9 still in running to become World Series of Poker champ

The nine final-table players in the World Series of Poker’s Main Event have been determined. The chip leader is Cliff Josephy with 75 million, a relatively small 17 million more than the second-biggest stack. Last in the field is Fernando Pons, with just more than 6 million.

The players range in age from 27 to 51 and represent five countries, with five from the United States and one each from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Canada and Spain. All nine will win prizes of at least $1 million, with the champion taking down $8 million. The finalists are still being referred to as the “November Nine,” even though they’ll reconvene at the Rio on Oct. 30 to avoid conflicting with the presidential election. The new world champion will be crowned Nov. 1.

Barge sinking: After 46 years the iconic Cleopatra’s Barge is closing at Caesars Palace. While its official name was changed to the Gossy Room a few years back, it’s almost always referred to and identified by its former name. The space will be reinvented as an all-new contemporary nightclub, but there’s no word about what will become of the famous bust of the barge’s namesake.

Show shake-up: It’s been a tough month for some of the Strip’s biggest shows. “Raiding the Rock Vault” at the Tropicana, ‘Showstoppers” at Wynn Las Vegas, “Absinthe” at Caesars Palace and “Jersey Boys” at Paris have all announced that they’ll close later this year, with “Raiding” the first to do so at the end of July.

Question: If the proposed football stadium is built, where will it be located?

Answer: That’s one of the big unknowns right now. There are reportedly nine sites in the running, with locations on, east and west of the Strip. The most recent possibility, and the one considered to be the front-runner at this time, is the parcel on Tropicana a mile west of the Strip where the Wild Wild West casino currently stands.

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