Jeff Haney tells poker fans how they can get a piece of the action in World Series of Poker,

[clevfan]

July 26

Jeff Haney tells poker fans how they can get a piece of the action in World Series of Poker, even if it's only for 29 cents

LAS VEGAS SUN

The World Series of Poker's main event begins Friday at the Rio, with Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey and Erick Lindgren among the betting favorites to win the tournament.

Just not in Nevada sports books.

State gaming regulations prohibit wagering on the outcome of poker tournaments, although that doesn't stop offshore gambling operations from posting odds and taking bets on the players. Pinnacle Sports, a major book based in Curacao, has betting lines on about 350 individual players and is taking a maximum wager of $250 - not too shabby considering odds on most players are well over 1,000-1. (Leonardo DiCaprio is a 2,700-1 shot.)

Although I advocate easing some restrictions on Nevada's licensed bookmakers and permitting wagers on the Heisman trophy, the Oscars and such, I agree with the prohibition on poker betting.

Sanctioned wagering could make it too easy to compromise the integrity of the tournament - or, more likely, spur questions about its integrity.

If a player is facing a big raise from an opponent he has placed a bet on, his thoughts - and possibly his actions - will inevitably be affected.

Sure, these sorts of shenanigans can happen anyway. Players can bet offshore or in poker's underground gambling economy. Some would argue that players make de facto wagers on their opponents when they "trade pieces" of each other - an arrangement in which partners promise to share a certain percentage of their winnings if they cash in the tournament.

That doesn't mean state regulators should sanction the activity. So keep poker off the betting board - but not necessarily other offbeat topics that could generate interest and revenue with little risk to anyone's integrity.

The leading bookmakers in Las Vegas are among the best in the world at what they do. I'd make a big bet that at least a couple of them would readily embrace the opportunity to book, say, the 2008 presidential election or some of the more heated congressional races. (My one reservation is that the fine, upstanding institution of gambling would then be linked, even tangentially, with the cesspool that is politics. Still, I'm confident gambling would survive intact.)

Favorite players

The World Series is unique from an oddsmaking perspective - it's the only event where the odds on the favorite are higher than 200-1. (Ivey, 202-1.) Usually when you see 200-1, it's the longest shot on the board.

Among other prominent players listed at Pinnacle (pinnaclesports.com), Hellmuth is 360-1, Lindgren 603-1, Patrik Antonius 495-1, Howard Lederer 585-1 and defending champ Joe Hachem 990-1.

Also noted


Some offshore joints aren't so liberal with their limits. One book has some World Series wagers, but with a $5 maximum bet attached. One proposition asks whether the winner will be a man or a woman. The most money a bettor is permitted to risk on a male player winning is $5 - to win 29 cents! (A "dollar" is Vegas gambling slang for $100, but in this case we're talking literally $5.)


Las Vegas poker pro Kenna James will host a charity poker tournament at noon Tuesday at Caesars Palace to aid the Wounded Warrior Project, which assists veterans injured in military service in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. Celebrity players pledged $1,000 to compete.

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World Series of Poker championship event schedule

No-limit Texas hold 'em, $10,000 buy in at the Rio (play each day begins at noon)
Friday, Day 1A, 2,000 players play down to 800

Saturday, Day 1B, 2,000 play down to 800

Sunday, Day 1C, 2,000 play down to 800

Monday, Day 1D, 2,000 play down to 800

Tuesday, A&B, 1,600 play down to 700

Aug. 2, C&D, 1,600 play down to 700

Aug. 3, day off for main event

Aug. 4, play 1,400 down to 600

Aug. 5, play 600 down to 300

Aug. 6, play 300 down to 150

Aug. 7, play 150 down to 60

Aug. 8, play 60 down to 27

Aug. 9, play 27 down to nine

Aug. 10, final table

[ParanoidAndroid]

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: clevfan
The World Series of Poker's main event begins Friday at the Rio, with Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey and Erick Lindgren among the betting favorites to win the tournament.

Just not in Nevada sports books.

State gaming regulations prohibit wagering on the outcome of poker tournaments</end quote></div>

Can anyone verify if this is true? I thought that the limitation was that they couldn't post odds on events that are native to the state with native participants. Thats why you can bet on fights, but not on UNLV games. So, under the same statute that block UNLV bets, it would make sense that poker is also blocked.

[dinque]

that unlv thing is history.as soon as a senator said that since nevada bans betting on their states teams that there must be coruption gaming quickly said "oops, our bad" and voided that rule.
my take on gaming is that they have nothing to do so they have to make some restricting rules every so often until they get too much in the way and then they rescind them