Poker Dome Challenge Show Gets New Dome Location

After months of delay, officials unveiled the Poker Dome on Friday, which will play host to Poker Dome Challenge, a series that airs on Fox Sports Net and formerly took place at the Tropicana in Vegas.

There are plenty of colorful lights and sound effects in the Poker Dome, which one VIP getting a tour likened to a set of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" but for poker players. The room reportedly cost $6.5 million.

The players on the show are wired to microphones, their heart beats are monitored and televised, and the cards have electronic chips in them so they can be displayed to the audience.

Meanwhile, a live audience can follow the action through soundproof, one-way glass.

The show has gotten mixed reviews, with some people questioning the talent of players.

"So few people knew about it during the first weeks, it was pretty easy to get on," Cummis said. "We're ramping up the level by the week."

When news of the Poker Dome concept first came out, some Gaming Control Board members raised their eyebrows, saying that organizers could need an unrestricted gaming license to host poker tournaments. That would be an impossibility at Neonopolis.

But after an opinion from the attorney general's office, the Gaming Control Board gave the go-ahead -- primarily because the contestants on the "game show" enter for free and the chips have no value. Each winner receives $25,000 and a seat at one of six televised semifinals. Ultimately, the final players will play in a final event worth $1 million.

July 30, 2006
Posted By Larry Rutherford
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com    Previous Page | Internet Gambling | Top Online Casinos | Submit News!

Shannon Elizabeth Gets Knocked Out Of WSOP Too Early
World Series of Poker First Day Highlights
Drew Barrymore Stars in Movie Set at 2003 World Series of Poker
Doyle Brunson Recalls the Old Days of WSOP
Playboy Poker Camp Offers Instruction, Competition, Playmates