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Maryann Guberman has been a writer and editor with many gaming publications, including Sports Form, Card Player, Poker World, Player's Panorama and Systems and Methods. She also has written and edited numerous books on gambling.

Aug 28, 2004

Opportunity Knocks Big Time

Never lose a chance: it doesn't come every day. -- George Bernard Shaw

It wasn't long ago that poker fans were hard pressed to find action. Many casinos had relinquished the costly poker space to slot machines; others, with the understanding that it was important to offer a full range of gaming opportunities to guests, cut back on the number of tables. But now that the game has succeeded in capturing the imagination of reality-tv-starved viewers, opportunities for getting game abound. Most of them, however, start in cyberspace.

Practically every Internet poker room with any status now offers huge rewards for tournament winners, including buy-ins to major poker contests. These are not a bad idea for the player! Witness the method of arrival at the World Series of Poker the last two years for verification. And it's these are not a bad idea for the cyber rooms either! Witness the publicity value of having one of your satellite winners accomplish greatness.

So now comes Prima Poker offering a chance for 80 players (fewer now since some seats have already been filled) to join a group of invited pros (and celebrities) in a combination poker tournament/dream vacation.

The tournament, aptly named Monte Carlo Millions, is scheduled to take place November 6-13 at the Cafe de Paris in Monte Carlo -- that's as in the French Riviera -- and the prize pool should come in at around a cool million.

To get into the tournament you either have to be invited by the director, Matt Savage, who many players and fans know as a three-time director of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, or by satellite win. These satellites have already begun (several seats have already awarded) and they will continue through October.

Lest you worry about how you're going to get from the comfort of your home office/gaming station to Monte Carlo, never fear. The satellite win is worth $20,000 which includes airfare (for two) a week at the Hotel Hermitage, a guided tour of the French Riviera, meals at A-list restaurants, and the buy-in to the tournament which is, incidentally, $14,000.

While the name Prima Poker might not be familiar to players, the actual cyber poker sites they are affiliated with (and perhaps own) include Captain Cook's Poker, River Belle Poker and 7 Sultans, along with 23 other URLs. The sites are monitored by www.pokerpulse.com, which is the first place to check for a semblence of validity. *(Dennis Boyko, coypright owner of poker pulse, does a bang-up job of keeping a finger on the heartbeat of cyber poker.)

Now, if you're just a fan and not a player, the imaginative TV world has come up with a poker game that couch potatoes will probably love. ESPN will start shooting one of their original drama series shortly, to air in January. It's called "Tilt" so you can probably guess that it features more than winners jumping up in excitemen after winning the last pot with some ridiculous unsuited, unconnected, two-card hand. However, the storyline has as its major focus the World Series of Poker so you're liable to see a few miracle hands.

The PR hype says, "The dramatic series will air on Thursday nights beginning Jan. 13 (9 ET), with one-hour shows that will explore the drama of high-stakes gambling, as well as the action away from the table where greed and revenge fuel conflict, power plays and deal making."

Lest you think the interest isn't there, remember this: ESPN's weekly telecasts of the opening games (not the championship) 2004 World Series of Poker received an average 1.5 rating, which represents 1.3 million households. Those numbers run a close second to major network broadcasts of baseball and basketball!

While most of us will not be getting an invitation to the Monte Carlo millions, we'll have to settle for vicarious experiences via this new show. Sigh ...