Reading up on the Poker game Booksellers are seeing a pickup in poker-related sales. Titles by some of the game's best-known players, including Chris Moneymaker, Phil Hellmuth and Doyle Brunson, have been top sellers at Borders bookstores, said Beth Bingham, a spokeswoman for Borders Group Inc.
In the last year, Borders has added 20 percent more poker-related books. "It's not just the book titles," Bingham said. "There's a lot more products — we're carrying poker games, a Texas Hold 'Em game."
Restoration Hardware, the furniture and home decor retailer, sells playing cards and all the extras — mechanical card shufflers, playing card coasters and shot glasses. The retailer, just like any good poker player, had a little luck on its side, too. It began stocking gaming items a few years before the poker boom.
Dave Glassman, a spokesman for the Corte Madera, Calif.-based company, said at first the items "didn't get much visual importance in the store." But the company was well-positioned to capitalize when poker shows on television began drawing fans. Now the items are front and center inside its stores and catalogues.
Crate & Barrel spokeswoman Bette Kahn said poker's elevation is a testament to the power of television. It's hard to say whether card playing will stick around, she said.
"It may not be a fad. They've played poker for years and years," Kahn added.

Full story.

February 2005:
A good book and relaxing on a Caribbean Poker Cruise with Worldpokershowdown.com. Hurry up, to sign in.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 11, 2004--Watkinson joined the Poker Tour International Dream Team including Producer Steve Kates of Driftwood Ventures, Director Burt Kravette, and Pro Players Ted Lawson and Humberto Brenes. Together, they have lined up a bimonthly televised series of tournaments in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Central America. Lawson, winner of this year's Las Vegas Omaha World Poker Series ($500,000), comments, "Watkinson is probably the best in the world."
This year alone, Watkinson has played four televised final table appearances in multi-million dollar events with winnings totaling $1,453,573 in No Limit WPT Legends of Poker Texas Hold `em Championships, Mirage Poker Showdown, 35th Annual Omaha World Series of Poker, and No Limit Texas Hold `em Championship World Series of Poker.
The second tournament of the PTI bimonthly series, the Costa Rica Classic is scheduled for December 1, 2004, includes daily satellite tournaments this month to be held at the Holiday Inn Aurola Casino in San Jose.
Winners will receive seats for the PTI Costa Rica Classic plus a variety of other prizes. Schedules and prices for the daily tournament buy-ins will vary and players should contact the hotel at 011-506-227-1695 in Costa Rica or the main headquarters in Fort Lauderdale at 954-359-9898.
Prices for the Costa Rica Classic start at $2599 and include Texas Hold `em buy-in, airfare, accommodations at Holiday Inn Aurola in San Jose, receptions, and refreshments. One re-buy will be available for $400. Winnings include seats in upcoming tournaments and $500,000, based on entries.
Upcoming tournaments in the Poker Tour International are scheduled for Puerto Rico and St. Kitts. For more information, contact 1-800-432-2294 ext. 127. Media Contact: Dana Klein 954-923-4343 or DLKLEIN@msn.com.

VIP Management Services has announced the launch of VIPpoker.com to complement its flagship brands VIPSports.com and BetGameDay.com, and making VIP the complete gaming package. The site is operated by the United Poker Network, with software by AceKicker.com. AceKicker's design is based upon the operational experience of the first and longest running online cardroom PlanetPoker.com.
'UPN has done a fantastic job in delivering us this room, and the initial feedback from all our players has been overwhelmingly positive,' said Alistair Assheton, Managing Director of VIP.
AceKicker.com CEO Randy Blumer said, 'Our online poker solution is designed to meet the demands of the industry's most reputable and respected gaming organizations. We share VIPpoker's core values of honesty and integrity and are proud to be selected as their online poker provider.'
VIP has also just obtained a British bookmaking license in preparation internet gaming law reform in the country which Assheton called a, “natural next step for us in seeking global approval for our products. We,“ he continued, “are committed to regulation of Internet gambling, and are also involved in the process of evolving the legislation in our home jurisdiction of Curacao in the

