09-17-2003, 01:18 PM
Its been widely circulated that The Sands in AC is hosting a GUARANTEED $1MM NLHE tourney this coming November. Carl Icahn, the flamboyant billionaire who owns Sands, hired Matt Savage to run the tourney and Barry Shulman to handle the promotion and publicity. With his billions and these 2 guys running the show, it appears that this is project is a no-brainer. However, there are quite a few logistical factors still to be considered:
Because Sands' poker is very small (I heard they have only 7CS and rarely have HE games), they do not have the equipment and personnel. With Icahn's bankroll, I'm quite sure equipment and facilities are no problem.
What about the experienced dealers and personnel? To run a successful event of this magnitude, my wildest guesstimate is that it will require 60+. They won't be able to get dealers "on loan" from Taj, Borgata, or Trop because these other casinos will not allow it. I'm sure of Taj because it was confirmed to me by its PR manager when I brought up the topic to him. I don't see why Trop's or Borgata's rule would be any different. Although Icahn can import dealers from other locations, they still have to be licensed by the NJCCC, a dumping ground of indecisive political appointees. Consder some of the commission's rulings:
1) They used to limit the number of tables, thus entries, Trop can use for its weekly tournament.
2) They refused to approve a bad beat jackpot funded by the players like other jurisdictions. So, the only BBJ at Trop totally funded by the casino had been eliminated.
3) They have yet to decide proposals to use the "buy the button" rule.
So, how can it be expected that they will quickly decide on this issue?
I also heard that Sands are now in the process of training some of their BJ dealers to deal poker. This sounds like training pilots in simulators and then sending them to combat!! Even Borgata who hired experienced personnel from Taj and Trop had problems when they first opened.
While I root for the success of this event for the sake of expanding poker in the East Coast, I can't help but wonder how Icahn will pull this off.
Any input or news out there?
Because Sands' poker is very small (I heard they have only 7CS and rarely have HE games), they do not have the equipment and personnel. With Icahn's bankroll, I'm quite sure equipment and facilities are no problem.
What about the experienced dealers and personnel? To run a successful event of this magnitude, my wildest guesstimate is that it will require 60+. They won't be able to get dealers "on loan" from Taj, Borgata, or Trop because these other casinos will not allow it. I'm sure of Taj because it was confirmed to me by its PR manager when I brought up the topic to him. I don't see why Trop's or Borgata's rule would be any different. Although Icahn can import dealers from other locations, they still have to be licensed by the NJCCC, a dumping ground of indecisive political appointees. Consder some of the commission's rulings:
1) They used to limit the number of tables, thus entries, Trop can use for its weekly tournament.
2) They refused to approve a bad beat jackpot funded by the players like other jurisdictions. So, the only BBJ at Trop totally funded by the casino had been eliminated.
3) They have yet to decide proposals to use the "buy the button" rule.
So, how can it be expected that they will quickly decide on this issue?
I also heard that Sands are now in the process of training some of their BJ dealers to deal poker. This sounds like training pilots in simulators and then sending them to combat!! Even Borgata who hired experienced personnel from Taj and Trop had problems when they first opened.
While I root for the success of this event for the sake of expanding poker in the East Coast, I can't help but wonder how Icahn will pull this off.
Any input or news out there?