Guy Laliberte is perhaps the biggest of these whales. Gu

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- NASCAR chairman Brian France staunchly defended Sunday the health of the sport, saying that it is in a good spot to replace Sprint as an entitlement sponsor amid television ratings and attendance declines.In his first general news conference with motorsports media since January, a feisty France also staunchly defended his commitment to diversity, a commitment that was challenged when he endorsed Donald Trump earlier this year.Nobody wants to hear my political views ... so I wont be talking about that, France said before the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. But on diversity, nobody in this company has worked harder, done more and resourced it better than me.I founded [NASCARs] diversity council. I fought for every single thing that makes sense because thats my core belief: Diversity is very, very important. I talk about it frequently. And my efforts there should never be challenged no matter what my political view. Thats a ridiculous thing to do.With all but two of the Chase for the Sprint Cup race television ratings down at least 10 percent, the track public-operating companies reporting admission revenue down 9 percent after the Daytona 500 and potentially seven of NASCARs charters (its version of franchises) changing hands as teams still have trouble finding sponsorship, France said the sport is in a better position than those numbers indicate.We are still very pleased with our position in sports, France said. The audience isnt going away at all. Its sliding to different places, consuming in different ways. ... Our digital consumption is off the charts.Multicar teams Richard Petty Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing are among well-established teams that are still seeking significant sponsorship to field one of their cars in 2017 that they fielded in 2016.You have some teams that for whatever the reasons cant compete at such a high level and they have some problems, and thats throughout history, France said. Its not abnormal at all.The other hurdle for NASCAR this year has been finding a replacement for Sprint, which will leave this year after 13 seasons of sponsoring the sport. NASCAR has not announced a new sponsor. Industry insiders have indicated Monster Energy is the leading candidate. Monster Energy sports marketing director Mitch Covington said last week he would not respond to rumors.Its taken a little longer than I thought, France said. But its also a big agreement, and its an important agreement. Its not just dollars and cents. Its a fit for us. ... Im confident were going to end up in a very good spot.France also said that NASCAR will look at rewarding the regular-season champion and that discussions continue to bring additional manufacturers into the sport.Would I like to have everything perfect? Of course I would, France said. Thats sports and thats a competitive business, and the model is changing a little bit, too. ... Were pleased with the health of the sport. Dax McCarty Jersey .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. Tim Ream Jersey . Terms of the deal were not immediately available. The 26-year-old finished last season with Clevelands Triple-A affiliate in Columbus after signing with the Indians in August. http://www.soccerusateamonline.com/Deandre-Yedlin-Copa-America-Jersey/ . Manuel was offered a position the day he was fired. He accepted earlier this week and the team made the announcement Friday. Tim Ream USA Jersey . Vokoun departed practice on Saturday morning after discovering swelling in his thigh. He was taken to a local hospital where the clot was revealed. The club announced the surgery following a 5-3 exhibition loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jorge Villafana USA Jersey . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration.Like any other walk of life I suppose, Poker is full of myths and misnomers, but surely the answer has to be Las Vegas? Its the unofficial World Headquarters of Poker, and where many of the biggest pros live, including Doyle Brunson and Phil Ivey.Those big cash games always centred around Bobbys Room, in the Bellagio on the strip, and the room was named after Bobby Baldwin. You may not have heard of Bobby Baldwin, even though he has won no less than 4 World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, but that was a very long time ago. Later, he became involved in Casino Management, and very successfully too. In fact, he was President of Bellagio Casino and Hotel when it was decided to name Bobbys Room after him. You may be forgiven for suspecting there may be a connection between those 2 facts. Later, the big games in Vegas moved a few yards up the strip to the Aria Resort and Casino, this time, more appropriately, it took place in Iveys Room, named after 10-time WSOP winner Phil Ivey.Are the worlds biggest cash games still held there, in Las Vegas? Absolutely not.Big cash game Poker is a dynamic thing, it follows the money, and soon the game moved to China of all places, or more specifically Macau, which is a sort of political subsidiary of China, and it sits just across the Pearl River Delta from Hong Kong. And we all know how the Chinese love a gamble, so that fits nicely.Soon, though, the game moved again, and remarkably, its next stop was the most densely populated city in the world, Manila, in the Philippines.Why does the game move so often? Quite simply, it follows the money, and this is where it gets interesting. It does not follow the big Poker pros like Phil Ivey, Dan Cates and the like, it follows players called whales. A whale is actually a rather unkind and unfair description of a very wealthy person who likes a game of Poker. Im sure you are ahead of me here, but you can see where this is going - the pros follow the whales, because they can smell easy money.Who are these guys? Well lets start with a chap named Richard Yong, who, really, is common to Las Vegas, Macau and now the Philippines. He was in all the big Las Vegas cash games, but then an odd thing happened - Richard was arrested in his Caesars Palace condo after an FBI raid, and accused of illegal sports betting. Slung in jail, with bail set at $1.5 million, he was bailed out by Poker pros Phil Ivey and Dan Cates. Thats how much they valued his cash game action. Happily, all charges were eventually dropped, and Richard was completely cleared. And so Richard decided it was time to dodge out of Dodge, and next popped up in Macau, as did - yup, youve got it, Ivey, Cates and Co.Sooon, he relocated to the Manila, and obviously, the game followed him there, and as long as he and his ilk are in Manila, the game will stay there.dddddddddddd And thats just how it works.There are plenty of so-called whales, of course, including a few from the UK.One such is Paul Newey. Paul made his name with Ocean Finance, who were a pioneer of pay day loans, and are based in the Midlands. He eventually sold out in 2004 for a whopping £250 million. Paul wont ever need a pay day loan, thats for sure.Since then, he has played the high roller Poker circuit, and very successfully too, with his biggest cash being $1.4 million, though the buy-in for that event was a staggering $1.1 million. He lives in Jersey now, for tax reasons, but spends his time travelling the global high roller circuit.He has another hobby too - high roller slots, both online and live. Earlier this year, he wanted to go to Melbourne to play the Aussie Millions, so he decided to go via Las Vegas, and play some slots en-route, and did very handsomely, too, collecting a most pleasing half a million dollar payout from a Vegas slot machine. It brings a whole new meaning to what a life, eh? Am I jealous and envious? You bet I am. Hes a nice fella though, so good luck to him. Talal Shakerchi is another UK based high roller, and he does pretty well at the game, too. If you met Talal, youd never believe he was a Poker player, he is quiet, unassuming, softly spoken, polite, and a complete gentleman. Dont mess with him at the Poker table though, hes a beast. Big sums of money dont bother Talal, as his day job is managing a high roller Hedge Fund. No scared money there, then.Canadas Guy Laliberte is perhaps the biggest of these whales. Guy is the founder and 95% owner of the fabulous Cirque du Soleil circus troupe, who have stage productions all over the world, including no less than 8 currently running in Las Vegas.Guy is a perfect example of why its a little rude and unfair to make the assumption that Poker whales have more money than sense. Guy founded the One Drop Poker tournament - the one with the $1.1 million price tag - but the whole thing is based around his One Drop Foundation. The aim of One Drop is to provide sustainable water supplies to those parts of the world where running water does not exist. Guess you might describe him as a whale out of water. So there we have it. Can anyone join these high roller cash games? Why yes, of course. You just need to pull up the minimum buy-in, which is usually about 2 milly. For you and me, think wed best stick to being fish, and tiddlers at that. So if you fancy some 5p - 10p cash action, Im your man. Pull up 2 million to play Poker? Err, PASS. ' ' '

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