MASHANTUCKET, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 12, 2004--Season One of the PROFESSIONAL POKER TOUR(TM) (PPT) is jampacked with a stellar line-up of All-Star players, 134 of which turned out for the Tour's inaugural competition on November 9-10 at Foxwoods Resort Casino. Many of the game's favorites played a hand in the elite competition, but only six prevailed. Chris Bigler, Jennifer Harman, Daniel Harrington, John Juanda, Casey Kastle, and Ron Rose will advance to the PPT Final Table on Nov. 19 where only one will capture the very first PPT victory.
That's like saying you won the first PGA tournament in history, or ensnared the first Wimbledon title. In addition to being entitled to bragging rights and becoming the latest answer on the next generation of Trivial Pursuit, the winner will go home with $200,000, a $25,000 seat to the WPT World Championship, and some serious respect from the poker world. The tournament at Foxwoods is the first of five free-rolls that will offer a total sponsored prize pool of $2.5 million over the inaugural 2004-2005 Season. After its debut at Foxwoods, the PROFESSIONAL POKER TOUR will move on to Commerce Casino (Los Angeles), Bellagio (Las Vegas), and The Mirage (Las Vegas) in Season One of the Tour.
Launched by WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WPTE), the creator of the WORLD POKER TOUR(TM) (WPT), the PROFESSIONAL POKER TOUR reflects the evolution of poker as a sport. Whereas anyone can play on the WPT, only the game's professional elite that qualify will compete on the PPT. The PPT is unique because players can earn PPT Tour Cards throughout the WPT season and begin free-roll tournament play immediately. To be eligible to play on the PROFESSIONAL POKER TOUR, players must have proven themselves in past poker competition: By winning or making a Final Table at a WPT event or a WPT Championship, by scoring as a top 10 point leader in WPT Player-of-the-Year rankings, by winning or placing highly in the $10K buy-in event at the World Series of Poker, by securing a spot on either CardPlayer Magazine's Card Player of the Year Top 10 list or Poker Europa's Top 10, or by being a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.
THESE ARE THE PLAYERS WHO MADE THE FIRST PPT FINAL TABLE:
Chris Bigler- From Fislisbach, Switzerland, Bigler was a business-man until he discovered his true calling-poker-just six years ago on a trip to Vegas. He has already made it to more than one World Poker Tour Final Table, including placing fifth at the Bellagios' World Poker Classic in Season One.
Jennifer Harman: To many, Harman is not just the best female player on the planet, but one of the best payers, period. She is the only woman who can claim two World Series titles, and is a regular at the biggest poker game in the world at Las Vegas' Bellagio. Harman was recently featured on WPT "Ladies Night," the WPT Final Table of the Ultimate Poker Classic.
Daniel Harrington: A former attorney who currently resides in Santa Monica, CA, Harrington began playing poker more than a decade ago mainly for the excitement and enjoyment of the game. Harrington has gone from winning state chess championships to winning a World Series title and placing in the money at several final tables.
John Juanda: A thirty-something poker player originally from Indonesia, Juanda is called a "class act" by fellow poker pros and amateurs including celebrities, who appreciate his cool demeanor at the table. He won his first of three World Series titles in 2002. Juanda became instantly famous when he placed second in the first-ever WORLD POKER TOUR tournament: the 2002 Bellagio Five Diamond World Poker Classic. In both 2001 and 2002, Juanda was runner-up to Card Player Magazine's Tournament Player-of-the-Year.
Casey Kastle: A Slovenian American from Chicago, Kastle is the man who spearheaded the efforts to make poker tournaments non-smoking. Kastle first got involved with the game of poker by helping a church group host a charity casino night where he volunteered to deal at a blackjack table. When the event concluded, Kastle played in a $2-$4 poker game which kicked off his love of poker. Kastle placed tenth in last season's LA Poker Classic.
Ron Rose: This retired executive calls the Northwest home, though he and the WPT's own Mike Sexton, have a common link--they both went to the same high school in Dayton, Ohio. Rose is an accomplished tournament player and successful businessman who once held a seat on the stock exchange. The father of three, Rose captured first place in WPT's Battle of the Champions that aired on Super Bowl Sunday in 2004.
