Vegas Advisor: Tourney’s Main Event draws fewer contestants

The Main Event of the 57th World Series of Poker is in progress, drawing 9,208 players who put up $10,000 for the entry fee or won their way in through qualifying tournaments. That’s a slight 5.4% drop off from last year and the second consecutive yearly decline. However, it still ranks as the fourth largest Main Event field of all time, reinforcing the fact that poker continues to be a powerful draw. It also suggests that fears that the change in the tax laws for gamblers would depress participation were at least somewhat exaggerated. The prize pool is more than $85 million, with $10 million going to first place. All nine final-­table players will win $1 million or more and the top 1,382 finishers will be in the money for at least a $15,000 prize. The new Poker World Champion will be crowned during final-table play that will begin Aug. 3.

Gold Spike sold: Downtown’s Gold Spike has been sold to two local real estate investors for $11.4 million, around 40% of what it sold for in 2013. The sale includes the Gold Spike “entertainment complex,” the adjacent Oasis hotel and the parking lot. No word on what the developers’ plans might be for the property that was once a full-service casino.

Slotapalooza 2: Circa will run Slotapalooza 2 on July 18. Billed as “The World’s Largest Slot Party,” the event will feature a slot tournament that’s free and open to the public, with a grand prize of a video poker machine along with $15,000 in free-play split among the top 50 scores. The tournament runs all day, but the official party begins at 7 p.m., with more giveaways and a two-hour open bar.

Question: What are the odds to win the World Cup?

Answer: With play entering the quarterfinal round in soccer’s World Cup, France was the favorite to win the championship at +175, followed by Argentina at +330 and Spain at +340. The longshot was Switzerland at +4150.

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