The Big Game is a high-stakes poker cash game played in the "Bobby's Room", a cardroom named after Bobby Baldwin, at the Bellagio casino in Las Vegas. In 2010, the game partially expanded to "The Ivey Room" at Aria Resort and Casino. [1] The table features no-limit and pot-limit games with wagers up to $100,000 per hand. [2] Limit games as high as $4,000/$8,000 are often played but $800/$1,600 is normal. [3] [4]
Structure
The table features a variety of poker games played in rotation and changing every 8–10 hands. The games are selected from a list of the players' choices, including:
- Texas hold 'em (limit and no limit)
- Seven-card stud (straight high, eight or better Hi/Lo, Hi/Lo without qualifiers, limit)
- Omaha (straight high, eight or better Hi/Lo, limit and pot limit)
- Deuce-to-seven triple draw (limit)
- Deuce-to-seven single draw (no limit)
- Ace-to-Five triple draw (limit)
- Ace-to-Five single draw (no limit)
- Razz (limit)
Usual players
Usually players buy in for $200,000–300,000, but anyone with the minimum buy in of $20,000 is welcome to play. [5] In addition to the occasional drop-in player, the following players have been known to play regularly in the Big Game over the years: [6]
- Patrik Antonius
- David Benyamine
- Todd Brunson
- Johnny Chan
- Allen Cunningham
- Tom Dwan
- Eli Elezra
- Sammy Farha
- Ted Forrest
- Chau Giang
- Barry Greenstein
- David Grey
- Gus Hansen
- Jennifer Harman
- John Hennigan
- Phil Ivey
- Guy Laliberté
- Minh Ly
- Daniel Negreanu
- David Oppenheim
- Ralph Perry
- Nick Schulman
- Huck Seed
Chip Reese and Doyle Brunson were regulars until they died.
References
- ^ Elissa Harwood (2010-09-02). "The New Big Game: $200/$400 Mixed Heats Up Aria's Ivey Room". PokerNews. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
- ^ Dan Michalski (2004). "RISK: The Biggest Game Ever". dmagazine.com. Retrieved 2014-12-23.
- ^ Sam Farha; Storms Reback (1 October 2007). Farha on Omaha: Expert Strategy for Beating Cash Games and Tournaments. Triumph Books. pp. 74–. ISBN 978-1-61749-920-3.
- ^ Des Wilson (2009). Ghosts at the Table: Riverboat Gamblers, Texas Rounders, Roadside Hucksters, and the Living Legends Who Made Poker What it is Today. Da Capo Press, Incorporated. pp. 269–. ISBN 978-0-7867-3205-0.
- ^ "Las Vegas Poker - Bobby's Poker Room - Bellagio"
- ^ Bluff Staff (2006). "The Big Game: A Closer Look At The Biggest Game In The World". BLUFF Magazine. Archived from the original on 2014-12-23. Retrieved 2014-12-23.