America’s northern neighbor is fighting back against taxes on some of its most crucial exports with retaliatory tactics of its own, and playing cards are getting caught in the crossfire.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration slapped import taxes on Canadian steel and aluminum — two of Canada’s must crucial exports. In response, Canadian officials implemented tariffs on US exports, including a 10 percent tax on all playing cards coming into Canada from south of the border.
That’s having an effect on card players north of the border and card manufacturers in the US.
Prices Head North
The tariff affects both regular playing cards used in poker games, as well as those used in a game that’s popular with many poker players – Magic: The Gathering.
However, while Canada can turn to manufacturers at home or elsewhere abroad for standard playing cards, Magic cards are made almost exclusively in the US.
That’s affecting Magic players and the local hobby shops which sell the cards. The extra cost is being downloaded on to the consumer, resulting in lower sales for Canadian retailers. Sets of Magic cards can go for hundreds of dollars, so the extra cost adds up quickly.
“Our prices may be 10 percent higher, but we’re not making 10 percent more,” David Teller, who owns the Wizard’s Tower card shop in Ottawa, told CBC News. “And then if our sales drop, obviously that’s a concern.”
Canada is the number one purchaser of US-made cards in the world, importing about $4.6 million worth of cards annually.
If sales slip, US manufacturers will be hurt. Why are they targeting playing cards? While officials haven’t laid out specifics, many trade experts believe Canada is targeting industries that affect the Republican leadership.
Magic cards are manufactured by the US Playing Card Company, which is located in Kentucky. That just happens to be home to Senate Majority Leader and Trump supporter, Mitch McConnell.
Magic of Poker
Some of poker’s biggest names cut their teeth playing Magic, a Dungeons and Dragons-style strategy game, before moving on to poker. Scott Seiver, Bryn Kenney, Isaac Haxton, and even 2018 high stakes crusher Justin Bonomo were competitive Magic players before moving on to poker.
So far, poker cards haven’t been significantly affected by the tariffs, but that could change as the trade dispute stretches on. The provincial body which oversees all of the casinos in Quebec has already put out the call for a new contract on playing cards.
“The contract has not yet been awarded. The impact of tariffs could depend on the firm selected, as the origin of the cards vary from supplier to suppliers,” Renaud Dugas of Loto-Quebec told CBC News.
There has been progress on the trade war in recent days, however. The Trump administration is expected to announce a breakthrough in NAFTA negotiations with Mexico this week, which could clear the way for fresh talks with Canada.
As an innovator and industry leader, I am always trying to keep the great game of poker interesting, fun, and progressive.
When I first heard about the single-payer ante concept, I was sceptical. Paul Campbell, an excellent tournament director and friend of mine, was using it in the high-roller events at ARIA Resort & Casino after the idea was started there with Cary Katz and the high-roller players. It was implemented with varying ante sizes and big blind levels that were strange to me, and I think that was what originally turned me off to the idea. That said, I wouldn’t be doing my job as an innovator and industry leader if I didn’t take the time to try it out myself.
One of the allures of the big blind ante (BBA) is its simplicity, and that’s what ultimately gave me the push to give it a try at Commerce Casino last year. The initial response in the first level of play was mixed, but 10 minutes later the players were raving about it.
I was intrigued by the response and decided with Commerce Casino Tournament Coordinator Justin Hammer to implement BBA in a few events at the L.A. Poker Classic, including in the opening $1 million guarantees, $350 buy-in event. The response from the dealers, staff members, but most importantly the players all but forced us to install it in many more events before the end of the series. We then installed it in every no-limit event in the following series in May, including a survivor tournament, a shootout event, and the satellites.
I knew at that point I was ready to use, promote, and popularize it globally and bring it to all World Poker Tour events, including WPT500, WPTDeepStacks, the WPT Main Tour, and more. I then reached out to our loyal tour partners and they were almost unanimous in their willingness to give it a shot. I then took my BBA experiences to Europe and was met with the same enthusiasm at our WPT player and partners’ summit.
This is what those that use BBA know and understand from its use:
1. Dealers, staff, and players alike have universally claimed how much easier and more efficient it is.
2. More hands are being dealt, allowing structures to remain deeper for longer portions of tournaments.
3. Dealers are not having to bother distracted players for their antes every hand.
4. There are no more mistakes and floor calls asking, “Who owes an ante?”
5. There are less chips in play, less need to make change, and fewer annoying bets of 1,675.
6. The bottom line is that BBA is faster and downright better!
Of course, any time you introduce something widespread in the poker industry there is going to be those that want to argue that the old way is better. As I said before, even I was not totally on board at first, but after seeing BBA in use and polling both recreational and pro players BBA is overwhelmingly the best decision for the game of poker.
