Big Game (poker) explained

The Big Game is a high-stakes poker cash game played in "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.

Notes and References

1. Web site: The New Big Game: $200/$400 Mixed Heats Up Aria's Ivey Room. Elissa Harwood. PokerNews. 2010-09-02. 2014-12-23.
2. Web site: RISK: The Biggest Game Ever. Dan Michalski. dmagazine.com. 2004. 2014-12-23.
3. Book: Sam Farha. Storms Reback. Farha on Omaha: Expert Strategy for Beating Cash Games and Tournaments. 1 October 2007. Triumph Books. 978-1-61749-920-3. 74–.
4. Book: Des Wilson. Ghosts at the Table: Riverboat Gamblers, Texas Rounders, Roadside Hucksters, and the Living Legends Who Made Poker What it is Today. 2009. Da Capo Press, Incorporated. 978-0-7867-3205-0. 269–.
5. https://www.bellagio.com/en/casino/bobbys-room.html "Las Vegas Poker - Bobby's Poker Room - Bellagio"
6. Web site: The Big Game: A Closer Look At The Biggest Game In The World . Bluff Staff . BLUFF Magazine . 2006 . 2014-12-23 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20141223040221/http://www.bluff.com/magazine/the-big-game-bluff-takes-a-closer-look-at-the-biggest-game-in-the-world-10478/ . 2014-12-23 .