Thousands of players will converge on the area and fill its hotel rooms, and increase action at the tables when the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and the World Poker Open (WPO) “shuffle up” and millions of bucks and thousands of hopefuls go into tournament play.
The WSOP is a Harrah's circuit event that starts the action on Jan. 7 and will officially be kicked off on Jan. 6 with a remote broadcast of the casino gaming show, GoodTimes Radio (heard on WMC790 AM) from the poker room at Grand Casino at 8:30 a.m. The WPO opens earlier on Jan. 3 at Gold Strike, its eighth consecutive season there.
The tournaments are magnets for some of the biggest names in the game today like he of the orange-tinted glasses, Greg "Fossil Man" Raymer, as well as outstanding players like Scotty Nguyen, Phil Ivey, Barry Greenstein, Joe Navarro, Men "the Master" Nguyen, John Juanda, Daniel Negreanu, Robert Williamson, Barry Johnston, Scott Fischman and Alex Outhred, among many others. Mid-Southerners have fared well in past events so don’t let the big names faze you.
The impact from all these visitors along with their friends and families is huge for the county and the local gaming industry. The extensive media coverage that promotes the area is tremendous and the exposure benefits the County and each and every casino.
“It is tough to put a fixed dollar figure on the value of this publicity that these events generate but suffice to say it is very extensive and very beneficial as it places attractions here in the national spotlight,”said Webster Franklin, president and CEO of the Tunica Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Sheri Pucci, regional assistant general manager at the Grand, was on the same page with Franklin. “Wildly popular events like the WSOP Circuit tournament will not only continue to guarantee the long-term success of the Grand but we are extremely proud to be part of the future growth of the Tunica region. With each successive event, the popularity continues to grow with thousands of players hosted at Grand who compete against the top names in poker for millions of dollars. We look forward to surpassing all records with the event in January.”
Ken Lambert, Gold Strike's Director of Poker Operations, who has seen his share of world-class tournaments and is a key component of the WPO at Gold Strike, said, ”There is no question that hosting the WPO has helped us stay on the map nationally and internationally. Keep in mind that Tunica County was once the poorest county in the U.S. and unemployment exceeded employment. Gaming in general has created jobs and helped Tunica become one of the best gaming markets in the country. It’s simple, the more players, the more jobs and the better the economy. We are proud to be an important part of the progress and the WPO is an solid piece of that equation.”
If you bust out of the tournament, there is help waiting in the wings. The WSOP Academy takes place right after the poker tournaments at Grand on Jan. 27-28 and the instructors include Greg Raymer, Joe Navarro, Alex Outhred and Scott Fischman. There are a few gold bracelets sprinkled among this elite group. The curriculum includes Texas Hold ‘em tournament strategy, tells, final table play, aggressiveness and all the aspects of tournament play an intermediate player would benefit from. Staged in conjunction with Harrahs's by Post Oak Productions of Toronto, the two day intensive session costs $1,699 and has been sold out every place it has been held. Visit on www.wsopacademy,com or call 800-989-9767.
Bill Wright did such a good job managing the Horseshoe and Sheraton casinos that Harrah’s has thrown in the Grand for good measure. Bill, no stranger to the casino floor, where I have encountered him many a time meeting and greeting, is now general manager of Harrah’s Central Division.
Moving away from poker, I bribed a housekeeper to give me a sneak preview of the new room renovations taking place at the 'Fitz' as it gears up for more makeovers that will help enhance the Castle on the river in an effort to attract more high-end players. We were first shown a standard room and the improvement was wonderful, with new furniture, high comfortable beds, flat screen TVs, marble bathrooms and a river view to boot. But the Turret suite was truly impressive . It has two views of the river, north and south, visible from different windows in the round bedroom, and a warm décor, not to mention two flat-screens TVs. It and its' companion suites will stay booked with their new, refurbished boutique look.
More renovations are on the way but management is tight-lipped right now because other surprises are coming soon at the Fitz. But it was hard to hide the fact that the lobby has been totally made over and the new VIP check-in desk even has a bar to greet customers. Expect more changes to be announced in this column soon. When you visit Fitz in January you will have a shot at receiving a $1,000 Paycheck-For-Life. Stay tuned. Also, the first Comcast Cable televised 'Fights at the Fitz', will take place with another sellout on January 20th.