The one complaint I’ve heard from the most from those opposed is, “It’s unfair to short stacks.” I couldn’t disagree more. In fact, I actually believe BBA is more beneficial to short stacks.
BBA already has several advantages for short stacks, including the following.
1. The antes are LESS per round during seven-, eight-, nine-, and 10-handed play and the same at six-handed play in many levels.
2. You don’t have to ante eight out of nine hands in full ring.
3. You can win more when not in the big blind than you can win with individual antes because you win the full ante even if you only have one chip.
So, I want to ask this question: Why is helping the short stacks ever the thought of any player or tournament director before the start of the tournament when everyone is equal? You should want short stacks to bust unless, of course, you are one. When short stacks bust out, other players get closer to the money, play generally becomes deeper in the money, and it helps keep the big blind average higher.
Other complaints I often hear are, “My table is one player short,” and, “I just paid my big blind on the last table when my table broke.” These problems already existed with individual antes. As long as it’s random, I have no issue with either of these.
Many of you are well aware of the debate that was blown up on social media between the great Daniel Negreanu and I. It centered on what comes first when a player is in big blind and you are short of the entire ante amount. Daniel believes it is more player-friendly and correct to have the big blind come first, whereas I believe antes should come first. The debate was definitely blown out of proportion because this issue happens very rarely, but I didn’t back down because ante first from the big blind is technically correct and “ante,” by definition, means “before.”
In my opinion, it cannot be player-friendly to one without being player-unfriendly to another in this case. If you are on the same table and already paid an ante and also have a short stack remaining in that hand, you should absolutely be entitled to win the entire ante and the amount you have in front of you times the number of players in the pot, so you cannot have it both ways.
Do you think you should be able to win all the antes for the entire round, then skip when it’s your turn to post an ante and not have to make it up either?
Daniel ran a poll that was skewed towards his opinion that the big blind should come first. In three other polls by other players and one by Seminole Hard Rock Tournament Director Tony Burns (@TDTonyB), all of which were worded more correctly, posting the ante first was favored.
To be fair, this happened so rarely in the hundreds of events it’s been used in that it does not even deserve this much attention. Furthermore, not once after explanation did a player have a problem with it.
In conclusion, if you want to use BBA and do it the way that many of the game’s top tournament directors and I believe it should be implemented, here are some things to be clear on and to have ready to explain to players.
1. There will be one single ante posted for the whole table by the player in the big blind.
2. The ante is posted first and players from any position will be eligible to win the entire ante regardless of chip stack.
3. Antes never reduce until end of tournament.
4. In regards to payouts, if two players are all in at same table and one is in the big blind, (a) the big blind gets credit for ante first, (b) the player out of the big blind gets full credit for ante, and (c) the ante is considered dead in the pot.
5. This one is extremely rare and up for debate, but it is a situation to be aware of. The player in the big blind antes first, but only has one chip and is all in by posting the ante. Action folds to the player in the small blind, who calls. The board runs out to force a chopped pot, so who wins the one-chip ante?
I look forward to bringing big blind ante to all markets globally and to the Tournament Directors Association (TDA) annual summit held next summer at ARIA in Las Vegas, the property that started the whole BBA craze in the first place. The TDA and I share a mantra of consistency and, whether or not you personally agree, you should live with the change to be consistent for the benefit of the players. I know that big blind ante is a great change to no-limit hold’em poker tournaments. The big blind ante is here to stay!
Thirteen tribes in the state of Oklahoma can now offer roulette, craps and other ball and dice games, as the approval of Class III gaming compacts between the state and the tribes was announced by Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, Tara Sweeney, in a pair of notices published on Friday in the Federal Register, according to indianz.com.
Per the model gaming compact, all amendments, including the one authorizing ball and dice games, need to be signed off on by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) prior to taking effect
Sweeney, whose nomination to serve as the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior was unanimously approved by the Senate in June, is the first Alaska Native, and the first woman in two decades, to oversee the BIA. The corporate executive hails from an Inupiat village on the northern slope of Alaska and is reportedly well known in her home state for her work on Indigenous issues, ranging from economic sustainability to tribal sovereignty.
Amendment approved:
Oklahoma Governor, Mary Fallin, on April 10 this year signed H.B. 3375 that allows the state’s tribal casinos to offer traditional roulette and dice games, which were specifically prohibited since 2004. This is not, however, the style of roulette and craps you see in Vegas. It is a non-house banked version where player’s wins and losses are put in a player pool.
