Party Poker Blog

November 4, 2008

While the party poker blog is almost always very long, it is considered to be one of the nicer and more exclusive clubs that Las Vegas has to offer. Rain features multiple floors which are available to different levels of VIPs, depending on how much you want to spend. Cabanas, waterbooths, and skyboxes are all fun options if you shell out some extra dough; otherwise, they have a nice dance floor on their bottom level that is usually very busy.

To satiate the sick gambler in you, the Palms also has a fairly new club, the Playboy Club, which is more of a lounge-type atmosphere that features table games and dealers dressed in bunny suits. The Playboy Club isn't really as popular yet as some of the other Palms spots, but it's a good option for those who do not really like the clubbing atmosphere and want to gamble while they hang out. These are just a few of the many clubbing options available on the Strip. For those that are willing to venture a bit further out, Tao at Venetian and Tryst at the Wynn are also two highly regarded night spots and two of my personal favorites. Clubbing and upscale bars are definitely not for the cheap, but Vegas boasts the best clubs in the nation filled with people trying to look their best, and are worth experiencing at least once. To continue my brother's story as a poker visionary, we will look at what happened to his dream of the Tournament of Champions the last two years and when and how PartyPoker and the World Poker Tour entered the picture.

Poker on the Internet and on television was just around the corner and Mike Sexton was about to be tabbed as the starting quarterback in both stadiums! As it turned out, he was the right person in the right place for all of us in the poker world. Mike is extremely modest, and would be the first to tell you that there is no one individual who deserves the most credit. The poker explosion that happened did so due to many components and pioneers in the industry. That said, few on the planet could deny the fact that Mike Sexton's key role as a poker visionary and pioneer truly helped lead us all to the top of the mountain -- poker was about to be legitimized, respected, and revered beyond previously imagined limits.

First, let's examine the ToC, as it only occurred in three years, 1999, 2000 and 2001. The three respective champions were David Chiu, Spencer Sun, and Brian Saltus. Mike has always felt the ToC was the classiest event in poker, but the fact is, the event lost about $100,000 each year. As an outside promoter, with no drop in the casino, and considering the extra cost of drinks, food, promotions, pageantry, live music, an independent film crew, an extra ballroom, year-round administration and promotional exenses, and juice from one event only... well, it is no wonder the event was first-class for the players, but expensive to promote. Mike felt corporate sponsorship was right around the corner. He was right, but the ToC was a little ahead of its time. After the first ToC in 1999, Mike had a choice. Either drop the event, or bring in a partner to help defray the costs.