Bars, Kneipen und Restaurants!!! » Their experience showed Tuesday as

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- The closing of the Trump Taj Mahal casino on Monday will cost thousands of workers their jobs and bring a final end to Donald Trumps legacy in the seaside resort, but it will also mean the closure of what was once one of the premiere destinations for poker outside Las Vegas.The poker room in the casino on Atlantic Citys boardwalk long ago lost its luster, but in its heyday drew packed crowds of gamblers from around the region and country to dozens of tables around the clock.Around lunchtime Wednesday, the 24 remaining tables were empty. A security guard and two soon-to-be unemployed employees milled about, but there were no dealers, no chips being shuffled, no cards flying through the air.After opening in 1993 when poker was legalized in New Jersey, the Taj became the center of the East Coast poker world, certainly the legal poker world, said Brian Koppelman, who used the mix of locals, tourists and pros as inspiration for scenes in his 1998 film Rounders.It was the place that you could go play without violating any laws and where, if you were someone who wanted to get better at poker and study the best players, you were there, Koppelman said. If you were someone who wanted to hustle people, you could go there and find tourists to hustle.Koppelman, creator of TVs Billions on Showtime along with Rounders writing partner David Levien, said the scene in the film where Matt Damons character plays for more money than he should against poker legend Johnny Chan was inspired by him sitting at a table at the Taj with brash World Series of Poker champion Phil Hellmuth.Koppelman and Levien traveled there for research after deciding to make a film about the New York underground poker scene. When they shot there, none of us slept. We were shooting and then just playing cards.The steady stream of players from the New York and Philadelphia region made the room popular, but it was the U.S. Poker Championship in 1996 that turned it into a destination. Some of the games top players laid down $10,000 in what was the first tournament on the East Coast on the same financial level as the World Series of Poker.When we went there, the Taj Mahal poker room was kind of a mess, said former World Series of Poker tournament director Jack McClelland, who Trump hired to launch the tournament that was broadcast on ESPN. They ran the poker room like you run the blackjack pit. ... It was just a mess.McClelland says the tournament organizers helped to change some of the problems, and he said he enjoyed working for Trump, for whom he plans to vote in November.Connecticuts Foxwoods Casino had already begun splitting up the lucrative New York market, but it was the opening of Atlantic Citys Vegas-style Borgata casino in 2003 that started the end of the Taj poker room. It began drawing most of the citys big action, and the opening of poker rooms in Pennsylvania, Delaware and later Maryland took away most of the rest. The room closed for renovations in February 2015 and didnt reopen until this past May, less than two months before workers at the casino went on strike.Kevin Thompson, 38, was walking through the room on Wednesday, looking for one last game. When that didnt happen, he reminisced with a reporter about the good times. A full room. An attached horse racing and keno lounge. A place where the locals played and staffers treated you like family.There was always something to do. You could always enjoy yourself here, he said. Im going to miss it a lot. Sad, its real sad.---Follow Cornfield at https://www.twitter.com/JoshCornfield Emmitt Smith Youth Jersey . Their experience showed Tuesday as the No. 10 Badgers blunted a Saint Louis surge to win 63-57 and advance to face West Virginia in Wednesdays finals of the Cancun Challenge. Chuck Howley Youth Jersey . Brandon Morrow allowed five runs on six hits over three innings. He struck out two, walked one and hit a batter. Edwin Encarnacion had a two-out, bases loaded two-RBI double in the third inning. http://www.cowboysrookieproshop.com/Cowboys-Randy-White-Jersey/ . Jeff Green scored 13 points and Kris Humphries 12 for the Celtics, who nearly blew an 18-point, second-half lead. Sullingers 20-20 was the first by a Celtics player since Kevin Garnetts first game in Boston in 2007. Garnett was dealt -- along with Paul Pierce -- to Brooklyn during the off-season. Randy White Jersey . 9. Price, heading to the 2014 Olympics for Canada, was named the First Star after posting wins in three starts with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .971 save percentage. DeMarcus Ware Womens Jersey .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers will be without right tackle Marcus Gilbert and veteran reserve Ryan Harris on Sunday when they face the New York Jets.Both players were ruled out on Friday. Gilbert is dealing with a left ankle injury while Harris has a leg injury. Chris Hubbard will make his first career start in place of Gilbert. The Steelers will likely promote Matt Feiler from the practice squad to add depth.Linebacker Ryan Shazier will miss his second straighht gam