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Ever
“flop the nuts?” Do the names of poker pros such as
Chris Moneymaker, Phil Ivey and Johnny Chan have just as
much name recognition as Joe Montana, Michael Jordan and
Barry Bonds? Is the movie “Rounders” — about a college
kid who makes a living playing poker — a favorite?
If
you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, you
are just one of millions of people bitten by the poker
bug.
Poker — specifically Texas HoldEm — is taking over the
nation’s living rooms in more way than one. Not only has
the living room traditionally been the site of many a
home poker game, cable stations such as ESPN, Fox Sports
and the Travel Channel beam the World Series of Poker
and the World Poker Tour onto living room televisions
around the world.
The
game has moved out of smoke-filled, back-rooms into the
spotlight on primetime.
“Being able to see the hole cards made all the
difference,” said Tony Fletcher, 44, a poker dealer at
Bay 101 in San Jose as well as a player at Lucky Chances
Casino in Colma.
In
Texas HoldEm, each player is dealt two cards face down,
called “hole” cards. Five community cards are then dealt
face up. The first three cards are called “the flop,”
the next card is called “fourth street” or “the turn”
and the final card is “fifth street” or “the river” with
bets made before each card is dealt. The player with the
best five-card hand wins the pot. ESPN, for example,
placed small cameras in the poker tables which lets
television viewers see the player’s hole cards. That
changed the way the game was perceived. Now everyone can
be an armchair quarterback.
“[Television coverage] has helped our business
tremendously,” said Nick Kolich, tournament coordinator
for Lucky Chances. “It’s hurt because we can’t get
enough tables (to play on).”
The
World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe Casino in Las
Vegas is the granddaddy of
Texas
HoldEm
poker
tournaments. Having just wrapped up its 35th year, the
World Series of Poker has grown in leaps and bounds.
“Just to give you an idea, in 2003 a little over 800
people signed up,” said Dawn Petrick, spokeswoman for
Harrahs Entertainment, which manages the Horseshoe. “In
2004, over 2,500 people entered. In 2005, we’re
expecting that number to grow even further.”
Keep
in mind that there is a $10,000 entrance fee.
Petrick believes the phenomenon has to do with the
professional players who show up on television. Ivey and
Chan are two of the best players in the world along with
a dozen others.
“All
the characters have completely different
characteristics. It just brings a story to the game,”
Petrick said. “Everyone (in the crowd) picks their
favorites either because of what they heard of them or
the stories they’ve heard about them.
“It’s become very high energy. There’s a lot of money at
stake. To feel the vibe in the room is absolutely
amazing. There’s more money at stake than any other
sporting event in the world.”
The
winner of this year’s World Series of Poker’s Main Event
won a cool $5 million.
Card
rooms enjoying the increased exposure
Card
rooms around the Bay Area — including Lucky Chances and
Artichoke Joe’s in San Bruno — are definitely increasing
business. Since poker is labeled a game of skill, card
rooms that feature poker avoid the issue of gambling.
Also, no house money is used. All players use their own
money pitted against other players’ money. Card rooms
then take a percentage of the pot — “the drop” — to pay
its expenses.
“[The exposure] is great for business. I’m a poker
dealer,” said Fletcher, who played in the 2002 World
Series of Poker before getting knocked out on the second
day of the five-day event. “It wasn’t like that before.
Before, there were 50, 60 (people playing in a
tournament). Now, there’s 150, 160.”
Kolich, in the business for 25 years, coordinates six
tournaments a week at Lucky Chances. He said “no-limit”
tournaments are easier for beginners because that’s the
game that is featured on television. In tournaments, all
players pay a certain buy-in and everyone starts with
the same amount of chip. Bets of any size can be made
and the ultimate winners takes home a predetermined pot.
The
game’s exposure is bringing in a whole new crop of
Texas
HoldEm
players —
mostly younger players and more women — which suits card
rooms just fine.
“Just during the last couple of years, everyday I see
new faces,” Fletcher said. “I see a lot of young kids.
College kids come in all the time. There are some really
good young players.”
Both
Kolich and Fletcher said they can tell when new players
are picking up a lot of their knowledge from watching
the game on television. Both said these players use the
same mannerism and even the same lingo the pros use.
With
so many people flocking to card rooms, however, Kolich
said the game’s popularity is putting a squeeze on
resources.
“We
used to have a beginners’ table but what we found is,
it’s tough for us. We don’t have enough dealers and
space is tight,” Kolich said. “What happens now is,
players learn to play online. When they come in here,
they have a basic knowledge of the game.”
Internet has big impact on the game
The
other reason for Hold ‘Em’s rise has been the Internet.
With hundreds of poker sites to choose from, novices can
learn the game and increase their confidence playing the
game.
“I
play on the Internet. I play a lot,” said Fletcher, a
Pacifica resident. “I’d say probably 70 percent of
people (in the card rooms) play online. You can play
with [fake] money.”
Despite the increased sophistication of beginners,
Kolich said he can still pick newcomers out. Card rooms
welcome beginners because they don’t want to scare them
off by taking them to the cleaners.
“There are a number of players [who] are smart people.
They figure the game out online. Then they have to
figure out the nuances,” Kolich said. “We can tell when
a player is new and we encourage them to ask questions.
They have poker schools online and you got television
now (to learn from).”
Despite all the knowledge players can pick up on
television or the Internet, there are still things that
can only be learned in the card room Kolich said. One of
the things most often taught is tipping of dealers.
Since dealers make only minimum wage, they depend
heavily on tips. Kolich said the size of the pot
determines the size of the tip. In a “structured” game —
where there are minimum and maximum bets — the tip
ranges from $1 to $3 or 5 to 10 percent. In tournaments,
the house usually takes a certain percentage of the
winnings.
Despite all the resources at their fingertips, still
gets people playing who are essentially throwing away
their money Fletcher said.
“You
still see guys come into card room who don’t have a
clue,” Fletcher said. “You almost want to tell them to
go buy a book (on poker playing).”
Changing poker’s image
A
change in the industry is stoking the poker flame Kolich
said. The image of hard-living, hard-drinking, violent,
cowboy and gunslinger is slowly dying off. The game is
giving way to a kinder, gentler version, making the
atmosphere more conducive to beginners and those looking
for entertainment and not a fight.
“That’s the image it used to be,” Kolich said. “What
happened all at once, everything went non smoking. Then
we decided we wanted a friendlier atmosphere.”
Lucky Chances is adopting a “zero tolerance” policy
toward fighting and cheating, which will get you
automatically ejected Kolich said. Other violations,
such as swearing, will get you a warning before a player
is ejected.
“I
was running a tournament and this kid got up and said,
‘Nobody will f— with my chips when I’m gone?,’” Kolich
said. Regulars at the club looked at Kolich, knowing
that swearing is not tolerated.
“I
looked at him at said, ‘No one will MESS with your
chips,’” Kolich said. “He just thought that was the way
you acted. We want to keep the historic spirit of poker
alive but some of the other stuff we’re trying to get
rid of. There’s still plenty of room for bantering and
personality at the table.”
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