For more information on the PROFESSIONAL POKER TOUR or WPTE, please visit www.worldpokertour.com.
ABOUT WPT ENTERPRISES, INC.
WPT Enterprises, Inc. (NASDAQ:WPTE) is a media and entertainment company engaged in the creation of branded entertainment through the development, production and marketing of televised programming based on poker and other gaming themes. To date, operations have principally revolved around the creation of the World Poker Tour brand through the production and licensing of a reality television series exhibited on the Travel Channel that is based on a circuit of previously established high-stakes poker tournaments that has been affiliated under the "World Poker Tour" brand. WPT Enterprises, Inc. is a majority owned subsidiary of Lakes Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:LACO).
The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for forward-looking statements. Certain information included in this press release (as well as information included in oral statements or other written statements made or to be made by WPT Enterprises, Inc.) contains statements that are forward-looking, such as statements relating to the expansion of WPT's brand licensing, the development of new television and film projects, the development of WPT corporate sponsors and other business development activities, as well as statements regarding other capital spending, financing sources and the effects of competition. Such forward-looking information involves important risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect anticipated results in the future and, accordingly, such results may differ from those expressed in any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of WPT. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, WPT's significant dependence on the Travel Channel as a source of revenue; the potential that our television programming will fail to maintain a sufficient audience; the risk that competitors with greater financial resources or marketplace presence might develop television programming that would directly compete with WPT's television programming; the risk that WPT may not be able to protect its entertainment concepts, current and future brands and other intellectual property rights; risks associated with future expansion into new or complementary businesses; the termination or impairment of WPT's relationships with key licensing and strategic partners; and WPT's dependence on its senior management team. For more information, review WPT's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The game of poker is on a winning streak, thanks in part to the popularity of several television shows devoted to the game. And casinos, bookstores and retailers who sell poker gear say it looks like the pot is going to get even bigger.
Retailers are betting that playing cards and chips will be among the must-have items during the holiday shopping season. Stores are showcasing displays of casino-quality chips and gaming tables with holders for drinks and betting chips.
"I'm not a big poker player, but I know a lot about it because it's such a hot item," said Kmart spokeswoman Caryn Klebba. "It seems like the teenagers are in love with it."
Wal-Mart spokeswoman Karen Burk said the renewed interest in poker could make a deck of cards a popular stocking stuffer of the holidays this year.
Poker, which was introduced to much of the country by riverboats on the Mississippi and Ohio rivers in the 1800s, is now seeing another surge thanks to tournaments being televised on cable networks.
"The World Series of Poker" on ESPN along with Bravo's "Celebrity Poker Showdown" and the "World Poker Tour" on the Travel Channel are among the hit new shows. ESPN said the last hour of its championship finals posted a hefty 2.8 rating representing more than 2.5 million households. ESPN hopes to draw similar numbers when it airs its first Tournament of Champions in Las Vegas. Few networks were interested in poker until the World Poker Tour turned into an overnight success a year ago.
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PokerStars.com, a popular Web site that offers poker online, estimates based on anecdotal research that from 50 million to 60 million people play poker at least once a month. Games range from high school students gathering in basements on weekend nights to college students playing at all hours to organized tournaments for all ages.
