The Blackjack Band Michigan

4/4/20224/4/2022

The Blackjack Band Michigan Rating: 3,9/5 7957 votes

Blackjack Band playing at a going away party. Sorry about the darkness of video! Was at night time! Like what you see? Want to book us for your. Located on the banks of Lake Michigan, you’ll find Four Winds Casino and Hotel in New Buffalo, MI. Among the trio of casinos owned by the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi, this one is their most prominent. Their gaming venue measures out at 125,000 square feet and contains more than 48 table games and over 2,600 slot machines.

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With the first real money poker games expected to be only a few weeks away, PokerNews looked at the list of applicants for a gaming license in Michigan to understand what we can expect to see when the market opens.

The state of Michigan legalized online poker back in December 2019, when Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed the House Bill No. 4311.

The package, now referred to as Michigan's Lawful Internet Gaming Act, opened the state's door to online poker, online casino gambling, sports betting, and daily fantasy sports, putting the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) in control of all the operations.

Since then, almost 50 gambling operators applied for a license. While not all these companies are expected to launch an online poker site, the list of applicants gives us a good idea of what to expect for the upcoming Michigan poker market.

PokerStars MI: Yes

The world's largest online poker site is expected to start offering real money poker games in Michigan from day one.

The Stars Group inked a deal with the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians Gaming Authorityback in January and it has been preparing the launch of real money poker, casino, and betting products since then.

While we expect the group to enter the sports betting and online casino arena with the FOXBet and FanDuel brands, we have no doubts that all their poker operations will be funneled through the upcoming PokerStars MI.

The PokerStars brand is already active in New Jersey and Pennsylvania through its PokerStars NJ and PokerStars PA websites.

partypoker MI: Yes

The ongoing battle between PokerStars and partypoker for a leadership position in the U.S. poker market is not going to stop anytime soon, as partypoker will operate shoulder-to-shoulder with PokerStars also in Michigan.

To secure an early start in the state, Roar Digital (the company that runs partypoker's operations in the United States) signed a partnership agreement with the MGM Grand Detroit. We expect this to result in a product that will gain the 'party' brand, earning it a significant presence in both the poker and the casino markets in the process.

The launch of a partypoker MI product alongside PokerStars replicates the same scenario that we have seen New Jersey, where the two hold the biggest market shares and continue to battle for the acquisition of new players with massive online tournament series and promotions.

If New Jersey is any indication of how things could go in Michigan, it is safe to assume that ROAR/party will start their operations in the state with a series of aggressive acquisition campaigns that will try to put the brand ahead of PokerStars from the outset.

888poker MI: No

The list of applicants to offer online poker games in the state of Michigan does not include 888poker.

The Israel-based gaming giant does not appear to have entered into an agreement with any of the land-based casinos in the state and is therefore not expected to launch in Michigan in the immediate future.

WSOP.com MI: No

Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE), the company that runs the WSOP.com poker site is also not on the list of those expected to get an early start in Michigan.

While the WSOP.com poker software might not be as popular or appreciated as those of PokerStars and partypoker, the absence of the WSOP.com brand in Michigan is one that players are going to feel — especially if 2021 will bring us another online edition of the World Series of Poker.

GGPoker MI: No

While we wouldn't be surprised to see the GGPoker brand launch and grow in popularity in the United States sometimes soon, we know this isn't going to start in Michigan.

The up-and-coming poker site that changed online poker in 2020 with the launch of the online World Series of Poker and lots of innovative features is quieter than quiet when it comes to their U.S. plans.

GGpoker is not on the list of the upcoming MI poker sites and is not active in any other American state.

READ ALSO: Facts and Figures from the 2020 GGPoker WSOP Online Bracelet Events

Other Applicants

The list of applicants interested in securing a Michigan gaming license includes more names that might sound familiar to poker players.

None of these, however, seem to be interested in launching an online poker site in the state.

William Hill applied for a license via a company named American Wagering Inc. and it is expected to launch an online sportsbook as part of the group's expansion in the United States.
Betfair applied for a license via the Betfair Interactive US LLC and is expected to enter the market with an online sportsbook.

The list of other notable applicants includes also the likes of DraftKings, SugarHouse, Barstool, BetMGM, and Scientific Games.

