Poker News

Donna Blevins

You don’t have to wait for summer for poker to heat up in New York State. It’s hot now and getting hotter!

Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, NY, is going even bigger . . . from 22 poker tables to 32. Construction starts after their Third Annual Empire State Hold’em Championship, August 14-21. To hone your tournament skills prior to the event, you can take advantage of any of 10 daily tournaments, most no-limit hold’em. The poker room is open 24-7.

The Director of Poker Operations, Jason DiBenedetto, said, “We spread everything from low-limit games all the way to no-limit hold’em. You’ll find no-limit tables ranging from $100 maximum buy-in up to a $300 minimum buy-in on Friday nights. The non-smoking poker room also offers tableside dining. If you want some sunshine, we have three championship golf courses . . . This is definitely a destination resort with 704 rooms and over 100,000 sq feet of meeting space. Last year 150 national acts performed in our 800 seat showroom.” Want to take a break from poker while at Turning Stone Casino? You can try your hand at a number of other casino games including Blackjack, Craps, Caribbean Stud Poker, Let it Ride, Roulette, Mini-Baccarat, and even Pai Gow Poker. Check out www.turning-stone.com.

Located about eight miles from the US/Canadian border near Cornwall, Ontario, Akwesasne Mohawk Casino in Hogansburg, NY, has a 9-table poker room and a full range of other casino table games. The casino has gone through a recent renovation and is open 24-7. However, the poker room opens at 4 PM daily and 11 AM on weekends. Daily they spread $5-10 no-limit hold’em with a minimum buy-in of $200, maximum $1,000.

They offer a variety of nightly tournaments. The winners automatically receive an entry into the Third Annual AMC No- Limit Hold’em Championship scheduled for early September. Akwesasne Mohawk Casino refer to themselves as the North Country’s Favorite Playground. The casino has plans for eventually becoming a resort destination that will include a conference center and hotel. Check out http://www.mohawkcasino.com.

If you’re going near the Falls, you can stop at Seneca Niagara Casino’s 16-table poker room or go to one of its sister Seneca properties: Allegany in Salamanca with 20 tables is about a 90-minute drive from Niagara, or Irving with 8 tables located about an hour from the Falls. Niagara & Salamanca are open 24-7. Irving differs.

The 2005 Seneca Poker Circuit, with buy-ins ranging from $225 to $540, is a monthly, ten-event No-Limit Hold’em tournament that rotates among the three Seneca Gaming and Entertainment properties. Because the Poker Director, Mike Ganiey, made special table arrangements for these tournaments, on May 22, 2005, the Salamanca property was able to host a 522-player, $225 buy-in event. First place was split by the last two players, Robert Anastasia, Jr. of Olean, NY and Carrie Springob of Cleveland, OH, who each took home $20,271. Anastasia took home the trophy.

The next stop on the Seneca Poker Circuit is a $540 event on June 19 at the Seneca Niagara Casino. All Circuit tournaments start at noon. Coming in January 2006 is the Seneca World Poker Classic. Check out http://www.senecaniagaracasino.com.

A true entrepreneur at heart, Donna Blevins is a marketing consultant, professional speaker and trainer, as well as a poker journalist. She looks forward to meeting you at the final table. Contact Donna to advertise in Poker Player, to cover your poker tournament or with article ideas.

Filed under: Poker News