Noah Campbell, 25, started a weekend tournament in Toledo, Ohio this year that draws a combined 80 players on Friday and Saturday nights, with the money going to charities. He spent at least $2,000 buying tables, cards and chips. Campbell said many of his friends are buying their own supplies too — including high-end chips and cards.
"They want to emulate what they see on TV," he said.
Sears, Roebuck and Co. sells a $99 gaming set that comes in a portable velvet-lined case with a chrome handle and 300 chips and two decks of cards. Georganne Greece, a buyer for the company's game room group, said expectations are that poker supplies will see a huge surge in sales in the coming months.
"It's somewhat in its infancy," she said. "But early indications are that we're going to sell through most of this product — even the high-end items."
Most items began arriving at Sears stores in the middle of August. "We saw it fly away," she said.
Reading up on the gameBooksellers are also seeing a pickup in poker-related sales. Titles by some of the game's best-known players, including Phil Hellmuth and Doyle Brunson, have been top sellers at Borders bookstores, said Beth Bingham, a spokeswoman for Borders Group Inc.
In the last year, Borders has added 20 percent more poker-related books. "It's not just the book titles," Bingham said. "There's a lot more products — we're carrying poker games, a Texas Hold 'Em game."
Restoration Hardware, the furniture and home decor retailer, sells playing cards and all the extras — mechanical card shufflers, playing card coasters and shot glasses. The retailer, just like any good poker player, had a little luck on its side, too. It began stocking gaming items a few years before the poker boom.
Dave Glassman, a spokesman for the Corte Madera, Calif.-based company, said at first the items "didn't get much visual importance in the store." But the company was well-positioned to capitalize when poker shows on television began drawing fans. Now the items are front and center inside its stores and catalogues.
Crate & Barrel spokeswoman Bette Kahn said poker's elevation is a testament to the power of television. It's hard to say whether card playing will stick around, she said.
"It may not be a fad. They've played poker for years and years," Kahn added.
More players at the tablesAcross the country, casinos are expanding to keep up with demand. In Iowa, for example, the renewed interest has "totally revived" poker at the Meskwaki casino near Tama, said spokeswoman Betsy McCloskey.
McCloskey said the casino's planned $100 million expansion likely will include more poker tables. Before the upsurge in television poker, the casino's tournaments were half-full, poker room manager David Corns said. Now, eight 12-player tables easily fill up for two tournaments, he said.
"You see a lot of new players, and a lot of that comes from Texas Hold 'em on TV," said Carla Reuter, 49, of Waterloo, a regular at the weekly Meskwaki tournaments.
Texas Hold 'em is a fast-paced, comparatively simple game in which players make the best five-card poker hand out of the two face-down cards in their hand and five face-up community cards.
Nancy Fandel, 56, of Solon, said televised poker revived her interest in the game, which she learned watching over her dad's shoulder at low-stakes family games.
"I always wanted to go to a poker room," Fandel said. "I won $500 my first time out. I was hooked."
In Las Vegas, arguably the capital of poker, Harrah's Entertainment and ESPN say they'll capitalize on poker's best-known event by beginning a series of high-profile tournaments across the country next year.
The Las Vegas-based gambling company hopes name recognition shuffles rival tournaments to the back of the pack, while enriching shareholders and players as it tries to carve out a huge swath of the market. The company is betting the individual events will attract hundreds, with each participant spending $10,000 for a seat at one of the tournament tables.
While the Harrah's tournaments will carry the World Series of Poker name, the crown jewel will remain the legendary poker game that has been held at the smoky Binion's Horseshoe hotel-casino in downtown Las Vegas since 1971.
When it begins next summer at the Rio hotel-casino off the Las Vegas Strip and Binion's, Harrah's believes more than 5,000 people could enter the 36th annual World Series of Poker seeking what ESPN calls "poker immortality."
The 2004 world series attracted a field of 2,576 players, far surpassing the 839 in 2003. Next year, the total prize pool in the No-Limit Texas Hold' Em main event could exceed $50 million, with the $5 million first place being increased by several million.

