US - Bellagio began a 90-day field trial last Friday of World Poker Tour All-In Hold ´em, which is played on a table similar to blackjack, but where players wager against the dealer and not each other. 
The Strip resort has one game in its main casino.
The company responsible for bringing the World Poker Tour to an estimated cable television audience of 5 million weekly viewers now wants to offer a variation of the popular Texas hold ´em game to casino patrons.
The Strip resort has one game in its main casino. After three months, an analysis of play will be forwarded to Nevada gaming regulators. Two Indian casinos, Agua Caliente and Sycuan in the San Diego area, and Casino Magic in Biloxi, Miss., have the game on their floors.
"This, of course, is the place test where the game needs to do well," said Jack Malisow, vice president of marketing for Lakes Entertainment, a Minnesota-based gaming company that is distributing the game. The company owns 64 percent of World Poker Enterprises, which produces the television series.
He said Nevada approval, which could take five months, will allow Lakes Entertainment to roll out the game on a wide scope. "The World Poker Tour brand has tremendous appeal and name recognition," Malisow said. "This game gives players the opportunity to experience that action."
Lakes Entertainment, which manages nine tribal casinos and distributes other table games, believes the popularity of the World Poker Tour, which airs weekly on the Travel Channel, provides the game a ready-made market. The tables are decorated with the World Poker Tour´s color scheme and have the game´s ace of spades logo.
