The Palms Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada is now home to the Epic Poker League which got underway Friday, August 5, 2011. At first the casino's President, George Maloof was not totally sold with the idea but now he is thanking his lucky stars that he agreed to welcoming the series into the casino.
Around 240 of the most notable poker pros have come to the casino for the next several days to participate in the inaugural Epic Poker League events which are scheduled to run until the beginning of 2012. Hundreds of non-pro poker players are also entering the Pro/Am events and there are also a big group of poker fans watching from the rails. Maloof is now realizing how big of a boost this will give to the Palms when it comes to the other forms of entertainment at the casino.
"We set up a bunch of live poker tables outside of the (tournament) room for that purpose," said Maloof. "We're hoping this boosts casino play."
With the TV deal the Epic Poker League has with CBS and Velocity Networks, there is a good chance that the casino will be receiving plenty of exposure. Since Maloof is not charging the new league too high a price for the convention space or charging a rake for the tournaments, he is hoping to make a profit from the increased number of guests the casino will now have a few days out of each month.
Some players who have qualified for the league and are still in the running include Vanessa Selbst, Andy Bloch and Eli Ezra. The prize pool for the Pro/Am event has been build up real nice according a spokesperson for the Heartland Poker Tour.
The main event for the Epic Poker League is scheduled to get underway tomorrow, August 9 at noon so make sure to check back to Casinofan.com for the latest updates!
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