Originally, the bill called for the expansion of sports betting as well, but that provision was omitted via an amendment from Rep. Kevin Wallace (R-Wellston), the author of the measure.
Helping the push for the passage of the bill was a multi-million-dollar budget shortfall for the coming fiscal year along with the April 2 statewide walkout by teachers demanding increased education funding that shuttered schools across the state.
Exclusivity fees:
Tribes that signed off on the extra gaming provisions are now subject to an increase in the state’s exclusivity fees and will be required to pay Oklahoma 10% of their monthly net win from each new offering.
Tribes do not pay exclusivity fees on revenue generated from Class II gaming.
According to a 2016 study (pdf) commissioned by the Oklahoma Indian Gaming Commission, since the 2006 implementation of Class III gaming compacts in Oklahoma, more than $1.123 billion in exclusivity fees have been paid to the state by tribal casinos.
An additional $22 million is expected to be generated by the exclusivity fees via the expansion in the first year, with $49 million annually in the coming years.
Tribes paid the fiscal year 2017 exclusivity fees based on more than $2.2 billion in revenue generated from Class III electronic games and nonhouse-banked card games.
According to the first notice in the Federal Register, Class III gaming compacts for the Choctaw Nation and the Fort Sill Apache Tribe were approved by Sweeney on August 6. Class III gaming compacts were reportedly approved for an additional 11 tribes on August 9, according to the second notice, as reported by indianz.com.
Included in the second notice are tribes that operate some of the state’s largest and most lucrative gaming enterprises, such as the Cherokee Nation and the Chickasaw Nation.
According to the Oklahoma Gaming Compliance Unit Annual Report Fiscal Year 2017, of the nearly $134 million in tribal gaming exclusivity fees collected in the fiscal year 2017 under state-tribal gaming compacts, the Cherokee Nation contributed $15,562,043.62 in exclusivity fees while the Chickasaw nation paid $46,826,788.00 in exclusivity fees.
The Cherokee Nation’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa on Monday opened ball and dice game tables to the public. It is the first tribal casino in the Tulsa market to do so.
The first stop of the RunGood Old West tour struck Tunica and brought out the second-largest field in RG Main Event history. 536 participants created a prize pool of $268,000. After Two days of poker, Dennis Thurman won the first prize of $61,640 along with the cowboy boots and custom RGPS belt buckle.
Thurman hails carries a lot of poker experience from his days playing poker on the East Coast. In the first RG Main Event, Thurman topped a tough field and RunGood’s Dan Lowery, heads-up to win the title.
At the beginning of Day 2, Thurman opened play with 51,000 yet rapidly rotated his method up right into opinion. Thurman entered the final table in the middle of the pack and stayed out of Lowery’s way while he eliminated player after player.
Heads up play began with Lowery holding a 3-1 advantage but Thurman quickly made his action. Thurman doubled up at the beginning of the heads-up play and broke up from there. Play went back and forth until Lowery had Thurman in jeopardy once again.
Lowery held 7♦7♥ against Thurman’s 5♥5♠ and Thurman flopped a set to take the lead. A few hands later, Thurman closed out the match when he flopped a king with K♥6♣ against Lowery’s A♣A♠, all the chips went in, and the K♦ turn locked up the title for Thurman.
This event marks the final thought of the RGPS Old West in Tunica. RunGood thanks to all of the Horseshoe tournament staff, ambassadors, and players for a great series. We will see you next on the RunGood Series in Kansas City from September 17-22.
The WPT500 Los Angeles kicked off Saturday at the host venue, The Bicycle Casino, with two starting flights. As many as 331 entries registered into the $570 buy-in tournament during Days 1A and 1B, but only 17 of them will progress into Day 2.
The event features a total of fourteen starting flights, running all the way through August 25, so there is still a plethora of opportunities for interested players to enter it for a chance at the title and the lion’s share of the prize pool. But without much further ado, here is how the action unfolded during the two starting flights.
Day 1A action kicked off at 11:30 am local time at the host casino. As many as 251 players entered through that first starting flight, but there were just 13 of them left at the tables of The Bicycle when organizers called it a day. The play was stopped with 24:51 remaining in Level 21.
Peter Hengsakul bagged the largest chip stack at the end of Day 1A. The player put a total of 1.151 million in his bag. Hengsakul has a massive chip lead over his fellow Day 1A survivors, with Robert Zeidman standing nearest to him in the leaderboard with 620,000. It is interesting to note that Hengsakul finished third in the previous edition of the WPT500 Los Angeles, which took place in May 2017. The player collected $100,000 for his deep run in that event.
