Poker News Bytes — October 14, 2007

Las Vegas Hilton Closing Poker Room

It's official – the Las Vegas Hilton's poker room is closing its doors to the public on Wednesday, October 17. The 11-table room has been open since August of 2005, a little more than two years, according to poker room manager Mark Nelson. Pending its definitive closure, the Hilton card room will be the first in Las Vegas to shut down since poker's resurgence in 2003. The off-strip room struggled to fill the tables in its brief existence and was perhaps overshadowed by the Hilton's world-famous sports book, located just a few feet away.

John-Robert Wows Fei Long – Speaks Mandarin!

Professional poker player turned Survivor castaway John-Robert Bellande was able to scoot through another episode of the popular television game show, currently in its fifteenth season. Bellande developed a bad rep within his tribe during the first couple of episodes for his sloth-like behavior, but has since started to prove his worth both around camp and in challenges – all strategic maneuvering, according to the big man. Most recently, John-Robert impressed his tribe mates by translating the spoken words of a Chinese fisherman and his family who were sent to teach the tribe how to catch fish. Bellande attributed the skill to the time he spent living in Taiwan when he was younger. While the feat may have granted him some additional brownie points with members of his tribe, he's far from safe. At the last tribal council attended by the Fei Long tribe, Bellande was given serious consideration for the boot. Though he ultimately lived to see another day, he received two votes and has yet to dissolve the bad blood between himself and Courtney, who has made it clear that she wants him voted out. Tune in this Thursday on CBS to see if John-Robert can bluff his way to another episode.

Mansion Poker Joins Forces with Ongame

Last week, Mansion.com announced a partnership with Sweden's Ongame Network, a move that will afford Mansion poker players access to a pool of over 30,000 new players. Mansion faithful need have no fear – the site plans to continue to host its lucrative guaranteed tournaments, as well as some extra-value tournaments through the Ongame Network. Additionally, a handful of new games will be offered courtesy of the merger, including Seven Card Stud, Omaha, Omaha 8-or-Better and Five-Card Draw. "We chose Ongame Network as one of the most tried and trusted platforms online and for their superior Poker software, but an equally important deal-maker has been their ability to enhance our business rather than consume it," said Guy Gussarsky, Mansion Group CEO. Players can still gain access to all Mansion products via www.mansion.com.