Trevis R. Badeaux tbadeaux@theadvertiser.com
November 4, 2004

LAFAYETTE — A Texas Hold ’Em tournament set to benefit the United Way of Acadiana on Nov. 12 will go on as scheduled, agency officials said, despite a recent controversy surrounding bars that host the popular game.“We have followed all the rules,” said Margaret Trahan, United Way of Acadiana Inc. president and chief executive officer. “No one will be playing for real money.”However, a similar event planned for noon Sunday at Chris’ Po-Boys downtown to benefit the Games of Acadiana, which in part funds the Miles Perret Center, has been canceled because of the recent legal debate.“We had volunteers offer to host it and we were assured we would have qualified for a license had we chosen to pursue it,” said Sarah Palmer, Games director. “But, we don’t want to be involved with anything anyone would consider in the least bit controversial.”Lafayette police arrested eight Friday at a West Congress Street bar and charged them with illegal gambling. The charges stemmed from a game of Texas Hold ’em allegedly in progress after 3 a.m. A city ordinance requires bars to close at 2 a.m. Local bar owners who host tournaments say the game is not illegal because the house collects no part of the winnings. However, state Department of Revenue Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control officials contend bar owners hosting poker games illegally profit from food and drinks sold to the players.“Texas Hold ’em tournaments are giving us something not seen before — casinos set up in bar rooms,” said ATC attorney Brian DeJean. “We’re not picking on the game of Texas Hold ’em; however, it is our duty to investigate when there is a suspected violation.”Jeb Randol, who coordinated the United Way tournament, said he obtained a license in October from the state Department of Revenue Office of Charitable Gaming to conduct the tournament at the Hilton Lafayette. No cash prizes will be awarded. Top prizes include trips to Las Vegas and Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Miss.

By Ruth Campbell Odessa American

HOBBS, N.M. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is to be among dignitaries expected at a ribbon cutting here Monday for the Black Gold Casino.The casino is on the grounds of Zia Park Racetrack. The casino is part of the first phase of the $45 million project, which includes the racetrack, a restaurant and possibly a hotel. Black Gold Casino will have 600 slot machines including Wheel of Fortune, Texas Tea and video poker and video blackjack, Marketing Manager Phil Ziegler said. Machine denominations range from pennies to a $25 machine.A temporary pavilion will feature a lunch and dinner buffet, plus simulcast horse racing. Guests can watch and bet on all the best tracks nationwide, a news release said. “Monday at noon, we’re open. We’re ready to go. We’re having our preview party Sunday night for people who signed up on the Web, and then we’re open for good on Monday,” Ziegler said. The track is supposed to open Sept. 23, 2005. The 21,000-square-foot casino currently employs 150 people, with more job openings on the way when the restaurant and track come online, Ziegler said. Race dates for Zia Park have been set for Sept. 23, 2005, through Dec. 4, 2005. Race days will be Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Zia Park will initially hire 150 permanent full- and part-time people, reaching about 250 year-round.

MTR Gaming Group Inc., the company that owns Mountaineer Race Track and Gaming Resort in Chester, West Virginia, will begin operating Binion’s Horseshoe Casino in downtown Las Vegas in March.
The revamped casino will have a shortened name, Binion’s, because MTR Gaming sold the rights to Horseshoe to Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., which owns Louisiana Downs. Harrah’s will use the Horseshoe name to help market the World Series of Poker, which will move from its original Binion’s location to Rio just west of the Strip, the Las Vegas Review Journal reports.
"The Horseshoe name will come down," said Roger Szepelak, chief operating officer of MTR Gaming. "We definitely plan on keeping poker and making it a big part of our marketing program. This won’t be called the World Series of Poker, but we certainly hope" it develops a similar following.
Harrah’s purchased Binion’s Horseshoe from Becky Binion Behnen and quickly sold it to MTR Gaming while retaining the Horseshoe and World Series of Poker Brands. Harrah’s has managed the casino for MTR since Binion’s reopened on April 1, and that agreement expires March 11.