Day 1B Action
The Day 1B (Turbo) starting flight kicked off at 5 pm at the host venue. It attracted 80 entrants, but only four of them survived to the very end of the ordeal. Peter Neff ended play as the chip leader with 714,000. This means that Hengsakul is the overnight chip leader of the first two starting flights of the tournament and will be heading the remaining 17 players into Day 2 next Sunday.
Day 1B concluded with 18:09 remaining in Level 22, blinds standing at 8,000-16,000. After all starting flights are completed and Day 2 begins, the blinds are set to be rocked back to the earliest finish of all fourteen Day 1s.
WPT500 action is set to resume at 11:30 am today at The Bicycle for Day 1C. Day 1D is scheduled to begin at 5 pm local time. Unlimited re-entries into the tournament are allowed until registration closes before the start of Level 9. Day 2 of the tournament will take place on Sunday, August 26. The remaining survivors will play down to the final 9 who will return on Monday to determine the winner.
The previous edition of the WPT500 Los Angeles was hosted by The Gardens Casino in the spring of 2017. The tournament was entered by 3,266 participants, who generated a prize pool of over $1.6 million. The top 263 finishers received a share of the money, min-cashes starting from $1,300. Poker pro-Dong Le took down the event to collect the first-place prize of $224,500.
With a huge $million up for grabs as well as being crowned the latest partypoker Millions Champion, it’s all to play for the remaining players as we head into the fifth and final day of the 2018 Sochi Millions $5,300 Main Event!
The second stop on the 2018/2019 WSOP Circuit schedule is now in full swing, with Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut currently playing host to the popular series. And a first gold ring has already been awarded to its rightful winner as part of the ongoing poker festival.
Vittorio Faricelli, a real estate broker from Brooklyn, New York, won last night his first piece of WSOP Circuit paraphernalia after a near-miss in Atlantic City earlier this year. The player took down the opening $400 No-Limit Hold’em at Foxwoods after two days of poker action.
The tournament drew a field of 113 entries who created a prize pool of $37,290. The top 12 finishers were treated to a share of the prize pool, with min-cashes starting from $779. Each of the nine final tablists was guaranteed a minimum payout of $963. As for the winner, he collected $11,187 to accompany his gold ring.
This was Faricelli’s fifth cash from the WSOP Circuit and seventh from a WSOP-branded event. Earlier this summer, the player finished in the money in the $1,111 Little One for ONE DROP for $1,593 and The Closer $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em for $4,021.
As mentioned above, the latest WSOP Circuit gold ring winner nearly claimed the piece earlier this year. Faricelli reached heads-up against Joshua Clanton in a $365 No-Limit Hold’em event at Harrah’s Atlantic City, but eventually placed second.
Event Highlights
The opening $400 No-Limit Hold’em at Foxwoods turned out to be Faricelli’s lucky one. The tournament was played over two days. The second day of action saw just three players return to battle it out for the first-place prize and the gold ring.
The eventual champion was holding the chip lead with 774,000 at the time cards were thrown in the air for Day 2 action. Lowell Kim held the second largest stack with 641,000, and James Campbell was the short stack with just under 300,000.
The event’s second day was a relatively short one. Campbell busted in third place for $4,922 and left it to Faricelli and Kim to square off for the gold ring. Faricelli was leading at the beginning of heads-up, but Kim managed to double up early into the match. However, the eventual champion rapidly gained pace to extend his advantage significantly until the final hand was dealt.
The two players got it all in with Faricelli tabling [Ac][6c] to Kim’s [10d][9d]. Faricelli’s ace-high kept him comfortable all the way through the river when he scored a straight for extra advantage. Kim was thus eliminated in second place for a payout of $6,914.
Commenting on his triumph last night, Faricelli said that his general positive attitude has helped him a lot in difficult situations on and off the poker felt. The player said that lately he has been running great not just in poker but in life as a whole. Faricelli recently wed his partner Pamela and is having his best life as a newlywed.
July was New Jersey’s first month with legal sports betting, a milestone that came after years fighting against the major sports leagues.
Garden State gambling regulators said that the state’s five sports books took nearly $41 million worth of wagers last month, which generated $3.8 million in winnings for the books. New Jersey took more than $16 million in wagers in about half of June.
Through the state’s first six weeks or so of legal sports wagering, more than $57 million in bets were taken. For comparison, Nevada took more than $280 million worth of bets in June alone.
