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Poker most wanted game at casinos
By John Schwarb

At the Belterra craps tables, a few players roll the dice with pagers attached to their belts. One figures the devices indicate something important; perhaps the players are on-call doctors or businessmen awaiting word on an important deal.

They could be, but these pagers are used for another pressing need: to signal a coveted open seat in Belterra’s poker room. When the room runs a waiting list — and it frequently does — players may be issued pagers so they can roam the rest of the property and return when it’s their turn to join a game.

Anywhere else in a casino, such fare would be unthinkable. Waiting lists for nickel slots? Pagers for a seat at a blackjack table?

That would be unheard of. Then again, so would imagining a decade ago that poker would become the hottest game in America.

From backrooms to big-time
Poker’s emergence into the mainstream of the sports world can be credited to a perfect convergence of events.

With 1998’s “Rounders,” poker found its modern big-screen influence, with Matt Damon and Edward Norton fleecing tourists and chasing illegal games. Damon’s dream was to build a bankroll to take to Las Vegas and win the World Series of Poker.

Televised poker hit it big five years later, when the Travel Channel’s World Poker Tour became the network’s highest-rated show with 3 million to 5 million viewers weekly. Reruns did even better.

“Watching people make a million-dollar decision on every hand is great TV,” WPT founder Steve Lipscomb told USA Today in 2003.

Also in 2003, an unknown accountant named Chris Moneymaker won the $2.5 million first-place prize at the World Series of Poker’s main event. The main event requires a $10,000 entry fee; Moneymaker won his stake via a $40 online tournament.

His feat underlined the success of online poker, which has brought millions of players to the game. In 2004, players on the five largest online sites bet more than $38 billion.

Put all those factors together and you’ve got what poker players call the “nuts” — an unbeatable combination.

Players flood the river
Fueled by one or all of those factors, new players are storming casinos for live poker. Casinos, in turn, are storming back with room for all the newcomers.

On the Ohio River, Casino Aztar, Belterra, Caesars Indiana and Grand Victoria all have poker rooms.

Caesars expanded from eight to 21 tables in about two years’ time, evolving with the game’s popularity.

“We realized we still had a long waiting list on the weekends,” said Joe Feldman, Caesars Indiana’s vice president of casino operations.

Belterra opened its room June 7, 2005 —a 12-table area on the east end of the boat. In keeping with the new era of poker, it’s completely non-smoking and has plasma televisions and an electronic waiting list system (which works in conjunction with the pagers).

As a revenue source, poker rooms will never rival other areas of the casino. The house makes its money by keeping a percentage of each pot, known as a “rake.” This is usually not more than $5 a hand, which in the long run means a poker room is far less profitable than a craps pit.

But casinos also know they can’t afford not to have the hottest game around.

“It sets us apart from our competitors,” Belterra senior director of casino operations Kevin Kaufman said. “Say I’m in a car of four people and I like to play live poker, two of our gals like slots and he likes the craps table. Before, they would drive right past us; now we offer every game there is.”

When to Hold’em? All the time
In the current poker boom, one game stands above the rest: Texas Hold’em. New players need not concern themselves with Seven-Card Stud, Omaha or other versions of the game; Hold’em has emerged as the most telegenic and easiest to learn.

Simply said, in Hold’em a player gets two cards to use with five “community” cards shared by all other players. Of course playing the game is much more complex, but at its core, Hold’em is a fast game to pick up either in its cash or tournament format, the latter of which has been so successful on television.

One Friday night, Belterra offered nothing but Hold’em in its poker room, from low-limit $2-$4 games to no-limit games that vaguely resembled televised poker with players going “all-in” by risking their entire stack of chips on one hand.

“Go back 10 years ago; there was a 50/50 split between Stud and Hold’em,” Kaufman said, remembering his days at the President Casino in Iowa. “Now the country has gone crazy with Texas Hold’em.”

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Poker most wanted game at casinos By John Schwarb At the Belterra craps tables, a few players roll the dice with pagers attached to their belts. One figures the devices indicate something important; perhaps the players are on-call doctors or businessmen awaiting word on an important deal. They could be, but these pagers are used for another pressing need: to signal a coveted open seat in Belterra’s poker room. When the room runs a waiting list — and it frequently does — players may be issued pagers so they can roam the rest of the property and return when it’s their turn to join a game. Anywhere else in a casino, such fare would be unthinkable. Waiting lists for nickel slots? Pagers for a seat at a blackjack table? That would be unheard of. Then again, so would imagining a decade ago that poker would become the hottest game in America. From backrooms to big-time Poker’s emergence into the mainstream of the sports world can be credited to a perfect convergence of events. With 1998’s “Rounders,” poker found its modern big-screen influence, with Matt Damon and Edward Norton fleecing tourists and chasing illegal games. Damon’s dream was to build a bankroll to take to Las Vegas and win the World Series of Poker. Televised poker hit it big five years later, when the Travel Channel’s World Poker Tour became the network’s highest-rated show with 3 million to 5 million viewers weekly. Reruns did even better. “Watching people make a million-dollar decision on every hand is great TV,” WPT founder Steve Lipscomb told USA Today in 2003. Also in 2003, an unknown accountant named Chris Moneymaker won the $2.5 million first-place prize at the World Series of Poker’s main event. The main event requires a $10,000 entry fee; Moneymaker won his stake via a $40 online tournament. His feat underlined the success of online poker, which has brought millions of players to the game. In 2004, players on the five largest online sites bet more than $38 billion. Put all those factors together and you’ve got what poker players call the “nuts” — an unbeatable combination. Players flood the river Fueled by one or all of those factors, new players are storming casinos for live poker. Casinos, in turn, are storming back with room for all the newcomers. On the Ohio River, Casino Aztar, Belterra, Caesars Indiana and Grand Victoria all have poker rooms. Caesars expanded from eight to 21 tables in about two years’ time, evolving with the game’s popularity. “We realized we still had a long waiting list on the weekends,” said Joe Feldman, Caesars Indiana’s vice president of casino operations. Belterra opened its room June 7, 2005 —a 12-table area on the east end of the boat. In keeping with the new era of poker, it’s completely non-smoking and has plasma televisions and an electronic waiting list system (which works in conjunction with the pagers). As a revenue source, poker rooms will never rival other areas of the casino. The house makes its money by keeping a percentage of each pot, known as a “rake.” This is usually not more than $5 a hand, which in the long run means a poker room is far less profitable than a craps pit. But casinos also know they can’t afford not to have the hottest game around. “It sets us apart from our competitors,” Belterra senior director of casino operations Kevin Kaufman said. “Say I’m in a car of four people and I like to play live poker, two of our gals like slots and he likes the craps table. Before, they would drive right past us; now we offer every game there is.” When to Hold’em? All the time In the current poker boom, one game stands above the rest: Texas Hold’em. New players need not concern themselves with Seven-Card Stud, Omaha or other versions of the game; Hold’em has emerged as the most telegenic and easiest to learn. Simply said, in Hold’em a player gets two cards to use with five “community” cards shared by all other players. Of course playing the game is much more complex, but at its core, Hold’em is a fast game to pick up either in its cash or tournament format, the latter of which has been so successful on television. One Friday night, Belterra offered nothing but Hold’em in its poker room, from low-limit $2-$4 games to no-limit games that vaguely resembled televised poker with players going “all-in” by risking their entire stack of chips on one hand. “Go back 10 years ago; there was a 50/50 split between Stud and Hold’em,” Kaufman said, remembering his days at the President Casino in Iowa. “Now the country has gone crazy with Texas Hold’em.”