Companies sue over failed poker tournament

By Steve Green (contact)

Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Plans by two companies to launch a new celebrity poker tournament have fallen apart, with each company suing the other over the collapse of their deal.

Sludikoff Gaming Tournements Inc. of Las Vegas, led by longtime gaming industry publisher Stanley Sludikoff, last year filed a lawsuit in Clark County District Court against Hall of Fame World Poker Championship LLC, a Nevada company, and that firm’s principals, Bruce Bibbero of Marietta, Ga., and Lawrence Lubin of Alpharetta, Ga.

Sludikoff over the years has been the publisher of Gambling Times, Win Magazine, Poker Player and pokerplayernewspaper.com. His company said in the lawsuit that it was hired in 2007 by Bibbero and Lubin to help them launch a new celebrity poker tournament offering teams of athletes and celebrities the opportunity to advance to a final round and win a $1 million prize. One of Sludikoff’s roles was to line up casinos as sponsors of the events, including the final round.

Sludikoff Gaming, which said it was initially paid $10,000 per month for working on the project, said the Hall of Fame company later tried to profit from its experience, expertise and reputation without compensating it and also made defamatory statements about Sludikoff Gaming to casino officials and others in the gaming industry.

That suit was filed by attorneys Eric Taylor and Jonquil Urdaz of the Las Vegas law firm Alverson, Taylor, Mortensen & Sanders. A trial in that case is set for August.

Bibbero, Lubin and Hall of Fame World Poker Championship are pursuing a lawsuit of their own, which they filed last week in Clark County District Court against Sludikoff Gaming Tournements and Stanley Sludikoff.

That suit, filed by attorneys James Jimmerson and Mario Lovato of the firm Jimmerson Hansen, alleges the suit filed by Sludikoff made false allegations and was an abuse of process.

"Defendants had an ulterior purpose other than resolving a legal dispute,’’ says the suit filed against Sludikoff last week.

The suit against Sludikoff alleges that he and his company failed to make any meaningful or significant contact with casinos, falsely claimed ownership of the project and falsely claimed a partnership between the parties.

A trial date has not been set in the second case.

Steve Green can be reached at 990-7714 or at steve.green@hbcpub.com.