The New Jersey properties with active sports books as of Aug. 1 were: Bally’s, Borgata, Ocean Resort (formerly Revel), Meadowlands and Monmouth Park. Through July, Monmouth Park generated sports betting revenue of $3.1 million, tops in the state.
Atlantic City has nine casinos, after Ocean Resort opened in late June and Hard Rock Atlantic City, formerly the Trump Taj Mahal, rebooted in late June as well.
Thanks to sports betting and $25.9 million in internet gambling revenue, New Jersey’s Las Vegas-style casino gambling industry generated $302 million in winnings in July, up a whopping 12.8 percent year-over-year from $267.8 million.
July was much-needed for the Garden State. Year-to-date gaming revenue of $1.56 billion is up 0.3 percent compared to the $1.55 billion generated during the first seven months of 2017.
In other words, the state’s gambling industry is in the black now for 2018, in terms of revenue.
Through July, winnings from the brick-and-mortar casino games such as blackjack and slot machines were down 1.9 percent to $1.38 billion. Internet gaming revenue of $165.4 million was up 16.5 percent year-over-year.
New Jersey’s online poker market in July was $1.8 million, down about eight percent compared to $2 million in July 2017. Through the first seven months of this year, the online poker revenue was $12.9 million, down 11 percent compared to $14.5 million.
The state began sharing online poker players with Nevada and Delaware in May, and so far the results have been mixed. June did mark the first positive month for the New Jersey online poker market since February 2017.
This weekend, the Empire State Hold’em Championships will wrap up at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York with the $100,000 guaranteed main event. The $500+$50+$20 buy-in tournament officially kicks off Friday, Aug. 17 with the first of two starting flights.
Friday and Saturday’s starting flights will each begin at 11 a.m., with each player receiving a 30,000 starting stack. Players will also enjoy 30- and 40-minute levels on day 1, followed by 50-minute levels on day 2. Speaking of day 2, players will also have the option to buy-in before play begins on that Sunday at 11 a.m.
For those looking to earn their buy-in at a discount, Turning Stone is offering numerous satellite options, including turbo qualifiers for $114+$11+$5 at 1 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. from Aug. 14-16. On Friday, Aug. 17, there will be turbo qualifiers at 10 a.m, 1 p.m. 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., and on Saturday, Aug. 18, three more will run at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Each qualifier will feature 10,000 in starting chips and 10-minute blind levels. One in five will win a $570 main event seat.
For the schedule and structures for the upcoming Empire State Hold’em Championships main event. For more information about the Turning Stone Resort Casino poker room, check out their homepage.
If you’re in need of a summer vacation getaway, Turning Stone Resort Casino could be the perfect destination. The “Stone” has plenty of golf, racquet sports, a spa, high-quality entertainment, one of the finest steakhouses in the world, music, and fun in their many nightclubs.
After recently rebranding two of his Macau casinos to feature the word ‘dragon’, the billionaire businessman behind hotel operator, Golden Dragon Group, has now reportedly declared that his firm is ‘thinking about’ bidding for a local gaming license of its own.
Long-standing interest:
According to a report from GGRAsia, Chan Meng Kam is one of Macau’s richest businessmen and his revelation came after March saw the 55-year-old explain that he would be eager to ‘participate’ in the process that is set to change the casino landscape in the former Portuguese enclave.
‘Big six’ domination coming to a close:
Currently, only the ‘big six’ operators of SJM Holdings Limited, Las Vegas Sands Corporation, MGM China Holdings Limited, Wynn Macau Limited, Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited and Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited are permitted to run casinos in Macau…
But, this situation is due to change following the expiration of these operators’ exclusivity by 2022 and Golden Dragon Group is thought to be among those that are hoping to gain a license for this tightly controlled market.
The operator already holds casino experience:
GGRAsia reported that Golden Dragon Group already has casino experience due to the complement some 200 gaming tables it operates at four Macau venues courtesy of associated piggy-back arrangements with SJM Holdings Limited and Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited.
This portfolio includes almost 100 units inside its flagship Hotel Golden Dragon as well as 20 elements for its Royal Dragon Hotel property, which opened in September.
The privately-owned firm’s Macau portfolio encompasses the Lan Kwai Fong and Hotel Taipa Square properties, which were recently rebranded to the Macau Million Dragon and Grand Dragon Hotel respectively.
The downtown project being planned:
Finally, Chan also told GGRAsia yesterday that his firm is still hoping to build a new two-star property on a downtown plot adjacent to the Grand Lisboa Hotel property from SJM Holdings Limited.
He detailed that this project is currently in the ‘preparation phase’ but that there was ‘not yet any planning of the gaming side.’