There is a new game in town and it's so different and compelling you might want to check it out. It is called Rapid Roulette and has been installed at both Hollywood Casino and the Grand, where I played it minutes after it was approved by the Gaming Commission. Darrell Pilant, VP of Casino Operations at the Grand, gave me a rundown on the game as well as the new in-the-round Wheel of Fortune carrousel and the Big Event Monopoly slot game. Grand is making a big investment in new electronic slot games with more to come, according to Pilant, who was understandably bouyed at the prospect.
The new roulette setup has 12 video positions for players, six on each side around a pit where a live dealer is still employed handling the wheel spin and money-exchanges. However, there will be no shuffling of piles of chips or figuring payouts. The computer does it all now. It is easy to play if you spend a moment perusing the info sheet provided. I like it because you no longer have to stretch out over the table to place your bets and the spacious play positions eliminate crowding and elbow jams.
“It has proved very popular at other Harrah’s properties where installed and we expect the same here as the game is one of the hottest in the industry”said Pilant. “The touch screen station is something that today’s players are used to and to be able to use this technology for roulette is exciting.”
Joe Stronski, VP of Casino Operations, at Hollywood Casino, was also exuberant about the new electronic marvel. “The dealer spins the ball around the wheel just like the traditional game, but in this case we have a camera stationed above the wheel and players can easily see the completion of the spin on monitors which also displays the percentages of what has been hitting for different bets on the layout. It even has a button for tipping the dealer."
Stronski said further, “Players place their bets after selecting a denomination to wager by touching the screen facing them, the dealers spins the ball like in traditional roulette and all wagers are simultaneously resolved once the dealer confirms the winning number on the centralized control monitor. It really is fun.”
What are friends for? Good guys Frank Romaine, a shift supervisor at Sam's Town, and Gary Cline, owner of Highway 61 Liquor in Tunica, need your help as they in turn seek to help a friend. Robinsonville resident Robert Locke has fallen on hard times, healthwise, with a disease that his doctor believes to be terminal. His friends, who want him to be more comfortable during the course of his illness, have organized a benefit golf scramble at Tunica National in Jan. Call Gary at 662-519-6501 for more details on the four man scramble or check out the article on page 000 of Jackpot Magazine (www.jackpotmagazine.com).
Seven casinos in Vicksburg? Seems a lot for a fairly small jurisdiction, but the proposed Riverwalk Casino got an extension until Dec. 21 to confirm the developer’s appearance before the Gaming Commission. It is one of three casinos in pre-construction phases for the city and if they all get approved and built, it will bring to seven the number of casinos there.
We met Rob Brown by pure chance one day when registering to play in a blackjack tournament at Grand Casino. I queried the lady at the desk as to where I could leave my luggage and before she could answer, this voice behind me called out, ”I can take of that for you sir.” It turned out he was NOT the valet but in fact was THE vice president of hotel operations. His overall competence over the years has paid off and Rob, as Director of Purchasing for the Grand, is now responsible for over $250 million in regional purchasing for Harrah’s Mid-South and if he oversees that strategic responsibility like he handled the minor detail of my bags, that role is in good hands. My bed was even turned down.
PEACE TO ALL GOOD MEN is something this conflicted world could use more of these days and in Israel it is for sale. Billionaire Israeli businessman, Avi Shaked, who made a fortune from running Internet gaming sites, told Reuters news agency he wanted the killing to stop and thus he offered one billion dollars to Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Janiye, if he reaches a peace agreement with his Israeli counterpoint. Bombs haven’t worked, maybe bucks will do it. GOD rest ye merry gentlemen, let nothing ye dismay…
Auf Weidersehen to a couple of good guys and friends. Patrick Browne has moved on from his post as GM at Grand and Anthony Sanfillippo has done the same, retiring from his position as president of Harrah’s Central Division.
FROM THE QUOTABLE GAMBLER, published by The Lyons Press.
What ho! Bring dice and good wine,
Who cares for the morrow?
Live...so calls grinning death…
Live, for I come to you soon.
by the esteemed Roman writer and poet, VIRGIL (circa 43-37 B.C)
LAISSEZ LE BON TEMPS ROULER
