discuss the recent action in Bobby’s Room (0:40)
  • Doyle and Gordo’s Twitter feud (3:10)
  • The US Poker Open(5:00)
  • Mike Leah’s win (22:50)
  • The American Poker Awards (36:00)
  • Poker Journalist of the Year (40:15)
  • My Thoughts on Rake (40:40)
  • Industry Person of the Year (44:10)
  • Breakout Player of the Year (47:30)
  • Tournament Performance of the Year (49:10)
  • Mid-Circuit of the Year (50:05)
  • Event of the Year (50:30)
  • Poker Moment of the Year (53:45)
  • Poker Media Content of the Year (54:50)
  • Poker Streamer of the Year (56:30)
  • Broadcaster of the Year (58:40)
  • Video Blogger of the Year (1:00:30)
  • Podcast of the Year (1:03:15)
  • Poker’s Biggest Influencer (1:06:55)
  • Charity Tournaments (1:13:50)
  • A few thoughts on Richard Seymour (1:14:45)

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The Plastic Ponies Get A 21st-Century Upgrade With Fortune Cup

Casino horse racing games have had a strange existence over the years. The games are popular, but only with a small segment of casino guests. Sigma Derby has achieved cult status, but there are only two machines still operating in Nevada casinos. You can still find the popular mechanical horse racing game at The D in downtown Las Vegas and MGM Grand on the Vegas Strip. The game is beloved but not quite as popular as Wheel of Fortune slot machines.

Konami Gaming is hoping to bring the cult status of Sigma Derby into more casinos with the release of a new mechanical horse racing game. Fortune Cup is a mechanical horse racing game for the 21st century. Following months of success being tested on the Las Vegas Strip at The Venetian and MGM Grand under Nevada’s New Innovation Beta program Fortune Cup is now live at the casino all around Las Vegas and will be released across North America.

Where to play Fortune Cup in Nevada

Fortune Cup is located in Las Vegas at the following casinos:

Vegas Strip:

  • MGM Grand
  • The Venetian

Off-Strip:

  • The Orleans
  • Red Rock Casino

Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, New York New York, and The D in downtown Las Vegas plan to install Fortune Cup before the end of February.

Fortune cup is a 21st-century game

Fortune Cup features a nine-foot-wide mechanical track with eight horses that travel freely and independently across the course. The horses flow smoothly around the track. There are 10 betting stations around each game. Unlike the 1980’s horse racing game, Sigma Derby, Fortune Cup has a track announcer and a giant video screen so passers-by can hear and see the action on the track if the seats are occupied.

The new horse racing game allows players to place bets on touchscreen stations that offer race statistics, horse odds, mystery progressive jackpots, and a variety of betting options including win, place, and quinella.

Fortune Cup also offers players USB chargers for mobile devices. The games also include card readers so that casino players club cards at each station. The touchscreens are dynamic and can even show the race if the game and giant screen above the track aren’t convenient.

Playing Fortune Cup

Since there are more betting options than older horse racing games, playing Fortune Cup might seem a bit confusing at first. Thankfully, the screens at each betting station are intuitive and offer help if needed.

Each Fortune Cup race lasts about 40 seconds. There are 40 seconds in between each race. This allows players can relax while the horses set up for the next race. This short break allows players to study the odds screen if that’s even helpful.

Gameplay is very smooth. What Fortune Cup makes up for with technology it loses in kitsch. The vintage Sigma Derby horse racing game is fun in part because of its age. It’s not possible to recreate the novelty of playing a casino game for a physical quarter. The bouncing horse movements can’t be recreated either. However, Fortune Cup offers more of everything that horse racing fans should enjoy in a casino game.

According to the Wizard of Odds, Fortune Cup has a return-to-player percentage between 81 percent and 84 percent depending on location and wagers made. This is a bad return and worse than penny slots in most casinos. That said, Fortune Cup isn’t a game for advantage gamblers. It’s simply a fun way to spend a few bucks in a casino if you’re looking for something different to play.

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Poker Night In America Launching New Celeb-Filled TV Show

Poker Night in America is expanding its broadcast reach with a new live TV show on the CBS Sports Network. The new show, Poker Night LIVE, will pit celebrities (including poker celebrities) against one another at The Gardens Casino in Los Angeles, California in front of a live TV audience.

The show will debut in the 10 p.m. time slot on CBS Sports Network on Tuesday, March 20, 2018.

Initial plans have the show airing every Tuesday night at 10 p.m. for a period of 13 weeks.

“We’ve been re-imagining TV poker for the past four years, making it more fan friendly with famous faces and a fun atmosphere,” said Todd Anderson, President of Rush Street Productions, the parent company of Poker Night in America. “This is the latest exciting step as we continue to revolutionize how fans can watch poker. Anything can happen on live TV and probably will with a table filled with celebrities!  The viewers will be able to see and hear everything that’s happening, just as if they are another player sitting at the table.”

A slimmed down cash game

Part of the mainstream appeal of Poker Night In America (the show has been airing on CBS Sports since 2014) is the stakes the games are played for. Most weeks, the cash game is played at $25/$50 stakes; large enough to create some drama and anxiety, especially for the amateur players, and attract a mix of top-tier and up-and-coming professional players, but small enough to let the pros cut loose and have fun without worrying about their bankrolls.

According to the press release, the new celebrity-centric show will be played at even lower stakes, “so the stars can just have fun and let loose, with no worry about making mistakes.”

“This will be unlike any poker show currently on TV,” said Anderson. “Poker Night LIVE  will be more like a Hollywood home game brought directly into viewers homes with lots of interesting guests, lots of laughs and lots of live action.”

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Poker Night is trying to craft different lineups

The main PNiA show, with its $25/$50 stakes, tended to only attract celebrity players or wealthy amateurs who were already poker enthusiasts. With a smaller buy-in, PNiA is trying to widen its celebrity and amateur net, targeting casual and novice players, who might not mind firing off four or five $1,000 buy-ins, but would think twice about doing the same at five to ten times the stakes.

PNiA is also hoping the new format will bring some different poker personalities to the table, like Joe Stapleton.

Stapleton is a familiar name in the poker world, as he commentates many poker shows, including PNiA, but the new format will see “Stapes” come out of the booth and sit down at the table.

“Stapes (Joe Stapleton) is a huge talent, and a blast to play poker with! With his comedic skills and vast experience at calling some of the most iconic poker hands of all time – we can’t wait to watch him mix it up with Celebs on Live TV,” explained Poker Night LIVE’s recently named Executive Producer Jonnie Kedj, known for his work on other shows including Celebrity Poker Showdown, the World Poker Tour® and the PokerStars® Big Game.

The general vibe of the new show seems to be similar to the old Celebrity Poker Showdown shows that used to air on Bravo, in that it’s less about the money changing hands and more about the exposure.

Depending on the stakes, instead of professional players, you might see more poker media members and poker TV personalities like Stapleton sign up to play on the show against some of the celebrities and professional players.

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