Origin	United States
Genres	Hard rock, glam metal^[1]
Years active	1979–1980
Labels	Polydor
Associated acts	KISS, Meat Loaf, Union, Grand Funk Railroad, Pat Travers, Joan Jett, Cyndi Lauper, The Monkees, Yellowjackets
Members	Michael Bolton Bruce Kulick Sandy Gennaro Jimmy Haslip

Blackjack was an Americanrock band, active from 1979–1980, featuring Michael Bolton (who was performing under his real name, Michael Bolotin), Bruce Kulick, Sandy Gennaro and Jimmy Haslip.^[2]^[3] The band was short-lived, released two albums, the self-titled Blackjack in 1979 and Worlds Apart in 1980, and embarked on a small US nationwide tour.^[4]

Biography[edit]

Blackjack was formed in late 1978 after Bruce Kulick had come off the road touring with Meat Loaf behind the Bat Out of Hell album. Kulick and his older brother Bob had done a show backing up Michael Bolton, then a solo artist with two albums, at a club show in Connecticut. Afterwards both Kulick brothers were invited to join Bolotin in a proper band. While Bob declined, Bruce accepted. The band's manager Steve Weiss, also an attorney for Led Zeppelin, brought drummer Sandy Gennaro and bassist Jimmy Haslip into the fold to complete the line-up.

The band was quickly signed to Polydor Records and named Blackjack. At the behest of their record company and management, the foursome went to work with producer Tom Dowd at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida to record their debut album. Blackjack was released in 1979 and peaked at No. 127 on the Billboard charts selling around 100,000 copies. The album's biggest single, 'Love Me Tonight', reached No. 62 on Billboard. Blackjack shot videos for both 'Without Your Love'^[5] and 'Love Me Tonight',^[6] which were part of a 9-minute promotional movie ^[7] circulated by the label, and toured with acts such as Peter Frampton and the Marshall Tucker Band.

In 1980, Bruce Kulick played guitar on Billy Squier's solo debut album, The Tale of the Tape, produced by Eddie Offord of Yes fame. Offord also became the producer for Blackjack's second album Worlds Apart. But, with the disappointing sales of their debut album and a regime change at Polydor, Blackjack were no longer a priority act at the label and Worlds Apart was released in 1980 with very little backing and no tour support from the record company. It spelled the end for Blackjack as individual members had opportunities and offers to join more promising musical situations.^{[citation needed]}

After break-up[edit]

By 1981, Gennaro had replaced Tommy Aldridge in the Pat Travers Band, making his debut on the Radio Active album. Haslip would re-team with members of the Robben Ford Band under the name Yellowjackets who issued their self-titled debut album in 1981. After turning down a touring gig with Billy Squier in favor of staying with Blackjack, Kulick recorded Great American Music with The Good Rats in 1981 and also played guitar on Michael Bolton's eponymous 1983 debut album for Columbia Records before joining Kiss in 1984.

Rap appeal[edit]

The Blackjack song 'Stay' off their second album Worlds Apart was sampled by rapper Jay Z for the song 'A Dream' off his 2002 album The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse which reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

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In 2004, rapper Kanye West re-recorded a section of 'Maybe It's the Power of Love' off Worlds Apart for inclusion on his song 'Never Let Me Down'; it was released on his triple platinum selling debut album The College Dropout which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Speaking to the website Genius in 2015, Bolton gave his approval of the sampling, stating that 'the song turned out beautifully'.^[8]

Album re-issues[edit]

Blackjack and Worlds Apart were first issued on CD as a two-for-one package by PolyGram in 1990, with a Japanese release following in 1996. UK-based label Lemon Records would do another 2-for-1 reissue in 2006, titled Anthology, with extensive liner notes by English rock journalist Malcolm Dome. The most recent re-issues came in December 2013 when both albums were released individually by Universal Music Japan in the cardboard sleeve mini-LP format as SHM-CD remasters.

Band members[edit]

Michael Bolton – lead vocals (1979–1980)
Bruce Kulick – guitars (1979–1980)
Jimmy Haslip – bass, backing vocals (1979–1980)
Sandy Gennaro – drums, percussion (1979–1980)

Discography[edit]

Blackjack (1979)
Worlds Apart (1980)

References[edit]