Bettie: World Series of Blackjack Schedule Made Public

[Bettie]

This is from today's "Shooting Stars" column in the LVRJ:

Blackjack steps into the spotlight as GSN ? the erstwhile Game Show Network ? sets up shop at the Golden Nugget Tuesday through Saturday for the World Series of Blackjack. (The network finished staging its first poker tournament at The Orleans a few weeks ago.)

GSN's second season of tournament blackjack shifts to Las Vegas from Connecticut, home of the Mohegan Sun casino, where the previous contest took place in January.

Network officials would have stayed in Connecticut quite happily, according to Ian Valentine, GSN's senior vice president of programming.

But their decision to move up the taping schedule to November ? and the air dates to January ? meant they had to find a new location, he notes.

Enter Las Vegas and the Golden Nugget, which "is obviously hungry, aggressive, assertive and trying to develop their brand," Valentine comments.

Not to mention "smart and TV savvy, having been stars of their own TV show," Fox's unscripted drama "The Casino."

Besides, "there are a lot of good blackjack players in Las Vegas," Valentine points out. "When it didn't work out" at the Mohegan Sun, "we know we would get a good contingent of the best players" here.

Las Vegans participating in the tournament include Joe Maloof (part of the family that owns the Palms), Rene Angelil (husband to and manager of Caesars Palace headliner Celine Dion) and Anthony Curtis (a tournament blackjack veteran who publishes the Las Vegas Advisor).

"We're very pleased with the group that's coming to play," Valentine says.

Matt Vasgersian hosts the action, while Max Rubin provides expert commentary. Golden Nugget owners Tom Breitling and Tim Poster also will turn up on camera.

The tournament, to be held in the Golden Nugget Pavillion, will feature a special set "built with the Nugget in mind," Valentine says, describing it as "classy flash."

If you'd like to catch the action at the Nugget, tapings are open to the public, scheduled for 2 and 6:30 p.m. Tuesday; 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Wednesday; 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m., 3 and 6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m., 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday.

We hadn't posted anything before because it was unclear if the public was to be allowed to watch. After all, what's to stop everyone from talking about who the winner is, even though participants had to sign a non-disclosure form? Keep in mind that not everyone will be at every taping, especially the first few days of preliminary rounds. From the little info we have, it seems that each table is set up to have one real tournament expert (such as A. Curtis), one blackjack personality (Wong or Viktor), a "famous" person (like Maloof), one or two people known for their high-rolling play, and at least one real character. Sometimes a person falls into more than one of those categories!

Bettie

[Don Schlesinger]

And speaking for everyone here at Don's Domain, may I take this opportunity to wish Viktor the best of luck in the tournament.

It's too bad they didn't mention him in the article when they listed the locals.

By the way, the funniest part of the article was when they said that the "Casino" show, shot at GN, was unscripted! :-)

Don

[Sun Runner]

> We hadn't posted anything before because it
> was unclear if the public was to be allowed
> to watch. After all, what's to stop everyone
> from talking about who the winner is, even
> though participants had to sign a
> non-disclosure form?

Shouldn't matter. I watch those WSP re-runs knowing full well who wins.