Bovada Poker News: Tosoc Wins WPT Five Diamond Classic

Just over a year ago at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Ryan Tosoc finished second to James Romero at one of the biggest events on the World Poker Tour, the Five Diamond Poker Classic. It was an amazing result for Tosoc, but he did himself one better on Sunday, winning the 2017 Classic and taking home nearly $2 million for first place. The Las Vegas resident defied the odds by outlasting a tournament-record field of 812 entrees; Tosoc claimed victory after 49 hands of heads-up No-Limit Hold’em action with rising star Alex Foxen.

Tosoc was in second place when the Classic reached the final six players on Sunday, but he had over 60% of the chips in play by the time he was heads-up with Foxen. It only took seven hands for Foxen to take the lead, but eventually, Tosoc caught Foxen making a big bluff on the river, calling with second pair to take a massive chip lead that he would not relinquish. Tosoc adds his $1.96-million jackpot to the $1.12 million he earned for finishing second last year.

 

Complications in SLS Las Vegas Sale

Is the SLS Hotel & Casino Las Vegas about to go under? According to Friday’s report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a lawsuit has been filed against the former Sahara’s owners by a group of 60 Chinese investors, who say the SLS Las Vegas is on the “verge of bankruptcy.” The investors apparently loaned around $400 million under the EB-5 Pilot Program in 2013 and 2014; this government program holds out the carrot of US citizenship in exchange for investments in “at-risk” projects, but according to the lawsuit, none of the investors has received a permanent green card yet.

This legal action complicates the pending sale of SLS to the San Francisco-based Meruelo Group, which also owns the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, but current owners Stockbridge Real Estate say they expect the deal to go forward. Meruelo is currently in negotiations with the plaintiffs, trying to strike a bargain, but the EB-5 program conditions limit what can be done – and the lack of agreement has kept Meruelo from applying to the Nevada Gaming Control Board for final approval of the sale.

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