At one time or another almost every poker room in the Central City / Black Hawk area was “The Place to Play” – rocking with multiple games and players lined out the door.
Sadly, almost all of those rooms ended up empty, struggled to keep even one game going at the end and finally closed – with slot machines filling the floor space.
Ironically, it has been my observation while playing in these rooms through the years that most follow the same template to failure.
Up front the rooms get the games through offering exceptional service and deals. Then they either maintain for a while through good processes or because there is something special (employees, the manager, the uniqueness of the room…) but if there is nothing, the players usually go back to where they feel comfortable as soon as the deals are over.
Then – somehow – many poker rooms forget the players are what make the room. Sometimes it does takes longer than in others but as the management changes, invariably – room’s priorities change.
Changes happen such as non-poker employees put in floor and management positions, decisions made for short-term financial gain rather than long-term stability and no drive to keep what at one time they had worked so hard to get – poker players.
One example of this was the demise of the Colorado Central Station Poker Room. The room had all the tournament action and much of the live action in town at the time and decided to combine the Bad Beat Jackpots to add up to one of he largest up to that time – $200,000.
The key was, this room had a full 50 – person tournament every night and as those players were knocked out they would regularly play live action.
Overnight – the demand for live action increased dramatically and the decision was made to limit the tournament to 20 players – leaving 30 players out in the cold who expected to have a seat. Those players went to the Gilpin Poker Room and never came back, making that room the new place to play. Within a month, The Gilpin Poker Room had three tournaments a day with many live action games.
At the CCS poker room the Jackpot hit a few days later, the players who were playing for it faded away, and the regulars didn’t came back. The room never recovered and was moved into the basement before quietly closing.
Arrogance is a danger to all rooms. It seems at times management “expects” the games rather than remembering they have to “earn” them daily. One room pushed this when they raised their rake to an unbelievable $9 on the weekends thinking players would not notice. They did, and the room lost their dominance soon after.
Then – first one regular game moves to another casino, then another. Finally, the recreational players come up … find no game … and move on to whichever casino the game has moved to – and they don’t come back. End result = no game and ultimately no poker room.
While Bad Beat Jackpots, location, availability of hotel rooms and other factors play into the mix – there are certain things any room can do to draw the players, continue to build the base of new players, and finally – keep the players for the longer term (from a player’s perspective.)
Here they are rolled up into 5 categories:
Listen to the Players
The players know what’s happening at the tables, with the dealers, and with the floor people. If a player is taking the time to talk to a Floor Person about a problem – listen to them, take the time to check out that the player is saying and then let them know you did.
In the business world we call this L.A.S.T – (Listen, Apologize, Solve and Thank) – it’s amazing what this attitude of giving great customer service does to bring customers back.
Players watch and are aware of what is happening. If a game is not opening and it could, if a floor person is making a clearly incorrect call, or if there is horseplay that affects the games – the players see it and will alert management … if they feel they are listened to.
The key is listening and responding – that is very important to players who are risking big dollars on every hand.
Poker rooms are built to make money and the best way for them to make money is to have lots of players on a regular basis. Those players have choices and will go where a room is “Player Friendly.”
Comps (Complementary)
“I won’t play there ever again” – I have heard this many times uttered by players because a room (or a casino) will simply at the drop of a hat clear comps off cards, cut the amount of comps given for playing or in some way mess with what the player feels they are due.
Fairness is also important. A room must have very, very high integrity and ensure all players receive the same amount of comps. I know of one room that was giving some players up to $100 in comps just to play there and once the other players found out they wanted it to. End result – the room lost the game because the integrity was gone.
Give the players a good, strong, regular comp where they can get a free meal on occasion and you will keep them. Do something special – and a room will have their hearts. I can remember one Floor Person (Renee), who would buy Pizza’s for the players at times – it was a nice touch.
Players must take advantage of any system in place (ensure to clock in and clock out) because the rooms do not have to offer any comps.
On a side note – drink stations are a great idea (saves player money if not drinking alcohol) and having large, convenient bathrooms are a plus.
Favoritism
There can be none. As learned throughout human history people will use their positions of power to gain approval, make money on the side, or punish others if allowed.
A poker room can have none of that – the floor people hold the integrity of the game in their hand and they must uphold all the standards, all the time, for all the players. There can be no exceptions to this rule.
The job of a floor person or dealer is to monitor the game and it’s standards, not be part of the game.
Professionalism
This is key to the long-term success of a poker room and includes employee attitudes, dress, appearance and ability.
Floor people and dealers have to be enthusiastic and have positive attitudes all the time. They can’t be negative (even worst, complain about the room itself) and the welcome they give the individual players will go a long way to bring them back. I had a Floor Person (still in position) once tell me “I get paid the same if we have one game or 20 – I’ll take the one” and yep, I left the room soon after.
What is one of the most famous lines in television from the show Cheers – “NORMMMMMMM” – he was a regular at Cheers, they let him know it and he kept coming back. That’s what a room wants their players to feel.
The employees’ appearance and the way they dress are very important. Shirts being clean / pressed, faces being cleanly trimmed or shaved, shirt tucked in, and employees working hard – are all attributes that contribute to how a room is viewed and talked about, thus affecting its long term consistency and success.
It also includes how a room is presented – is it clean, are the tables brushed, is old food cleared quickly and are the dealers helping with this process. Is the atmosphere bright, upbeat and energetic?
There is currently a dealer who “Brushes” on occasion at The Ameristar Poker Room. He makes sure he welcomes all new players to the games; he ensures their area is clean and if they need food or anything they know to talk to him. Most importantly he greets almost every player by their name with a short story, making them all feel at home. I’m not sure what he makes during a “Brush” shift – but I know I tipped him. Nice work Gary.
This is being “Best on the Block” – if your room is “Best on the Block” professionalism and cleanliness-wise the players will flock there if given a choice.
Availability of Games/ Limits
All of the above items add up to having and keeping a game (or hopefully more with many limits.) The bottom line is if a room cannot keep a consistent game and offer more than one option in limits, players will go to where ever the game is.
Currently, the most successful room in town has two major things going for it – the room always has a game and they offer at least four limits on a daily basis with more on the weekends.
As a player we have the responsibility to alert the Floor People of issues we see or ways to improve the room for both the casino and the players.
The key is…the employees’ who work in the room have to listen.
Remember, play your Game…and where you want to.
